Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - DIAS

A fantastic opportunity to witness the eclipse from a magical location!

We are delighted to announce we will be opening the gates to the observatory for a viewing event for the partial solar eclipse on the 12th August this year! ☀️

Tickets will be available soon, and in the meantime you can find more information on the eclipse at https://eclipse26.ie 🌙

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - DIAS

Today, 19 June 2026, we celebrate 86 years of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) 🎂

Since its foundation in 1940, DIAS has been a place where curiosity drives discovery - bringing together researchers to advance knowledge in fields ranging from theoretical physics and cosmology to Celtic studies and geophysics.

For 86 years, DIAS has demonstrated the value of long-term, fundamental research and international collaboration, making a lasting contribution to Ireland and the global scientific and scholarly community.

Here's to 86 years of exploration, innovation, and the pursuit of knowledge - and to all the discoveries still to come! 🎉

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Celtica is the leading peer-reviewed journal of our School of Celtic Studies and has been published as a Diamond Open Access journal since 2024. 📚

Both new issues and the complete archive are freely available on the DIAS Journals Platform, with no subscription or paywall barriers!

The transition to open access was a major milestone for DIAS, ensuring wider access to research for scholars and the public alike – helping to promoting knowledge without barriers.

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Dunsink Time

In 1880, Dunsink Time (officially known as Dublin Mean Team) based on observations from Dunsink Observatory, became the legal time for all of Ireland.

Irish clocks ran about 25 minutes 21 seconds behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), reflecting Ireland's position west of London.

Dunsink Observatory kept Ireland’s official time until 1916.

Happy Bloomsday to all! Bloomsday is celebrated annually on 16th June to honour James Joyce’s novel Ulysses 👒

Among the many wonderful characters of Ulysses, including Leopold Bloom after whom the day is named, you will also find references to Dunsink Observatory as the source of Dunsink time 🕰️

James Joyce Centre Bloomsday Festival Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - DIAS

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D.A. Binchy's Corpus Iuris Hibernici

First published by DIAS in 1978, this six-volume work offers an in-depth exploration of Brehon Law, Irelands native legal tradition.

Compiled between 1963 and 1978 by Professor Binchy, it brings together material from a rich collection of manuscripts, some dating back to the 7th century.

The collection is an essential resource for studying the social structures, political systems, and cultural life of early Ireland.

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Dr Sheila Tinney Portrait Unveiling

In 2019, DIAS unveiled a portrait of Dr Tinney by artist Judith Henihan. The portrait was acquired with the support of the International Women's Forum (Ireland) and benefactors of the Friends of DIAS initiative, and has hung proudly within the Institute ever since.

Pictured: Mary Mitchell O'Connor, then Minister of State for Higher Education, unveiled the portrait alongside the late Dr Tinney's children, Eithna, Hugh and Deirdre Tinney.

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In 1941, Dr Sheila Tinney (neé Power) became the first women Fellow of DIAS - and was one of the first three Fellows to be selected by the inaugural Director of the School of Theoretical Physics.

Dr Tinney later also become an Assistant Lecturer at UCD and was amongst the first four women elected to the Royal Irish Academy.

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Ireland's Extended Continental Shelf

In 1987 Prof Brian Jacob, along with colleagues from the University of Hamburg and other institutions, conducted a project that confirmed the Irish continental shelf extends through the Porcupine and Rockall Basins.

This discovery revealed the shelf is twice as large as had been previously thought and increased Ireland's economic zone by tenfold - significantly expanding Ireland's rights under the Law of the Sea. 🌊

These findings were later confirmed by the Marine Institute and GSI.