Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College
Collegium Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis iuxta Dublinum, Universitas Dublinensis
The University of Dublin
Front Gate onCollege Green
Full name	The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars and the other members of Board of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin Irish:Coláiste Thríonóid Naofa Neamhroinnte na Banríona Eilís gar do Bhaile Átha Cliath
Latin name	Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
Motto	Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam(Latin)
Motto in English	It will last into endless future times
Founder	Queen Elizabeth I
Established	3 March 1592(1592-03-03)(Royal charter)
Named for	The Holy Trinity
Architectural style	Neoclassical architecture(majority)
Status	Research university,Ancient university
Colours
Sister colleges	St. John's College, Cambridge Oriel College, Oxford
Freshman dorm	Trinity Hall, Dublin
Provost	Linda Doyle
Deputy provost	Orla Sheils
Undergraduates	11,718 (2016–17)
Postgraduates	4,707 (2016–17)
Senior tutor	Stephen Smith
Chapel	Trinity College Chapel(Dublin)
Newspaper	Trinity NewsandThe University Times
Endowment	€253 million (2021)
Affiliations	CLUSTER,Coimbra Group,LERU,UNITECH,EUA,IUA,AMBA
Website	tcd.ie
Student association	Trinity College Dublin Students' Union
Map
Location in Central Dublin Trinity College Dublin (Dublin) Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)

Trinity College Dublin(Irish:Coláiste na Tríonóide, Bhaile Átha Cliath), officially titledThe College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin,is the soleconstituent collegeof theUniversity of Dublin,Ireland.Founded in early 1592 byQueen Elizabeth Iwho issued aroyal charter,it is Ireland's oldest university and was modelled after thecollegiate universitiesof bothOxfordandCambridge.Named afterThe Holy Trinity,the epithets "Trinity College Dublin" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for administrative purposes, as only one such college was ever established.

The university was established to consolidate the rule of theTudormonarchyin Ireland.Academically, it is divided into threefacultiescomprising 23 schools, offering variousdegreeand diploma courses at both theundergraduateandpostgraduatelevels.Admissions to the college are based exclusively on academic merit,with its courses in law, literature and humanities being highly selective.

Trinity College Dublin is one of the sevenancient universitiesof Great Britain and Ireland,and it is a sister college to bothSt John's College, Cambridge,andOriel College, Oxford.By incorporation, a graduate of either Oxford, Cambridge or Dublin can be conferred the equivalent degree (Oxon, Cantab et Dubl) at either of the other two without further examination.TheLibrary of Trinity Collegeis alegal depositfor Ireland and theUnited Kingdom.It is the largest library in the country and has housed theBook of Kellssince 1661 and theBrian Boru harpsince 1782.

The university has produced many eminent poets, playwrights, authors, novelists and filmmakers, includingOscar Wilde(The Happy Prince),Jonathan Swift(Gulliver's Travels),Sheridan Le Fanu(Carmilla),Bram Stoker(Dracula),Oliver Goldsmith(The Vicar of Wakefield),William Congreve(The Way of the World),Samuel Beckett(Waiting for Godot),Sally Rooney(Normal People),Eoin Colfer(Artemis Fowl),William Trevor(Felicia's Journey),J. P. Donleavy(The Ginger Man),Nahum Tate(The History of King Lear),David Benioff(Troy)andD. B. Weiss(Game of Thrones).Alumni also include 4Presidents of Irelandand 4Nobel Laureates,as well asacademics, mathematicians and philosopherswho shaped the intellectual heritage of western Europe. Notable faculty and lecturers at the university includedHumphrey Lloyd,J. B. Bury,Erwin SchrödingerandE. T. Whittaker.

History

First 50 years

TheBook of Kellsis the most famous of the volumes in the Trinity College Library. Shown here are the Madonna and Child from Kells (folio 7v).

Amedieval University of Dublinwas founded in 1320 under a papal brief issued byPope Clement Vin 1311,and the university maintained an intermittent existence atSt. Patrick's Cathedralover the following centuries, but it did not flourish and finally came to an end at theReformation.After that, and some debate about a new university at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in 1592 a small group of Dublin citizens obtained a charter by way ofletters patentfrom QueenElizabethincorporating Trinity College at the former site of the disbanded AugustinianPriory of All Hallows,immediately southeast of the city walls, provided by theCorporation of Dublin.

The college's first provost was theArchbishop of Dublin,Adam Loftus(after whose former college atCambridgethe institution was named),and he was provided with two initial Fellows,James HamiltonandJames Fullerton.Two years after the foundation, a few Fellows and students began to work in the new college, which then lay around one small square.

During the 50 years following the foundation, the community increased the endowments, considerable landed estates were secured and new fellowships were founded. The books which formed the foundation of the great library were acquired, a curriculum was devised and statutes were framed.

