Internationally
recognized pioneer in integrated pest management and
the application of biological techniques to pest
control, Bryan Patrick Beirne
was born in Rosslare, Co. Wexford on 22 January
1918, grandson of Paddy Beirne, an inspector
in the Royal Irish Constabulary, stationed
in
Strokestown in the late 1800's.
He attended Blackrock
College, Dublin and at the age of 16 entered Trinity College Dublin (TCD) where,
following a self-directed course of studies, he
received his PhD in 1940. He was 22. He was a member of the TCD
faculty before being appointed Senior
Entomologist by the Canadian Government in 1949. In 1955
he was appointed Director of Research at the
Research Institute for Biological Control in
Belleville, Ontario and his work there resulted in
the publication of the monographs "The
Leafhoppers of Canada and Alaska" (1956) and "The
Cicadas and Treehoppers of Canada" (1959).
In 1967 he led the group that established the "Pestology Centre" at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia and designed the first structured academic program leading to a Master degree in Pest Management (MPM). He served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Emeritus Professor of Pest Management. He retired in 1983.
Dr. Beirne was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1944. He was the recipient of many honours and awards including the gold medal of the Entomological Society of Canada in 1979 and the Career Achievement Award of the Science Council of British Columbia in 1993. He lectured in more than 20 countries, published over 15 books and authored more than 120 scientific research papers. The insect genus "Beirneola" and a number of species of insects and fungi called "beirnei" carry his name and he discovered and named more than 30 previously unknown insect species. He died in Burnaby, British Columbia on 31 March 1998.
His published works
include:
The Origin and History of British Fauna. Methuen. (1952).
British Pyralid and Plume Moths. Frederick Warne. (1952).
Pest Management. London: Leonard Hill. (1966).
Irish Entomology: The First 100 Years. Irish Naturalists' Journal. Special Issue. (1985).He also published important faunal lists of Lepidoptera, and taxonomic works on both Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera.
Bryan Patrick Beirne is remembered at Simon Fraser University with the "B. P. Beirne Prize in Pest Management" and by his clansmen for his book "The Family O'Beirne" (left) published in 1997. He was the inspiration for "The O'Beirne Family Journal" which was first published in January 1998.