Minerva - Summer/Autumn 2023

FOR MEMBERS OF THE RDS

RDS MEMBERS CLUB PRESTIGIOUS VICTORY FOR THE

THE RDS MEMBERS CLUB WINS TOP AWARD AT THE IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS.

RDS MEMBERS CLUB

The RDS Members’ Club provides an elegant backdrop and the ultimate in comfort for entertaining friends or meeting clients.

www.rds.ie/members/members-club

ONthe May 15th, the RDS Members Club were delighted and honoured to win the prestigious Best Private Dining & Club Restaurant award at the 2023 Irish Restaurant Awards.

This remarkable achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and passion of our incredible team and the incredible support from our valued patrons.

This victory would not have been possible without the hard work and talent of our catering partners Gather & Gather Ireland, as well as all our suppliers, partners, and team members. Their commitment and exceptional skills have played a pivotal role in this success.

Gather & Gather introduced the “LeinsterLarder” concept to the Members Club since being awarded the RDS contract in 2022. A central element of this concept is that Executive Head Chef, James Smith sources all of his ingredients and fresh products; based on past experience, business requirements, specific requests and market trends. His specification is always aimed at supporting the local farmers, growers and producers first. Hence the name “Leinster Larder” and the fact that the majority of ingredients and products are bought locally and within the province of Leinster where possible.

We look forward to greet our members at the award winning RDS Members Club Restaurant.

L to R: Jason Breen, Paolo Romeri, Matthew McDonagh, Alison Eivers, Susan Naylor, Karolina Bar, Kerrie O’Connor, Tessa Lunn, Keith Flood, Penny Colley, James Smith, Stephen Kelly

EDITOR

Malachi Quinn

CONTRIBUTORS

John Dardis

Geraldine Ruane

Kerrie O’Conner

Laura Musto

Maeve O’Connell

Robert Conway-Kenny

Brendan Phelan

Mollie Molumby

Shane Martin

WELCOME

This issue of Minerva brings my rst message as President of the Royal Dublin Society. It is an incredible honour to hold this o ce, but it is a greater privilege to serve both the Society and you, the Members, as President.

This edition of Minerva shines a light on many of the Society’s activities, such as ESB Science Blast, in February where over 400 projects were displayed in Dublin by primary school students. The always thought provoking RDS Visual Art Awards and the Craft Awards were other notable highlights.

Contents

PRESTIGIOUS VICTORY FOR THE RDS MEMBERS CLUB

The RDS Members Club wins top award at the Irish Restaurant Awards.

PRODUCED BY Ashville Media Group ashville.ie

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Sooner Than Later

One of the main recent developments within the RDS has been the creation of a new Strategy that will help to shape the Society for the coming years. The Strategy is focused on a renewed purpose for the RDS: To inspire, enable and empower positive change in Irish society.

Along with this Strategy, there has been a review and development of the Society’s governance and structures over the past couple of years. In December last year, Council approved signi cant changes from the Governance Working Group which will include a move from a 38 member to a 13 member Council. This is to ensure that Council, as the governing body and Board of Trustees of the Society can carry out its duties more e ectively in line with good corporate governance and the Charities Governance Code.

Other changes will include the creation of a new body, which will be similar in size and composition to the current Council structure and will be an important forum for elected Members to provide strategic advice to Council. We also plan to add a new Honorary O cer role for a Treasurer as well as the implementation of a Finance and Resources Committee.

Should you have any questions on these changes, please don’t hesitate to contact the Registrar, Ms Emma Cuddihy (emma@ rds.ie) for further information.

As this issue of Minerva arrives through your door we are into the full swing of Summer, with the excitement of the recent Bruce Springsteen concerts just starting to subside (more about those three concerts in the next edition of Minerva!) our attention has already turned to the upcoming Dublin Horse Show, 9th – 13th August, with many exciting plans in place!