Ethos and purpose

Trinity was originally the university of theProtestant Ascendancyfor much of its history, given the conditions for its establishment.While Catholics were admitted from the college's foundation, for a period, graduation required the taking of an oath that was objectionable to them.In 1793, this requirement was removed but certain restrictions on membership of the college remained, as professorships, fellowships and scholarships were reserved for Protestants.

18th and 19th centuries

Main entrance (1837)

Bram Stoker,Trinity graduate and author ofDracula

During the 18th century, Trinity College was seen as the university of theProtestant Ascendancy.TheParliament of Ireland,meeting on the other side of College Green, made generous grants for building. The first building of this period was the Old Library, begun in 1712, followed byThe Printing Houseand the Dining Hall. During the second half of the century, Parliament Square slowly emerged. The great building drive was completed in the early 19th century by Botany Bay, the square which derives its name in part from the herb garden it once contained (and which was succeeded by Trinity College's own Botanic Gardens).

The 19th century was also marked by important developments in the professional schools. The law school was reorganized after the middle of the century. Medical teaching had been given in the college since 1711, but it was only after the establishment of the school on a firm basis by legislation in 1800, and under the inspiration of one Macartney, that it was in a position to play its full part, with such teachers as Graves and Stokes, in the great age of Dublin medicine. The Engineering School was established in 1842 and was one of the first of its kind in Ireland and Britain.

Access and religion

While Catholics were officially admitted from the foundation, graduation was complicated by the requirement of oaths. Following early steps inCatholic Emancipation,these oaths were removed, allowing Catholics to graduate in 1793,before the equivalent change at theUniversity of Cambridgeand theUniversity of Oxford.Certain disabilities remained. In December 1845Denis Caulfield Heronwas the subject of a hearing at Trinity College. He had previously been examined and, on merit, declared a Scholar of the college, but had not been allowed to take up his place due to his Catholic religion. Heron appealed to the Courts, which issued awrit of mandamusrequiring the case to be adjudicated by theArchbishop of Dublinand thePrimate of Ireland.The decision ofRichard WhatelyandJohn George de la Poer Beresfordwas that Heron would remain excluded from Scholarship.This decision confirmed that persons who were not Anglicans (Presbyterians were also affected) could not be elected to Scholarship or Fellowship or be made a professor. But within three decades of this, all disabilities imposed on Catholics were repealed. In 1873, all religious tests, except for those relating to entry to thedivinity school,were abolished by an Act of Parliament.

Just prior to the full repeal of limitations on Catholic attendance, in 1871, Irish Catholic bishops, responding to the increased ease with which Catholics could attend an institution which the bishops saw as thoroughly Protestant in ethos, and in light of the establishment of theCatholic University of Ireland,implemented a general ban on Catholics entering Trinity College, with few exceptions."The ban", despite its longevity, is associated in the popular mind withArchbishop of DublinJohn Charles McQuaid,as he was made responsible for enforcing it from 1956 until the Catholic Bishops of Ireland rescinded it in 1970, shortly before McQuaid's retirement. Until 1956, it was the responsibility of each local bishop.

20th century

Campanile(pre-1899)

Interior of theOld Library

In April 1900,Queen Victoriavisited College Green in Dublin.

Women were admitted to Trinity College as full members for the first time in 1904.From 1904 to 1907, women from Oxford and Cambridge, who were admitted but not granted degrees, came to Trinity College to receive theirad eundem degree;they were known asSteamboat ladiesand the fees they paid helped to fundTrinity Hall.

In 1907, theChief Secretary for Irelandproposed the reconstitution of theUniversity of Dublin.A "Dublin University Defence Committee" was created and successfully campaigned against any change to the status quo, while the Catholic bishops' rejection of the idea ensured its failure among the Catholic population. Chief among the bishops' concerns was the remains of the Catholic University of Ireland, which would become subsumed into a new university, which on account of Trinity College would be part Anglican. Ultimately this episode led to the creation of theNational University of Ireland.Trinity College was one of the targets of the Volunteer and Citizen Army forces during the 1916Easter Risingbut was successfully defended by a small number of unionist students,most of whom were members of the universityOfficers' Training Corps.From July 1917 to March 1918 theIrish Conventionmet in the college in an attempt to address the political aftermath of the Easter Rising. (Subsequently, following the failure of the Convention to reach "substantial agreement", theIrish Free Statewas set up in 1922.) In the post-independence period, Trinity College suffered from a cool relationship with the new state. On 3 May 1955, the provost, A.J. McConnell, wrote in theIrish Timesthat certain state-funded County Council scholarships excluded Trinity College from the list of approved institutions. This, he suggested, amounted to religious discrimination, which was forbidden by the Constitution.It has been said of the period before Éire left the Commonwealth that "The overwhelming majority of the undergraduates were ex-unionists or, if from Northern Ireland, unionists. Loyalty to the Crown was instinctive and they were proud to be British subjects and Commonwealth citizens", and that "The College still clung, so far as circumstances permitted, to its pre-Treaty loyalties, symbolized by the flying of the Union Jack on suitable occasions and a universal wearing of poppies on Armistice Day, the chapel being packed for the two minutes' silence followed by a lusty rendering of 'God Save the King...". "But by the close of the 1960s... Trinity, with the overwhelming majority of its undergraduate population coming from the Republic, to a great extent conformed to local patterns".

