Minerva Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

2021 CRAFT WINNER, SEE PAGE 6

FOR MEMBERS OF THE RDS

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SPEAKER INSIGHT

PEOPLE

“Automation will support and enable, but what I see is that human skills will become increasingly important.”

Anne Heraty

These were the people that I felt should be listened to and have their testimonies on record.”

Maurice O’Keeffe

“A building concieved in the mind must be brought into being by the muscular hand”

Prof. Christine Casey

“The first mission [of a university] was education.

The second mission became research...and they were the two main missions.

The third became commercialisation, because why wouldn’t a university benefit from the research going on in it?”

Prof. Luke O’Neill

“people are looking for more, while they are trying to cope with a very different experience of the world than they would have been experiencing up till now” Colin Gordon

You can’t assume that everyone will go back to bricks and mortar, so retail has to design and think about customer needs and really lean into them.

Kay McCarthy

“the science says, that Ireland, as a western developed country, should aim for and acheive a 50% reducation [in carbon emissions] by 2030 and net zero by 2050” Minister Eamon Ryan

ABOVE ARE SOME QUOTES FROM SPEAKERS AT RECENT RDS TALKS. SEE PAGE 9 FOR MORE ON THE GROWING RDS VIDEO LIBRARY.

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EDITOR Diarmuid Hanifin

CONTRIBUTORS Paul Farrelly Kerrie O'Connor Dara O'Leary Natasha Serne

WELCOME

PRODUCED BY Ashville Media Group ashville.ie PRINT WG Bairds DISTRIBUTION Sooner Than Later

SPRING 2021

2021 CRAFT WINNER, SEE PAGE 6

FOR MEMBERS OF THE RDS

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FRONT COVER: Glass artist Katie Spiers, one of the winners of this year’s RDS Craft Awards

While Spring has made a welcome return, we still find ourselves having to cope with the most unusual circumstances. However, the vaccination process appears to be really taking off which bodes well for us all personally, as well as for the Society. Meeting up in the RDS Members’ Club this summer has become a more likely prospect, while we can be hopeful for the potential return of diverse commercial events to our venue later this year.

In the meantime, the RDS Foundation work programme continues to adapt and grow. In this edition you will find an introduction to the increasingly impressive video resource that the Society is building up; an interview with Geraldine Ruane, the recently installed Chief Executive; and we include an interview with former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin, who became an Honorary Life Member of the Society late last year. There are also updates on our most recent RDS Visual Art Award winners, our latest RDS Craft Award winners, as well as how other programmes are adapting.

I hope that all our Members are coping as well as is possible in these trying circumstances, and that we will have an opportunity to enjoy the coming summer in each other’s company.

ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 T: 01 668 0866 www.rds.ie

Contents 02

AMAZING LACE New bursary to support makers lifts veil on Ireland’s rich needlework history

03

ESB SCIENCE BLAST RETURN IN 2021 The flagship RDS STEM education programme, ESB Science Blast, is back for 2021.

04

EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE As Geraldine Ruane begins her role as chief executive of the RDS, she talks about her vision and strategy for the Society, ensuring it remains as relevant today as it was 300 years ago.

06

2021 CRAFT WINNERS Emerging craft makers were recognised in this year’s RDS Craft Awards

09

RDS VIDEO SERIES This online resource highlights the diverse mix of the RDS Foundation Work Programme

12

LEAD THE WAY Our Honorary Life Membership for 2020, Jim Gavin, talks about resilience, values and reaching one’s full potential.

15

FIVE FEMALE WINNERS AT 2020 RDS VISUAL ART AWARDS The RDS continues its proud tradition of supporting visual arts graduayes in Ireland.

Prof. J. Owen Lewis RDS President

RCN 2002008 General: info@rds.ie RDS Membership: members@rds.ie Minerva, the magazine for Members of the Royal Dublin Society, is typically published tri-annually. Any views expressed are not those necessarily held by the RDS or its Council. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission.

DEPARTMENT CONTACTS Library & Archives ....................................... (01) 240 7254 librarydesk@rds.ie Membership .................................................. (01) 240 7296 members@rds.ie Foundation ..................................................... (01) 240 7206 foundation@rds.ie

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GIVING

DELVING INTO THE ARCHIVES With a rich vein of material stretching back nearly 300 years, the RDS Archives offer potential new insights into Ireland of 18th - 20th Centuries.