03 ESB SCIENCE BLAST 2023

Designed and delivered by the RDS, the ESB Science Blast creates a space that invites thousands of students to reignite their love of learning.

06 RDS VISUAL ARTS AWARDS EXHIBITON 2022

Bright Futures at the RDS –Platforming Graduating Irish Artists and supporting them into the professional art world.

10 BUILDING A BETTER TOMORROW STARTS TODAY

The RDS relies on the generosity of our Members to achieve our mission.

12 RDS CRAFT AWARDS 2023

Major boost for five emerging craft talents

15 2022 SPEAKER SERIES: THE RDS LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

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

RCN 2002008

General: info@rds.ie

RDS Membership: members@rds.ie

Minerva, the magazine for Members of the Royal Dublin Society, is typically published bi-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.

I look forward to seeing and meeting as many of you all as I can at the 148th Show and ngers crossed for another Irish victory in the Aga Khan!

John Dardis RDS President

RDS hosted The Irish Defence Forces’ recent speaker series ‘In Service of the state’

16 THE RDS HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP

Leinster and Ireland star Johnny Sexton receives the Royal Dublin Society Honorary Life Membership

17 “THE BOSS” RETURNS TO THE RDS

Three sensational nights were had at the RDS in May with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

FRONT COVER:

Cora, Zoe, Lily, Sarah and Seren from Scoil Mhuire, Our Lady’s Island Broadway Co. Wexford

A VISION FOR

THE FUTURE

Summer has most definitely arrived here at the RDS, with the entire Campus in full bloom, which is always a wonderful sight.

The RDS Campus is the physical manifestation of the RDS, but it is not simply a venue, it also acts as an extension of the RDS, and it is one of the main generators that helps the Society carry out its almost 300-year-old purpose of making Ireland a better place for All.

The RDS first started using the lands here in Ballsbridge in 1879, with the first large scales event being the Spring Show and Horse Show in 1881 and the RDS moved entirely to this campus in 1923.

Since then, the Society has been upgrading the site, but now is the time to move the campus forward and the process of a complete regeneration has begun. One that will see the RDS become a modern, sustainable, and accessible campus for all.

The first stage in this regeneration will be the re-building of the Anglesea Stand. This project has been on-going for a number of years, but with the purchase of St Mary’s landmark church on Anglesea Road, the business case for the redevelopment of the Anglesea Stand and our new 25-year agreement with Leinster Rugby, there is now real momentum behind the project for the new RDS Arena. Planning permission for the new stand has been lodged this June and we hope to break ground in late August 2024 following the Dublin Horse Show next year.

SUPPORT OUT WORK

The RDS relies on the generosity of our Members, donors, trusts and foundations and corporate supporters to achieve our mission. For more information see: www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/ support-our-work

The vision for this project is “The RDS Arena will become an example of best practice on the island of Ireland, showcasing what a modern, inclusive and socially conscious society can achieve.” The new Arena will not merely be a replication of other stadiums of similar capacity, instead it will foster imagination and creativity to help develop a new platform for sporting and cultural passion to be enthusiastically showcased. Along with equestrianism and rugby, we hope that the RDS will also become the new of international women’s sports.

With our new ambitious strategy and the start of the regeneration programme for the Campus, these are most definitely exciting times for the RDS!

THE RDS LOOKS TO IMPLEMENT A STRATEGY FOR A MODERN, INCLUSIVE AND SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS FUTURE.

“The vision for this project is ‘The RDS Arena will become an example of best practice on the island of Ireland, showcasing what a modern, inclusive and socially conscious society can achieve.”

Geraldine Ruane, CEO, RDS

ESB SCIENCE BLAST OFF

DESIGNED AND DELIVERED BY THE RDS, THE ESB SCIENCE BLAST CREATES A SPACE THAT INVITES THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS TO REIGNITE THEIR LOVE OF LEARNING.

