John Brinkley (1763-1835), Irish astronomer and bishop. Brinkley was the first Royal Astronomer of Ireland, and professor of astronomy at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He waited eighteen years after his appointment for a new telescope to be constructed in Dublin's Dunsink Observatory, during which time he established himself as an accomplished mathematician. After the arrival of the telescope, Brinkley turned to astronomical observations, working mainly on the aberration of light and its effects on the apparent position of astronomical bodies. Although the constants he calculated were soon disproved, his work was highly respected, winning him the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1824.