The Honourable The Irish Society

The Honourable The Irish Society[note 1] is a consortium of livery companies of the City of London established during the Plantation of Ulster to colonise County Londonderry.

[3] Much of its funding derives from its remaining property, including the walls of Derry, a tourist attraction and heritage site, and fisheries on the River Bann.

In his survey, he found that the town of Derry could become either a great asset of control over the River Foyle and Lough Swilly, or it could become an inviting back door if the people of the area were against him.

The rural area of the county was subdivided between the Great Twelve livery companies, while the towns and environs of Londonderry and Coleraine were retained by the Irish Society.

[12] The case was decided by the House of Lords in 1845, ruling that the society held its property in trust, not for the livery companies, but for "public purposes".

[2] An 1889 House of Commons select committee report stated:[17] From the evidence of these witnesses it appeared that there was no complaint as to the manner in which the Irish Society had performed its duties; and, with regard to the different City Companies, it was admitted that till recently they had acted with liberality.

The complaint was that this liberality on the part of some of the Companies has greatly diminished, that some subscriptions have been entirely withdrawn, and others considerably diminished and that some of the Livery Companies who had formerly given subscriptions to various local charities had sold their lands recently without making provision for the continuance of these subscriptions.The Irish Society financed the building of Derry's Guildhall; work started in 1887 and it was opened in July 1890, having cost £19,000.