Aaron McEvoy, David Stanly and Adi Ureleenah from St Patricks NS Drumcondra

TEACHER FEEDBACK:

“WHY

do onions make us cry?”, “could doodling in class be good for your memory?”, agus “Cén chaoi a snámhann bád faoi thoinn?”. These are just some of the questions which were put to the test at the ESB Science Blast Dublin Showcase.

Over 400 projects went on display at the fth annual ESB Science Blast in Dublin. Delivered by the RDS Foundation, ESB Science Blast is a STEM-focused education programme involving whole classes investigating the science behind simple questions, such as “How will climate change a ect baby sharks?” and “If humans had wings, how big would they need to be to allow us to y?”

The event took place over four days, from February 28th until March 2nd, with a lá speisialta do Ghaelscoileanna agus do scoileanna Ghaeltachta taking place on 2ú Márta. Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, attended the event on the Tuesday, 28th February, and was incredibly impressed by the standard of the investigations.

Pupils from each class participating showcased an experiment and discuss their investigations with a STEM expert. The judging is non-competitive and

TEACHER FEEDBACK:

"IT WAS BRILLIANT TO TEACH THE STUDENTS STEM AND SCIENCE IN THE REAL WORLD RATHER THAN ON A WHITEBOARD! MY CLASS GROUP IS MULTIGRADE, WHICH CAN MAKE SOME PROGRAMMES DIFFICULT TO DO, BUT ESB SCIENCE BLAST WAS PERFECT FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES."

"I WANT TO PASS ON MY SINCERE THANKS TO ALL INVOLVED IN ESB SCIENCE BLAST. THE CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOL HAD SO MUCH FUN!"

Students from St Oliver’s NS, Drogheda, Co Louth

Evie Clancy, Patrick Moran, Daniel Murray and Callum Looram from Streamstown NS, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath

aimed at growing pupils’ interest and passion for STEM. Now in its fth year, over 35,000 children have already participated in ESB Science Blast, making it the largest primary school STEM programme, not only on the island of Ireland, but also in Europe as well.

The Showcases moved on from Dublin to Belfast and Limerick, but more about those in the next issue of Minerva.

The success of ESB Science Blast Programme has been growing over the last four years, but this growth is based on “standing on the shoulders of giants”, as the Programme is really building upon a much deeper engagement in Science Education by the RDS, one that goes back nearly 300 years. The Society’s investment in this education programme is a long-term investment in the future of Irish society.

ESB SCIENCE BLAST 2023

For more information how on to apply for the 2022 awards, visit www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/ science-and-technology/esb-science-blast

TEACHER FEEDBACK:

"WE LOVED THE EXPERIENCE OF TAKING PART IN ESB SCIENCE BLAST FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WE HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY TAKE PART AGAIN NEXT YEAR!"

Students from Gorey Central School, Wexford with TD Verona Murphy

Beth Dowling, Travis Hutchinson, Scott Hamilton and Lochlann O’Neill from Scoil Uí Riada, Cill Choca, Co. Chill Dara

RDS VISUAL ART 2022

AWARDS EXHIBITION

TheRDS Visual Art Awards is the most important platform for visual art graduates in Ireland. It provides a curated exhibition opportunity and a significant prize fund of over €30,000, as well as vital exposure for emerging visual artists as they move into early professional practice. The 2022 Awards were held in October at the RDS Concert Hall, where a purposebuilt gallery space designed by curator Aideen Barry, was created especially for the show. The 13 exhibiting artists are some of the best BA & MA visual art graduates from all over Ireland, who had gone through a highly competitive two-stage process to get their work into this coveted show. Sheena Barrett, Rayne Booth, Valerie Byrne, Mary Cremin, Eamonn Maxwell and Sharon Murphy were the team of independent curators appointed by the RDS to view the end of year degree shows in art colleges on the island of Ireland. Between them they longlisted 109 artists who were invited to apply for the 2022 RDS Visual Art Awards. Completed applications from the longlisted artists were then assessed by the RDS Visual Art Awards judging panel who shortlisted them down to 28 candidates, before selecting the final 13 artists for inclusion in the 2022 exhibition. The 2022 judging panel were: Mary McCarthy (Chair), Eithne Jordan, Christina Kennedy, Gary Coyle and Irish artist Aideen Barry (RDS VAA 2022 Curator).

