The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland (RHSI), founded in 1816, is Ireland's leading gardening charity.
History The Society was founded in 1816 as a charitable organization, "to Protect and Promote the Science of Gardening in Ireland". The inaugural meeting took place on 30 September 1816 at the Rose Tavern, Donnybrook, Dublin, with Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont, as first president and Francis Hetherington, who was his head gardener, as first chairman. The name adopted was the Horticultural Society of Ireland. The new society held its first flower show on Easter Monday 1817 and then a further flower and fruit show on 18 August 1817. After a number of shows in the following years, the society declined, but in 1830 it was re-invigorated with a new committee.
At an extraordinary general meeting on 9 August 1838, the society received a letter from the Home Secretary, Lord John Russell, addressed to Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster, in which he reported that Queen Victoria had accepted an invitation to become the society’s Patroness and that she had given permission for the name Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland to be used. The new name was adopted with immediate effect.”ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND”, Dublin Evening Post, Saturday 11 August 1838, p. 3
In 2016, the RHSI celebrated its 200th anniversary. In November 2023, it announced a consultation with its members which could lead to an extraordinary general meeting to consider dropping the word 'Royal' from its name. This meeting took place in June 2024, when the members voted to keep the society's name unchanged, on the basis of the cost of changing it.
The membership is now made up of both professional and amateur gardeners.
RHSI Bellefield In 2021, Angela Jupe, an architect and garden designer, left her house and gardens at Bellefield, Shinrone, County Offaly, to the RHSI. The property includes cottages and a walled garden of two acres with important collections of trees, bulbs, and perennials. Open weekends take place throughout the year, and entrance is free to RHSI members."Bellefield", RHSI.ie, accessed 12 July 2026
Presidents 1816–1838: Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of CharlemontList of Presidents, rhsi.ie, accessed 12 July 2026 1838–1874: Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster 1874–1877: Charles FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster 1877–1893: Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Duke of Leinster 1894–1915: Arthur Guinness, Lord Ardilaun 1915–1943: Geoffrey Taylour, 4th Marquess of Headfort"RHSI Gold Medal of Honour awarded to Seamus O'Brien, Head Gardener at the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh", botanicgardens.ie, accessed 12 July 202 1945–1948: Sir Frederick Moore 1948–1949: Robert Lloyd Praeger 1950–1952: Phyllis, Lady Moore 1953–1955: G. O. Sherrard 1956–1958: Richard Grove Annesley 1959–1969: Michael Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse 1970–1973: W. Morris Hutton 1973–1978: Ralph J. Walker 1978–1983: Sidney Maskell 1983–1988: Keith Lamb 1988–1993: P. A. X. Hackett 1993–1998: Rita Rutherford 1998–2001: George A. F. Harrison 2001–2006: Maria Prendiville 2006–2011: Maeve Kearns 2011–2019: Robert Myerscough 2019–2022: Brenda Branigan 2022– : Peter S. Harrison
See also Royal Horticultural Society
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