To see how people lived, what they valued and what that can tell us about today.

The €10,000 RDS Library & Archives Research Bursary is awarded to a postdoctorate researcher to make use of this great archival reservoir for an original research project.

The RDS Visual Art Archive will be the focus for this year’s recipient.

Support for Irish art and artists was one of the Society’s founding aims.

Some of Ireland’s most notable artists began their careers in the RDS Drawing Schools (now NCAD), while the Taylor Art Award has been recognised as one of the most prestigious awards in the visual arts for the past 150 years.

The Bursary recipient will be expected to produce a paper for a peer reviewed academic journal, present their research at a relevant academic conference, and give a talk at the RDS Library Speaker Series.

Deadline for entries is 31 May. See www.rds.ie /library-archives/ for more.

Ruff for Collars, Saidhbhín Gibson, Winner of the 2017 RDS Branchardiére Award.

AMAZING LACE:

NEW BURSARY TO SUPPORT MAKERS LIFTS VEIL ON IRELAND’S RICH NEEDLEWORK HISTORY A new bursary to support contemporary lacemakers and celebrate Ireland’s rich history of needlework was recently launched with the support of the RDS. The RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary 2021 is part of an innovative collaboration between the RDS and Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI). The Branchardardière Fund was set up in 1890 with a bequest from Eleonore Riego De La Branchardière and has financed a range of projects that have helped workers in the Irish Lace industry.

Valued at €8,000 for its first year, the purpose of the award is to provide funds to support contemporary Irish lace-makers.

From 2001 to 2017 the RDS distributed the proceeds of the fund via a lace prize at its annual RDS Crafts Awards. The new RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary continues this line of support and harks back to many decades of RDS support for lace-makers over generations. The winner of the inaugural RDS Branchardière Lace Bursary will be announced by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland in May 2021.

Eleonore Riego de la Branchardière wrote 72 books on needlework, revolutionising the world of lace and had a major influence on fashion in the Victorian era. Eleanore’s mother was Irish and her father was French. The influence of these two cultures helped her fit easily into Victorian society. She became a needlework star and her patterns were used by Irish women to create the latest in-demand fashion. Lacemaking proved a reliable source of income for many Irish families during the Great Famine and paid the cost of passage to the United States for many single women.

Irish lace and contemporary Irish lace-makers have been in demand in recent years too. The bespoke lace on Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding dress, veil and shoes, was influenced by traditional Carrickmacross Lace.

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ESB SCIENCE BLAST RETURNS IN 2021 Despite all the circumstances, the flagship RDS STEM education programme, ESB Science Blast, is back for 2021. While the RDS has a proud and long history of supporting science education in Ireland, ESB Science Blast is only in its third year, and yet is has become an important ‘must-attend’ event for primary schools all over Ireland. But in 2021 it has had to adapt.

Normally, halls in the RDS, and Limerick and Belfast, would ring throughout Spring and early Summer with the shouts and cries of the busy ESB Science Blast showcase days. For the past two years, thousands of pupils from 3rd to 6th class have displayed their investigations, enthralling judges with their passion and thirst for learning.

This year is different, but it has the potential to be just as exciting. While we cannot congregate as we would like to celebrate the class investigations, the RDS is still encouraging schools to participate. The work, the science skills, the collaborative effort, the many language skills – all of which make the showcase days so special are actually developed in the classroom as the class investigation progresses. And Covid or not, each class can still benefit through participation in 2021.

The deadline for entry has been extended to May 21 to accommodate the disruption to school calendar. The RDS has arranged for virtual judging of the school investigations – the students are already very familiar with Zoom lessons after two months of home schooling.

Recognising that some schools may feel that they don’t have the same latitude to participate this year, we have brought participation to them through ESB Science Blast TV. This fully professional production, filmed in the RDS, will bring the amazing energy of our live events to every classroom in the country. Inspiring them with science skills and encouraging their teacher to get involved this year and beyond.

So stay tuned!

RDS PARTNERING ON NATIONAL FOOD CONVERSATION

Convened by the Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the RDS, a series of four National Dialogues on Ireland’s Food System recently took place. The virtual Dialogues were designed to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders, from producers to consumers, to learn about their food system and contribute to its future sustainability.

