George Boole, (born November 2, 1815, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England—died December 8, 1864, Ballintemple, County Cork, Ireland), English mathematician who helped establish modern symbolic logic and whose algebra of logic, now called Boolean algebra, is basic to the design of digital computer circuits. George attended his first class at school aged 2 and by the age of 19 he was lecturing in Lincoln on another local hero, Sir Isaac Newton. His passion for education and learning led him to found two schools in the city; one in Free School Lane in 1834 and one at Pottergate in 1840. Neither exist today, but a plaque can be seen at the site of the ‘Boarding School for Young Gentlemen’ on Pottergate. 

The recipes included provide an insight into food and dining and culinary traditions in Cork in the Victorian period. A notable historical observer who provides evidence of Cork's culinary culture at the time is George Boole, who was appointed the Professor of Mathematics at Queen's College Cork (UCC). Boole wrote his observations regarding Corks culinary culture in letters to family members. During his time at Queen’s College, food played significant role in his social life and relationships which is also evident in his letters. For example, Boole thanks his sister Maryann for sending pork pies as gifts to his university friends and landlord. The role food played in Boole’s life extended beyond his career at Queens College as he was a frequent guest at the homes of the Bishops of Cork and the Lord Mayor.  

Boole’s letters highlight the nature of food and culinary customs in Cork in the Victorian period of the mid-19th century in Ireland. Boole’s writings also demonstrate the role food and dining traditions played in Cork in the mid-19th century. The UCC Library has a collection of recipes from the 19th-century, which reflect the culinary culture of Cork at the time. An example is early to mid-19th century recipes which belonged to Mary Honner who was a landowner from Rathmore in Kinsale, County Cork. Honner’s recipe book contains a collection of over 170 recipes and the majority are culinary recipes for example, sweet and savoury puddings as well as recipes for preserved food, meat, fish, and oysters. 

The form of a handwritten recipe book started to emerge in Ireland in the late 17th century. These collections contain medicinal recipes for example, snail tea or broth for diseases such as consumption, colds, and lung congestion. Traditional Irish recipes, such as soda bread recipes, make their appearance, as do recipes displaying a British influence, highlighting their imperial status and governance of Ireland at the time. An example of the British influence on Honner’s collections is the prevalence of pudding recipes. 

Mary Honner’s recipe books contains a College or Cambridge pudding recipe. An adaptation of this recipe has been made by Regina Sexton, Food and Culinary Historian, Programme Manager of the Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture. The adapted recipe and more information about food and dining in Victorian Cork can be found in Frawley, Olivia, ed. George Boole chronicles : a selection of short essays on George Boole and his family. Cork, Ireland: University College Cork, 2015.