THE Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Thomas Mitchell, has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, the first Irish person to be so elected in 136 years.
Dr Mitchell was elected "in recognition both of his record as a scholar and his standing as an educationalist and the head of one of Europe's most famous colleges".
Of the society's membership of more than 700, only 130 places are held by non US citizens. There have been eight Irish members in the society's 247 year history.