The School of Commerce was established in 1925, and the School of Social Studies in 1934. Also in 1934, the first female professor was appointed.

Young men may loot, perjure and shoot
And even have carnal knowledge.
But however depraved, their souls will be saved
If they don't go to Trinity College.

—verse popular in the 1950s, at the height of Archbishop McQuaid's efforts

In 1944 Archbishop of DublinJohn Charles McQuaidrequired Catholics in theDublin archdioceseto obtain a special dispensation before entering the university, under threat of automaticexcommunication.The ban was extended nationally at the Plenary Synod of Maynooth in August 1956.Despite this sectarianism, 1958 saw the first Catholic reach the Board of Trinity as aSenior Fellow.

In 1962 the School of Commerce and the School of Social Studies amalgamated to form the School of Business and Social Studies. In 1969 several schools and departments were grouped into Faculties as follows: Arts (Humanities and Letters); Business, Economic and Social Studies; Engineering and Systems Sciences; Health Sciences (since October 1977 all undergraduate teaching in dental science in the Dublin area has been in Trinity College); and Science.

In the late 1960s, there was a proposal forUniversity College Dublin,of the National University of Ireland, to become a constituent college of a newly reconstituted University of Dublin.This plan, suggested byBrian LenihanandDonogh O'Malley,was dropped after officials of both universities opposed it.

In 1970 the Catholic Church lifted its ban on Catholics attending the college without special dispensation.At the same time, Trinity College authorities invited the appointment of a Catholic chaplain to be based in the college.There are now two such Catholic chaplains.

From 1975, the Colleges of Technology that now form theDublin Institute of Technologyhad their degrees conferred by the University of Dublin. This arrangement was discontinued in 1998 when the DIT obtained degree-granting powers of its own.

TheSchool of Pharmacywas established in 1977, and around the same time, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was transferred toUniversity College Dublinin exchange for its Dental School.Student numbers increased sharply during the 1980s and 1990s, with total enrolment more than doubling, leading to pressure on resources and a subsequent investment programme.

In 1991, Thomas Noel Mitchell became the first Roman Catholic elected Provost of Trinity College.

21st century

Science Gallery,opened in 2008

Trinity College is today in the centre of Dublin. At the beginning of the new century, it embarked on a radical overhaul of academic structures to reallocate funds and reduce administration costs, resulting in, for instance, the reduction from six to five to eventually three faculties under a subsequent restructuring. The ten-year strategic plan prioritises four research themes with which the college seeks to compete for funding at the global level. Comparative funding statistics reviewing the difference in departmental unit costs and overall costs before and after this restructuring are not apparent.

TheHamilton Mathematics Institutein Trinity College, named in honour ofWilliam Rowan Hamilton,was launched in 2005 and aims to improve the international profile of Irish mathematics, to raise public awareness of mathematics and to support local mathematical research through workshops, conferences and a visitor programme.

In 2021, Linda Doyle was elected the first woman provost, succeeding Patrick Prendergast.In 2024 students set up an encampment outside the Book of Kells Museum regarding the university's ties to Israel. After five nights of protests, the administration declared that it would not renew its business relationships with Israeli companies, and the last contract will expire in March 2025.

Buildings and grounds

The façade of the main building

The Parliament Square

The main campus of Trinity College retains a tranquil collegiate atmosphere despite its location in the centre of a capital city (and despite its being one of Dublin's most prominent tourist attractions). This is, in large part, due to the enclosed and compact design of the college, with the main buildings looking inwards, largely arranged in quadrangles (called squares), and the existence of only a few public entrances. In addition to the core campus, Trinity owns a number of buildings nearby in central Dublin, as well as an enterprise centre nearRingsendand a botanic garden inDartry.

Main campus

The main college grounds are approximately 190,000 m²(47 acres),including the Trinity College Enterprise Centre some distance away, and buildings provide around 200,000 m²of floor space, ranging from works of older architecture to more modern buildings. The college's main entrance is on College Green, and its grounds are bounded by Nassau and Pearse Streets. The college is bisected byCollege Park,which has both a cricket and a rugby pitch.

