Maude Jane Delap lived on Valentia Island, off the Iveragh peninsula, Co. Kerry, in south west Ireland. Surrounded by the wild Atlantic coastline, she dedicated her life to studying the wildlife around her. Her whole family, and especially her sister Constance, were avid naturalists and made many important contributions to science, but Maude was particularly interested in marine biology and the study of jellyfish and microscopic plankton.