SUPPORT THE ARTS

Find out more about how the RDS supports artists in their professional careers www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/arts

Venus Patel

Venus’s practice draws from her theatre and acting background, mixing performance and experimental film. Her work usually stems from her own experiences, rising from questions she has about the world, herself, and how the two interact. Venus’s work acts as a way for her to process her emotions which manifest in a complex and dynamic way. The characters Venus creates are all extensions of her own psyche representing how she navigates the world. Her work, ‘Eggshells’ is an experimental short film that deals with her own experience of a hatecrime in which she was egged and yelled at. The film is cut into 12 different segments, each focusing on a different character performing with an egg in different contexts. As Venus tries to process the event, the egg becomes its own symbol as it shows her journey of emotions, from sadness to internalized/externalized anger to finally acceptance and growth. The film uses performance, music, and dance in order to tumble through this journey. Venus’s references to cinema and theatre create a different feel for each segment of the film.

Winner of the 2022 RDS Taylor Art Award

BRIGHT FUTURES AT THE RDS – PLATFORMING GRADUATING IRISH ARTISTS AND SUPPORTING THEM INTO THE PROFESSIONAL ART WORLD.

2022 EXHIBITORS

2022 EXHIBITORS

Fund Award

Orla Comerford

Orla graduated from the National College of Art & Design the 2022 with a first-class honours Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She is a multidisciplinary visual artist working across the mediums of video, audio, photography and woodwork. The exploration of glitch art and the question of who gets to see in high resolution are central themes in her practice. Her intentional distortion, degradation and corruption of videos and images in order to create impressions, plays into these themes. As a visually impaired artist, Orla’s aesthetic pull towards glitch art and distortion of images is informed by the fact that what she sees, and how she encounters the world, is a distortion in its own sense. So, while she often makes up an image of what’s in front of her, based on impression or audio, she plays with the idea of having the viewer do the same when encountering her work.

Winner of the RDS Members’ Art

Venus Patel

Orla Comerford

Aisling Phelan

Sinead Mc Cormick

Szymon Minias

Winner of the RDS Mason Hayes & Curran

LLP Centre Culturel Irlandais Residency Award

Myfanwy Frost-Jones

Myfanwy graduated from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design with a first-class honours degree in Fine Art having previously studied Visual Art at TU Dublin, Sherkin Island. Working as an artist and oyster farmer based in the West of Ireland; Myfanwy’s work examines the complicated relationships between land, labour and ecology in a rural space. Embracing the sublime, her work investigates the dark histories of the past whilst acknowledging the picturesque allure of the rural landscape. Her work layers conflicting histories of colonialism and invasion with current issues of biodiversity and coastal erosion, combining photography and moving image installation with the use of text to create a poetic narrative. Passionate about environmental sustainability, biodiversity and local food networks, Myfanwy’s work looks at rural life and the changes inherent in the working landscape as we enter the Anthropocene.

2022 EXHIBITORS

“THE ARTS ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF THE RDS FOUNDATION PROGRAMME AND ITS MISSION TO MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF IRELAND. THE RDS VISUAL ART AWARDS EXHIBITION PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR TALENTED GRADUATES TO SHOWCASE THEIR WORK, AND IN ADDITION, HAS A TOTAL PRIZE FUND OF OVER €30,000. IT CONTINUES A LONG-STANDING RDS TRADITION OF SUPPORTING EMERGING IRISH ARTISTIC TALENT. THE PRESTIGIOUS RDS TAYLOR ART AWARD HAS BEEN PRESENTED BY THE RDS SINCE 1860 AND IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AWARDS FOR EMERGING VISUAL ARTISTS IN IRELAND TODAY.”

