Christmas is fast approaching and my first year as President of the Society is drawing to a close. It has been a very enjoyable but challenging year. The economic situation has had its impact on us all but, through the endeavours of our committees and staff, the Society has provided a varied and stimulating programme of Foundation and Membership events over the past 12 months.
I have particularly enjoyed meeting Members from outside Dublin at special Members’ events at the Balmoral Show and at Ballymaloe House. These events have proven to be an excellent way for Members from a particular region to meet one another and share their views on the RDS.
The implementation of the Strategic Plan,
approved by the Council in 2010, has begun. The Foundation Board has been set up and its main project currently is the drafting of the Foundation Plan. The new Membership Committee of Council will commence operations in 2012. These and other initiatives will greatly increase the focus on the Society’s Foundation objectives and activities. Events to look forward to this month include a performance by the Irish Chamber Orchestra on December 17, the Christmas Carol Concert with Proinnsías Ó Duinn and Our Lady’s Choral Society on December 18, and the Christmas Eve Lunch in the Members’ Club.
I hope 2012 will be a better year for the country and I wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Contents December 2011
Supporting the RDS Members’ Club
The RDS Members’ Club team continues to work hard to ensure the maximum enjoyment for Members and their guests. As Members can now avail of a 10% discount when paying for food and beverages or room hire with their membership card, the Members’ Club continues to provide excellent value for money. Your attention is
particularly drawn to First Friday Dining, which has been re-introduced at a reduced price of € 34.50 for a three-course table d’hôte dinner. Members are reminded that they can use their 2011 food and beverage credit until December 24. All dining can be booked directly with the Members’ Club on 01 668 9244.
Important reminder to Members
Members due to renew their Membership in 2012 will shortly receive a renewal notice from the RDS. As Membership subscriptions are an essential source of income to the Society, your co-operation in prompt payment is much appreciated.
Upon receipt of payment in full, Members’ cards will be validated for use in 2012 and a car park sticker and receipt will be issued. Members not due to renew in 2012 are asked to contact the Membership Desk on 01 240 7296 to receive their car park sticker.
Reaching out to Members beyond Dublin
2011 saw a major initiative to engage with Members outside Dublin. RDS President Fonsie Mealy hosted a Members’ Breakfast at the Balmoral Show in Belfast, and travelled to Ballymaloe in Cork to host a lunch for
Munster-based Members. For 2012 the President plans to host similar events in Galway in February, and in the midlands in September. Please enquire through the Membership Desk if you wish to attend one of these events.
Horse Show 2012 –a perfect gift
Looking for the perfect gift this Christmas? Why not purchase tickets for the 2012 Dublin Horse Show?
From the best in national and international equestrian competitions to shopping, children’s entertainment and music, and Blossom Hill Ladies’ Day on August 16, the 2012 Horse Show, which runs from August 15-19, is one event next summer that is not to be
missed! Plus, the RDS National Crafts and Student Art Award Winners Exhibition will be held during the Show. With so much on offer the Show really has something for everyone! The 2012 Dublin Horse Show online ticket booking is now available on www.dublin horseshow.com, or book tickets from the Membership Desk, RDS Members’ Club, on 01 240 7296.
The Gift of Membership
Membership of the RDS makes a truly special Christmas gift for friends and family. Members can avail of some of the many benefits of the Society, including: n use of the Members’ Club and Library; n car parking; n reciprocal clubs; n networking events, recitals and concerts;
n free access to the Dublin Horse Show; and, n an opportunity to support the Society’s Foundation Programme.
Members considering offering Membership as a gift this Christmas should contact the Membership Development Executive, Orla Purcell, on 01 240 7280.
Supported by Members. Where are they now…?
In 2012 the Society will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the RDS Music Bursary Award, so we decided to have a look at a selection of the previous winners to see where they are now.
Redmond O’Toole was the inaugural winner in 2003 and today he continues his professional performance career on the ‘Brahms guitar’. Anna Devin won in 2007 and is now a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House,
London. She sang the lead (Lauretta) in Puccini’s Gianni Schicci at the Royal Opera Covent Garden in September.
Violinist Maria Ryan was the winner of the coveted Heineken Violin Competition in 2010. She is currently based in London, where she was appointed to the prestigious position of leader of the Southbank Sinfonia for the 2010 season. In 2009, saxophonist Patrick Hughes won the award and continued his studies, graduating in 2011
RDS Rising Stars 2012 Spring Recital Series
The RDS Rising Stars Spring Recital Series will commence in February 2012. Taking place on Mondays in the RDS Concert Hall at 1.00pm, each hour-long event is free of charge and no advance booking is required. This series of recitals will run in
association with the Dublin International Piano Competition and will feature the Irish entrants in the Competition. To see the best of Ireland’s upcoming musical talent, mark February 13, 20 and 27, and March 5, in your 2012 diaries.
Bridge at the RDS
Classes for intermediate players will commence on Monday, January 23 at 10.30am, and beginners’ classes will start on the same day at 2.30pm. Courses are subject to numbers and cost € 80 for Members and € 120 for non-Members. Please contact Susan Cox on 01 240 7296, or via email at members@rds.ie to book.
Afternoon bridge playing will recommence on Tuesday, January 24 at 2.30pm and evening bridge playing takes place in the Library every Wednesday from 7.00pm.
with the highest honours for saxophone from his studies in Paris. He also won the premiere prix of his graduating saxophone class, the Medaille d’Or and the Medaille d’Or l’Unanimite in chamber music. Our most recent winners, Joseph Ryan and Roisin Walters, continue their studies and we wait with anticipation to see where their careers will take them. The 2012 RDS Music Bursary will take place in April; further details will follow in due course.
