Offbeat

Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland votes to retain ‘royal’ in its name

‘No huge ructions’ as matter came down to costs and desire to maintain status quo, says society’s chairman

'People said it didn’t matter enough to us to warrant this expenditure.' Above, daffodils in the gardens at at Russborough House in Co Wicklow

Colin Gleeson
Sun Jun 2 2024 - 06:00

Members of the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland have voted overwhelmingly to retain the word “royal” in its name.

The group undertook a consultation process with members starting in December before a vote was taken in recent weeks.

“It didn’t become a raging argument,” chairman Philip Hollwey said. “There were no huge ructions about it.”

The society was founded in the Rose Tavern in Donnybrook, south Dublin, as the Horticultural Society of Ireland in 1816 and added the word “royal” to its name some time before 1848.

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The society’s former secretary and former editor of its journal, Mary Hackett, submitted the motion that the board seek the views of the membership on changing the society’s name to “Horticultural Society of Ireland or another title acceptable to members”.

[ The Irish Times view on the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland: what’s in a name? ]

A survey was conducted with the society’s almost 1,500 members being asked to share their thoughts. About a quarter of the group’s membership took part in the vote and 76 per cent of them voted to keep the name in its current form.

“On one side, you had the political and historical argument about the word ‘royal’,” Mr Hollwey said. “On the other, you had the practical argument about the cost of the change and trouble involved in implementing that change.”

He said the cost of a full rebrand would have been tens of thousands of euro.

“We have other challenges,” he said. “A lot of members felt we have limited resources and it was a case of how are they best used.

“There wasn’t a groundswell for change. One of the things that kept coming up was the cost of change, and the mechanism of seeing the change through would be enormously expensive and difficult.

“Overriding a lot of it, people said it didn’t matter enough to us to warrant this expenditure. We’re not hanging on the name through any affiliation with anything royalist at all. It’s more a case of ‘leave things as they are’ rather than being pro or against royalty.”

The society describes itself as “a modern charity with a passion for everything green and blooming”.

“Our mission is simple: we are all about spreading the love and knowledge of horticulture, arboriculture and floral art, all while fostering a deep respect for our environment and creating a close-knit community among our members,” it says.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter

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