Thirty Years of Service to Plants and People

The RHSI extends its very best wishes to Dr Matthew Jebb on his retirement from the Office of Public Works, marking 30 years of exceptional public service and his tenure as Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin and Kilmacurragh.

Matthew joined the OPW in 1996 as Horticultural Taxonomist and Keeper of the Herbarium, already internationally respected for his work on ant–plant interactions and the tropical pitcher plant genus Nepenthes. His career path, from Oxford, to Papua New Guinea, to Trinity College Dublin, brought a truly global perspective to Irish botany. One of his earliest and most significant contributions was overseeing the transfer of the National Herbarium to its purpose-built home at the Gardens.

Over the course of his career, Matthew described more than 100 new plant species, travelled extensively in pursuit of botanical research, and made lasting contributions to Irish plant science, including red-listing work and the flora of Clare Island. He was a tireless advocate for conservation, scholarship and collaboration, and was recently appointed Adjunct Professor in Trinity’s School of Botany.

Internationally, Matthew played a key role in shaping biodiversity policy through the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, serving as European representative on the COP Bureau during Ireland’s EU Council Presidency. He also chaired PlantNetwork, the Plant Collections Network of Britain & Ireland, for over a decade. In 2022, his contribution was recognised with the prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society – an honour last awarded to a Director of the Gardens in 1932.

Appointed Director of the National Botanic Gardens in 2010, Matthew led with clarity, integrity and warmth, strengthening the Gardens’ role in research, conservation, education and public engagement. As Curator Dr Darach Lupton so aptly reflected, Matthew leaves the Gardens stronger, better organised, and well prepared for the future.

We thank Matthew for his leadership, generosity of spirit and lifelong dedication to plants and people. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of scientists, horticulturists and garden visitors alike. We wish him every happiness in the next chapter.