The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is a medical school and professional body based in Ireland. It was established in 1784 as the national body for the surgical branch of medicine in Ireland, with a role in supervision of training, and as of 2021 provides a broad range of medical education in multiple countries. RCSI's main campus is situated on St. Stephen's Green and York Street in central Dublin and incorporates schools of medicine, pharmacy and biomolecular sciences, physiotherapy, population health, dentistry and nursing and midwifery. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate education in a number of healthcare fields. RCSI was ranked first in the world for SDG3 Good Health and Well-being in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025.
History
Background and foundation Since the Middle Ages, the practice of surgery in Dublin was licensed by one of the Guilds of the City of Dublin, the Barber-Surgeons' Guild, also known at times as the Guild of St. Mary Magdalene. The guild chapel was in Christ Church. Guild membership was obtained by a three-year apprenticeship, followed by two years as a journeyman. The College of Surgeons maintained a mandatory period of apprenticeship to become a qualified surgeon until 1828. In 1446, the Barber-Surgeons' Guild was incorporated by a royal decree of Henry VI, becoming the first medical corporation in Britain or Ireland. In 1765 Sylvester O'Halloran, a surgeon from Limerick, proposed a College of Surgeons along the lines of the College de St. Cosme in Paris, which had been regulating French surgeons since its creation by a Royal Charter by King Louis IX in 1255, to train and regulate surgeons. The Dublin Society of Surgeons was founded in 1780 at the Elephant public house on Essex Street (now Parliament Street). Trinity College, Dublin, did not teach surgery as a subject until 1851, so in the 18th century Ireland was without a school focused on surgery. To have a separate organization providing standardised surgical education became one of the goals of the new Society of Surgeons, and it lobbied for a Royal Charter, in 1781 presenting the Lord Lieutenant a petition to be incorporated separately from the barbers. The awaited charter was granted by King George III on 11 February 1784. The governing body, including the first President, Samuel Croker-King, and William Dease, first professor of surgery, met in the boardroom of the Rotunda Hospital for the first time on 2 March 1784.
Non-discrimination At the time of the Protestant Ascendancy, the admission or employment of surgeons was not subject to discrimination on sectarian grounds. Two of the RCSI's leading founders, Sylvester O'Halloran and William Dease, as well as eleven of its first 57 presidents, were Roman Catholics. From 1856, the college also recognized the medical qualifications given by the Catholic University which gave more weight to its own diplomas.
18th and 19th centuries The first candidate for examination was John Birch, in August 1784.
The RCSI's first home, at the corner of York Street, was acquired in September 1805, with additional land at Glover's Alley bought in 1809. The site was previously an abandoned Quaker burial ground. John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, laid the foundation stone of the new building on St. Patrick's Day, 1806, and this reached completion in March 1810. As of 2021, it remains the primary location of the college. A supplemental charter was granted by Queen Victoria in 1844, dividing medical graduates into Licentiates and Fellows. Initially, physicians were trained alongside surgeons. In 1886 these two disciplines were merged, and the medical school began operation. As a result of this historical legacy, graduates of medicine still receive Licentiate diplomas from the two Royal Colleges as well as now being awarded MB (Bachelor of Medicine) BCh (Bachelor of Surgery) and BAO (Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics) degrees by the National University of Ireland. Now defunct subjects formerly taught include: Logic (1852–1862), Military Surgery (1851–1860) and botany (1792–1889). In 1885, the RCSI became the first medical school in Ireland to admit women to its classes. The first woman to qualify as a fellow of the RCSI was Emily Winifred Dickson in 1893 and the second Mary Strangman in 1902.
20th century During the 1916 Rising, the main college building on St Stephen's Green was occupied by Irish Citizen Army forces, led by Commandant Michael Mallin and Countess Markievicz. After surrendering, both were tried and sentenced to death. Mallin was executed while Markievicz's sentence was commuted due to her gender. The subject Hygiene or Political Medicine (1841–1921) was retired, and its Chair united with Medical Jurisprudence. The RCSI became the first medical institution of learning to offer a 4-year graduate entry programme for medicine in Ireland. Ethna Gaffney became the first female professor at RCSI in 1967.
21st century During the period 2014 – 2018, RCSI-affiliated researchers collaborated with over 2,100 international academic and industry institutions producing over 2,900 co-authored publications. The university's field-weighted citation impact is twice the world average and scores in the top decile internationally in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking (2020). In December 2019, the RCSI was authorised as a university, becoming the ninth in Ireland, following a change in legislation, and an application by the college. The long-sought change in status was complicated by the RCSI's status as a private body but eventually a standard process was created and the college met the conditions set out in it, and following ministerial approval, the change was endorsed by votes in both houses of the Oireachtas. This also made it the eleventh university on the island of Ireland, including The Queen's University of Belfast and Ulster University.
Associated hospitals Since the 1980s Beaumont Hospital, Dublin has been the principal centre for medical training. Other affiliated hospitals include teaching hospitals such as Connolly Hospital, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Dublin and University Hospital Waterford.
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