GERALDINE RUANE, RDS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

MyFanway Frost-Jones

Emily Unsworth

Eden Munroe

Michelle Malone

Lucy Peters

Lucy graduated from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin with a Masters in Art and Research Collaboration. She completed her undergraduate BA in Fine Art at Limerick Institute of Technology. With a background in the fashion industry, she has become increasingly concerned with the vast volumes of mass-produced clothes that are casually consumed and thrown away. Her exploration of overconsumption has encompassed research into the practices of fashion retailers, including those that are closing down, as well as the strategies that have been developed by charities to manage huge warehouses full of discarded, and ultimately worthless, fast fashion clothing.

2022 EXHIBITORS

Sadhbh Mowlds

Sadhbh graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a Master’s in fine art, having previously completed a BA in Design in the National College of Art and Design in 2014. Existing in the realm of the uncanny, Sadhbh’s work straddles the line between hyper-realism and surrealism to create absurd yet recognisable realities that challenge prevalent and destructive social constructs. Working in an array of materials, most notably glass and silicone, Sadhbh creates grotesquely beautiful and questionably life-like work that beg the viewer’s contemplation.

Kat Lalor

Francine Marquis

Winner of the RHA Graduate Studio Award

Winner of the R.C. Lewis-Crosby Award

Lucy Peters

Sadhbh Mowlds

BETTER TOMORROW BUILDING A STARTS TODAY IN

the coming weeks a communication from the RDS President will be delivered to all members that outlines the Foundation’s immediate needs in areas including Science, Arts and Agriculture. As has ever been the case over its (almost) 300 year history, RDS members are being asked to make a di erence through their charitable support.

SCIENCE

Over 17,500 primary school pupils participated in the ESB Science Blast this year, making it Europe’s largest educational programme for primary school children in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). More than 45,000 children have now participated in the programme since it started. ESB Science Blast is developed and delivered by the RDS, with the ESB as its title sponsor. The ESB Science Blast programme facilitates such ‘engagement, skills, learning and human connection’ for every participating school on the island of Ireland and yet, we are well aware, not every school can take part. Transport costs for schools - whether they be based in Dublin or Letterkenny, can be prohibitive with some school coaches costing more than €1,000 to rent per day, depending on travel distance etc.

Before we start the 2024 ESB Science Blast programme this October, we want to be able to fund 200 buses, enabling approximately 6,000 children across the country to participate. We estimate that this will cost €200,000, and will need our members’ support.

“THE RDS WAS FOUNDED ALMOST 300 YEARS AGO TO ADDRESS THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS OF IRELAND AT THAT TIME. IN 2023, THE RDS IS A REGISTERED CHARITY AND ITS MEMBERS CONTINUE TO BE ASKED TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS THAT EXIST TODAY.”

JOHN DARDIS, RDS PRESIDENT

THE RDS RELIES ON THE GENEROSITY OF OUR MEMBERS TO ACHIEVE OUR MISSION.

Kieran Thorp, Zoe Doyle and Claire Byrne from St. Anne’s Loreto, P.S. Navan, Co.Meath

AGRICULTURE & ENTERPRISE

The RDS Agriculture & Enterprise programmes cover a wide range of awards and projects - from Forestry to Sustainable Farming to Rural Enterprise to Social Impact. The programmes aim to promote and support best practice, contributing to the development of sustainable agriculture on the island.

To do this, the RDS is wellpositioned – and also has a responsibility – to provide Irish sustainable entrepreneurs and innovators with online and offline platforms to showcase their good work, utilising video, podcasts and special events. We ask that our members support in making this happen.

“The aim of the awards is excellent - to highlight sustainable farming and identify farms that exemplify environment, economics and social sustainability.”

Ailbhe Gerrard, Winner of the Sustainable Farming Award (2019)

ARTS

The RDS Arts Programme supports artists, craft-makers, and musicians in Ireland through the provision of significant bursaries, as well as performance, studio, residency and exhibition opportunities.

