Brigid Mary Cotter (3 January 1921 – 20 November 1978), was a pioneering Irish chemist and barrister.

Early life and education

Cotter was born in

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

to Nicholas Patrick Cotter and Bridie O'Brien on 3 January 1921. Her father was the chief agricultural officer for Roscommon. She had eleven younger siblings. Cotter was educated by both the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon, and the Ursuline Convent,

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

. After secondary school Cotter attended

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

where in 1944 she graduated with a bachelor in science in both

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

. She continued to achieve her masters the following year with a thesis on epanorin, a chemical constituent of the lichen '' Lecanora epanora''. After graduation Cotter worked in the university for another year as a chemistry demonstrator as well as working for the Medical Research Council on atmospheric pollution in Dublin; Cotter achieved diplomas in

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

and

food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that deals with the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of the food products. Early scientific research into food technology concentrated on food preservation. Nic ...

Chemistry career

In the period from 1947 to 1948 Cotter lived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

where she worked at the

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at M ...

laboratories in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on moulds and fungi, including

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...

. On her return to Ireland spent time teaching in Coláiste Ide,

Dingle Dingle (Irish language, Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coas ...

, Co. Kerry, and went on to spend the next ten years as a chemist in the state laboratory, Dublin during which time she spent 4 years in charge of the bacteriological section. In 1958 she went to work for the Department of agriculture, becoming an agricultural inspector and chief technical officer. She remained in that post until her death.

Law career

Outside of her main work, Cotter qualified in law. She gained a bachelor law degree in 1963, and a masters in 1969, both from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. She was later called to both the English and

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...

– the latter in 1972. She worked on various law committees and travelled internationally as part of the International Bar council.

Legacy

Cotter funded three prizes which are awarded to external law students of the University of London. She was a fellow of the

Institute of Chemistry of Ireland The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland (ICI) is a society representing chemists in the Republic of Ireland. It is led by Celine Marmion, a Professor of Chemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. History The first meeting was held on 15 ...

and a member of the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...

. Cotter was a keen bee-keeper. She died in Dublin on 20 November 1978.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotter, Brigid 1921 births 1978 deaths Scientists from County Roscommon 20th-century Irish chemists Irish women chemists Irish barristers 20th-century Irish lawyers Lawyers from County Roscommon