About the Discourse Series

The Academy’s discourses are the oldest and most renowned series of public talks in Ireland. First presented in 1786, they are the oldest and most renowned series of talks in Ireland and were grounded in the idea of academic discourse.

Historically, they served as occasions for the most distinguished academics to first reveal and discuss their work in public. Robert Mallet revealed his pioneering work on earthquakes and William Rowan Hamilton talked about quaternion algebra first at Academy discourses.

Recent Discourse Series updates

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Watchback Discourse Series | The Future of the EU: Bigger and better?

Watch the recording of this conversation between EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness (2020-24) and broadcaster Olivia O’Leary MRIA, that took place on 23 May 2024.

Discourse Series

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Watchback Discourse Series | Explaining Unionism panel discussion

Watch the recording of this panel discussion with Linda Ervine MBE, Philip Orr MRIA and Glenn Patterson, chaired by Tommie Gorman, that took place on

Discourse Series

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Watchback Discourse Series | The Geometry of Chaos: From Climate Change to Foundations of Quantum Physics

Watch the recording of the Discourse given by Tim Palmer, Hon. MRIA, with Luke Drury MRIA as respondent that took originally place on 7 February

Discourse Series

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Watchback Discourse Series | Grangegorman: From the Era of Neglect to the Era of the Asylum and Back?

Watch the recording of the conversation between Professor Brendan Kelly and Catriona Crowe MRIA that took place on 13 December 2023.

Discourse Series

Recordings of past Discourses

Since 2019, the Discourse Series have been filmed in full and are available on the RIA YouTube channel.

The series was sponsored by Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, from September 2017 to May 2022.