Each dialogue featured a keynote speaker and a panel of stakeholders drawn from the wide breadth of the Irish food industry.

These Dialogues coincided with the publication of Ireland’s 2030 Agri-Food Strategy, which has been developed using a food systems approach, taking account of the links between policies for food, climate and environment, and health.

This September, the United Nations will host a Food Systems Summit to highlight the potential of food systems to deliver a sustainable future for all people and the planet, and set out a framework of commitments and actions for all stakeholders to achieve sustainable food systems over the coming decade.

FOOD DIALOGUES

Learn more about the Food Systems Summit Dialogues on www.rds.ie/agriculture

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PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT

THE FUTURE AS GERALDINE RUANE BEGINS HER ROLE AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE RDS, PLANS A NEW STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE RDS IS AS RELEVANT TO THE IRELAND OF TODAY AS IT WAS TO THE ISLAND WHEN FIRST ESTABLISHED NEARLY 300 YEARS’ AGO.

RDS STRUCTURE

Learn more about the RDS governing structure via www.rds.ie/about-rds/

Geraldine Ruane

bristles with energy. As the new CEO of the RDS, she is unphased by joining an organisation that will be 300 in a decade, having joined from the role of Chief Operating Officer of Trinity College, which is 429 years’ old this year.

Geraldine is ready to reinvigorate a national treasure. She has big plans for the reopening and is excited for the challenges that this brings. She hopes vaccinations, more rapid testing technologies and public appetite to see quality events at a quality venue will get the RDS buzzing again.

“The RDS is a great place to come to and has always had a wonderful sense of space, not just in these more sociallydistanced times. It will cope well with whatever social distancing will be required in the next phases of opening and this venue could be a model for the country and the Government to test re-opening strategies and to get back to business. We could say with our hand on our hearts to Government, to our Members, to our staff, our colleagues, suppliers, partners, and the public, ‘We do things very well here and we will continue

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“We need to tell our story to more people, to people of all ages and to all communities in person and online. The RDS cares, it fosters, its mission is long term and is relevant today.

Whenever I mention the RDS to people, everybody smiles and has a different story – whether it is the Spring Show or Horse Show, music, events or sport, it means different things to different people.”

Geraldine Ruane, Chief Executive, RDS

to improve for our Members and the RDS Foundation work programme. We will be coming up with new, innovative ways where people can come to a safe environment and we will give them an extraordinary experience. We’re determined to get back as quickly as possible, but in a safe way.”

Geraldine is keen to get Members back to the RDS too. “We will reopen the Members’ Club as soon as guidelines allow.

While I know many feel that their membership is worthwhile because it contributes to the RDS mission, I’m also very conscious of delivering on Members expectations.

Ruane is excited for the future of the RDS. She relishes the chance to get to meet Members and other internal and external stakeholders as she and her colleagues develop a new strategy.

“I am energised by the opportunity the RDS has to serve Ireland as it emerges from the pandemic. This Society has always cared for Ireland and about Ireland. It connects us all, whether town or country and has kept the flame burning for Ireland’s heritage and traditions over three centuries. Our new strategy will take us to our 300th anniversary in 2031. I passionately believe we can ensure the continued relevance to Ireland and its people for the decades of the future, as it was to the centuries of the past.”

Ruane says the RDS has a great story to tell of nearly 300 years of nurturing the arts, agriculture, society, science, enterprise and equestrian activities. “We need to tell our story to more people, to people of all ages and to all communities in person and online. The RDS cares, it fosters, its mission is long term and is relevant today. Whenever I mention the RDS to people, everybody smiles and has a different story – whether it is the Spring Show or Horse Show, music, events or sport, it means different things to different people. We deliver on our mission and I’m hoping with the new strategy, when we engage inside and outside of the RDS with people of all ages, that we’ll come up with something exciting to celebrate this remarkable 300-year milestone.”

Ruane shares the priority of the Society to review the RDS structures. “This is a real collaborative effort from Members and the RDS executive which will ensure that the high standards of governance and accountability, that the Society sets for itself, are maintained. I have been liaising regularly with office-holders on this matter since I started, as well as many more, and would like to thank them for their generous welcome.”

