Robert Lloyd Praeger

Robert Lloyd Praeger (25 August 1865 – 5 May 1953) was an Irish naturalist, writer and librarian.

Biography Early life and education From a Unitarian background, he was born and raised in Holywood, County Down; he had four brothers and a sister. His father was born in the Netherlands, and imported linen, while his mother's family had a history of producing businesspeople, antiquarians and naturalists; an uncle was a co-founder of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club.

Praeger attended the primary school of the Reverend McAlister and then the nearby Sullivan Upper School, followed by the Belfast Academical Institution. in 1948, and served as President of the Royal Irish Academy for 1931–34.

Personal life Praeger met his future wife, Hedwig Elena Ingeborg Meta Magnusson ("Hedi"), in 1901; they became engaged after two weeks, and married in 1902.

In his later years, Praeger suffered from arthritis and deafness, limiting his mobility.

His younger sister Sophia Rosamond Praeger (1867–1954) was a sculptor, children's book author and illustrator as well as a botanical artist.

Achievements

Praeger was instrumental in developing advanced methodologies in Irish botany by inviting Knud Jessen, the acclaimed Danish expert in Glacial and Post-Glacial flora, to undertake research and teaching in Ireland. This was to lead to the establishment of 'paleoecology' as a distinct field of study in Ireland.

"His" counties A vice-county system was adopted by Praeger, dividing Ireland into forty vice-counties based on the counties. However, the boundaries between them do not always correspond to the administrative boundaries, and there are doubts as to the correct interpretation of them.

Legacy Praeger's legacy lives on through his exceptional professionalism, which he showed during his librarian career. By age thirty-five, he displayed great organization skills in cataloguing, which "has never been equaled in Ireland". One of his significant accomplishments in the field was ordering "the National Library's vast collection of maps".

Surveys Praeger planned The Lambay Island Survey in 1909 and contributed "90 new species to the Irish flora and fauna"; The most notable discovery is the Pisonidae worm by Rowland Southern. Southern dedicated this new genus to Praeger in his work Archiannelida and Polychaeta. In 1988, the Royal Irish Academy proposed carrying out a New Clare Island Survey due to the success of Praeger’s first Clare Island survey.

Grants The "RIA Robert Lloyd Praeger Fund" was set up to assist fieldwork in Irish natural science. Since 1958, the fund has provided roughly three hundred and sixty grants to natural historians for fieldwork initiatives in Ireland.

Literary works The Way That I Went (1937) is an autobiographical book. For Praeger, the book serves as "a kind of thank offering" for all of the time he spent "walking the countryside…and exploring cattle-tramped tombs". Praeger provides a "greater influence on Irish naturalists than any other book".

Some of his other publications are: Open air studies in botany first edition (1897) Irish topographical botany (1901) An Account of the Sempervivum Group (1932) A populous solitude (1941) The Irish landscape (1953)

An Taisce Praeger was the “force behind the foundation of An Taisce in 1948”. In his speech he mentions the issue of ribbon development as the “continuous line of houses should shut out welcome views of the wide open country that lies behind them” which will affect tourism. In 2022, An Taisce produced a Clean Air Strategy for Ireland and a Climate Action Plan in 2023. Thus, to this day, An Taisce’s policies have allowed for the continuation of work for Ireland’s conservation and Praeger’s legacy.

Selected publications

Praeger, R.Ll. Irish Topographical Botany (ITB), Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. (23) 3rd. series, Vol. 7). Praeger, R.Ll. 1893. The Flora of County Armagh. Ir Nat.: II. Praeger, R.Ll. et al. 1902. The exploration of the caves of Kesh, Co. Sligo. Trans. R. Ir. Acad., 32B: 171 – 214. Praeger, R.Ll. 1902. Gleanings in Irish Topographical Botany. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy, 24B: 61- 94. Praeger, R.Ll. 1901 Irish Topographical Botany: Supplement 1901 – 1905. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy, 26B: 13 – 45.

Praeger, R.Ll. 1929. Report on recent additions to the Irish fauna and flora (Phanerogramia). Proc. Roy. Irish Academy 39B: 57 – 78. Praeger, R.Ll. 1932. Some noteworthy plants found in or reported from Ireland. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy. 41B: 95 – 24. Praeger, R.Ll. 1934a. The Botanist in Ireland. Dublin. Praeger, R.Ll. 1934b. A contribution to the flora of Ireland. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy. 42B: 55 – 86. Praeger, R.Ll. 1937 The Way That I Went, An Irishman in Ireland, Allen Figgis, Dublin 1980, Praeger, R.Ll. 1939. A further contribution to the flora of Ireland. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy. 45B: 231 – 254. Praeger, R.Ll. 1946. Additions to the knowledge of the Irish Flora, 1939– 1945. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy. 51B: 27 – 51. Praeger, R.Ll. 1951. Hybrids in the Irish flora: a tentative list. Proc. Roy. Irish Academy. 54B: 1 – 14. Praeger, R.Ll. 1949. Some Irish Naturalists, a Biographical Note-book. Dundalk.