The college's western side is older, featuring theCampanile,as well as many fine buildings, including the Chapel and Examination Hall (designed bySir William Chambers),Graduates Memorial Building,Museum Building,and theRubrics(the sole surviving section of the original 17th-century quadrangle), all spread across the college's five squares. TheProvost's Housesits a little way up from the College Front Gate such that the House is actually onGrafton Street,one of the two principal shopping streets in the city, while its garden faces into the college. TheDouglas Hyde Gallery,a contemporary art gallery, is in the college, as is the Samuel Beckett Theatre. It hosts national and international performances and is used by the Dublin International Theatre Festival, the Dublin Dance Festival, and The Fringe Festival, among others. During the academic term, it is predominantly used as a teaching and performance space for drama students and staff.

The college's eastern side is occupied by science buildings, most of which are modern developments, arranged in three rows instead of quadrangles. In 2010,Forbesranked it one of the 15 most beautiful college grounds in the world.

Chapel

Interior of Trinity College Chapel

The current chapel was completed in 1798, and was designed by George III's architect,Sir William Chambers,who also designed the public theatre opposite the chapel on Parliament Square.Reflecting the college'sAnglicanheritage, there are daily services ofMorning prayer,weekly services ofEvensong,andHoly Communionis celebrated on Tuesdays and Sundays. It is no longer compulsory for students to attend these.

The chapel has been ecumenical since 1970, and is now also used daily in the celebration of Mass for the college's Roman Catholic members. In addition to the Anglican chaplain, who is known as the Dean of Residence, there are two Roman Catholic chaplains and one Methodist chaplain. Ecumenical events are often held in the chapel, such as the annual carol service and the service of thanksgiving on Trinity Monday.

Library

Main article:Library of Trinity College Dublin

The Long Room of theOld Library

Arnaldo Pomodoro'sSphere Within Spheresculpture stands outside the Berkeley Library.

TheLibrary of Trinity Collegeis Ireland's largest research library. As a result of its historic standing, Trinity College Library Dublin is alegal depositlibrary (as perLegal Deposit Libraries Act 2003) for the United Kingdom, and has a similar standing in Irish law.The college is therefore legally entitled to a copy of every book published in Great Britain and Ireland, and consequently receives over 100,000 new items every year.The library contains about five million books, including 30,000 current serials and significant collections of manuscripts, maps, and printed music. Three million books are held in the book depository, "Stacks", inSantry,from which requests are retrieved twice daily.

The Library proper comprises several buildings in the college. The original (Old) Library is Thomas Burgh's masterpiece. A huge building, it originally towered over the university and city after its completion. Even today, surrounded by similarly scaled buildings, it is imposing and dominates the view of the university from Nassau Street. It was founded with the college and first endowed byJames Ussher(1625–56), Archbishop of Armagh, who endowed his own valuable library, comprising several thousand printed books and manuscripts, to the college. TheBook of Kellsis by far the Library's most famous book and is in the Old Library, along with theBook of Durrow,the Book of Howth and other ancient texts. Also incorporating the Long Room, the Old Library receives 600,000 visitors per year, making it Dublin's third-most visited tourist destination.In the 18th century, the college received theBrian Boru harp,one of the three surviving medieval Gaelic harps, and a national symbol of Ireland, now housed in the library.

The buildings known as the college's BLU (BerkeleyLeckyUssher) Arts library complex consist of theBerkeleyLibrary in Fellow's Square, built in 1956; theLeckyLibrary, attached to the Arts building; and theUssherLibrary, which, opening in 2003, overlooks College Park and houses the Glucksman Map Library.The Glucksman Library contains half a million printed maps, the largest collection of cartographic materials in Ireland. This includes the first Ordnance Surveys of Ireland, conducted in the early 19th century.

The name of the Berkeley Library recently became a matter of controversy, givenGeorge Berkeley's history as aslavetrader, leading to a petition for renaming from the Students Union.In August 2022, incoming Student Union President Gabi Fullam announced that the Students Union would refer to the library as the "X Library" in all official communications pending renaming.In April 2023, Trinity College announced that it would dename the Berkeley Library.

The Library also includes theWilliam HamiltonScience and Engineering Library and theJohn StearneMedical Library, housed at St James's Hospital.

Business school

Main article:Trinity Business School

The Trinity College Business School's building is in an €80 million construction project and was inaugurated on 23 May 2019 by theTaoiseach,Leo Varadkar,an alumnus of Trinity College School of Medicine.The six-storey building, adjoining the Naughton Institute on the college's Pearse Street side, includes an Innovation and Entrepreneurial hub, a 600-seat auditorium, "smart classrooms" with digital technology, and an "executive education centre". Thenear-zero energy buildingprovides a link between the city and the main University grounds.

