Description

Ascend or Die: Richard Crosbie – Pioneer of Balloon Flight tells the fascinating story of one of Ireland’s most remarkable yet largely forgotten pioneers. Written by historian Bryan MacMahon, this meticulously researched biography follows the life of Richard Crosbie (1756–1824), the first Irishman to undertake a manned balloon flight and one of the earliest aviation pioneers in Europe. Inspired by the groundbreaking balloon experiments taking place in France, Crosbie built his own hydrogen balloon with the ambitious goal of becoming the first person to fly across the Irish Sea.

The book vividly recreates Crosbie’s historic first ascent from Dublin’s Ranelagh Gardens in January 1785, witnessed by an estimated 20,000 spectators. It follows his subsequent flights from Dublin and Limerick, exploring both his engineering ingenuity and his flair for public spectacle. MacMahon also places Crosbie’s achievements within the wider story of early European ballooning, explaining the scientific advances and intense public fascination that surrounded the birth of aviation during the late eighteenth century.

Drawing on newly uncovered archival research, the biography goes beyond Crosbie’s famous flights to reveal the lesser-known chapters of his life, including his years as an actor in New York, his attempts to stage balloon exhibitions in America, and his final years spent in relative poverty. Richly illustrated and thoroughly researched, Ascend or Die is both an engaging biography and an important contribution to Irish aviation history. It is essential reading for anyone interested in aviation, scientific innovation, eighteenth-century Ireland, and the lives of pioneering explorers who dared to challenge the limits of their age.