Latest news with #RTÉBrainstorm
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Science
- RTÉ News
The rise, fall and renaissance of electrochemistry
Analysis: The once unfashionable science which began with a dissected frog is now behind a vast array of indispensable modern innovations Once seen as a dusty branch of chemistry confined to old textbooks full of mathematical equations, electrochemistry is now at the forefront of some of the world's most exciting technologies. In research labs around the world, electrochemists are quietly driving some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of our time. But despite its growing influence, most people still don't know what electrochemistry is, or why it's suddenly at the centre of clean-tech innovation that can help solve anything from clean water access to climate change. So, what is electrochemistry exactly? As the name suggests, it's where chemical reactions and electricity meet. We can use electricity to drive chemical reactions or, conversely, we can use chemical reactions to produce electricity. From RTÉ Brainstorm, what's going to happen to used electric car batteries? It's the science behind the batteries that power your phone, watch or car. It's how gold gets plated onto your jewellery and how an ECG can measure your heart function. Even the electricity that powers your TV or computer is rooted in electrochemical processes, often driven by the combustion of fossil fuels. In other words, electrochemistry is everywhere, but you just might not think about it. It also has a rather odd origin story involving frogs. In the late 1700s, Italian scientist Luigi Galvani was examining a dissected frog and noticed its leg twitched whenever it came into contact with metal. He thought the frog had its own built-in electricity. It didn't, but the idea stuck, and Galvani had unknowingly stumbled across the principles of electrochemistry. A few years later, Alessandro Volta realised that it was the reaction between two different metals that caused the spark and ended up inventing the first true battery in 1800. Within years, we'd learned h ow to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and how to coat metal surfaces in gold or nickel, By the mid-1800s, the first rechargeable battery was born, the same kind of batteries still found under millions of car bonnets today. From History of Simple Things, how do rechargeable batteries work? Electrochemistry subsequently went relatively quiet and was overshadowed by other major scientific advancements during the 20th century. It never quote disappeared, though, and could be found quietly powering metal plating factories and corrosion testing labs. It took a backseat as more on-trend fields as organic chemistry, nuclear physics and molecular biology took attention and resources. Electrochemistry was considered useful, though hardly exciting. But it has re-emerged recently as central to some of the world's fastest growing technologies, from electric vehicles to wastewater treatments. In med-tech, it underpins biosensors that allow people with diabetes check their blood sugar in real time, and wearable implants and patches that can monitor everything from heart rate to stress levels. These tiny devices can detect glucose, cholesterol and even early markers of cancer in blood, sweat or saliva. Electrochemistry is also being used in smart drug delivery systems that release medication in precise doses inside the body. As these technologies shrink and become more affordable, they're bringing personalised, preventative healthcare within reach for millions. From Inside Science, new smart material could automatically deliver your medication inside your body without a reminder As if powering a medical revolution wasn't enough, electrochemical technologies are also crucial to mitigating climate change. The concept of "ecological footprint" measures how much nature we use compared to how much the planet can regenerate. Back in 2012, the WWF's Living Planet Report warned that we would need the resources of two planet Earths by 2030 if global consumption and emissions continued a "business as usual" path. More than a decade on, this warning remains just as urgent. Recent data show we are still on track for ecological overshoot, making technological intervention more critical than ever. Right now, most of our energy still comes from fossil fuels which release carbon dioxide when burned. Electrochemistry offers a cleaner alternative. We can now use renewable electricity from wind or solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, a process known as electrolysis. That hydrogen can then be used as a clean fuel or stored and used later to generate electricity on demand to power cars, buses, trains. Electrochemistry has re-emerged recently as central to some of the world's fastest growing technologies, from electric vehicles to wastewater treatments In addition, electrochemists are also developing new ways to deal with carbon dioxide itself. Researchers are now developing electrochemical systems that can directly capture carbon dioxide from the air and then convert it into something useful such as fuels or chemicals. In theory, this means we could close the carbon loop, using electricity to turn a waste gas into a valuable commodity, without relying on fossil fuels at all. It's early days, but the potential is enormous. For years, electrochemistry lived somewhat in the shadow of other scientific disciplines, often seen as old fashioned or too complex to be exciting. But as we face urgent global challenges, this "in-between" science is proving to be one of the most powerful tools we have. Whether it's producing clean energy, capturing carbon, or monitoring our health in real time, electrochemistry is having its renaissance, and it won't be overshadowed any time soon.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Inside the social networks behind Irish myths and legends