Other facilities

Trinity also incorporates a number of buildings and facilities spread throughout the city, from the politics and sociology departments onDame Streetto the Faculty of Health Sciences buildings, located atSt. James's HospitalandTallaght University Hospital.The Trinity Centre at St James's Hospital incorporates additional teaching rooms, as well as the Institute of Molecular Medicine and John Durkan Leukaemia Institute. The library has a large book depository in Santry.

The modern Herb or Physic Garden of TCD, off Pearse St., made in 2011

The college's botanic garden, which developed from a herb garden on the main campus, is located inDartry,around four kilometres south of the main campus, and it also owns a large set of residences on theDartry Road,inRathmines,calledTrinity Hall.A new physic or herb garden was opened in 2011, and there are also small gardens in the space known as Botany Bay and at the rear of the Provost's House.

In November 2018, Trinity announced plans, estimated at €230 million, to develop university research facilities on a site inGrand Canal Dockas part of an "Innovation District" for the area.These plans were later scaled back.

In addition to College Park, Botany Bay and other on-campus facilities, the college also owns sports grounds in Santry and Crumlin, and a boathouse in Islandbridge.

Charter

Trinity is governed in accordance with amended versions of the Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, as well as various other statutes. On several occasions the founding Letters Patent were amended by succeeding monarchs, such asJames Iin 1613 and most notablyCharles Iin 1637 - he increased the number of fellows from seven to 16, established the Board – then the Provost and the seven senior Fellows – and reduced the panel of Visitors in size. Further major changes were made in the reign of Queen Victoria, and more again by theOireachtas,including in 2000.

Organisation

See also:University of Dublin § Organisation

The college, officiallyincorporatedasThe Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin,is headed by the provost. Linda Doyle has been provost since August 2021.

The terms "University of Dublin"and" Trinity College "are generally considered synonymous for all practical purposes.Trinity was originally founded using the model of theUniversity of OxfordandUniversity of CambridgeinEngland,which arecollegiate universitiesthat each comprise several quasi-independent colleges. In one sense, the University of Dublin exists only as a degree-granting institution, with the college providing the education and research; Trinity College was the only college to ever be established within the university.

Governance

Statue of former ProvostGeorge Salmon(by John Hughes) and theCampanile,both in Parliament Square

Thebody corporateof the college consists of the provost,fellowsand scholars.The college is governed according to its statutes, which are, in effect, the College Constitution. Statutes are of two kinds, those which originally could only be amended by Royal Charter or Royal Letters Patent, and which now can only be changed by an Act of the Oireachtas, and those which can be changed by the board but only with the Fellows' consent. When a change requires parliamentary legislation, the customary procedure is that the Board requests the change by applying for a Private Bill. For this, the whole Body Corporate's consent is needed, with Scholars voting alongside Fellows. An example of a change that requires parliamentary legislation is an alteration to the composition of the Board. This last happened when the governance of the college and university was revised and restated by an Act of the Oireachtas in 2000.

Provost

The provost serves a ten-year term and is elected by a body of electors consisting essentially of all full-time academic staff and a very small number of students.Originally the provost was appointed for life. While the provost was elected by the Fellows at the start, the appointment soon became a Crown one, reflecting the growing importance of the college and of the office of provost, which became both prestigious and well-paid. But as time passed it became customary that the appointments were only made after taking soundings of college opinion, which meant mostly the views of the Board. With the establishment of the Free State in 1922, the power of appointment passed to the Government. It was agreed that when a vacancy occurred the college would provide a list of three candidates to the Government, from which the choice would be made. The college was allowed to rank the candidates in order of preference, and in practice, the most preferred candidate was always appointed. Now the provost, while still formally appointed by the Government, is elected by staff plus student representatives, who gather in an electoral meeting and vote by exhaustive ballot until a candidate obtains an absolute majority; the process takes a day. The provost takes precedence over everyone else in the college, acts as the chief executive and accounting officer and chairs the board and council. The provost also enjoys a special status in the University of Dublin.

Fellows and Scholars

Fellowsand Scholars are elected by the board. Fellows were once elected for life on the basis of a competitive examination. The number of Fellows was fixed and a competition to fill a vacancy would occur on the death or resignation of a Fellow. Originally all the teaching was carried out by the Fellows. Fellows are now elected from among current college academics and serve until reaching retirement age, and there is no formal limit on their number. Only a minority of academic staff are Fellows. Election to Fellowship is recognition for staff that they have excelled in their field and amounts to a promotion for those receiving it. Any person appointed to a professorship who is not already a Fellow is elected a Fellow at the next opportunity.