With a background in business and finance, Ruane stepped into the role of Chief Executive with an impressive CV, full of leadership experience in numerous sectors – including pharma, education, and ICT. The skill sets and experiences she brings are founded on an ability to collaborate. That collaboration will be brought to bear by her to work with staff, stakeholders, Government, philanthropists and partners on a new strategy for the organisation. At the heart of that will be raising new and matching funds to turn the Anglesea Stand into a multipurpose, state-of-the art facility. “We will be looking at a few different ways to gain support for this project, it will require more than Government support. But we also need commercial sustainability to drive and sustain the ambition of the RDS Foundation programme. Our funding has taken a hard hit with the pandemic, and it’s really important to build that back up to make everything sustainable.”

There is, of course, more to the new Chief Executive than her job. Coming from a large Galway family (she has five sisters and four brothers), trips to Dublin saw her visit the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show – “very happy memories” – and when she made the move to the capital later in her career, she found herself visiting the venue for events, both corporate and leisure.

“I always had that sense of things being done very well here, the RDS always looking beautiful.”

So how does she spend her downtime. “I love entertaining, getting together with family and friends, play golf and I love to walk. I love my work and I’m very passionate about it, but you have to be disciplined, it is about energy.

I love sports, always fascinated by the leadership in sporting teams, and how that relates to business. At the RDS, I hope to see that up close and bring it to bear for the Foundation programme, so it can thrive for another 300 years.”

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IMPACT

2021

CRAFT

WINNERS MAJOR BOOST FOR FIVE EMERGING CRAFT TALENTS

Five of Ireland’s most talented emerging craft makers were recognised with a €10,000 bursary each for the development of their craft and/or business skills in this year’s RDS Craft Awards.

Makers this year ranged from fashion to furniture, knifemaking to glass-making.

With a total fund of €50,000, these Awards are the largest annual prize fund for craft makers in Ireland and are given at a critical time in early professional careers.

The award winners are also provided with a free stand at Gifted – The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair held in the RDS in December. Dr Jennifer Goff of the National Museum of Ireland chaired an experienced independent judging panel: “The panel was overwhelmed with the quality of work to choose this year’s winners from. Craft makers from Ireland are increasingly sought after around the world.

Irish craft is having a moment and this year’s winners, and indeed the longlist too, are testament to that. I know that all five winners will use the prize money to accelerate their career progression and I look forward to seeing their future success.”

Ciara Allen and her designs

Fashion Design Ciara Allen Ciara is a recent graduate from NCAD and has established a strong sustainable brand creating and selling her bright and bold unisex fashion pieces. Currently undertaking a business course, Ciara wants to grow her brand and create new collections. She plans to spend her bursary money on new equipment, fabric research, materials for her new collection as well as branding and packaging. www.ciaraallendesigns.com

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Bladesmith Sam Gleeson Sam Gleeson is a bladesmith based in Co. Clare. Using both metal and woodworking techniques, and often incorporating reclaimed materials and ocean plastics, he creates exceptionally beautiful and functional knives for culinary use. He will use his bursary money to attend a high-level forge-welding course in the United States, to undertake the research and development of new work, to purchase new equipment and the creation of promotional content. www.thisiswhatido.ie

Sam Gleeson

Furniture Paul O’Brien Paul O’Brien is a furniture designer and maker based in Kinsale, Co. Cork.

Paul endeavours to make beautifully crafted furniture with a lightness of touch incorporating subtle details such as shadow lines and organic curves. He plans to grow his business, create new work and move into the international export market. Paul will use the bursary money to purchase new equipment which will allow him to increase the scope of what he could make in a more efficient manner. www.modet.ie Paul O’Brien

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IMPACT

Glass Katie Spiers

Katie Spiers

Katie Spiers draws with glass to create beautiful sculptural birds which she incorporates into dramatic installations with sound and lighting. Her work specifically looks at endangered bird species in Ireland such as the curlew and corncrake. Katie will use her bursary money to train in Barcelona. She also wants to invest in a better studio space and equipment where people can see her working, on a new website and promotional video. www.instagram.com /katiespiersart/