Analysis: Maths and network analysis can help to track connections between hundreds of characters in Irish mythology By Pádraig MacCarron and Gaëlle Clion, University of Limerick Most of what are often considered as Irish myths are preserved in early modern and medieval manuscripts, attesting of a long-standing Irish literary tradition from at least the 9th century onwards. These texts contain the familiar stories of Cú Chulainn and the fight on the ford, and Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna to name a few. But there are thousands of characters contained in these narratives. Most approaches to the study of this corpus of narratives is done qualitatively. With this many characters in hundreds of narratives, though, it can be challenging for scholars to keep track of the plethora of minor characters. This is especially so given the lack of details surrounding them in many of these stories, as well as the evolution of characters' names over time. From RTÉ Brainstorm, 5 things you didn't know about Fionn mac Cumhaill A relatively recent approach to studying systems of many interacting entities is that of network analysis. A network is simply a collection of objects that have some connections between them. In a social network for example, these objects represent people, and two people are connected if they interact. Networks of mythological characters have been analysed for over a decade at this stage. The narrative of Táin Bó Cúailgne ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"), tells of Cú Chulainn's defence of Ulster from an invasion led by Connacht's queen Medb (Maeve in modern spelling) and her husband Ailill who are attempting to steal a prized bull. This story, whole or incomplete, is found in many manuscripts (the oldest from around the 11th or 12th century) and the older version (recension) contains over 500 characters with almost 1,000 interactions between them. From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, the late poet Thomas Kinsella reads an extract from The Táin Measuring the importance of characters in a social network can be done in a few ways. The simplest is to measure a character's number of connections. For example, in the Táin, Cú Chulainn has the highest number of connections (209) and Conchobar mac Nessa the second highest (141). However, some important characters may not always have a high number of connections. A better measure is the betweenness centrality. This measures how many shortest paths in a network a character is on. If, for example, a message was passing through the network, then it would be more likely to pass through characters with a high betweenness making them important for the flow of information. When expanding this analysis to 38 narratives, by including other stories from the so-called Ulster cycle, the network increases to over 1,000 unique characters and over 2,200 interactions. The top characters by betweenness on this network, as shown below, are Cú Chulainn, Conchobar, Ailill, Fergus mac Róich and Medb. As minor characters appear in more narratives, their centrality in the network increases. For example, Macha, a supernatural character after whom Armagh (Ard Mhacha) is named, only interacts with 18 other characters in this network, but she is the eighth most influential character when measured by betweenness. Similarly, The Mórrigán, sometimes said to be a goddess associated with war, has only nine connections, but is the 19th most central character in the network. The supernatural characters tend to tie different narratives together. While generally not major characters, they appear in different times to different characters. Our hypothesis is that as we expand the dataset by increasing the number of narratives we analyse, the mystical characters associated with the Tuatha Dé Dannan will become more influential in the network. As fascinating as they are, supernatural characters are not our only focus. As the network is expanded, other minor characters will prove more or less central, which will help gain a new perspective on their importance in the literary tradition of the Ulster cycle. From UL's Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dr Pádraig MacCarron on Ireland's most influential gods and heroes We will also be able to assess the evolution of character interactions over time, by comparing the networks obtained for the older narratives with the early-modern versions. Since different parameters can be selected when generating the network, it presents a variety of uses when studying this corpus of text. For instance, we will be able to gather a network of female characters, shedding new light on their roles and positions in these texts. Beyond this, a further motivation from a mathematics perspective is to measure the effect of information loss. We know that there are many missing narratives, sometimes we have just their names, other times fragments of narratives, and possibly many we know nothing of at all. Hence, a newly discovered manuscript could uncover a previously unknown tradition, a lost narrative, or just repeat narratives already recorded. We can simulate the effect of information loss on the major characters, by randomly removing some of the narratives, reconstructing the social network, and comparing how often the main characters remain. Running this 200 times, and even removing half of the narratives, most of the time four of the top five characters are unaffected. This indicates, that at least if more narratives are discovered, we're unlikely to have new major characters affecting the Ulster cycle. This is preliminary work on the Networks of Early-Modern, Medieval & Ancient, Irish Narratives (NEMAIN) project funded by Research Ireland. This project reveals how scholars from humanities and the sciences can open new avenues of inter-disciplinary research and shed new light on ancient material.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