Phoebe White, winner of 2021 RDS Music Bursary, said that “there are no other bursaries like it” and that the timing of the bursary is “exactly when you need it… it’s given me the chance to focus 100% on my art.”

Barry Todd, winner of one of the RDS Craft Awards this year for his furniture design said that the award represented “a major milestone” in his career, enabling him to “dedicate time and material to the development of new work”. However, the COVID pandemic devastated the incomes and livelihoods of those working in the Arts, and its impact still continues today with event numbers well below prepandemic figures.

“The Bursary has made previously inaccessible possibilities… accessible”

Aidan Chan, winner of the 2023 RDS Music Bursary

This is why we are establishing a special Post-Pandemic Support Fund, which we are asking members to help finance. This will not only help underwrite much-needed bursaries and awards for talented artists, musicians, and craft-makers, but also expand essential mentoring and support for all those participating in RDS competitions.

YOUR SUPPORT CAN MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE

We ask all our members to please open and read the materials in the President’s letter, which are being sent out, and respond as best they can. Alternatively, our Fundraising Manager, Brendan Phelan, can be contacted on Brendan.phelan@rds.ie or on (01) 2407266, and he will assist in any possible. If you haven’t received your pack, or would like another one sent, just let us know.

Aidan Chan, winner of the 2023 RDS Music Bursary

Phoebe White, winner of 2021 RDS Music Bursary

Winners of 2023 RDS Craft Awards (L to R): Patrick Brennan, Ríon Hannora, Barry Todd, Emer Roberts, and Clodagh Molloy

Ailbhe Gerrard, Winner of the Sustainable Farming Award (2019)

RDS CRAFT AWARDS

MAJOR BOOST FOR FIVE EMERGING CRAFT TALENTS.

Fiveemerging Irish craft makers and designers were recognised, with each receiving a €10,000 cash prize to support the development of their craft & business skills - and a much sought after free stand at the annual GIFTED - The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair. Irish craft is something to be proud of and the RDS plays a key role in supporting this important creative industry. The RDS Craft Awards has contributed significantly to the development and growth of the craft sector in Ireland over many decades. This year’s winners are a real tribute to the professionalism and talent of the emerging makers coming into the professional craft sector this year. Since 2018 the RDS Craft Awards has awarded over €300,000 in supports to emerging Irish makers. The awards are based on a bursary style model and can be spent on further education and training, research, development of new work, mentoring, purchase of equipment, studio improvements, website and residencies.

SUPPORT THE ARTS

Find out more about how the RDS supports artists in their professional careers www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/arts

Bladesmith, Jewellery & Design

Patrick has studied Goldsmithing and Jewellery Design at Design and Craft Council of Ireland, Kilkenny; Traditional Japanese Blade Smithing at Carter Cutlery (Oregan USA); and Knife making courses at Gil Hibben Knives (Kentucky, USA) and GASTEC (London). He combines traditional techniques and processes such as forging, welding, casting and gemsetting which enable him to create works of distinction that are renown internationally by knife smiths, jewellery designers and critics for their premium quality craftsmanship and artistry.

www.brennanknives.com

Patrick Brennan

Barry graduated from NCAD in 2015 with an Honours BA in Industrial Design. He set up his workshop Studio Kinnard where he creates refreshing Irish design with a commitment to excellence in craft. He develops designs for unique highquality hardwood furniture with a focus on clean lines and considered details. All his recent work has been an exploration of curves and carving to enhance woods’ natural features. In every piece, he aims to craft simple expressive forms that are pleasing to the touch and comfortable to use.

www.studiokinnard.ie

Ríon is a graduate of the Limerick School of Art and Design and has a BA Hons Degree in Fashion Design. She celebrates the human figure throughout her work by using aspects that are specific to women’s wear. Combining traditional methods of textile work with modern innovations, she explores sustainable alternatives to fashion design by incorporating fabrics and materials that have already served their purpose. She is drawn to the fashion of the Baroque era and brings it back to life by using more contemporary fabrics, which she then spray paints.