SUPPORT THE ARTS

Find out more about the RDS support for craft www.rds.ie/craft

Glass Jenny Mulligan NCAD graduate, Jenny Mulligan is an Irish glass artist who has recently completed her studies in Riksglasskolan, the National School of Glass in Sweden with a focus on both hot and cold glass. She will spend the RDS bursary money on purchasing new equipment, on developing, creating and promoting new products for sale online and in retail outlets in both Ireland and Scandinavia. Jenny will also rent hotshop blowing time and assistance to experiment with and make bigger glass pieces for exhibition. www.jennymulliganglass.com

Jenny Mulligan

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RDS VIDEO SERIES

THE ONLINE SERIES HIGHLIGHTS THE DIVERSE MIX OF THE RDS FOUNDATION WORK PROGRAMME, WHICH INCLUDES AGRICULTURE, THE ARTS, ENTERPRISE, EQUESTRIAN, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY.

OVER the past year, and especially the past six months, a wealth of online videos have been produced by the RDS. The RDS Vision 2030 Series, the RDS Library Speaker Series and videos produced exclusively for Members have all contributed to this video bank. All of the RDS Vision 2030 Series and the RDS Library Speaker Series can be accessed directly on the RDS Foundation YouTube channel.

While links to all talks, including those exclusive to RDS Members, can be found on the Members’ section of the RDS website [www.rds.ie/members/login] Though the evenings are stretching and we can get out and enjoy the outdoors once again, there will inevitably be times when an insightful conversation fits the bill. We have chosen some of our favourites to give you a flavour of what to expect from the RDS video bank.

ENTERPRISE ONLINE SERIES

Join the RDS Enterprise Programme mailing list for updates www.rds.ie/rds-foundation

RDS Vision 2030: The Changing Consumer: COVID, online, retail and more The pandemic has rushed along many changes that were already occurring. Some of these are obvious – the move to online retail, the consumption of digital, streaming entertainment services, and many more. But are there other changes, more subtle but just as seismic? And what will they all mean for those businesses that rely upon consumer confidence.

We set out to try and find out with three experts in their field. RDS Member Colin Gordon of Engage Consulting is the author of ‘Marketing is in Trouble’, Founder and MD of planning agency MCCP Kay McCarty, and Founder and CEO of Poppertee Lucinda Kelly; they were joined by Irish Times journalist Conor Pope and examined what the marketplace might look like for businesses of many ilk.

View the RDS Youtube Channel for the publicly available collection

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IMPACT

RDS Membership present: Ava Dodd performance An exclusive recital for RDS Members by Soprano Ava Dodd. Ava was the worthy winner of the 2020 RDS Music Bursary and later in the year performed a selection of music for RDS Members. Though the recital was to accompany Christmas, the music selection is broad enough to enjoy at any time of they year, and the singing is simply superb.

Enjoy beautiful renditions of Puccini, Mozart, Bellini, Reger, Massenet – from the sublime to the dramatic.

A graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ava was offered places and scholarships to study a master’s degree in Vocal Performance in all three of the main Conservatoires in London. She is currently in the first year of a two-year master’s programme at The Royal College of Music, in London studying with Professor Janis Kelly.

RDS Library Speaker Series: A Century of Change 1922-2022 Irish Life and Lore is a unique historical work, which concentrates on oral history of Ireland, and specifically how people lived during the first decades of the fledging Irish State. It concentrates on those whose stories wouldn’t typically grace historical records – the people who lived everyday lives but through that helped shape the country. Historian Maurice O’Keeffe brings us through a sample of his recordings demonstrating the breadth of Irish life he and his wife have captured, with some intriguing anecdotes that paint a picture of their time.

The 3,000 recordings Maurice and Jane O’Keeffe have made capture the unique Irish voice, in all its depth, breadth and intonation. A very precious resource for the expression of personal memories, stories and ideas that might otherwise have been lost.

The full collection of RDS videos are available via the Members’ page of the RDS website

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RDS Membership present: Caring for your Treasures The RDS is home to much artwork and some fine furniture, and is lucky to have someone like professional curator Nicole Collins to care for them. Stuck at home more than ever, a temptation might creep up on us to polish that table yet again, or reveal the true colours of that painting. But before you embark on this, perhaps listen to the words of advice of Nicole. She will give you a steer on what tasks you might like to take on yourself, what you might need professional help with, and what might be best left alone. Nicole has some really helpful and simple tips that might make a difference for some special works in your home.

