MRIA
Organization
Description
Election to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy is a public recognition of academic excellence and is sometimes held to be the highest academic honour in Ireland. Those elected are entitled to use the designation "MRIA" after their name. The criterion for election to Membership is a significant contribution to scholarly research as shown in the candidate's published academic work. However some of those elected to membership every year are not academics at all but include former public servants, philanthropists, leaders in political and business life, and others.
To be elected, a candidate has to be proposed and recommended by five Members, and selection is made by a rotating committee of existing Members, their names not made known outside the Academy. Presently, twenty Members are elected each year, equally divided between the sciences and humanities. Membership is open only to those resident in Ireland.
Honorary Membership can be awarded to persons who have made outstanding contribution to their academic discipline, but who are normally resident outside the island of Ireland. At least two existing Members must propose and recommend a candidate for Honorary Membership. Honorary members are entitled to use the designation "Hon. MRIA" after their name.
People
| Name | Date of Birth | Date of Death | Short Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roderick Murchison | 1792 | 1871 | a British geologist who first described and investigated the Silurian system |