Minerva September 2016

M I N E Rva

editor

Diarmuid Hanifin

contributors

Eileen byrne Susan Cox

Natasha Serne Paul farrelly

ann-Marie Hardiman Catherine Jordan

Katy Conneely Paul O’Grady

Dara O’Leary Colm Quinn

Gerard Whelan Joanna Quinn

Design and production

Sub-editing and layout think Media Ltd t: 01 856 1166 www thinkmedia ie Print Impress Printing Distribution Sooner than later

ROYaL DUbLIN SOCIEtY

ballsbridge, Dublin 4

t: 01 668 0866 f: 01 660 4014 www rds ie

Minerva: minerva@rds ie General: info@rds ie RDS Membership: members@rds ie

Minerva, the magazine for Members of the Royal Dublin Society, is 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

the collaboration with the Institute of International and European affairs (IIEa) on climate-smart agriculture, under the stewardship of tom Kirley, has been a significant venture for the Society. It was conceived of and delivered within an 18-month time frame and is already shaping the future direction of the RDS agriculture and Rural affairs work programme, and other groups, inside and outside the Society I was delighted to be able to help launch this initiative just a week before the Dublin Horse Show in July My thanks to the Minister for agriculture, food and the Marine, Michael Creed tD, for officially launching the report. It was my last time to preside over the Dublin Horse Show and I hope that those of you who attended in person or watched the coverage enjoyed it as much as I did We were honoured to have President Michael D Higgins and his wife, Mrs Sabina Higgins, present for the furusiyya fEI Nations Cup We were also delighted to have HRH the Princess Royal in attendance. the Show was something that she had long anticipated coming to, and she was just sorry that she didn’t have more time to take it all in the great success of recently introduced classes at the Show is testament to how

intertwined the Show is with the equestrian community, allowing it to quickly respond to the needs of the industry as one of my final communications to all Members, I would like to thank everyone who has lent their support, time and expertise to the RDS over the past three years It is upon the shoulders of your effort that the Presidency of the RDS rests, and throughout my term I have taken ever-increasing pride in the calibre of work that the RDS, both the Members and the Executive, are responsible for

Matthew DeMpsey RDs pResiDent septeMbeR 2016

DepaRtMent contacts

arts (01) 240 7255 arts@rds ie equestrian (01) 240 7290 equestrian@rds ie science & technology (01) 240 7289 science@rds ie agriculture & Rural affairs (01) 240 7215 agriculture@rds ie Membership (01) 240 7296 members@rds ie Library (01) 240 7254 librarydesk@rds ie editorial (01) 668 0866 members@rds ie industry & commerce (01) 240 7215 industry@rds ie

Have you joined our 2016 Membership philanthropy campaign?

FOUNDATIONS OF ACHIEVEMENT

and, RDS STEM Learning renewed enthusiasm for science teaching among primary school teachers around

the RDS is a philanthropic society and our Members continue to inspire the pioneering RDS work programme in areas such as science, music and the visual arts, among others President Matthew Dempsey wrote to Members in May to tell you about some very exciting plans we have to deepen our commitment to these areas of Irish life and culture.

this year our aim is to raise €100,000 from Members to improve and expand four vibrant areas of our philanthropic work programme:

1 the RDS Music bursary

2 the RDS visual art awards

3 RDS StEM Learning (science, technology, engineering, maths)

4 the RDS Primary Science fair

We believe that through these investments we are helping to build the

foundations of a new era of endeavour and achievement for Ireland

Many Members have already responded generously to our campaign and we are sincerely grateful for their support and leadership We have just passed 50% of our campaign goal If you would like to join them and make a gift to the 2016 Membership campaign, please send it to us today by using the freepost envelope provided in the information pack sent to Members in May

If you are a taxpayer and make a gift of €250 or more, we can send you an easy-to-complete form, which will help us to reclaim tax on your gift for example, a gift of €1,000 from an individual Member could be worth an additional €449 to the RDS, at no extra cost to Members

If you would like more information on our Membership philanthropy campaign, or to make an immediate gift payment, please contact Eamonn Carroll, Membership Relationship Manager, on 01 240 7297, or via email at eamonn@rds.ie.