How global politics are affecting your grocery bill
We live in a world where decisions are taken far from the checkouts of our local supermarkets which ultimately hit all of our pockets. Problems with a shipping route in the Red Sea or a White House decision in the US can influence what's on the shelves in Dublin or Donegal - and how much you pay for it. My ongoing research has explored how geopolitical factors from populist politics to protectionist tariffs are shaping the decisions that companies make about where and how they source goods. So, how are these seemingly far-off calls bumping up the price of your weekly shop? When 'buying local' actually means 'buying global' We've all heard the importance of shopping local, in supporting the economy and helping keep jobs in our areas. But one of the most consistent findings from my interviews was that public and political narratives, especially those shaped by nationalism or populism, often push companies to appear more local without making substantive changes to their supply chains. From RTÉ Brainstorm, international companies often package their product with specific language and imagery in an effort to connect with local consumers For instance, organisations may promote nearshoring (outsourcing to companies in a nearby country) or domestic manufacturing in public statements, but continue to rely on global suppliers in reality due to cost, quality or capacity constraints. As one participant put it, "nearshoring is lip service, you have to be seen to be supporting local manufacturing, but in reality, the supply chain hasn't moved". As an Irish consumer, you might be choosing products based on the assumption that "local" means homegrown or EU-sourced, but those labels may reflect marketing strategy rather than true sourcing or country of origin shifts. If your motivation is sustainability, ethical labour practices or support for the local economy, it's worth asking whether branding aligns with actual supply chain behaviour. Political pressure doesn't always lead to smart decisions Another theme that emerged in my research was the influence of political and media pressure on executive decision-making, especially during moments of crisis. Multiple interviewees highlighted that supply chain disruptions could trigger panic. In some companies, leadership demanded overnight shifts away from Chinese suppliers not based on operational risk assessment or financial evaluation rather as a reaction to headlines and public sentiment. From RTÉ Brainstorm, why are my bills going up (and up) mid-contract? This kind of knee jerk reaction is both inefficient and costly. Several participants noted that protectionist policies like tariffs haven't meaningfully reshaped supply chains. Instead, they've increased complexity and pushed higher costs, often to the detriment of consumers. Such reactionary decisions can cause large and unexpected increases in the amount you are paying on goods. The next time you notice a sudden price hike on everyday items such as electronics, sportswear or over-the-counter medicine, stop and consider the broader context. Rising prices can sometimes reflect not just material costs or inflation, but reactive supply decisions driven by perception not evidence. Could this price possibly come down again in the near future, when fears subside? Why supply chain decisions are not always rational Companies are under more pressure than ever to monitor geopolitical risk. Dedicated functions are being set up to monitor developments in trade policy, diplomatic tensions and regional instability. However, the redesign of supply chains is rarely straightforward. There is limited evidence of any mass reshoring of production, particularly in the Irish or European context. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne in Jan 2024, Nils Haupt from Hapag Lloyd on understanding the implications for the global supply chain from the Red Sea crisis Instead, what's happening is more tactical. Companies are adding buffers, dual-sourcing from new regions (like Southeast Asia instead of China) or increasing inventory. My research has identified that these strategies can be driven more by risk diversification than national loyalty or political ideology. These changes affect product availability and resilience, especially in times of global uncertainty. When there are shortages or delays (such as personal protective equipment during the Covid pandemic), it's helpful to understand that companies are trying to build more flexible, not necessarily more "local" systems. Certain goods can become scarce as a result, which not only leads to less of them being available, but also those that are can become more expensive as a result. The challenge of misinformation Several interviewees reflected on how politicised media coverage can complicate supply chain decision making. Rather than focusing on deliberate misinformation, participants pointed to the challenges posed by politically charged or agenda driven narratives that dominate both traditional and social media. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne in Sep 2024, Marco Forgione from the Institute of Export & International Trade on how a port strike in the US could affect the global supply chain These narratives can lead to misinterpretations of geopolitical risk within organisations, prompting disproportionate responses to events. One participant described the internal pressure this created during the Red Sea crisis, where his team were urged to respond based on fact and risk assessments, rather than trending media. As a small, open economy, Ireland is deeply integrated into global supply chains. Misconceptions about how these systems work can lead to misguided policy pressure, poor consumer choices or even loss of trust when companies can't meet unrealistic expectations. While a crisis can often lead to you paying more at the till, sometimes it can actually be a misunderstanding of a crisis by a business that hits your pocket, particularly in an economy such as Ireland's. Cost remains an important factor While public perception plays a role, most participants in my research were clear that cost is still critical to businesses and the customer. When it comes down to the final decision on where to source from, economic factors usually win out over ideology or narrative. Political reactions may be swift and presidential terms are limited, but supply chain responses are slow, cautious and deeply rooted in cost-benefit analysis. The bottom line is often what wins out in the final decision for companies. From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, warnings that the days of cheap food are over As much as we may want to believe that politics or public opinion reshapes global trade, the reality is more cautious. Companies will weigh sentiment against spreadsheets. As a result, meaningful change whether towards more ethical sourcing, local production or reduced emissions requires long-term planning not short-term pressure. This is a large factor in keeping down the price that you eventually pay for your goods. At first glance, topics like trade policy, tariffs or global sourcing might feel distant from everyday Irish life. But as this research shows, they're not. What happens in far-off factories or foreign governments affects what's on our shelves, how much we pay and whether our supply of essentials is secure. It's worth remembering that price increases often lag behind the actual disruption. Transport costs rise, materials become scarce and those pressures build gradually until they hit your wallet. A geopolitical conflict or supply chain shock might happen months before you see it reflected in the prices paid at the supermarket checkout.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Are you experiencing rustout at work?
Analysis: This occurs when employees become bored, apathetic and unmotivated, often doing the minimum necessary work Tense, overworked employees everywhere will recognise the features of burnout: exhaustion, depersonalisation (feeling detached from others or yourself in the workplace) and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It happens when chronic workplace stress isn't managed appropriately. At the other end of the stress spectrum is rustout. You may well have experienced it. This is when employees become bored, apathetic and unmotivated, often doing the minimum necessary work. This can result in them procrastinating, browsing social media or looking for something more stimulating elsewhere. Rustout is mental and emotional decline caused by repetitive, mundane tasks and ongoing professional stagnation. Unlike burnout, which results from work overload, rustout arises from underutilisation and a lack of stimulating work. From RTÉ Brainstorm, why micro-retirement has become a new workplace trend for Gen Z & millennials It can be amplified when a workplace values efficiency and meeting specific outcomes over professional engagement, leaving people feeling invisible or replaceable. In other words, it occurs when people are not challenged enough. It may sound like a strange complaint to those who would love to think about work a little bit less. But in the long run, it has the potential to lead to career dissatisfaction and may have an impact on mental health. Yet, within many occupations, rustout remains an unspoken issue. Perhaps this is due to an unofficial expectation that work is supposed to be boring. Our research explored rustout in a particular profession: teacher educators. These are university lecturers who teach trainee teachers. We surveyed 154 teacher educators and carried out follow-up interviews with 14 of them. