William McCalla

Who was William McCalla?

William McCalla was an Irish naturalist.

McCalla lived in Roundstone, Co.Galway where he was a schoolmaster. He is associated with many areas of natural history and had a private museum. His bird records are frequently mentioned in the Natural History of Ireland by William Thompson.

He worked as a plant specimens collector for David Moore, John Scouler and Thomas Coulter.

McCalla collected algae and flowering plants, his records are included in Harvey's Phycologia Britannica. His specimens are in the Ulster Museum and Trinity College, Dublin.

He was the discoverer in 1835 of Erica mackaiana, which he transmitted to Mackay. This plant is found only in Roundstone district and the mountains of Castile and Asturia. The seaweed Cladophora macallana was named after him by William Henry Harvey.

McCalla's algal collection in the Ulster Museum includes two albums with 75 specimens in volume I and 50 specimens in volume II along with two lichen specimens. Many of the algal specimens are from Roundstone Bay, County Galway.