A book on the Royal Irish Academy of Music's history has been launched to coincide with the close of its 150th anniversary celebrations.
The book, To Talent Alone - The Royal Irish Academy of Music, 1848 1998, features the major figures in its folklore and restores many of its minor characters.
The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Martin, said yesterday that the Academy had been run by "citizens committed to the principles of public service".
He congratulated the Governors of the Academy for deciding to mark the anniversary with such a momentous project and applauded the editors, Mr Richard Pine and Mr Charles Acton, and the contributors for "this remarkable achievement".
The Academy examines 30,000 students annually, but this figure is set to expand dramatically with the introduction of the new Traditional Irish Music Examination syllabus, which the President, Mrs McAleese, presented in Dublin Castle yesterday.