RDS – supporting emerging craft makers Patrick Rafter in London

SUPPORTING MAKERS

almost 10,000 people visited the 2016 RDS Craft awards Exhibition during the five days of the Dublin Horse Show On display was the work of some of the best craft makers in Ireland for the second year running, the competition was split into two strands, with emerging and established makers being treated separately. this initiative was introduced to specifically help newer makers, and it seems to be working, with 61% of all entries this year in the emerging makers category

One of the stars of the exhibition was Karen Morgan’s pair of hand-thrown porcelain vessels entitled Kiss, which won the RDS Established Maker award of Excellence Karen’s entry was praised by the judges for the “exquisite handling of the material and subtlety in the making of these pieces this is a potter whose skill and precision explores the beauty of porcelain

with refreshing intelligence and wit this exquisite piece demonstrates the confidence of the maker and shows how, over time, the reper toire of the potter evolves to establish a unique voice”

Ríona finn’s hand-fabricated 18ct yellow gold, sterling silver and champagne diamond bangle was inspired by an 18ct t suba ( Japanese iron sword guard) and won her the RDS Emerging Maker award of Excellence Judges singled out

Ríona’s piece as “an inventive, well thought out and exper tly crafted piece of jewellery the effect of the silver gilt tracery, bordered by two silver bands, is given an extra impact by the dark oxidised background Everything in this piece is right” the winning pieces are now on display, along with a host of other winners and selected pieces, in the National Museum of Ireland, turlough Park, Castlebar, until November 13.

this June, 2015 RDS Music bursary winner Patrick Rafter performed to an appreciative London audience, including several London-based RDS Members this was the first of two solo engagements that came with the bursary awarded to Patrick last year by the RDS, from which he has already progressed towards international recognition RDS President Matthew Dempsey represented the Society at the event, which was kindly organised by Irish Heritage – a London-based organisation that contributes to the RDS Music bursary prize through this performance opportunity also in attendance was the ambassador of Ireland to Great britain, Daniel Mulhall, who witnessed Patrick in full flight the bursary winner has spent the last year working with leading violinist Maxim vengerov in Geneva, which was enabled by the €10,000 RDS bursary

awarded to him last year. this prize fund increased to €15,000 in 2016, which makes the RDS Music bursary one of the largest single bursaries on offer to young musicians in Europe the bursary assists one young professional musician every year to develop their career through fur ther study at home or abroad, or for the purchase of a musical instrument the Music bursary is a key component of the RDS ar ts Programme, which provides a platform that suppor ts the transition from student to emerging ar tist and encourages the pursuit of a career in the visual ar ts, crafts or music Patrick is the special guest at our next RDS Rising Stars Concer t, which takes place at 7 30pm on November 17 in the RDS Concer t Hall the concer t is free to attend but booking is essential at www.rds.ie/risingstars.

first RDS StEM Learning graduation

this May, the first RDS StEM Learning graduation took place this peer-to-peer learning network was piloted by the RDS to encourage creative primary school teaching of science and imbue teachers with greater confidence in their science teaching both DCU and Science foundation Ireland shared the Society’s vision of a skills-based approach for StEM education in Ireland, and they both provided unique support for the programme RDS StEM Learning was reliant upon the teaching community embracing new ideas, facing new challenges, exploring new methodologies and sharing all these experiences among themselves It wouldn’t have worked without this collaboration, but thankfully it was welcomed by all who participated, as these quotes from teacher participants show:

“I wouldn’t have been very confident teaching science before taking part in RDS StEM Learning this programme has

given me the confidence to allow the children to think like scientists, and to allow them to have more control over their learning in the classroom ”

“It has undoubtedly raised the level of teaching and learning of science teachers are open to discussing ideas that they have used the students are now becoming used to the open-

ended approach to StEM, which in turn improves higher order thinking as well as promoting the development of scientific skills ”

