Dublin Institute seeking Drogheda connections
THE Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) is calling for people from the Drogheda area with a connection to the group or memories to get in touch as part of this year’s planned 80th anniversary activities.
When it was founded by Éamon de Valera in 1940, DIAS was only the second institute for advanced studies in the world (after the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton in the USA) – and the first such institute in Europe.
As part of the DIAS 2020 programme, the Institute is planning a celebratory event, ‘Christmas Stars’, this December, which will bring together people with connections to DIAS, past and present.
The former Irish economist, politician, diplomat and civil servant Thomas Kenneth (TK) Whitaker, who was reared in Drogheda and lived in William Street, served as Chair of the DIAS Council between 1980 and 1995. He was also a member of the Board of Celtic Studies at DIAS from 1971 to 1980. TK Whitaker died in 2017.
In the variety of roles he held in public life, he played a key role in developing the Irish economy by advocating for a more open economy that embraced free trade.
The DIAS 2020 campaign was launched at the beginning of this year and includes a range of activities and events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of DIAS’s establishment. As part of the campaign, DIAS is this month donating a copy of ‘Ingenious Ireland’ to Drogheda Library – and to every county library across Ireland.
“Anecdotally, we know there are hundreds of families throughout Ireland who have strong DIAS connections and memories,” said Dr. Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of the Institute. “In our 80th year, we are calling on any Louth family or individual with a link to DIAS to get in touch with us, and to attend our celebratory event at Christmas. If you had a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or long-lost family friend who worked at DIAS in the past, we want to hear from you!”
Families or individuals with a connection to DIAS, can contact the Institute at communications@dias.ie / 01-6140100. Further information about DIAS 2020 is available at www. dias.ie/dias2020/