Royal Dublin Society

The Royal Dublin Society
AbbreviationRDS
Formation25 June 1731; 293 years ago (1731-06-25)
TypeCharitable
FocusNostri plena laboris
(Our work bears fruit)
HeadquartersBallsbridge, Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates53°19′36″N 6°13′43″W / 53.32667°N 6.22861°W / 53.32667; -6.22861
Region
Ireland
President
Prof Owen Lewis
Websiterds.ie
Formerly called
The Dublin Society (1731–1820)

The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) (Irish: Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath[1]) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically.[2] It was long active as a learned society, especially in agriculture, and played a major role in the development of Ireland’s national library and museums.

The RDS is synonymous with its 160,000 m2 campus in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland. The premises include the 'RDS Arena', 'RDS Simmonscourt', 'RDS Main Hall' and other venues which are used regularly for exhibitions, concerts and sporting events like the Dublin Horse Show or Leinster Rugby games.[3] The Royal Dublin Society was granted royal patronage in 1820 by George IV. The RDS Members' Club is a members-only club offering exclusive access to sports events on its premises and weekly luncheons and dinners.[4][5]

The RDS is one of nine organisations that may nominate candidates for the Seanad Éireann (Irish upper house of parliament) elections on the Agriculture panel.[6]

  1. ^ "Téarma.ie". téarma.ie. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Ireland's Philanthropic Society". rds.ie. RDS. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. ^ "RDS in multi-million deal to host Leinster matches". Sunday Business Post. 10 December 2006. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  4. ^ "Dublin Society (RDS) – International Associate Clubs". rds.ie. RDS. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Dublin Society (RDS) – International Associate Clubs". iacworldwide.com. IAC. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Register of Nominating Bodies" (PDF). Oireachtas.ie. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.