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Royal Dublin Society




Its aim was to promote the development of Arts , Agriculture , Industry and Science in Ireland . The society acquired its current premises at Ballsbridge in 1879 , and since then has increased from the original fifteen to forty acres (60,000 to 160,000 m²). The premises consist of a number of Exhibition Hall s, a Stadium , meeting rooms, bars, restaurants. The RDS (''Royal Dublin Showground'') is a major centre for exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events. The Royal prefix was adopted in 1820 when George IV became patron of the Society. The RDS hosts the Young Scientist And Technology Exhibition each January. The first solely Society-run Horse Show was held in 1868 and was one of the earliest "leaping" competitions ever held. Over time it has become a high profile International Show Jumping competition, national showing competition and major entertainment event in Ireland. In 1982 the RDS hosted the Show Jumping World Championships and incorporated it into the Dublin Horse Show of that year. From September 1990 until April 1996, football club Shamrock Rovers played their home games at the RDS stadium. On the 19th of February 1992 the Republic Of Ireland played Wales there. In recent years, the stadium has also been used for the Heineken Cup games of the Leinster Rugby team.


RECENT YEARS


In recent years the fairgrounds have been used as a performance venue for numerous Rock and Heavy Metal bands such as Metallica (2003, 2004 and 2006), Iron Maiden , Slipknot , Korn , Linkin Park , Guns N' Roses , The Darkness , Tenacious D (in December) and many more.

Thus many of the followers of this music genre now see the RDS as the primary Metal concert venue in Ireland.

Other popular acts such as Britney Spears , George Michael , Justin Timberlake and My Chemical Romance have played the RDS Arena. Bruce Springsteen typically performs at the RDS when touring with a rock band, and has played there four times since 1988, most recently during 'The Rising' tour in 2003.


SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL LINKS


  Title Eurovision Song Contest <br> Venue
  Before '' Congresgebouw '' <br/> '' The Hague ''
  After '' Conference Centre '' <br/> '' Harrogate ''


  Title Eurovision Song Contest <br> Venue
  Before '' Palais Du Centenaire '' <br/> '' Brussels ''
  After '' Palais De Beaulieu '' <br/> '' Lausanne ''