Trinity trio elected Members of the Royal Irish Academy

Posted on: 26 May 2026

The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) celebrated Admittance Day on Friday 22 May 2026 where 29 newly elected Members were officially admitted to the Academy for their exceptional contributions to the sciences, humanities and social sciences, as well as to public service.

Newly elected members from Trinity College Dublin are Professor Aileen Kavanagh, Professor Stephen Wilmer and Professor Ahuvia Kahane.

L-R: RIA President, Prof. Daniel Carey, Prof Aileen Kavanagh, Prof Stephen Wilmer, Prof Ahuvia Kahane and RIA Secretary, Prof. Linda Hogan

Professor Aileen Kavanagh is professor of constitutional governance law at Trinity College Dublin. Her award-winning book, The Collaborative Constitution, while written principally from a UK perspective, is a ground-breaking analysis of the way in which the constitutional principle of the separation of powers actually works in a modern society. Professor Kavanagh has already established herself as the best comparative constitutional lawyer Ireland has ever produced.

Professor Steven Elliot Wilmer, fellow emeritus in Trinity College Dublin, co-founded and developed Ireland’s first university drama department. His published work engages with neglected areas of performance, including Native American culture, contemporary immigrant theatre, new nationalisms, postmodern philosophy, and biopolitics. He also specialised in Finnish theatre with translations and criticism, for which services he was made Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Ahuvia Kahane is regius professor of Greek and A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture in Trinity College Dublin, and senior associate of the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University of Oxford. He is a member of the Academia Europaea, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His chief areas of expertise are Homer, ancient Greek and Roman literature, classical reception, ancient literature and modern critical thought. Among his recent significant publications are Epic, Novel, and the Progress of Antiquity (2025), and Oral Theory, Complexity and Homeric Epic (2021).

Speaking at the admissions ceremony, Professor Daniel Carey, President of the Royal Irish Academy, said: "It is a great pleasure to welcome this year’s newly elected members to the Royal Irish Academy. The breadth of expertise represented among them reflects the richness and diversity of scholarship and public service across Ireland and beyond. We look forward to the insights and expertise these new members will bring to the Academy’s work in advancing trusted, independent and evidence-based dialogue across the island".

Election to membership of the Academy is the highest academic honour in Ireland. Members are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement and their contribution to knowledge and society. The Academy has been honouring Ireland’s leading contributors to the world of learning since its establishment in 1785 and those elected by their peers are entitled to use the designation ‘MRIA’ after their name. Full citations are available in the RIA Admittance Day Booklet 2026.

• Tags:
• Awards and Funding
• Research
• Science
• Society