The Royal College of Science for Ireland (RCScI) was an institute for higher education in Dublin which existed from 1867 to 1926, specialising in physical sciences and

applied science Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

. It was originally based on

St. Stephen's Green St Stephen's Green () is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by Lo ...

, moving in 1911 to a purpose-built "Royal College of Science" building on Merrion Street, now known as Government Buildings. In 1926 it was absorbed into University College Dublin (UCD) as the

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument) A faculty is a legal in ...

of Science and Engineering.

Foundation

The Museum of Economic Geology was founded by the Dublin Castle administration in 1845, with chemist Robert Kane as curator, and a focus on

mining in Ireland The following list of mines in Ireland is subsidiary to the lists of mines articles. This list contains working, defunct and proposed mines in the country and is organised by the primary mineral output(s). Mines Coal mines *Ballingarry Coal Mines ...

similar to the Museum of Practical Geology in London.Select Committee (1864
p.ix
In 1847, Kane was promoted to director, expanding its remit, and renaming it the

Museum of Irish Industry The Museum of Irish Industry, founded in 1854, originally an extension of the Museum of Economic Geology, was a museum dedicated to the exhibition of the various, display-worthy materials from, and donated by, the industries of mining and manufa ...

(MII). In 1853 a new Science and Art Department was created within the Whitehall administration, and in 1854 the MII placed under its remit.Select Committee (1864
p.xiv
A School of Science applied to Mining and the Arts was created, modelled on the Royal School of Mines in London, with four professorships shared jointly by the MII school and the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) 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 economi ...

(RDS). The MII and School shared premises at 51, St. Stephen's Green, acquired in 1846 and fitted out by 1852. In 1864, a

select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues *Select or special committee (United States Congress) *Select ...

of the UK parliament recommended that the MII and School be entirely separated from the RDS and broadened into a government-supported College of Science for Ireland. In 1865, HM Treasury agreed and in 1867 a commission was appointed by the education committee of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. The commission, headed by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, outlined the scope and functions of the proposed college, and the RCScI mission statement on 11 September 1867 was: :The object of the Royal College of Science is to supply as far as practicable a Complete Course of instruction in Science applicable to the Industrial Arts, especially those which may be classed broadly under the heads of Mining, Agriculture, Engineering, and Manufactures, and to aid in the instruction of Teachers for the local Schools of Science

George Sigerson George Sigerson (11 January 1836 – 17 February 1925) was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland. Doctor and scientist Sigerson was ...

complained in 1868 that the RCScI was less open to Catholics than the MII had been.

Later development

The RCScI's remit was later changed to exclude agriculture and include "Physics and Natural Science". The number of students enrolled increased gradually. By 1898 the RCScI had chairs of Mining and Mineralogy, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, Geology, Applied Mathematics and Mechanism, Descriptive Geometry and Engineering. In 1900, control was transferred from the Science and Art Department in London to the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in Dublin, headed by Horace Plunkett. A new building was proposed in 1897 and a site from Merrion Street to

Kildare Street Kildare Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location Kildare Street is close to the principal shopping area of Grafton Street and Dawson Street, to which it is joined by Molesworth Street. Trinity College lies at the north end of the ...

was chosen in 1898; in 1899 the plan was extended to include government administrative offices as well as the new college. The new building was designed by Sir Aston Webb; the foundation stone was laid in 1904 by Edward VII and it was opened in 1911 by George V. In 1926 the RCScI was absorbed into UCD where it became the UCD Science and Engineering faculties. Science moved to UCD's Earlsfort Terrace building, and on to Belfield in the 1960s; Engineering moved from Merrion Street to Belfield in 1989. The RCScI building was then absorbed into Government Buildings with the rest of Aston Webb's complex, lavishly renovated by Charles Haughey and used to house the Department of the Taoiseach.

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