Annie Letitia Massy (29 January 1868 – 17 April 1931[1]) was a self-taught marine biologist, ornithologist, and an internationally recognised expert on molluscs,[2] in particular cephalopods.
Her father was a surgeon in the British Army and was probably working at the Royal Victoria military hospital in Netley at the time of Annie's birth.
[5] She grew up in Malahide, living close to the well known mollusc collecting location the Velvet Strand,[1] spending some time in Enniskerry, County Wicklow.
[4] She made her first contribution to Irish zoological records at age 18 in 1885 by observing the first pair of nesting redstarts in Ireland in Powerscourt Estate, County Wicklow.
[2] She maintained her interest in ornithology in her personal life, leading to her being one of the founding members of the Irish Society for the Protection of Birds (now BirdWatch Ireland) in 1904.
[9] Massy died 17 April 1931 at home in Howth, County Dublin from stomach cancer after a short illness.