Richard Crosbie

[4] His aerial achievement[5] occurred just 14 months after the first-ever manned balloon flight by the Montgolfier Brothers in France and is commemorated by a memorial located at the site of this historic event & commissioned by Dublin City Council.

[citation needed] On 19 January 1785 at 2.30 pm, Crosbie launched, from an exhibition area at Ranelagh Gardens his Grand Air Balloon and Flying Barge[7] in which he intended to cross the Irish Sea.

Made of wood covered with cloth, designed and built by himself, the Chariot resembled a boat, with rudder and sails, intended to enable navigation in the air, reducing reliance on wind direction.

He attempted a channel crossing on 19 July 1785, (defying a ban on balloon flights by the Lord Mayor of Dublin because the population of the city was spending long periods gaping at the sky instead of working), but came down halfway across due to a severe storm, and was rescued by the Dun Laoghaire barge Captain Walmitt, which was following his progress.

At some point prior to May 1827, a fire broke out at Crosbie's home on Cumberland Street destroying a number of original deeds relating to the leases and documents concerning the house.

[13] Prior to his death in 1824, Crosbie had arranged that the house be put into the name of his daughter Mary, which came to pass in a Deed of Assignment dated 30 May 1827, with the "consent, approbation and acquiescence" of her brother Edward.

A memorial statue to commemorate the balloon flight, designed by Irish artist Rory Breslin, depicts Crosbie's youthful curiosity[14] and many of the items displayed on the bronze reflect an airborne theme.