TheRoyal Irish Academy (RIA;Irish:Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premierlearned society and one of its leadingcultural and academic institutions. The academy was established in 1785 and granted aroyal charter by KingGeorge III in 1786.[1] As of 2019,[update] the RIA has 600 members, with regular members being Irish residents elected in recognition of their academic achievements, and honorary members similarly qualified but usually based abroad; a small number of members are also elected in recognition of non-academic contributions to the Irish society. All members are entitled to use the honorific titleMRIA with their names.
The RIA is an independent forum of peer-elected experts, operating on anall-Ireland basis, which draws on members' expertise to contribute to public debate and policy formation on issues in science, technology and culture. It works across the academic world, and with government and business, and it leads national research projects, particularly in areas relating to Ireland and its heritage. The RIA also represents Irish learning internationally, operates a major research library, and is an academic publisher.
Election to membership of the academy is a public recognition of academic excellence and is sometimes held to be the highest academic honour in Ireland. Those elected are entitled to use the designation "MRIA" after their name. The criterion for election to membership is a significant contribution to scholarly research as shown in the candidate's published academic work. However some of those elected to membership are not academics at all but receive the accolade in recognition of other contributions to society: these include former public servants, philanthropists, leaders in political and business life, and others.
To be elected to regular membership, a candidate has to be proposed and recommended by five members, and selection is made by a rotating committee of existing members, their names not made known outside the academy. Presently, up to 24 members are elected each year, equally divided between the sciences and humanities. Regular membership is open only to those resident in Ireland.
Honorary membership can be awarded to persons who have made an outstanding contribution to their academic discipline, but who are normally resident outside the island of Ireland. At least two existing members must propose and recommend a candidate for honorary membership. Honorary members are entitled to use the designation "Hon. MRIA" after their name.
The academy's research projects also regularly publish theIrish Historic Towns Atlas series, theDocuments on Irish Foreign Policy,Foclóir na nua-Ghaeilge, theDictionary of Medieval Latin from Celtic Sources, and theNew Survey of Clare Island. In 2014 the academy published (in association withYale University Press) the five-volumeArt and Architecture of Ireland.
The academy is committed to publishing work which not only influences scholarship, but also the wider community, for exampleFlashes of Brilliance by Dick Ahlstrom, andJudging Dev byDiarmaid Ferriter. Both of these publications have been accompanied by either a television or a radio series.
During the 1950s the academy began forming national committees, each relating to a specific discipline. Today these act as strategic national fora, providing input into policy, research priorities and issues of public concern, such asclimate change. They also organise public outreach activities, such as lectures and public interviews, and award grants for research and travel. The academy committees are made up of both members and non-members, including representatives from universities, research institutions, government agencies and, where appropriate, industry. They include: life and medical sciences; physical, chemical and mathematical sciences; climate change and environmental sciences; engineering and computer sciences; geosciences and geographical sciences; ethical, political, legal and philosophical studies; historical studies; social sciences; study of languages, literature, culture and communication; and Coiste Léann na Gaeilge, Litríocht na Gaeilge agus na gCultúr Ceilteach.
There are also standing committees for archaeology, international affairs and north–south matters.
On application to theCommissioners of Inland Navigation, the academy was then granted the use of a building at 114Grafton Street namedNavigation House around 1787, previously used by the Grand Canal Company.[2] The building had originally been constructed in 1766 as the dedicated offices of the Commissioners of Inland Navigation alongside the then headquarters of theDublin Society which they eventually sold on in 1796.
The academy had already been using the building for meetings from 1785.[3][4][5]
Academy House was home to many of Ireland's finest national treasures, including theArdagh Chalice and theTara Brooch, until 1890 when the academy transferred its collections to the newly establishedNational Museum of Ireland.[7]
The Academy Library holds the largest collection ofOld Irish manuscripts in the world,[6] and is an important research centre for studies covering Irish history, language,archaeology and the history of Irish science. The Library is home to the sixth-century Latinpsalter, theCathach, reputedly copied bySt Columcille.[8] The Library also holds the personal library and a harp belonging toThomas Moore and thephilological collection ofOsborn J. Bergin.[9]
The President and Council are responsible for the academy's general government and regulation. They are elected annually at the Stated Meeting on 16 March. The President normally serves a three-year term of office. The membership of the council is drawn from the Sciences and Humanities sections. The Council formulates policies and recommends candidates for membership.
The executive committee supports the council in supervising the day-to-day business of the academy. The members of the executive committee are the president, senior vice-president, secretary, treasurer, secretaries of science and PL&A (polite literature & antiquities, i.e. humanities), executive secretary, secretary for international relations, and a staff representative.
The Royal Irish Academy became a prescribed body under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 and the Freedom of Information Act (Amendment) 2003, on 31 May 2006.[10]
The premier award of the Royal Irish Academy is theCunningham Medal, which it awards every three years in recognition of "outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy." Other awards include the Gold Medals which are awarded to two people each year who "made a demonstrable and internationally recognised outstanding scholarly contribution in their fields,"[48] andUS-Ireland Research Innovation Awards which are awarded annually in three categories HEIs, Multinationals and SMEs.
The Royal Irish Academy also operates a number of prizes including the annualHamilton Prize for Mathematics which it awards to the best mathematic students as nominated by academic institutions, theKathleen Lonsdale Prize for Chemistry which is awarded to the most outstanding Irish Ph.D. thesis in the general area of the chemical sciences, and the biennialRIA Michel Deon Prize for Non-Fiction which honours the life ofMichel Déon (1919–2016) by continuing his work in supporting and championing writing talent and sustains his legacy in celebrating the richness and diversity of cultural experience in Europe.
^Robert Lloyd Praeger (October 2000). "The Life of a Naturalist by Sean Lysaght".Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy.100B (1). Royal Irish Academy:70–74.JSTOR20500079.