www.rionhannora.com

Barry Todd Furniture

Rìon Hannora Fashion

Clodagh holds an MA in Design for Body and Environment from NCAD; a Post Grad Certificate in Creative Thinking, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Trinity College Dublin; and a BDes in Craft Design, Metals from NCAD. In her jewellery art and design practice she has an ongoing project titled “Shared Stories”. In it, she is creating a body of work that examines and initiates a dialogue around the subject of mental ill health. She addresses the stigmas and highlights the strength needed to come through or live with a mental illness. She aims to help remove the tags and labels given to sufferers.

www.clodaghmolloy.com

Emer is an MFA Sculpture graduate of NCAD and also has a BA in Fine Art Sculpture from DIT School of Art and Design. She has gradually transitioned from a large scale sculptural process to luxury fine-art jewellery. Her aesthetic evolved with explorations of our fellow mammal — the rat. Her intentions cross the frontiers between sculpture and decorative art in creating wearable beauty; such as translating the physiological or biological into botanical form using the infamous incisors of the rat to mirror Art Nouveau’s decorative style.

www.emerroberts.com

Clodagh Molloy Jewellery Design

Emer Roberts Fine Art/ Fine Jewellery

THE RDS LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES  2022 SPEAKER SERIES:

RDS HOSTED THE IRISH DEFENCE FORCES’ RECENT SPEAKER SERIES

INDecember 2022, as part of the Library Speaker Series events organised by the RDS Librarian

Lara Musto, the RDS Library & Archives had the pleasure of hosting Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of the Irish Defence Forces. The evening was well attended by Members of the Irish Defence Forces, RDS Members, Members of the RDS Board Management, RDS sta and members of the public. During his presentation Lt Gen Clancy discussed the past one hundred years of Óglaigh na hÉireann, from the formation of the National Army in January 1922 to the modern day Irish Defence Forces. The political upheaval accelerated by the 1916 Easter Rising and culminating in the 1919-1921 War of Independence resulted in the adoption by democratic majority of the December 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. One of the results of disagreement over the Treaty was the split in the IRA, with those who supported it forming the nucleus of the National Army. A bitter Civil War ensued between these two protagonists from June 1922- May 1923. The National Army, retitled as The Defence Forces on 1 October 1924, remains the State’s democratically raised and maintained military force. Since that time, whether rallying to the threat of invasion during the Emergency in the 1940s. To the departure of its rst troop-contributing mission to keep peace in the Congo

in the 1960s. To defending the State against subversive threats during the Troubles, right up to the modern day participation in the suppression of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Defence Forces has unwaveringly remained the servants of the nation. Along with Lt Gen Clancy’s discussion on the centenary of Óglaigh na hÉireann, attendees had the opportunity to view extracts from the documentary “In the Service of the State”, which captures key chapters and personal re ections throughout the Defence Forces’ 100 year history. A rich and interesting questions and answers session followed the screening of the extracts from the documentary “In the Service of the State”, which showed how the speech was well-received by the audience. Before and after the speech, Lt Gen Clancy and members of the Defence Forces chatted and entertained participants of the evening, some of whom had stories of members of their own families being part of the Irish Defence Forces while others had memorabilia which was highly appreciated by Lt Gen Clancy and his sta . In the days after the event, those RDS Members who were at the event visited the Library & Archives to compliment and thank the RDS Librarian and library sta for holding such an enchanting event.

‘IN SERVICE OF THE STATE’.

Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of Staff –Defence Forces, addressing audience at Speaker Series Event ‘In the Service of the State’.

Prof. J. Owen Lewis, RDS Past President, Deirdre Naughton, Chair, RDS Library & Archives Committee, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of Staff – Defence Forces, Lara Musto, Librarian, RDS Library & Archives, Natasha Serne, Archivist & Records Manager, RDS Library & Archives.

