Over 150 healthcare professionals were conferred with postgraduate awards at a conferring ceremony in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) on Monday, 2 July. These included 36 Fellowships of RCSI in General Surgery; Ophthalmology/Ophthalmic Surgery; Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery; and Urology. Fellowships of RCSI Ad Eundem were awarded to Robert Hannon and Arun Ganesh Mahajani.

Memberships of the RCSI including Ophthalmology were awarded as well as Diplomas in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery). Brian Devitt received an RCSI Surgical Travelling Fellowship.

Fellowships of the Faculty of Radiologists including Radiodiagnosis and Radiation Oncology were conferred and Fellowships Ad Eundem were awarded to Dr Peter Ball, Dr Lorna Duddy and Dr Rosemary Murphy.

Awards for the Faculty of Dentistry conferred were Fellowships including Oral Surgery with Oral Medicine, Fellowships of the Faculty Ad Eundem for Professor Mark McGurk, Clive Pratt and Professor Helen Whelton and Fellowships by Election for Professor David Bouchier-Hayes and Professor J. V. McLoughlin. 64 candidates were conferred with Memberships of the Faculty of Dentistry - the largest group to be conferred at today's ceremony.

Fellowships and Memberships of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine were also awarded to 10 candidates.

Addressing the candidates at the conferring ceremony, Patrick Broe, President of RCSI, said: "You are the future of the Irish health service and the skills and knowledge that you have attained to date, and will no doubt enhanced further by Fellowships abroad, will be essential to the provision of continued high quality health care services in this country in the next few decades. I congratulate you all and wish you every success in what promises to be a bright and exciting future. My personal wish for each of you here today is that in the care provided to your patients you will derive satisfaction, challenge and educational stimulation and that you will always be proud to be a member of the medical profession and of your association with this great College."