“I think that this CPD course has helped shift an attitude towards the teaching and learning of science It has opened the minds of teachers that science is fundamentally inquiry based and not intended to be done

from a book or demonstrated ”

building on this success, the RDS StEM Learning National Conference 2016 will take place on November 26. featuring keynote speaker Sam Kendall from the Eden Project in the UK, the conference will explore creative approaches to teaching the primary curriculum using the outdoor environment

Experience the RDS visual art awards

Running from October 26 to October 31, the inaugural RDS visual art awards Exhibition will feature Ireland’s best graduating visual artists, curated by renowned artist alice Maher the Exhibition will be open from 10.30am to 6.00pm daily, with late night

opening until 8 00pm on thursday evening

On thursday, October 27, at 6 30pm, the Library Speaker Series will feature alice Maher speaking about her work, and she will be joined by Seán Kissane, Senior Curator, Irish Museum of Modern

art, for a Q&a – bookings can be made through the Library desk (librarydesk@rds ie; o1 240 7296) an exclusive tour of the exhibition for RDS Members will take place on friday, October 28, at 3 00pm, with RDS arts Programme Manager Dara O’Leary, while on

Saturday, October 29, at 11 00am, a panel discussion on ‘Starting an art Collection’ will be held for Members in the thomas Prior Room for more information and to book these events, please see www.rds.ie/visual art.

Climate-smar t agriculture repor t launches

CHALLENGES FOR IRELAND

The report recommends increasing the level of Ireland’s forested area (above), and the provision

food security and climate change are two of the world’s major challenges this century Informed by international expert opinion over an 18-month period, the RDS and the Institute of International and European affairs (IIEa) launched a report in July 2016 on how Ireland could become a global leader in climate-smart agriculture (CSa).

Ireland’s anomalous dependency on agriculture and lack of heavy industry make our circumstances almost unique among developed countries In order to negotiate Ireland’s challenges and responsibilities in this area, creative thinking needs to be applied, which this report aims to do It outlines where Irish agriculture should concentrate its output and where it might cut emissions, enabling the country to potentially lead the way internationally in CSa

three pillars of climate-smart agriculture

Ireland has to meet emission reduction targets set out in EU and other international agreements and has a number of unique challenges to overcome Ireland has little heavy industry in comparison with our continental neighbours, yet in spite of this, our emissions per capita are above the EU average agriculture is the single largest contributor of Irish greenhouse gas emissions, and without ambitious actions to reduce these emissions, the Exchequer will incur heavy costs in the period to 2030 but these actions will be challenging. as the report finds: “ the scale of transformation required in the agriculture and land use sector is

comparable to the agricultural Revolution of the 18th century” the international framework of CSa specifies three objectives that can help in this transformation:

n increasing agricultural productivity and farm incomes; n adapting and building resilience to climate change impacts; and, n reducing greenhouse gas emissions (where possible)

the ‘where possible’ clause relates to developing countries that have a very low carbon output and where reducing greenhouse gases may not be a priority

the report suggests that Irish agriculture should be strategically re-orientated around these three pillars, making Ireland an international leader in CSa taking this leadership will require political commitment and a management development framework to track and report on progress.

change is possible

the report recommends that incentives to promote dairy-beef enterprises are put in place, as these are more carbon efficient than suckler beef systems the ending of EU milk quotas presents an opportunity for the expansion of dairy-beef enterprises, which are more climate smart and economically beneficial to farmers

Carbon sinks (forests and other areas that take in and store carbon dioxide) are vital to Ireland meeting its emissions targets. the level of Ireland’s forested area will need to be increased beyond the current 11% of land use.

of incentives to promote dairy-beef enterprises (right)

a successful par tnership

the report recommends that the Government should be implementing financial incentives to encourage farmers to invest in this area While it is difficult to overcome the cultural barriers to forestry, creative solutions to address these obstacles should be explored, including the reconsideration of the replanting requirement. Chairman of the RDS Committee of agriculture and Rural affairs, and one of the report’s editors, tom Kirley, said that the report will certainly change how the RDS Committee operates: “We’re already making adjustments and plan to increase these from next year onwards Ireland is at the forefront of scientific research into the development of new climate-smart technologies to make the food we produce more carbon efficient, but what we need to see is the adoption of this research on farms throughout the country”

He went on to point out that the report highlighted that one of the key factors in the adoption of new CSa technologies will be to increase the level of land under the management control of our highly trained young farming graduates He added that this is an area that the RDS believes strongly in and will continue to focus our efforts on the report is an important contribution in bringing the agricultural and scientific communities together for the future success and sustainability of farming in Ireland, and the RDS is playing a significant role in linking these two areas

please see www.rds.ie/csa to view the full report.