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, what does the future of the workplace look like? While most described enjoying their work and its variety, we found an undercurrent of symptoms and experiences indicative of rustout. We believe our findings may have resonance with other occupational settings. Rustout may sound a bit like the social media trend of quiet quitting. However, the teacher educators we spoke to were not deliberately stepping back from their duties or plotting their exit. In fact, they remained highly committed to their students – making their situation even more frustrating. They often saw it as a vocation and took pride in guiding new teachers into the profession. Many spoke of the joy it was possible to find in their work and the many brilliant, inspiring young people they had helped to nurture. However, some had lost this enthusiasm. Ever-growing piles of paperwork forced their focus away from what they enjoyed. Crucially, there was a sense that it was no longer the job they had signed up for. From Big Think, bored out of your mind at work? Your brain is trying to tell you something Teacher educators in higher education balance multiple responsibilities: teaching, supervising their students' teaching placements, mentoring, and extensive administrative work. These demands leave little space for engagement with research, which is increasingly valued in metrics-driven universities. We found that the bureaucratisation of higher education in Ireland and the UK has led to excessive paperwork, compliance tasks, and constant system changes. One teacher educator told us: "A good 70% of my workload now is almost just admin, which is very depressing." Combined, these can leave little time for the more creative or professionally enriching aspects of the role, such as curriculum design, teaching or research. "I often feel I have produced nothing at the end of the week, and there is no sense of development," one said. Rustout can also occur when there is a misalignment between professional aspirations and job demands. For example, in our study, some highly qualified teacher educators with significant experience in research, leadership and teaching felt dragged down by repetitive, low-value tasks rather than work that aligned with their expertise. As one said: "People can be pigeon-holed into a role, and they are left in that comfort zone rather than being challenged or invited to try something that might stimulate or get the creative juices flowing." Some may be happy to sit with rustout for some time, but being stuck in this situation can lead to professional dissatisfaction. Restricted professional growth can lead to feelings of rustout. This includes limited opportunities for career mobility, rigid structures, and a lack of workplace career support. If employees are seen as a "safe pair of hands" who can keep the operation moving, their professional satisfaction is not addressed. "The conversation doesn't happen; it's just 'Did you get the job done'," one teacher educator said. "It's not about work satisfaction; you are lucky to have your job." Rustout can also occur when there is a misalignment between professional aspirations and job demands Hidden costs of rustout Rustout has both personal and institutional consequences. On an individual level, it leads to disengagement, apathy and reduced motivation. One said they were "functioning without thriving," with repetitive tasks eroding their sense of purpose. Many teacher educators said they were unable to discuss dissatisfaction due to workplace culture and performance expectations. "Rustout exists in teacher education. Absolutely. However, I have no experience of ever having a conversation with anyone around it," one said. This may be because it suits everyone not to talk about it. Nothing is being rocked when staff are working and doing their jobs. This silence benefits institutions in the short term, since it maintains stability and delays difficult conversations. However, in the long term, it can contribute to retention issues, a negative workplace culture and possibly reduced innovation. We believe rustout should be put on the mental health agenda in workplaces, just as burnout is. Employers must acknowledge that the wellbeing of their employees is integral to overall success.
Irish Examiner
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Clodagh Finn: The Irish tennis ace you've probably never heard of
As the women's final gets underway at Wimbledon today, let's give a celebratory shout-out to the only Irish woman ever to take the title: Lena Rice from Tipperary. It's now fairly well-known that this woman with the powerful serve beat May Jacks in two sets to take the singles title in 1890 so, why then, is there so little about the record-breaking player who beat her earlier that year? A few weeks before, in May, Louisa Martin defeated Lena Rice in the final of the Irish Championships at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, a tournament on a par with Wimbledon at the time. On that occasion, Miss Martin, to use the deferential tone adopted in news reports, 'played up better' than Miss Rice to take the singles title. It was no one-off. Louisa Martin was Djokovic-esque in her achievement; like him, she won 24 Major titles — though not all singles — in a brilliant career that earned her international recognition. Here is a summary of those dizzying stats: Between 1886 and 1903, she won 15 Major singles titles, five doubles and four mixed doubles championships, and she was a three-times finalist at Wimbledon (1898, 1900 and 1901). Tennis historian and author of The Concise History of Tennis (2010) Karoly Mazak went so far as to rank her 'world number 1' for six of those playing years, but even in the pre-Open, pre-ranking days of the late 19th century her game was considered exceptional. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading Writing at the time, English tennis correspondent A Wallis Myers said of her: 'She has been unfailingly to the fore at the premier meetings, always a doughty warrior, armed at all points to meet any kind of attack. There is no better-known member of the Fitzwilliam Club, and among the roll of ladies who have given their best to promote the true interests of the game in Ireland, hers must inevitably go down to posterity.' Stellar career Her singular career, however, did not go down to posterity or, at least, not until recently. That Myers appraisal from Lawn Tennis was quoted in a revelatory piece on RTÉ Brainstorm last week in which Aoife Ryan-Christensen recalled the heyday of Irish tennis and the Irish Open, once an important stop on the tennis calendar. There are other references, including a very impressive account of her stellar career by Mark Ryan on but it still feels as if we have not made enough of a woman who was exceptional in her field. As Ryan puts it: 'Given the successes she consistently achieved at the highest level during the period 1885-1903, in particular in singles events, Louisa Martin can arguably be considered Ireland's greatest ever female lawn tennis player.' If you trawl back through the archives, that little-known fact breaks through in several unexpected places. It's a wonderful surprise, for instance, to discover a sketch of her in a 1896 summer edition of The Gentlewoman, 'the weekly illustrated paper for women' founded in London just six years before. She is shown wearing a long skirt, a cinched blouse and a straw hat as she steps forward to take a shot. 'Louisa Martin can arguably be considered Ireland's greatest ever female lawn tennis player.' How women, often wearing brimmed hats and skirts that brushed the ground, played tennis at all is a wonder, but Louisa Martin must have faced extra challenges as one of the few women who had an overhead serve and a serve-and-volley game. Rise to fame Born Mary Louisa Martin to Edith Agatha Martin and the Reverend George Henry Martin on September 3, 1865, in Newton Gore, Leitrim, Louisa (as she was known) was a teenager when lawn tennis was enjoying something of a golden age in Ireland in the late 1880s. It's not entirely clear when she began to play — perhaps while visiting her grandparents in Cheltenham — but by 1884 she was good enough to make it to the finals of the Cheltenham Championships. She lost to Edith Davies in three sets, but she was already making waves. The Field Lawn Tennis Calendar said that while Davies carried off the title, 'she was very hardly pressed by Louisa Martin, who, if able to practice with good players, will be able to hold her own with the very best of the ladies'. It wasn't long before she did just that. Two years later, she returned to win the championship and repeated the feat in 1887 and 1888. By then, her name was enough to draw a crowd, or so the Belfast Newsletter suggested in its coverage of the Irish Championships in late May, 1887. It reported that the 'the audience was larger than on the previous day no doubt in anticipation of the match between Miss Louisa Martin and Miss Lottie Dod'. Despite showing 'exceptionally brilliant form' in that season's practice matches, Martin lost to Dod because of 'nervousness', a trait singled out more than once to explain her few losses. In the Irish Championships of 1892, though, Louisa Martin evened the score when she beat Lottie Dod, then considered unbeatable. The sports journal Pastime ran this account: 'Scarcely anyone expected Miss Martin to win, but win she did. She started with great dash and decision, the court — somewhat slow and heavy from thundershowers — appearing to suit her admirably, and proving just as unsuitable to her opponent's style of play. The consequence was that Miss Dod had no time to get into her stroke, and the set was quickly won by Miss Martin by 6-2." Her opponent won the second set and it looked like she might take the third too, but a thunderstorm stopped play; the short reprieve revived Louisa Martin who won the game, 'her play all round being of a very high order'. We get a tiny peephole into her private life, courtesy of the Evening Herald, in late May 1896, which recounted that Louisa's niece, Madge Stanuell, was visiting the tennis champion at her country home at Grange Bective, Co Meath, when she fell from a horse but happily escaped serious injury. Lena Rice from Tipperary is the only Irish woman ever to have won the title at Wimbledon. Madge Stanuell's aunt on the other side of the family was Florence Stanuell. She was also a gifted tennis player who teamed up with Louisa to win a number of doubles championships. Not only were the aunts good at tennis, but they were also talented hockey players. Louisa, known as 'Loo' to friends and family, was also something of a character, according to her great-nephew Peter Bamford. She farmed some of the land she inherited and, at times, blew the harvest money to bring Peter's mother Evelyn to London as her chaperone. 'This was all part of Aunt Loo's fun,' he writes, 'as she was about 55 and her 'chaperone' about 17. My mother had many tales of these excursions, which took place about 1920 and later. On one occasion Aunt Loo acted scared of the traffic in Oxford Street and made a 'holy show' of her chaperone, finally they took a taxi to cross the street.' There's another newspaper snapshot that speaks of the connections between sportswomen of the time. Buried deep in the social columns of April 1938 — three years before she died — is a line telling us that Louisa was a guest at the wedding of Tyrone golfing pioneer Rhona Adair's daughter. When Rhona Cuthell married William Aylmer Clarke that year, Louisa Martin was among the congregation wearing 'a saxe blue felt hat with a tailored suit of navy blue'. As one of the world's most famous tournaments draws to a close today, let us also pay tribute to this one-time finalist and greatly overlooked tennis great. Read More Jennifer Horgan: We need to find room in our hearts for the people of Sudan
