New Members of Royal Irish Academy Enrolled

Posted on: 21 May 2007

The Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s Academy for the sciences, humanities and social sciences, enrolled twenty-four new members on May 18th last, including five Trinity College Dublin academics: TCD Vice Provost, Prof Ruth Byrne, Prof Samson Shatashvili, Prof Philip Lane and Emeritus Fellows, Prof John Bartlett and Prof Victor Dixon.

Membership of the Royal Irish Academy is the highest honour that can be attained by scholars and scientists working in Ireland. It currently has 385 Members from across the island of Ireland who are elected in recognition of their academic achievement.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome these outstanding members to the Academy,” said Professor James Slevin, President of the Royal Irish Academy. “Throughout its history, the Academy has recognised the scholarship and public contributions of the leading thinkers in Ireland. I am confident that these new Members will continue that tradition of developing Ireland’s intellectual culture, which is so vital to our continued success in today’s knowledge society.”

Prof Ruth Byrne is Vice-Provost of Trinity College Dublin and Professor of Cognitive Science. She is the author of The Rational Imagination: How People Create Alternatives to Reality.

Prof Samson Shatashvili is Chair of Natural Philosophy and Head of the School of Mathematics.

The youngest of the new RIA members elected is 38- year old economist, Professor Philip Lane who in 2001 was the inaugural recipient of the German Bernacer Award in Monetary Economics for being ‘the most outstanding young monetary economist in the eurozone’. He is currently Professor of International Economics and Director of the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) at Trinity College Dublin.

Both Prof John Bartlett (School of Religions and Theology) and Prof Victor Dixon (Department of Hispanic Studies) are Emeritus Fellows of the College.

The twenty-four new Members enrolled are:

Sciences
Ruth Byrne, Trinity College Dublin
James Dolly, Dublin City University
Eugene Freuder, University College Cork
Peter Gregson, Queens University Belfast
Brian Harvey, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute, Galway
Desmond Higgins, University College, Dublin
Michael Kane, National University of Ireland, Galway
Brian MacCraith, Dublin City University
Ciaran Regan, University College, Dublin
Samson Shatashvili, Trinity College Dublin

Humanities & Social Sciences

John Bartlett, Trinity College Dublin
Sean Cromien, former Secretary General, Department of Finance
Victor Dixon, Trinity College Dublin
Adrian Hardiman, Supreme Court
Dorota Iwaniec, Queens University, Belfast
Philip Lane, Trinity College Dublin
Colm Lennon, National Universtiy of Ireland, Maynooth
Christopher Morash, National University of Ireland, Maynooth;
Carmel Naughton, Chairman of the National Gallery’s Board of Governors (1996-2002)
Ruairí Ó hUiginn, National Universtiy of Ireland, Maynooth
Jennifer O’Reilly, University College Cork
William Schabas, National University of Ireland, Galway
Jennifer Todd, University College Dublin

Those elected are entitled to use the designation ‘MRIA’ (Member of the Royal Irish Academy) after their name.

New TCD members of the Royal Irish Academy (l-r) Prof John Bartlett, Prof Samson Shatashvili, Prof James Slevin PRIA, TCD Vice Provost, Prof Ruth Byrne, and Prof Victor Dixon.

Further information

The Royal Irish Academy is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. It is the principal learned society in Ireland and has approximately 385 Members elected in recognition of their academic achievement.
Well-known Academy members include: Dr Garret FitzGerald; Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney; Mr Dermot Gleeson ; Mr Peter Sutherland; Professor Joe Lee; Professor Ronan Fanning; Mrs Mary Robinson, Professor David McConnell (TCD Geneticist), Professor Richard Kearney; and President Mary McAleese.