In March 2015 the IIEa and the RDS partnered to establish a Leadership forum on Climate-Smart agriculture, launched by then Minister for agriculture, food and the Marine, Simon Coveney tD the final output from this initiative was a report launched by his successor, Michael Creed tD, in July 2016. through this project we pooled our resources, collaborated and shared the burden of the commitment in various ways, and this partnership was the key to the success of this initiative Since its foundation in 1731, the RDS has been committed to improving standards within Irish agriculture and promoting economic and social development in rural Ireland tom Kirley, and others in the RDS, provided substantial editorial guidance and intellectual support throughout the project, and played a key role in engaging with stakeholders in the agriculture sector, with whom the RDS has long-standing relationships. When added to the IIEa’s own strengths, we had at our disposal a unique analytical capability in dealing with an issue that covers science in its broadest sense, crosscutting policy making, public administration and the challenge of social change the RDS also played a key role in hosting several high-profile international and national speakers, and workshops involving stakeholders the challenge we took up together was how to ensure global food and nutrition security while tackling climate change; without question this is one of the great issues of the century ahead, and an area where Ireland has the capacity to provide leadership. the report proposes that Ireland should become a global pioneer in climate-smart agriculture and provide policy leadership at European and international level We were delighted with the final output and the partnership with the RDS, which was key to delivering on our objectives for this project

tom arnold Director General, IIEa

Living history

Dr Mícheál Ó Fathar taigh is the recipient of this year's RDs Library and archives bursary. he describes his research in the RDs on irish agricultural history.

UNIQUE ARCHIVE

RDS involvement in agricultural development dates to the Society’s first meeting in 1731

the RDS Library and archives has long been a source of great pride to Members, but its collections and highly professional staff are perhaps not so well known beyond the Society the collections relating to Irish agriculture and the Society's involvement in agricultural development, which dates to its first meeting in 1731, are particularly extensive this year, as part of a suite of measures to raise awareness of this tremendous resource, particularly among researchers and academics, it was announced that the RDS Library and archives Research bursary would be awarded for research in agricultural history the bursary of €8,000 is awarded to a researcher to undertake a piece of research using the Library and archives, and to produce an article for submission to a peer-reviewed publication this year's recipient is Dr Mícheál Ó fathartaigh, a lecturer in Dublin business School whose area of interest is post-Independence Irish history, in particular agricultural history His book on the subject, Irish Agriculture Nationalised, was launched last year, and the bursary has given him the opportunity to continue his research in this area

a shared commitment

Mícheál's research project looks at the relationship between the new,

post-Independence Irish State and the RDS through the prism of their shared commitment to agricultural development

He said: "I assumed that because they both had a common interest in supporting the ongoing development of Irish agriculture, this would draw them together, despite the fact that the new Irish government comprised revolutionaries and the RDS represented the old establishment I also wanted to undertake a project that might have a wider appeal than purely to those interested in agricultural history, to relate agricultural history to the wider political context" although Mícheál's research is ongoing, his initial conclusions are positive

"What is emerging from my research is that the RDS was very willing to work within the new Irish State. Whatever political misgivings the leading lights in the RDS might have had about Irish nationalism, they recognised that this was a positive development for Irish agriculture."

a joy to use

Mícheál's experience of using the archives has also been very positive "Using the archives has been a revelation I was aware of its existence, but I had no idea how extensive it was also, what's been terrific is to find it in such an ordered state It's a joy to use " the Library too comes in for great praise

" there is a huge collection of secondary source material, so when I want to cross-reference something I don’t have to run off to the National Library or one of the college libraries to find what most people might consider quite a recondite secondary source because the collection is so extensive they generally have it on the shelf " this includes a full set of Thom's Directories in excellent condition, a highly prized resource among Irish historians the staff of the Library come in for particular praise

