John Boyd Dunlop

John Boyd Dunlop was born in Scotland, but came to Ulster in his twenties and spent most of his life here. He originally trained and worked as a vet, but it was watching his young son Johnny trying to ride his tricycle over bumpy cobbled streets that led him to his great idea. Dunlop thought there must be some way of improving the cycling experience. He came up with the idea of a tyre filled with air – a pneumatic tyre.

John Boyd Dunlop’s innovation improved the speed and comfort with which vehicles could travel, paving the way for many transport innovations since.