Engineer and architect, of Dublin. Robert Leask, who, according to the 1911 census, was born in 1837 or 1938, was a native of Scotland, where he served a six-year apprenticeship with Thompson, Catto, Buchanan & Co. of Aberdeen and then worked for two years as an engineering draughtsman with Randolph, Elder & Co. of Glasgow. He then came to Dublin, where he spent a further two years with BINDON BLOOD STONEY BINDON BLOOD STONEY before setting up on his own account as a civil engineer. He had established an office in Dame Street by 1874, later moving to College Green, where he remained in practice until about 1918. In 1905 he was one of three engineers nominated by ROBERT COCHRANE ROBERT COCHRANE , president of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland, to adjudicate the competition for a new city mechanical engineer for Cork.
Robert Leask died a widower in November 1924 at the age of eighty-seven. He was the father of NORMAN HENRY LEASK NORMAN HENRY LEASK and HAROLD GRAHAM LEASK HAROLD GRAHAM LEASK , both of whom were apprenticed to him.
ICEI: elected member, 3 April 1889; council member, 1910-1916.
RSAI: elected member, 2 July 1918, having been proposed by Harold G. Leask.
Addresses: Work: 21 Eden Quay, 1872-1873; 44 & 45 Dame Street, 1874->=1881; 37 College Green, <=1883 ->=1918.
Home: 4 Warwick Cottages, Rathgar, <=1872-1875; 8 Ormond Road, Rathmines, 1876->=1881; 11 Ashfield Terrace, Harold's Cross, 1886; 10 Ashfield Terrace (later 52 Harold's Cross Road), Harold's Cross, <=1888 until death.
See WORKS.
References
All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from ICEI membership applications, III, 1, and from the brief obituaries of Leask in IB 66, 15 Nov 1924, 985, and TICEI 51 (1926), 259.
He can possibly be identified as Robert Heddle Leask, son of Henry Leask and Eliza Moodie, who was born in Orkney on 5 Jan 1838 (www.familysearch.org).
IB 60, 5 Jan 1918, 15.
IB 47, 16 Dec 1905, ?.
TICEI 20 (1888-90), 115.
Jones transcripts from TICEI lists of officers.
JRSAI 48 (1918), 190.
From Thom's directories, Jones transcripts from same and TICEI lists of members.