RDS Library Speaker Series: Claudia Kinmouth A fascinating exploration of a rural Ireland that may be lost to us all but remembered by many of us. Award-winning author and design historian, Claudia Kinmonth, introduces the main themes from her latest book: ‘Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings 1700 – 2000’. Claudia brings us through some intriguing aspects of everyday rural life and provides fascinating insight to life lived inside the many whitewashed cottages that dotted the Irish landscape. You may find yourself hankering for a dresser before long!

In 2018 Claudia received the RDS Library & Archives Research Bursary, resulting in her article: ‘Rags, Riches and Recycling’.

RDS Vision 2030: Anne Heraty Riding high on the crest of success, Anne Heraty made time to speak to the RDS following the recent announcement of the sale of CPL Resources – the company Anne founded and led to international prowess.

In conversation with business journalist Richard Curran, Anne discussed her start in business, what guided her decision-making and the lessons she learned. But the conversation went far beyond her personal experience to gain her thoughts on the future of the office, the education system, future business patterns, digitisation and more.

Anne established CPL in 1989 and has developed it to become Ireland’s leading employment services company. CPL Resources plc recently announced that it had agreed to be taken over by Japanese group Outsourcing in a deal worth €318 million.

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PEOPLE

LEAD THE WAY WHO BETTER THAN JIM GAVIN TO SHARE INSIGHTS INTO WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER? OUR HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP FOR 2020 TALKS ABOUT RESILIENCE, VALUES AND REACHING ONE’S FULL POTENTIAL. HONORARY LIFE

See the full interview with Jim Gavin on www.youtube.com/theRDS

IN

December, Jim Gavin – the inimitable former Dublin football manager and Assistant Director of the Irish Aviation Authority – received the RDS Honorary Life Membership for 2020. The award is presented to individuals who’ve made a significant contribution to Irish life and society. He spoke to journalist Áine Kerr about what it takes to be a leader and how the values instilled in him by his family, the military, and the GAA influence his every move.

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LEADERS ARE NOT BORN, THEY’RE MADE. Leaders don’t get results – the people they lead do. That sense of serving those you lead was imbued in the Irish Defence Forces, and I’ve been trading off those skills and that culture ever since. When I was 18, being taught platoon tactics at the Curragh Camp, we were taught you needed to empower your team, that the success of the mission would be down to the collective. As a commander, you give your intent, but you support your troops, give them clear lines of instruction, and let them apply that. Even in the working environment we all find ourselves in now, working remotely, leaders and managers need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, giving their people that empowerment.

THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IN SPORT, THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IN LIFE, YOU HAVE TO EARN ALL OF YOUR VICTORIES. I’ve played under some great managers and with some great players for ten seasons in Dublin. They’re great memories, but I lost a lot more than I won. That certainly framed my view of the world. You have to earn all of your performances, all of your victories. And it’s no different for kids studying for their Leaving Certificate, in third level education.

You really get out of it what you put into it in terms of your preparation, in how well you prepare for the exam. It’s the same in sport – how well you prepare going into that battle will determine really how you perform. And how well you perform dictates the results.

Jim Gavin, 2020 RDS Honorary Life Membership

I TRY AND HELP PEOPLE THRIVE. I’VE DONE MY BEST WITH THE TEAMS I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN TO CREATE THAT ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY CAN BE THEIR BEST. THAT PROBABLY CAME FROM MY MUM AND DAD. THEY’D SAY, “GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS. PURSUE YOUR PASSION, YOUR PURPOSE, AND GO FOR IT.” MY MUM AND MY DAD BOTH MADE SURE THEIR KIDS WERE NOT GOING TO SELL THEMSELVES SHORT, SO THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE DEFINITELY CAME FROM HOME. THEY CREATED THAT ENVIRONMENT FOR ME AND MY SIBLINGS TO PURSUE OUR DREAMS. SPRING 2021 | MINERVA | 13

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PEOPLE

I NEVER MENTIONED WINNING IN THE DRESSING ROOMS. In any business or organisation, if you perform to your very best, as an individual and collectively, generally speaking, the outcome will be what you want. So we didn’t focus on the outcome, we focused on getting our performance right. I picked this up from Lieutenant General Dermot Earley. Dermot connected with his troops, which is another key part of leadership – you have the ability to listen and reach out. One of my first interactions with Dermot was in a dressing room. He said, “The greatest reward you’ll ever get in life is the satisfaction of doing something well and to the best of your ability.” You can put that in to any context.

