Richey, James Ernest (1886–1968), geologist, was born 24 April 1886 at Desertcreat rectory, Co. Tyrone, son of John Richey, Church of Ireland rector, and Susanna Richey (née Best). He spent his childhood in Desertcreat and was educated at St Columba's College, Rathfarnham, and at TCD, where he studied natural science, winning a gold medal (BA 1908). John Joly (qv) was professor of geology at the time and may have had a role in inspiring his great interest in the subject. After graduating he remained an extra year in TCD and took a degree in engineering (BAI 1909).
For a short period he acted as a demonstrator in geology at Oxford (1910–11), but an opportunity arose to pursue his real interest in field geology and he joined the Geological Survey of Great Britain (1911), where he was assigned to the Scottish office in Edinburgh. He began mapping the Tertiary volcanics of Mull, and his meticulous work on central ring-complexes led him to international acclaim in later years. The war interrupted his work and he joined the army in 1914 and was commissioned in the Royal Engineers. He served in France from 1915, where he was later wounded, awarded the MC, and demobilised as a captain in 1919.
He returned to Scotland and continued his work on the Tertiary volcanics of Ardnamurchan Point (1920–30) and Skye (1930–32). In 1925 he expanded his investigations to Ireland and began investigating the ring structures of the Mourne mountains (1925) and Slieve Gullion (1927–30) during his annual leave. There he built on the earlier very accurate mapping of the Irish geological survey (1870–77). His Irish work was published in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society in 1928 and 1932. He was awarded a D.Sc. (Dubl.) in 1934. In his notable presidential address to the Geological Society of Glasgow (1932) he presented his broad view of British Tertiary volcanicity; he believed that the series of plutonic complexes, extending from northern Ireland to the western isles of Scotland, were a chain of extinct volcanoes on a zone of crustal weakness. Tertiary volcanics remained a lifelong interest; however, he also worked on metamorphic rocks in the Scottish highlands and the sedimentary limestones and sandstones of the midland valley and southern uplands. After his retirement (1946) he continued to work as a consultant in applied geology, much of it on mining and hydro-electric projects. He lectured part-time on geology and engineering geology at Queen's College, Dundee, and wrote a text book on engineering geology (1964). His extensive publication list of over one hundred papers is found in Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society (1969).
He took an active part in many scientific bodies: he was vice-president of the International Association of Volcanology (1936–48), served on the British National committee of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, and was chairman of the British Volcanology sub-committee. During his life he received many honours: FRSE (1927), FRS (1936), Lyell medal of the Geological Society of London (1933), Clough medal of the Edinburgh Geological Society (1964), and the Neill prize and medal of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1965). He was an honorary fellow of the Geological Societies of America (1948) and of Edinburgh (1968), and an honorary member of the Geological Society of Glasgow (1965) and the RIA (1967). In 1952 he was president of section C (geology) of the Belfast meeting of the British Association. His work as an applied geologist earned him fellowship of the Society of Engineers, their Baker Medal (1954), and associateship of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1965).
An energetic and humorous man, he was always willing to advise and help less experienced geologists, and he welcomed new interpretations of his work. He married (1924) Henrietta Lily McNally from Co. Tyrone; they had three daughters. They lived in Edinburgh while he was in the survey and later moved to The Coachhouse, Grange, Monifieth, Angus, not far from Dundee. He and his wife kept an open house and were remembered for their warm hospitality by their many friends. He died at Coleshill, Warwickshire, 19 June 1968, aged 82.