The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.