"I want to emphasise just how welcoming and helpful everybody has been, particularly Senan Healy, Natasha Serne and Gerard Whelan. Members, I'm sure, know this, but they are a very professional library

TREMENDOUS RESOURCE

The agricultural collections at the RDS Library and Archives will be promoted at the upcoming agricultural history conference

staff, and were very helpful to me, from telling me where I can plug in my computer, to helping me to find source material "

neglected field

the benefits of a bursary such as this go beyond those that accrue to the recipient, as Mícheál explains

"It's a bursary that any scholar would love to be awarded Even if I hadn't been lucky enough to be awarded this bursary, I would be spending this time researching and trying to get published, but to have this support as a relatively young historian trying to establish myself is just terrific Despite how centrally important agriculture has been and continues to be to Ireland, because it's not a glamorous topic, there is very little support for scholarship in this sphere, so I'm very grateful to the RDS." Research like this adds to a fund of knowledge that benefits all of society. "In order for us to plan best for the future in terms of policy formulation, we need to have a very cogent understanding of what we did well and what we did less well in the past Nowhere is this more pertinent than in agriculture – in terms of a response to contemporary challenges, an understanding of the past is hugely valuable, because these challenges for the most part are challenges that we faced before " conference

Mícheál will present his preliminary results at the Society's upcoming conference on the history of agriculture – 'Remarkable transformations: Reassessing the History of Irish agriculture'– on September 9 (see panel), and is looking forward to being part of this prestigious event "We'll have a very wide range of papers, looking at the history of Irish agriculture from all sorts of perspectives I'll be presenting my findings in an abstract form and then I'll go on from there and produce a longer version in the form of an article, which I'm hoping to get published in an international peer-reviewed journal In addition, I'll obviously be disseminating my experiences through the historical community and publicising the value of the archives in that way."

Remarkable transformations: Reassessing the History of Irish agriculture

the RDS Library and archives will host a one-day conference on the history of agriculture in Ireland on friday, September 9, 2016 the conference is being held as part of the RDS Library and archives’ initiatives to promote the use of its archives and to promote historical research.

programme

10.00am conference welcome –

RDs president, Mr Matthew Dempsey

10 15am – 11 30am panel 1: Dynamics of irish agricultural change

n Dr Peter Solar

n Dr Catriona Curtis

n Dr Carla King

11.30am – 11. 45am coffee break

11. 45am – 1.00pm panel 2: innovation and the politics of change

n Dr Mícheál Ó fathartaigh – RDS Library and archives Research bursary recipient

n Dr Liam Kennedy

n Dr Joanne banks

1.00pm – 2.00pm Lunch

2.00pm – 3.15pm panel 3: agricultural Journalism

n Mr Matthew Dempsey

n Ms barbara Hussey

3 15pm – 3 30pm coffee break

3 30pm – 5 00pm panel 4: climate-smart agriculture past and Future

n Dr David Stead

n Dr James f. Collins

n Mr Joe Curtin

Registration is available online at www.rds.ie or by contacting the RDs Library via email at librarydesk@rds ie or telephone at 01 240 7254

Registration fee Standard

€40

RDS Member €30

Student

€30

Golden legacy

home life

Sligo native John is married to Joan and they have two sons, David and Stephen. In his spare time he is a keen sailor and musician. One of his four sisters, Rosarii, is married to the eight-time all Ireland winner Pat Spillane, who has been known to quip that while John Moloney used to be Pat Spillane’s brother-in-law, now it’s the other way around

explaining the cow the dairy cow is at the centre of the Glanbia business Not everyone understood that Speaking to Stephen Cadogan for an Irish Examiner interview at the time of his retirement from Glanbia, John said: “analysts in New York or London have at times driven me to a certain level of impatience. If it’s the last of eight meetings in the day in London, and you

When John Moloney arrived in Dungarvan in 1987 to begin working for the Waterford Co-Op he could never have imagined the impact he would have on the organisation that we now know as Glanbia. His vision and bravery not only turned a regional co-op into one of the leading agri-food businesses in the world but also completely changed how we see the dairy sector in Ireland

