As a professional astronomer, I had always thought that the astronomical orrery had been _invented_ by Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, but today's AWAD corrected this impression; it prompted me to do some quick research, which showed that he only commissioned its construction.

My impression had come from the fact that, as a Corkonian, I was aware that the peerage of Orrery was based in Co. Cork, along with the peerage of Cork itself. Both were held by the Boyle family in the 17th Century; and this made Charles Boyle of Orrery a cousin of Robert Boyle, son of the Earl of Cork.

And who is Robert Boyle? He's only the Father of Chemistry!

http://understandingscience.ucc.ie/pages/sci_robertboyle.htm

So I had put 2 and 2 together and made 5. If Boyle cousin #1 was the father of chemistry, surely Boyle cousin #2 had invented this astronomical model, making a dynasty of early Anglo-Irish scientists (even better, Anglo-Munster scientists). Not quite.