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President 
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It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Dublin for the joint meeting of the International Council and the European Section of ICD.
This will be a great event, a gathering which will bring together Fellows from around the world!This will be the first time that Europe will have hosted the joint meeting for about 15 years, so Dublin is preparing to welcome everybody to a mixture of business, science, learning and very importantly the opportunity for Fellows to interact and socialize! Dublin is one of Europe’s oldest cities. As well as retaining its historical and cultural charms, it offers trendy bars, elegant restaurants and stylish, cosmopolitan shops and hotels – ideal for creating a vibrant atmosphere in which to hold a meeting like ours. The city has a rich cultural history and is the birthplace of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Nobel Prize for Literature winners William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett. As one of the literary capitals of the world it was designated UNESCO City of Literature in 2010.Of course there is much more to Ireland than just Dublin. The second biggest city on the island is Belfast and it too has a rich tradition and is a must see for colleagues coming from overseas and intending to see more of the country. The optional tour on the Sunday will go to the world renowned Titanic Centre where you can lose yourself for hours in the history of the events of 100 years ago. On the business side, the International Council will spread its 3 day meeting over two venues – the Royal College of Physicians and the Shelbourne Hotel. The European Section Scientific Meeting “Learning without Limits” on the Friday will be held in the historic Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and will cover a range of challenging and stimulating topics. The three main social events will be the Welcome Evening at the magnificent dining hall in Trinity College, the Cultural Evening at the world famous Jameson’s Distillery and the Gala Dinner at the fabulous Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The spouses and partners will have a choice of four different tours – each tailored to suit the varied tastes of our accompanying persons.The Induction Ceremony will also be held in Trinity College, in the Examinations Hall, which dates from the mid-1780s and contains many fine furnishings including an organ in the gallery which was designed and built in Dublin around 1684. It is the oldest existing Irish made organ case and as such one of the most important in Ireland and Britain. The chandelier which is made of gilded wood came from the former House of Commons. Ireland has a long established reputation as a country that knows how to give a ‘cead mile failte’ (100 thousand welcomes) to its guests and I can promise you plenty more of the same when you come to Dublin in 2015 for the 60th Annual Meeting of the European Section. Yours sincerely, Tom Feeney |