In selecting a recipient for the Gold Medal there are numerous criteria that a nominee must meet they must be a leader, innovator, successful, and have contributed to the sustainable economic development of Ireland John Moloney’s record of achievement marks him out as one of the leading figures in Irish business over the last 25 years, and that alone makes him worthy of the Gold Medal, but what makes him stand out among his peers is the lasting legacy that he has built that will benefit future generations

a humble and grounded man, John Moloney is never one to make it about himself and is quick to pass on praise to his colleagues, but he is the role model to aspire to, a man who created transformative change in his sector, and the RDS is proud to honour him with the Gold Medal for Industry in 2016

When John was promoted to the position of Group Managing Director of Glanbia in July 2001, the company was performing poorly. He devised a new strategy to focus on performance nutrition, cheese and ingredients, with a particular emphasis on adding high value to milk constituents. briefing agricultural journalists shortly after his appointment, this new

meet another 24-year-old Oxbridge graduate, you have to start back at the cow, and you’re wondering will you make the last flight out of Heathrow

It’s much easier to go to Castlelyons or Donaghmore, at least they understand about the cow bit there”.

HONORARY DOCTOR

John received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from UCD in 2011 (photograph courtesy of UCD Communications)

strategy was already in sharp focus but, he observed: “big ships take time to turn and Glanbia is a big ship”. the strategy required investment and expansion. Joint ventures and partnerships in the USa and africa quickly grew the business in the 2000s into an international force and one such development in New Mexico is now among the largest manufacturers of premium quality cheese in the world

back at home, John provided the vision and ambition to build the infrastructure that has helped Glanbia to spearhead innovation in the agri-food sector over the past decade Perhaps his greatest legacy for the future of the dairy sector in Ireland is the €235 million dairy processing facility at belview Port in County Kilkenny. the largest single investment by an indigenous company since the building of the ardnacrusha power station, belview has the capacity to produce up to 100,000 tonnes of dairy powders a year and is worth an estimated €400 million to the Irish economy annually

During John’s time at the head of Glanbia, profits increased from €59 6 million in 2001 to €212 million in 2012 after 12 years at the helm and over 25 years in total with the company, he passed the leadership of Glanbia to current Managing Director, Siobhán talbot, who became the first female leader of a major plc in the country in June 2013. With current turnover of over €3.5 billion per annum and almost 6,000 employees worldwide, John Moloney’s vision turned Glanbia into one of the world’s top-performing nutrition companies the big ship had turned

Leadership roles

as a result of these achievements, John Moloney is highly regarded by his peers in the agri-food industry. On leaving Glanbia, he joined the board of Coillte, the commercial semi-state entity responsible for the management of the State's forestry assets, and was appointed Chairman shortly afterwards

John was subsequently made Chairman of the food Wise 2025

Committee this Committee’s report was published in July 2015 and is seen by the industry as the roadmap for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector for the next decade

Under his leadership, Glanbia’s relationship with barretstown helped raise over €1.6 million for the children’s charity. as a lasting legacy to this partnership, Glanbia donated a unique sensory garden.

Prior to joining Glanbia, John worked with the Department of agriculture, food and forestry and in the meat industry in Ireland

He is a non-executive director of Greencore, Smurfit Kappa Group and a council member of the Irish business and Employers Confederation (Ibec)

John was educated at Summerhill College in Sligo, and at UCD, NUI Galway and the University of Navarra, barcelona He holds a degree in agricultural science as well as an Mba. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from UCD. He has also received several major industry awards from bodies including the Irish Exporters association and Institute of Management Consultants and advisers

n RDS Concert Hall

n friday December 2, 2016

n Reception at 12 15pm followed by lunch at 1 00pm

n tickets cost €100 per person or €800 for a table of ten RDS Members and their guests can book tickets at the discounted price of €80 per person

n to book, go to www rds ie/goldmedal

all Members of the Society are invited to book a seat or a table at the lunch to participate in the presentation of the RDS Gold Medal for Industry to John Moloney.