BURSARY WINNER
Violinist Roisin Walters was the winner of the 2011 RDS Music Bursary.
2012 – a look ahead
The Members’ programme for 2012 promises a wide variety of activities:
n The RDS Members’ Day at Punchestown will take place on Wednesday April 25, costing € 130 per person including transport by luxury coach, VIP access to Punchestown Racecourse, race cards, four-course buffet lunch, and much more. This event books out well in advance and places are allocated on a strictly
first come, first served basis.
n The annual Members’ Cultural Trip overseas will see Members travel to Budapest for four nights in May n The Members’ Cultural Programme will feature heritage trips, the annual outing to the Wexford Opera Festival, and trips to the ballet, theatre and opera.
League of Health at the RDS
Joining the Fitness League
Active Retired Class will improve overall health, boost energy levels and build confidence. Staying physically active will increase long-term independence.
Please contact Susan Cox on 01 240 7296 for more information.
Eucharistic Congress 2012 at the RDS
The 50th International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Ireland from June 10 to 17, 2012. All of the events during the week-long Congress (apart from the concluding Mass) will be held in the RDS, where the offices of Congress have been based since February 2011.
Some 25,000 people are expected to attend, and the Congress will need two to three thousand volunteers across a
diverse range of areas –hospitality, media, transport, translation, logistics and stewards – to work for the week of the Congress, and to assist from now until June 2012. If you are interested in volunteering, please check out the volunteer page on the website, www.iec2012.ie, or email volunteer@iec2012.ie. If you would like to attend the Congress you can book now on www.iec2012.ie.
Primary science
EXCITING EXPERIMENTS
A sixth-class student from Rathbeggan National School at the RDS Primary Science Fair.
The 2012 RDS Primary Science Fair will take place from January 12-14, at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in the RDS. The Fair is a key part of the RDS Foundation programme and provides an opportunity for 3,000 students from 120 primary schools across Ireland to display their class science projects at a major exhibition.
Students from fourth, fifth and six class in the Republic of Ireland and Key Stage 2 in Northern Ireland will present their class projects with topics including forensic science, earthworms, the weather and even erupting volcanoes! Entry tickets are available for purchase on the door. For further information, please visit www.rds.ie/ primarysciencefair.
British–Irish Chamber at the RDS
BRITISH–IRISH CHAMBER
From left: Simon McKeever, Director of Trade & Investment at the British Embassy; Paul Caplis, Head of Investment at the British Embassy; Michele Griffin, Commercial Director at the RDS; Feargal Naughton, President of the British–Irish Chamber; and, Peter Byrne, Interim Chief Executive at the British–Irish Chamber.
The RDS was founded nearly three centuries ago by 14 Irishmen who came together to improve the economic condition of the country by promoting agriculture, arts, industry and science. Most recently the Society has supported the formation of the new British–Irish Chamber of Commerce, which was launched by the Right Hon. William Hague MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs
Eamon Gilmore TD to coincide with the historic visit of HM Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland in May 2011.
The British–Irish Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit membership-based organisation, with the mission to use its activities to increase British–Irish business and investments and be an effective voice for its members and the British–Irish community as a whole.
Business networking at the RDS
The business networking programme will continue in 2012 in association with the British–Irish Chamber of Commerce.
Speakers will include: JP Donnelly, Chief Executive of Ogilvy Ireland; Hugo MacNeill, Chief
Executive of Goldman Sachs Ireland and former Irish international rugby player; Tony Carroll, Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility at ESB Electric Ireland; and, Giles O’Neill, Regional Director, Enterprise Ireland.
A family affair
Membership of the RDS has a lot to offer. Minerva spoke to two families who are passing on the gift of Membership to the next generation.
From its establishment almost three centuries ago, the RDS has depended for the advancement of its Foundation activities on both the financial contribution of its Members and on the time given by so many to service on committees and participation in the Society’s activities. This involvement carries on down the generations, as Members encourage their families to become involved in turn, and it has never been more important than now, when economic circumstances and the volume of work required to implement the Society’s Strategic Plan are creating new challenges.
Ingrid and George Hook
Ingrid Hook first joined the RDS over 30 years ago. She was prompted to join by work considerations – she worked at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s headquarters on Shrewsbury Road and wished to have access to the RDS Library.
“It was a case of convenience and location,” she says, and over the years she made use of the Library and dining facilities, and retained her Membership even when the Pharmaceutical Society moved premises.
Throughout the following years, life and family responsibilities meant that she did not use the Society’s facilities as much as she would have liked, but she retained her Membership and was eventually able to use her skills in the Society’s service.
“When retirement loomed, I took the chance to become more actively involved, and offered my services to the RDS Committee of Science and Technology.” When a vacancy arose on the Committee, she was happy to become involved and has been using her scientific background and administrative experience to good effect, working with the Committee to help develop its strategic framework for the next five years.
Ingrid has also encouraged family members to become Members, taking Membership for her mother, and encouraging her son George to become involved.
George has been a Member since he was a student studying for his
Leaving Certificate, and is enthusiastic about how being able to use the Library to study helped him in his preparation for examinations.
“The Library was very quiet and was open when school was closed during the holidays,” he says. “It was also very comfortable, and close to the shops!”
These days George runs Irish Rugby Tours, a sports travel agency and tour operator, and finds his Membership of the Society extremely useful for his business. “We use the RDS for meetings, parking, and of course proximity to Leinster matches.” He often ties meals and meetings in with matches, and particularly appreciates the allocation of Members’ credits for food and beverages, which he finds very helpful.
Family connection has been important: “I would almost certainly not have joined if my mother had not been a Member”. He now recommends Membership to friends, and one, a solicitor, has recently become a Member also.