Scholars continue to be selected by competitive examination from the Undergraduate body. The Scholarship examinations are now set separately for different undergraduate courses (so there is a Scholarship examination in history, or in mathematics, engineering, and so forth). The Scholarship examination is taken in the second year of a four-year degree course (though, in special circumstances, such as illness, bereavement, or studying abroad during the second year, permission may be given to sit the examination in the third year). In theory, students can sit the examination in any subject, not just the one they are studying. They hold their Scholarship until they are of "MA standing" – that is, three years after obtaining the BA degree. Most are thus Scholars for five years.

Fellows are entitled to residence in the college free of charge; most do not exercise this right in practice, with the legal requirement to provide accommodation to them fulfilled by providing an office. Scholars are also entitled to residence in the college free of charge; they also receive an allowance and have the fees paid for courses they take within the college. But due to pressure on college accommodation, Scholars are no longer entitled, as they once were, to free rooms for the full duration of their Scholarship should they cease to be students. Fellows and Scholars are also entitled to one free meal a day, usually in the evening ( "Commons" ). Scholars retain the right to free meals for the full duration of their Scholarship even after graduation, and ceasing to be students, should they choose to exercise it.

Board

Aside from the provost, Fellows and Scholars, Trinity College has a Board (dating from 1637), which carries out general governance.Originally the Board consisted of the provost and Senior Fellows only. There were seven Senior Fellows, defined as those seven fellows that had served longest, Fellowship at that time being for life, unless resigned. Over the years a representational element was added, for example by having elected representatives of the Junior Fellows and of those professors who were not Fellows, with the last revision before Irish Independence being made byRoyal Letters Patentin 1911.At that time there were, as well as the Senior Fellows, two elected representatives of those professors who were not Fellows and elected representatives of the Junior Fellows. Over the years, while formal revision did not take place, partly due to the complexity of the process, a number of additional representatives were added to the Board but as "observers" and not full voting members.These included representatives of academic staff who were not Fellows, and representatives of students. In practice all attending Board meetings were treated as equals, with votes, while not common, taken by a show of hands. But it remained the case that legally only the full members of the Board could have their votes recorded and it was mere convention that they always ratified the decision taken by the show of hands.

The governance of Trinity College was next formally changed in 2000, by theOireachtas,in The Trinity College, Dublin (Charters and Letters Patent Amendment) Act 2000, legislation proposed by the Board of the college and approved by the Body Corporate.This was introduced separately from the Universities Act 1997.It states that the Board shall comprise:

• The Provost, Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer, Senior Lecturer, Registrar and Bursar;
• Six Fellows;
• Five members of the academic staff who are not Fellows, at least three of whom must be of a rank not higher than senior lecturer;
• Two members of the academic staff of the rank of professor;
• Three members of the non-academic staff;
• Four students of the college, at least one of whom shall be a post-graduate student;
• One member, not an employee or student of the college, chosen by a Board committee from nominations made by organisations "representative of such business or professional interest as the Board considers appropriate";
• One member nominated by theMinister for Educationfollowing consultation with the Provost.

Council

A Council, dating from 1874, oversees academic matters.All decisions of the Council require the approval of the Board, but if the decision in question does not require a new expenditure, the approval is normally formal, without debate. The council had a significant number of elected representatives from the start, and was also larger than the Board, which at that time continued to consist of the provost and seven Senior Fellows only. The council is the formal body which makes academic staff appointments, always, in practice on the recommendation of appointments panels which have themselves been appointed by the council.An illustration of the relationship between the Board and the council is a decision to create a new professorial chair. As this involves paying a salary, the initial decision to create the chair is made by the council, but the decision to make provision for the salary is made by the Board; consequently, the Board might overrule or defer a Council decision on grounds of cost.

Senate

Arms of theUniversity of Dublin

The University of Dublin was modelled onUniversity of OxfordandUniversity of Cambridgein the form of acollegiate university,Trinity College being the name given by the Queen as themater universitatis( "mother of the university" ).As no other college was ever established, the college is the university's sole constituent college, and so "Trinity College" and the "University of Dublin" are for most purposes synonymous.Still, the statutes of the university and the college grant the university separate corporate legal rights to own property and borrow money and employ staff.Moreover, while the board of the college has the sole power to propose amendments to the statutes of the university and college, amendments to the university statutes require the consent of the Senate of the university. Consequently, in theory, the Senate can overrule the Board, but only in very limited and particular circumstances. However, it is also the case that the university cannot act independently of the initiative of the Board of Trinity College. The most common example of when the two bodies must collaborate is when a decision is made to establish a new degree. All matters relating to syllabus, examination and teaching are for the college to determine, but actual clearance for the award of the degree is a matter for the university. In the same way, when an individual is awarded an Honorary Degree, the proposal for the award is made by the Board of Trinity College, but this is subject to agreement by a vote of the Senate of Dublin University. All graduates of the university who have at least a master's degree are eligible to be members of the Senate, but in practice, only a few hundred are, with a large proportion being current members of the staff of Trinity College.

