Editing Nicholas Callan (section)

==Early life and education==
He was born and raised in [[Dundalk]], [[County Louth]], where he attended school at an academy. His local parish priest, Father Andrew Levins, then took him in hand as an [[Altar server|altar boy]] and Mass server, and saw him start the priesthood at [[Navan]] seminary. He entered Maynooth College in 1816. In his third year at [[Maynooth]], Callan studied natural and experimental philosophy under [[Cornelius Denvir]]. He introduced the experimental method into his teaching and had an interest in electricity and [[magnetism]].<ref name="boy" />

Callan was ordained a priest in 1823 and went to Rome to study at [[Sapienza University of Rome|Sapienza University]], obtaining a [[doctor of divinity|doctorate in divinity]] in 1826. While in Rome he became acquainted with the work of the pioneers in electricity such as [[Luigi Galvani]] (1737–1798) who was a pioneer in [[bioelectricity]] and [[Alessandro Volta]] (1745–1827) who is known especially for the development of the [[electric battery]]. In 1826, Callan returned to Maynooth as the new professor of [[natural philosophy]] (now called [[physics]]), where he also began working with electricity in his basement laboratory at the college.<ref>[http://www.ucc.ie/academic/undersci/pages/sci_nicholascallan.htm] Reville, William. Nicholas Callan: Priest Scientist at Maynooth. The Irish Times, 21 February 2002.</ref>