THE GREATEST TRAIT RESILIENT PEOPLE HAVE IS THAT THEY CAN FOCUS IN ON THE THINGS THEY CONTROL. RESILIENT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IN LIFE, THERE IS STRESS, AND THERE IS SUFFERING; THAT LIFE IS NOT LINEAR, IT’S CUL DE SACS AND UPS AND DOWNS.

HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES. In accidents and incidents, 80% of them statistically are due to human error. In the commercial air transport sector, we have what’s called a just culture.

We don’t accept gross negligence, but we accept that mistakes are made, and we want to learn from them and look for the root cause. That’s a key part of creating that environment where it’s okay to say, “I might have made a mistake that’ll affect the performance of the team. Let’s see can we rectify it.”

ONE OF THE KEY VALUES WE HAD IN THE DUBLIN TEAM WAS ONE OF GRATITUDE, AND HUMILITY. That’s why you see players giving back – it’s a reflection of the values they hold close to their hearts. We have everything on this island. Organisations like the RDS create that momentum to push the country along economically and culturally. It’s about empowering people, creating an environment where they can own their own destiny.

“We don’t accept gross negligence, but we accept that mistakes are made, and we want to learn from them and look for the root cause. .That’s a key part of creating that environment where it’s okay to say, “I might have made a mistake that’ll affect the performance of the team. Let’s see can we rectify it.”

WE NEED TO STAY HOPEFUL AND FACE OUR CURRENT REALITY. Jim Stockdale, a US Air Force pilot who was held captive in Hanoi for seven years and survived, said the reason others didn’t survive that environment was that they believed come Christmas, the Marines would arrive, and they didn’t; come Easter, the Marines would arrive, and they didn’t; Christmas the following year, they didn’t arrive. He said they died from a broken heart. I think that’s important in the context of what we’re going through now with the pandemic. Stockdale said he had the self-discipline to keep hope that he would eventually be released, but also to face the current facts of the brutal reality of what he was going through. There’s an Irish phrase called Níl tuile dá mhéad nach dtránn – “even the highest tide will turn”. And this tide will turn, but it’s important to keep the hope that we will survive, and face our harsh reality.

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FIVE FEMALE WINNERS AT

2020 RDS VISUAL ART AWARDS The RDS has a proud history of supporting the arts and was central to the establishment of several of our national cultural institutions. Support of this vital and important sector continues to be a key component of the RDS mission to contribute to the cultural and economic development of Ireland. The RDS Visual Art Awards is the most important platform for visual art graduates in Ireland. It provides vital supports and exposure for emerging artists as they move into early professional practice.

Normally consisting of two parts; a competition and a curated exhibition opportunity, last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to proceed with the exhibition aspect of the project. That made it even more important to deliver the competition opportunity which offers a significant prize fund of over €30,000 to emerging Irish artists. As a winner of the RDS Taylor Art Award which has been awarded by the RDS since 1860, Jill Beardsworth follows an illustrious rollcall of previous winners such as Roderic O’Connor, Seán Keating, Louis Le Brocquy, Dorothy Cross, Maria McKinney, Norah McGuinness and many others.

Michelle Malone

RDS Whyte’s Award

Michelle Malone Michelle Malone was the winner RDS Whyte’s Award (€5,000 cash prize). Michelle graduated from TU Dublin School of Creative Arts with a first-class honour’s BA degree in Fine Art. She is currently undertaking an MA there and has won several awards including the Fire Station Artist Studio Development Award, the John Creagh Student of Excellence Award as well as awards for achieving the highest studio grade and most original thesis.

Michelle’s practice is informed by her experience of growing up in a working-class area in Dublin’s inner city. Through sculpture, installation, audio and photography she investigates issues about class, taste, belonging, identity and community. Her final year work is a scene setting installation accompanied by an audio piece that tell the story of a memory of a trip to Clara Lara Fun Park in Wicklow.