Visitors

The college also has an oversight structure of two visitors: the chancellor of the university, who is elected by the Senate, and the judicial visitor, who is appointed by the Irish Government from a list of two names submitted by the Senate of the university. The current judicial visitor is Maureen Harding Clark. In the event of a disagreement between the two visitors, the opinion of the chancellor prevails. The visitors act as a final "court of appeal" within the college, with their modes of appointment giving them the needed independence from the college administration.

Academic associations

Oriel College, Oxford

St John's College, Cambridge

Trinity College is asister collegetoOriel Collegeof theUniversity of OxfordandSt John's Collegeof theUniversity of Cambridge.In accordance with the formula ofad eundem gradum,a form of recognition that exists among the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the University of Dublin, a graduate of Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin can be conferred with theequivalent degreeat either of the other two universities without further examination, a process referred to asIncorporation.

Teaching and affiliated hospitals

As of 2021, the teaching and associated hospitals are:

• Tallaght University Hospital
• St. James's Hospital
• St Patrick's University Hospital
• Dublin Dental University Hospital
• Naas General Hospital
• Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital
• Rotunda Hospital
• Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital
• Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin
• Peamount Hospital
• National Rehabilitation Hospital

Associated Institutions

Royal Irish Academy of Music

• Royal Irish Academy of Music
• Marino Institute of Education
• Church of Ireland Theological Institute

The School of Business in association with theIrish Management Instituteforms the Trinity-IMI Graduate School of Management, incorporating the faculties of both organisations. Trinity College has also formerly been associated with several other teaching institutions, such asSt Catherine's College of Education for Home Economics(now closed),Magee CollegeandRoyal Irish Academy of Music,a music conservatoire, and The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art, the national conservatoire for theatre training actors, technicians, playwrights and designers to a professional and industry standard. The Lir is also advised by theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Artin the UK.

Parliamentary representation

Main article:Dublin University (constituency)

The university has been linked to parliamentary representation since 1613, whenJames Igranted it the right to elect two members of parliament (MPs) to theIrish House of Commons.Since the newConstitution of Irelandin 1937, graduates of the university have formed a constituency which elects threeSenatorstoSeanad Éireann.The current representatives of the university constituency areDavid NorrisandLynn Ruane,with one vacancy. Notable representatives have includedEdward Gibson,W. E. H. Lecky,Edward Carson,Noel Browne,Conor Cruise O'BrienandMary Robinson.The franchise was originally restricted to the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College. This was expanded in 1832 to include those who had received an MA, and in 1918 all those who had received a degree from the university.

Academic profile

Since considerable academic restructuring in 2008, the college has three academic faculties:

• Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
• Health Sciences

Each faculty is headed by a dean (there is also a Dean of Postgraduate Studies), and faculties are divided into schools, of which there were 24 as of 2021.

Academic year

The academic year is divided into threeterms.Michaelmas termlasts from October to December;Hilary termfrom January to March; andTrinity termfrom April to June, with each term separated by a vacation. Whilst teaching takes place across all three terms in postgraduate courses, for undergraduate programmes, teaching is condensed within the first two terms since 2009, with each term consisting of a 12-week period of teaching known as the Teaching Term. These are followed by three revision weeks and a four-week exam period during the Trinity Term.

Internally at least, the weeks in the term are often referred to by the time elapsed since the start of the teaching Term: thus the first week is called "1st week" or "week 1" and the last is "Week 12" or "12th week".

The first week of Trinity Term (which marks the conclusion of lecturing for that year) is known as Trinity Week; normally preceded by a string of balls, it consists of a week of sporting and academic events. This includes the Trinity Ball and the Trinity Regatta (a premier social event on the Irish rowing calendar held since 1898),the election of Scholars and Fellows and a college banquet.