Social summer

computer classes every Monday for four weeks September 19 until October 10, 10 30am-1 00pm, Members' Club €40 Members/€48 Non-Members

bridge classes every Monday for 10 weeks

With Peter Pigot, September 19 until November 28, 2 30pm-4 30pm €150 Members/€180 Non-Members There will be no class on October 31 – classes will resume on November 7

Fitness classes every Monday for 10 weeks

With Sylvia fleming, 11 00am-12 00pm and 12 15pm1 15pm, September 19 until December 5 €66 Members/€80 Non-Members There will be no class on October 3 (classes will resume on October 10), or October 31 (classes will resume on November 7).

20 afternoon bridge every tuesday for five weeks

With Sally Dawson, September 20 until October 25, 2 30pm-4 30pm, Members' Club Cost is €5 per game and you must bring a partner There will be no class on October 18 – classes will resume on October 25

Declan Coyle, Director, andec Communications, and author, The Green Platform: Living Your Life on the Green Platform

– 31/10 exhibition: Royal horticultural society of ireland bicentenary: a Growing tradition – RDs Library –

OCTOBER

Dr E. Charles Nelson: To Reclaim the Art of Gardening: The Origins and Early Years of the

Dr Nelson was senior research botanist and

for 20 years at the National botanic

on to become much acclaimed pieces – Members' club – 12.00pm1.15pm

Please contact Susan Cox, tel: 01 240 7244, email: members@rds.ie, or log on to www.rds.ie.

to know about HR but were afraid to ask!

the annual RDS Library book sale will take place from Monday, September 19, to friday, September 23 Duplicate and out-of-date books will be available for purchase. Donations of books will be accepted from Members of the RDS to help raise funds for the Library. advance booking is essential for all Members' classes and events

RDs Library speaker series

NOVEMBER

Lorenzo steals the Show at the RDS

the irish team narrowly missed out on victory at another fantastic Dublin horse show.

MASTERS

an individual performance that has rarely been matched at the RDS saw Lorenzo de Luca win both the Longines International Grand Prix of Ireland and the furusiyya fEI Nations Cup with Italy, as well as three other international competitions at this year’s Dublin Horse Show. His great success should not overshadow the great performance of several Irish riders in the international competitions Indeed, if it wasn’t for Denis Lynch’s refusal at the last fence of the jump-off, it might have been a very different story for the Irish team Robert Splaine’s selection had matched the Italians with a team total of zero faults before going into the jump-off, which Piergiorgio bucci secured for a first Italian aga Khan victory since 2009

a proud tradition

but the 14 international show jumping competitions only make up part of the Dublin Horse Show the Show was founded over 150 years ago to provide a showcase for the best horses in the country and its reputation has been based on Ireland’s ability to breed, produce and export excellent sport horses the mission of the RDS is to see Ireland thrive economically and culturally and, given the importance of the Irish sport horse industry to rural Ireland, the Dublin Horse Show is a crucial aspect of how we fulfil that mission today the Show not only provides a window for Ireland’s best sport horses but, through the development of the Show’s programme, the RDS is helping to move the industry towards

a more sustainable and flourishing model In the last number of years the RDS has played our part in shaping this model by rewarding and showcasing specific classes. for instance, this year we had a record number of Connemara Performance Hunter entries and the quality was top class. a significant factor in this has been the introduction of the International Connemara Performance Hunter Class last year Yards around Ireland have quickly recognised the potential value in wellproduced Connemara ponies It follows the ongoing successful introduction to the Show in recent years of other classes, including the international seven- and eight-year-olds, the Performance Irish Draught classes, the broodmare futurity and the traditionally bred championship for young horses, which was introduced this year

all-round success

the success of the Show this year extended beyond the rings, with the RDS management team anticipating a good show weeks in advance attendee numbers were again very healthy, with approximately 100,000 visitors over the five days of the Show Included in this was a great attendance from RDS Members, with the spruced-up Members’ bar in the Main arena proving very popular the help of the many volunteers and stewards from the RDS and beyond made the Show the success it was and their time, effort and dedication is greatly appreciated.