| Description | Papers relating to the Honorary Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
Honorary Fellowship of the College has a long history. It was initially established in the 1720s as a way of allowing those medics who did not qualify for Fellowship, who had to resign their fellowship due to conflicts of interest, or those who wished to retire form Fellowship, to maintain or establish an association with the College. By the middle of the nineteenth century the practice has changed and Honorary Fellowship was awarded to distinguished members of the medical profession practicing outside of Ireland. In the second half of the twentieth century the criteria was extended again to include those who had made a notable contribution to medicine, philanthropy or society in Ireland. |