Clodagh Finn: Centenary of Irish scholar's death in Alps sadly overlooked

Dr Sophie Bryant campaigned for Irish university education and a firm place for women in it

Dr Sophie Bryant went on to be a noted mathematician, a social reformer, a suffragist, and educationalist.

No wonder we missed it. In August 1922, the papers were reporting on the “greatest pageant of sorrow ever seen in Dublin” as Michael Collins — the “lion-hearted chieftain” — was laid to rest amid a “mighty spectacle of mourning”.

But on the very same day (August 29) and on the very same page (page 4) the Irish Independent carried another important, but overlooked story under the headline: “Dr Sophie Bryant: Body Reported Found”. It went on to report that the remains of Dr Bryant, the Dublin-born scholar, mathematician, and champion of outdoor pursuits, had been found in the Alps after a two-week search.