One of the first actions of the Royal Irish Academy was to spend £30 on barometers and thermometers for a network of weather stations around the country. The academy quickly established a reputation and its rollcall of members included many of the great names of the time, including Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Richard Kirwan and later William Rowan Hamilton.   Scientific projects it organised over the years included dredging expeditions to Rockall and bio-geographical surveys of Clare Island .