Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
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The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (Irish: Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath) Dublin, Ireland was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach of the time Eamon de Valera. The Institute was initially based at 65 Merrion Square, and initially comprised two Schools – of Theoretical Physics and Celtic Studies, to which the School of Cosmic Physics was added in 1948.
The founding of the Institute was somewhat controversial, since at the time only a minority were successfully completing [elementary education]] , and university education was for the privileged, and by this reasoning, the creation of a high-level research Institute was a waste of scarce resources.
However, Eamon de Valera was aware of the great symbolic importance such an Institute would have on the international stage. The history of the southern Irish state and particularly the Irish Civil War are well worth reading to understand the background.
As to the apparently odd pairing of the subjects to be covered – Theoretical Physics and Celtic Studies, these probably appeared less odd at the time. The Institute is of course modelled on the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton in the United States, which was founded in 1930, and Theoretical Physics was still the research subject in 1940. Most importantly, Erwin Schrödinger was interested in coming to Ireland, and this represented an opportunity not to be missed.
The School of Celtic Studies owes its founding to the great importance De Valera accorded to the Irish Language. He considered it a vital element in the makeup of the nation, and therefore important that the nation should have a place of higher learning devoted to this subject.