Why do Irish institutions still call themselves ‘royal’?
More than 90 years after independence, academies and colleges based in Ireland retain obsolete royal identities
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland received its royal charter in 1784
It is puzzling to me that, despite Irish independence since 1922, several of our major academies and institutions maintain “royal” status. The recent “Neighbours: Britain and Ireland” series of Irish Times articles gives some fresh insights into the evolving and maturing of our relationships with our neighbours in the UK, leading me to consider why the Irish have a tendency to cling to the old colonial order?
Among those that retain obsolete royal identities are the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), Royal Dublin Society (RDS), and the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI).