DIAS Headquarters, 10 Burlington Road - D04C932 contact@dias.ie 00353 (0) 16140100

Stop 7: 5 Merrion Square – Current location of DIAS Geophysics

De Valera’s original idea was always for the Institute to consist of three Schools, and in 1949 a proposal was formulated to add a School of Cosmic Physics.

The name Cosmic Physics now sounds a little unusual, but it came about because Schrödinger and in particular also professor Heitler, who was appointed in 1945, suggested that the detection of cosmic rays was an important development in physics, which the new school could pursue with modest expense. This was before the time that large particle accelerators came to dominate the research in elementary particle physics.

The name stuck, however, and the School of Cosmic Studies, established in 1953, nowadays consists of two sections, geophysics and astronomy, and is the largest of the three schools. It has a considerable international reputation in both fields. It also manages the Dunsink Observatory, although that now essentially only has an educational function.

*Please note: 5 Merrion Square is not open to the public*

Schrödinger , with Professor P.P. Ewald, Professor Max Born, Professor Walter Heitler outside DIAS Merrion Square 1943