Michelle Malone

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IMPACT

RHA Graduate Studio Award

Dominique Crowley

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The RHA Graduate Studio Award is awarded as part of the RDS Visual Art Awards. With a value of €5,000, this prize comes with a stipend of €2,500 which was supported by Whyte’s. Former medic, Dominique Crowley, is the 2020 winner having returned to college.

Dominique graduated from NCAD this year with an MFA in Art in the Contemporary World. Dominique is a painter working in a style that she refers to as disrupted realism.

Her paintings are figurative, tending in parts towards photo-realism. This is augmented by the application of a resin treatment to the surface which obliterates the brushstrokes creating a smoothness and heightened saturation creating a sort of ‘screen vision’ which transforms the works into digitized objects. She incorporates symbols of digital technology in her work, critiquing the pervasive presence of the screen in our everyday lives.

Crow ley

RDS Taylor Art Award

Jill Beardsworth IFTA-nominated filmmaker, Jill Beardsworth, was the 2020 winner of the RDS Taylor Art Award worth €10,000. For the first time, all five prizes at the RDS Visual Art Awards, the largest visual art prize fund in Ireland at over €30,000, were awarded to female graduates. Jill’s winning work, About Being, which she completed while at GMIT, was created in collaboration with That’s Life, an award-winning arts and personal development programme for people with intellectual disabilities run by the Brothers of Charity in Galway city. Her award-winning work explores the individual identities of a group of adults with intellectual disability. Seven participants collaborated on exploring their own identities and were invited to sit in front of a film camera, to ‘be’ themselves without direction or intervention. One short film was created per participant to reflect an aspect of their personality, life experience, talent and aspiration and reflect something of their inner essence. The result is a moving and humanising insight to the lives of people often on the margin of society.

Jill Beardsworth

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Maria Maarbjerg

R.C. Lewis-Crosby Award

Maria Maarbjerg Maria Maarbjerg was awarded the R.C. Lewis-Crosby Award (€5,000 cash prize). Maria graduated from TU Dublin School of Creative Arts with a BA Fine Art degree where she was awarded the Best Studentship Award. Working primarily with photography and performance, her practice revolves around questions of national identity informed by her Scandinavian cultural heritage. Her style favours a nostalgic expression, and is concerned with shapes, lines and textures. Her photos are all shot on film and deliberately contain imperfections such as blurring, grains and dust, which gives her works an archival and retrospective style.

Maria was awarded a Digital Media Award at the Fire Station Artists’ Studios. Her end of year work entitled Belonging without Belonging is a 10-minute video piece exploring the housing crisis and life under lockdown.

RDS Mason Hayes & Curran LLP Centre Culturel Irlandais Residency Award

Nadia Armstrong Nadia Armstrong is the winner of the RDS Mason Hayes & Curran LLP Centre Culturel Irlandais Residency Award (value €6,000). Nadia graduated from NCAD in 2020 with a BA in Fine Art with Critical Cultures (International). She was awarded the Fire Station Artists’ Studios 2020 Graduate Award & Residency for Digital Media, a Digital Society Bursary Award and the Goethe Institute’s AI-Residency Award. She is currently studying on the MFA Art in the Contemporary World at NCAD. Nadia’s work has a strong contemporary relevance.

She works at the intersection between the analogue and the digital world, interrogating the systems and networks of control within which modern humans finds themselves. She is concerned with how we use technology and the ways in which it uses us. Her final year work, Digital Native, is a video experience, that incorporates performance, narrative, green screen, 3D models and virtual spaces.

Nadia Armstrong

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RDS Foundation Work Programme

2020 AT A GLANCE

4,479 VIRTUAL ATTENDEES

13

EVENTS HELD VIRTUALLY

€138K

AWARDED TO EMERGING IRISH TALENT

965

APPLICANTS FOR OUR PROJECTS RDS IMPACT REPORT

Find out more about the RDS mission and impact of our charitable work www.rds.ie/impact

Royal Dublin Society Ballsbridge Dublin 4

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T: +353 (0)1 668 0866 E: info@rds.ie Registered Charity Number 20002008

Facebook: /RDSdublin Twitter: /TheRDS Instagram: /RDSdublin

FIRST

EVER IMPACT REPORT PUBLISHED

rds.ie

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