Today, 350 years after the first meeting, the Royal Society (RS) is the world’s most prestigious and oldest surviving scientific academy and has 1,400 “Fellows” (FRS), including 69 Nobel laureates.
One of the two women finally admitted in 1945 was Irish-born: X-ray crystallographer, Dame Kathleen Lonsdale. Irish connections also include the Irish harp - one of the four national symbols on the society’s silver mace. The Royal Irish Academy is among the 91 international academies with links to the RS. For more info link to the Royal Society.
