The Royal Irish Academy was founded in May 1785 and incorporated by Royal charter of George III in January 1786. The Academy was established to promote scholarly discussion and the exchange of ideas and learning on scholarly matters in the sciences, polite literature and antiquities.

Today, the Academy’s mission has evolved and widened considerably. It aspires to be both a national Academy advancing the interests of scholars, scholarship and research on the island of Ireland, and a learned society promoting and supporting excellence in research and scholarship in the sciences and the humanities. As a national academy it is also part of an international network of academies representing scholars and researchers all over the world.