Past Presidents of the RSAI

Over its history the Royal Society of Antiquaries has had 37 Presidents. The names and backgrounds of the individuals tell us of the history of the Society, and indeed of society in general since 1849.

The 37th and current president of the RSAI is Dr Conor Lucey of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy at University College Dublin.

Posted in Uncategorised

Past Presidents

  • Rev. Charles A. Vignoles

    1849-1877

  • The 4th Duke of Leinster

    1878-1887

  • Lord James Wandesford Butler

    1888-1894

  • Sir Thomas Drew

    1895-1897

  • Rt. Hon. O’Conor Don

    1898-1899 (Honorary President 1900)

  • Edward Percival Wright

    1900-1903

  • John Ribbon Garstin

    1903-1903

  • Patrick Weston Joyce

    1906-1908

  • Robert Cochrane

    1909-1912

  • Count Plunkett

    1913-1916

  • Thomas Johnson Westropp

    1917-1920

  • Michael Joseph McEnery

    1920-1923

  • R.A.S. Macalister

    1924-1928

  • W.F. Butler

    1928-1930

  • Goddard H. Orpen

    1931-1932

  • Thomas P. Le Fanu

    1933-1936

  • Eoin MacNeill

    1937-1940

  • Harold G. Leask

    1941-1944

  • Rev. Prof. John Ryan S.J.

    1945-1948

  • Seán P. Ó Riordáin

    1953-1956

  • G.F. Mitchell

    1957-1960

  • Joseph Raftery

    1961-1964

  • Helen M. Roe

    1965-1968

  • A.T. Lucas

    1969-1972

  • Henry A. Wheeler

    1973-1976

  • Michael Herity

    1977-1980

  • James Lydon

    1981-1984

  • Etienne Rynne

    1985-1988

  • Seán Ó Nualláin

    1989-1992

  • Rhoda Kavanagh

    1993-1996

  • Próinséas Ní Chatháin

    1997-2000

  • Conleth Manning

    2001-2004

  • Aideen Ireland

    2005-2008

  • Charles Doherty

    2009-2012

  • Dr Rachel Moss

    2013-2016

  • Dr Conor Lucey

    2017-Present