Royal Hibernian Academy Schools

The Royal Hibernian Academy Schools had been established circa 1860 and had both cohabited with and struggled for many years against the more favoured Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. The School's original home, Academy House on Lower Abbey Street, was destroyed by fire during the 1916 Easter Rising, along with much of its art collection. In 1939, it was deemed totally non-viable to run two schools of art in a comparatively small city. So in 1940, although funded by sales commissions from Academy exhibitions, the Schools closed and the Metropolitan School of Art, which in 1936 had been elevated to the status of National College of Art & Design, assumed all the responsibilities of the Royal Hibernian Academy Schools.

The modern RHA Schools was refounded in 2009 when a purpose-built extension was created at Ely Place, the home of the Academy. It is now known as the RHA Drawing Schools. As of 2026, the school is led by Principal Colin Martin, with a faculty including prominent artists like Mick O'Dea, Una Sealy, and Geraldine O'Neill.