Deirdre Naughton, Chair, RDS Library & Archives Committee, addressing audience.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP THE RDS HONORARY

Learn more about the latest events interests, activities of the RDS via www.rds.ie/about-rds/news/

ONthe 4th January, the RDS presented Irish rugby legend, Johnny Sexton with Honorary Life Membership for his achievements at the cutting edge of high-pressure sportsmanship, his inspiration to young people and his contribution to making Leinster and Ireland rugby worthy sporting ambassadors around the world. Johnny has over a 100 caps for both Leinster and Ireland, while also scoring over a 1,000 points for both teams. He has also toured with the British & Irish Lions on two occasions. Johnny Sexton joined the late great Irish out-half, Jack Kyle, as a recipient of this award.

LEINSTER AND IRELAND STAR JOHNNY SEXTON RECEIVES THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP.

John Dardis, RDS President, Johnny Sexton and Geraldine Ruane, RDS Chief Executive

“THE BOSS” RETURNS TO THE RDS

THREE SENSATIONAL NIGHTS WERE HAD AT THE RDS IN MAY WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the RDS Dublin

TheRDS is quite literally Bruce’s Irish “Home”, on the 5th, 7th, and 9th May as this was the 8th time that “The Boss” has brought his tour here, making the RDS Arena his most played venue in Ireland. In addition to that, his daughter Jessica has been a regular visitor to the RDS over the years, having competed as a member of the US National Show jumping team at the Dublin Horse Show on several occasions.

Geraldine Ruane, CEO, RDS, Hilary Hough, Vice President, RDS and Frances Fitzgerald

Jim McGuinness, Yvonne McGuinness, Geraldine Ruane, CEO, RDS, Annie Butler and Grattan Butler

Tony Scott and John Dardis, President, RDS

Hilary Hough, Vice President, RDS & Pat Fitzgerald

Tony Scott, Beatrice Dardis, Pauline Scott and John Dardis, President, RDS

Hilary Hough, Vice President, RDS, Eileen Mealy and Fonsie Mealy

Geraldine Ruane, CEO, RDS, and Anna Fitzgerald

Geraldine Ruane, CEO, RDS,

The Lucas Lecture is an annual lecture on military history with a focus on an individual nations highest award of gallantry and its connection with Ireland and the Irish Diaspora. In April it was hosted in the Members’ Club. The French Ambassador gave the lecture on the Légion d'Honneur and the significant Irish connection. HE Vincent Guérend spoke about the award’s inception by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and the connection with La Légion Irlandaise (Irish Legion) and the awards won by the Légion in service to France at that time right up to 1949 when Samuel Beckett received the Croix de Guerre and more recently when Paul Hewson (Bono) received the award in 2003.

1 RDS President John Dardis and H.E. Vincent Guérend, French Ambassador to Ireland

2 Brigadier General Paul Fry with Brigadier General Paul Pakenham

3 Ms. Katherine O'Leary

4 Dr. Andrew Power and Mr Aongus Hegarty

5 Dr. Patrick Downes, Chair of the Lucas Committee

6 The Légion d'honneur medal which was kindly brought to the RDS by HE Vincent Guérend

RDS MEMBERS’ CLUB 2023

1 Mr. John Eardly, Mr. Tom Fitzpatrick and Mr. James Duggan

2 Dr. Abbey Hyde and Mr. Joe Sloan

3 Mr. Hilary Hough, RDS Vice President with Mr Jim Power

4 Mr. Tadgh Quill-Manley and Ms. Shauna Dunlop

5 Ms. Sorcha O'Quigley, Mr Madhav Khemka and Ms. Miriam Brew

6 Mr. Terence Rose and Mrs. Lynda Ellison-Rose

7 Mr. Peter Van Belle and Mr. David Barry

8 Mr. John Flavin and Mr. Gerry Byrne