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R uth Blackith, a distinguished researcher and generous donor, was a key figure in Trinity's Zoology Department. As one half of a remarkable research partnership, she made significant contributions to the study of insects, notably co- authoring Sarcophaga of France , a comprehensive work on flesh flies, with René Richet and Thomas Pape in 2011. This publication, released shortly before her 75th birthday, exemplifies her enduring dedication to research. Beyond her academic achievements, Ruth's legacy continues to shape the future of education and research at Trinity through the generous gift she left in her will. It is an unusual author who publishes their first book aged 75, but Ruth’s name had been appearing on scholarly articles for decades, initially alongside that of her husband, Robert Blackith, Professor of Zoology in Trinity from 1970 to 1987. In the 20th century, professors did not generally give equal billing in articles to their research associates but Robert and Ruth were a team. In Ruth’s obituary in the Newsletter of the Zoology Department (Spring 2022), she is referred to ‘as one half of the research and publishing partnership of RE and RM Blackith’. For almost forty years, until Robert’s death in 2000, ‘RE’ and ‘RM’ were indeed a remarkable partnership. Ruth (née Barraclough) was born in Essex in 1936 and grew up in Swansea. After taking a degree in Zoology in Nottingham University, she moved to Imperial College London in the early 1960s where she met Robert, a chemist who began studying locusts. After their marriage in 1964, they took working trips abroad in search of specimen. These were epic overland trips, which included a trip in 1969 from Dublin to Sri Lanka and back again in their rusty Citroen. This car is remembered affectionately by Ruth’s nephew, Andrew, ‘it was a bright yellow Citroen DS, Citronella, with an impossible number of miles on the clock, headlights that swivelled around corners and self-levelling pneumatic suspension. It was fitted with a compass and slung with netting hammocks for storage.’ Robert would fix the car on the road – while tending to it in Australia, an emu apparently ran off with a door part. John Rochfort, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biology in Trinity and a former PhD student of Robert’s, recalls ‘a fabulous couple’: ‘it was wonderful to spend time with them. They were intrepid adventurers, passionate about their work and devoted to each other. Ruth was so calm, kind and thoughtful.’ They lived in Stepaside in County Dublin with a beautiful garden, where they grew their own food. Active as environmental campaigners before it was a fashionable cause, they insulated their home and used public transport where possible. Ruth’s niece, Sarah, remembers their ‘innovative heating system – solar and solid fuel’, as well as ‘the beauty of their home, with wooden floors and wall hangings’. The hangings and cushion covers were created by Ruth, an accomplished artist and textile artist. John Rochfort recalls the intricate drawings of flies which illustrate her books and articles: ‘She was an extraordinarily gifted illustrator. Many groups of insects, including the Sarcophagidae, can only be definitively identified by examination of the copulatory organs of the male. Using her trusty research microscope, Ruth dissected and then made detailed drawings of these organs. Drawing specimen used to be part of the training for entomologists but it’s now a lost art. Everything is done with photography but in fact you can often get a better sense with drawings, which convey depth better than photos.’ Robert was a pioneering scholar in mathematical biology, who coined the term ‘morphometrics’ for the process of measuring the external shape and dimensions of landforms and living organisms, and was also an important figure in the anti-nuclear movement in Ireland. He spoke at the ‘Get to the Point’ festival in Carnsore in 1978 – dubbed ‘the Irish Woodstock’ – together with German Green MEP Petra Kelly, alongside music from Christy Moore and Clannad. After his death in 2000, Ruth continued their work, publishing numerous articles, while maintaining her active interest in gardening, choral music, hillwalking and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. Articles ranged from What Frogs Eat in the West of Ireland to a series on the insects of the Murrough, in County Wicklow. Her companion for her last decade was Martin Speight, also a widower and a former Trinity colleague and entomologist. Robert had mentored Martin, who is named as co-author, with Ruth and Robert, on a 1995 paper. Martin had a house in the Dordogne and the road trips continued. Ruth’s last publication was a major review (in French) of French sarcophoga, published in 2020. She died on 9 April 2022. In her will, she left a generous legacy to Trinity as an unrestricted gift, and her microscope and collecting equipment to the Trinity Zoology Department. They will be proudly displayed in the Zoology Museum, when it is renovated. If you would like to learn more about leaving a legacy to Trinity, please get in touch with Niamh McCourt, Donor Development Manager, T: +353 (0)86 128 4114 E: niamh.mccourt@tcd.ie
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Recipe for success
