On 13 February, President Higgins was conferred with the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI), the highest distinction the College bestows. The Fellowship recognises outstanding achievement in both surgery as well as in other areas.
Notable non-surgical fellows of RCSI include Bob Geldof, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, the late Seamus Heaney and Padraig Harrington.
