 The Irish philosopher and theologian Johannes Scotus <unk> was considered one of the leading intellectuals of his early Middle Ages . Sir Ernest Henry <unk> , an Irish explorer , was one of the principal figures of Antarctic exploration . He , along with his expedition , made the first ascent of Mount <unk> and the discovery of the approximate location of the South Magnetic Pole . Robert Boyle was a 17th @-@ century natural philosopher , chemist , physicist , inventor and early gentleman scientist . He is largely regarded one of the founders of modern chemistry and is best known for the formulation of Boyle 's law . 
