About Us
WHO WE ARE
AISLING (pronounced Ash-ling) is an Irish word meaning a vision or a dream. Aisling poems and songs were a phenomenon of the eighteenth-century penal days, helping to keep alive among Irish people a knowledge of the past, a pride in their heritage and a hope for the future. For more information on the meaning of “Aisling” visit the History page.
OUR OBJECTS
- the promotion of cultural relations between Australia and Ireland;
- the fostering of the study of the history, life and culture of Ireland; and
- the study of the effect of our Irish heritage on Australian life.
OUR ACTIVITIES
The Society holds monthly meetings, at which a talk is presented by a member or an invited guest on some aspect of the Irish or Irish-Australian experience.
Meetings are usually held in the evening of the fourth Wednesday of the month, in person at the Irish Consulate General in Sydney, and also online via Zoom.
Three times a year, the meeting takes the form of a social function: a St Patrick’s Day dinner in March, a Mid-Year lunch in July or August and a Christmas party in November. There is no meeting in December or January.
The Society also sponsors prizes at several New South Wales universities, and from time to time arranges one-off events such as seminars, either alone or in collaboration with with other Irish-related organisations.
OUR HISTORY
The idea for the Aisling Society was born in 1954. The three friends who were its inspiration, each of them legendary in the Aisling, were: Mary Hegarty, a classical scholar and teacher; Brian McGrath, a Sydney barrister; and Father Nicholas McNally, a Catholic priest.
The inaugural meeting of the Society was held on 16 March 1955, when our Constitution was accepted by the foundation members.
In 2005, for our 50th anniversary, we published Passing the Torch, a selection of some of the many Talks presented over that half-century. To view the front matter of Passing the Torch click here. A large number of the Talks have been recorded in one format or other: manuscript, audio, and video. For a complete list visit Past Talks.
In 2025 we celebrated our 70th anniversary with a gala mid-year lunch with a slide presentation of images from the past as well as talks from members reflecting on the past, the present, and the future of the Society.
Our Annual Reports, from 1955 to date, are a treasure trove of information about the Society’s ideas, activities and achievements since its inception.
For more, see our History page.
USEFUL LINKS
The Aisling Society has always had close and rewarding ties with numerous Irish and Irish-Australian bodies, including the Irish Embassy in Canberra, the Irish Consulate-General in Sydney, the Irish National Association and the Gaelic Club. See links to some of these below.
