The "Royal" in the title comes from the Royal Charters that were granted in 1667, by King Charles II of England, and in 1692, by King William III and Queen Mary II of England. It was known as the King and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland until 1890 when, under charter of Queen Victoria, it adopted the present title. The College was founded in 1654 by John Stearne, a professor and registrar of Trinity College, Dublin, for the purpose of regulating the practice of medicine in Ireland. Originally, it was called "The Fraternity of Physicians of Trinity Hall", as its first home was in a building called Trinity Hall, given to the Physicians by Trinity College. The Royal Charter of 1692 made the Physicians independent of Trinity College but meant that they had to leave Trinity Hall. They then had no permanent home until the opening of Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital in 1812, when the College established its headquarters in some rooms in the hospital. In 1860, the College purchased the premises of the Kildare Street Club in Kildare Street. The building was destroyed in a fire in November 1860 and subsequently rebuilt by the College to its own design. It opened in 1864 and has remained the College's home ever since. The College Library dates its foundation to 1713 when Sir Patrick Dun bequeathed his personal, large library to the College. The Library has been known as "Dun's Library" ever since. The Dun's Library forms part of the College's Heritage Centre, with the archive, heritage items and genealogical research collections. The Heritage Centre holds one of the most important and extensive collections of printed, manuscript material and items relating to the history of medicine and medical education in Ireland.
Presidents
Among the famous past presidents of the College were William Fetherstone Montgomery, Sir Patrick Dun, Henry Marsh, Robert James Graves, William Stokes, and Sir Dominic Corrigan. James Little, who was president from 1886 to 1888, had worked as a ship's surgeon early in his career. He survived the shipwreck of the SS Ava in 1858, which is recorded in his diary, now held in the college's archives. In November 1974 Irish presidentErskine Hamilton Childers made a speech to psychiatrists at the Royal College of Physicians about alternative treatments for mentally ill people. And means to be made available for people who were suffering from depression and anxiety and other such disorders Before he himself suddenly collapsed dead of heart failure in the very conference room of the building
The College offers the postgraduate Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland qualification. There is a separate and distinct Membership of the Royal College of Physicians qualification which is run by the UK Royal Colleges of Physicians in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. For several years, the College has been successfully conducting its MRCPI examinations in its overseas centres in addition to many centres in the Republic of Ireland. Membership is governed by the by-laws of the college. Every candidate wishing to obtain Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland must pass both parts of the Membership Examination and attend a Membership Conferring Ceremony where he/she is conferred as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Membership confers the right to use the post nominal MRCPI.
Fellowship is awarded by the College upon nomination by 2 existing Fellows to doctors of consultant or equivalent status. In 1915 the College updated the regulations to allow women to become Fellows. The first woman to become a fellow was Mary Hearn in 1924. The benefits of this award include recognition of professional standing, access to Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development support, international collegiality and the opportunity to influence the future of the profession. Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is an international benchmark of professional excellence, reserved for doctors who have made substantial contributions to their specialty and whose published works and attainments meet the high expectations of the College.