Second-level programmes

Since 2014, Trinity College's science department has established and operated a scheme for second-level students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The system, similar toDCU'sCTYIprogramme, encourages academically gifted secondary students with a high aptitude for theSTEMsubjects, and was named the Walton Clubin honour ofErnest Walton,Ireland's first and only Nobel laureate in physics. The programme was centred upon apedagogicprinciple of "developing capacity for learning autonomy".The educators in the programme are PhD students in the college, who impart an advanced, undergraduate-level curriculum to the students. The club was set up with a specific ethos around the mentoring of STEM subjects, and not as a grinds school.The scheme has been immensely successful and undergone growth in scope and scale year on year. It has also diversified beyond its traditional weekly club structure, running camps during school holidays to offer an opportunity to study STEM to those unable to join the club.It has also represented the college in many activities, meetingChris Hadfieldand attending theYoung Scientist and Technology Exhibitionand theWeb Summit.Students, orAlpha sas they are dubbed in honour of the eponymous physicist, develop projects in the club, with innovations pioneered there including a health-focusedelectroencephalogram.The club was founded by Professors Igor Shvets and Arlene O'Neill of the School of Physics in Trinity College.

Undergraduate

Columbia University,which offers a dual BA

Most undergraduate courses require four years of study. First-year students at the undergraduate level are called Junior Freshmen; second-years, Senior Freshmen; third-years, Junior Sophisters; and fourth-years, Senior Sophisters. After a 2017 proposal by the SU Equality Committee, the Trinity College Board approved a three-year process changing the titles of first and second years to Junior and Senior Fresh.Students must take the exams duringMichaelmas termand duringTrinity termof each year, and those who pass the exams can enter the next year. Students who score at least 70% on the exams will receive a first-class honours degree, 60–69% an upper second-class honours degree, 50–59% a lower second-class honours degree, and 40–49% a third-class honours degree.

Most non-professional courses take a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. As a matter of tradition, bachelor's degree graduates are eligible, after seven years from matriculation and without additional study, to purchase for a fee an upgrade of their bachelor's degree to aMaster of Arts.

Degree titles vary according to the subject of study. TheLaw Schoolawards theLL.B.,the LL.B. (ling. franc.) and the LL.B. (ling. germ.). Other degrees include the BAI (engineering) and BBS (business studies). The BSc degree is not in wide use although it is awarded by the School of Nursing and Midwifery; most science and computer science students are awarded a BA.

From 2018, Trinity will be offering a dual BA programme withColumbia Universityin New York City. Students of history, English, European studies or Middle Eastern and European languages and culture spend their first two years at Trinity and their last two years at Columbia.

Postgraduate

Atpostgraduatelevel, Trinity offers a range of taught and research degrees in all faculties. About 29% of students are post-graduate level, with 1,440 reading for a research degree and an additional 3,260 on taught courses (seeResearch and Innovation).

Trinity College's Strategic Plan sets "the objective of doubling the number of PhDs across all disciplines by 2013 in order to move towards a knowledge society. In order to achieve this, the college has received some of the largest allocations of Irish Government funding which have become competitively available to date."

In addition to academic degrees, the college offersPostgraduate Diploma(non-degree) qualifications, either directly or through associated institutions.

Research

The university operates an innovation centre that promotes academic innovation and advising, provides patent counselling and research information, and facilitates the creation and operation of industrial labs and campus businesses.

In 1999, the university purchased an enterprise centre on Pearse Street, a seven-minute walk from the on-site "Innovation Center." The site has over 19,000 square metres of built space and includes a protected building, the Tower, which houses a Craft Centre. The Trinity Enterprise Centre is home to companies from Dublin's university research sector.

Admissions

Undergraduate applications from Irish, British and European Union applicants are submitted and processed through theCentral Applications Officesystem. Trinity College instructs the CAO to administer all applications by standardised criteria before offering places to successful candidates. The college therefore has full control of admissions while ensuring anonymity and academic equality throughout the process. Admission to the university is highly competitive and based exclusively on academic merit.To be considered for admission, applicants must first reach the university's minimum matriculation requirements, which typically involves holding sufficient recognisedqualificationsin English, mathematics and a second language; the mathematics requirement can be waived if Latin is presented as a second language. Applicants for certain courses may be required to achieve more specific qualifications than those prescribed for minimum matriculation requirements.

Eligible applicants must then compete for places based on the results of theirschool leaving examinations,but can additionally takematriculation examinationswhich are held in the university in April, in which each subject is considered equivalent to that of theIrish Leaving Certificate.Applications for restricted coursesrequire further assessment considered in the admissions process, such as theHealth Professions Admissions Test(HPAT) for medicine orentrance testsfor music and drama courses. As applications for most courses far exceed available places, admission is highly selective, demanding excellent grades in the aforementioned examinations. Through theCAO,candidates may list several courses at Trinity College and at other third-level institutions in Ireland in order of preference. TheCAOawards places in mid-August every year after matching the number of places available to the applicants' academic attainments. Qualifications are measured as "points", with specific scales for the Leaving Certificate, UK GCEA-level,theInternational Baccalaureateand all other European Union school-leaving examinations.

In 2016, there were 3,220 new entrants out of 18,469 CAO applicants, indicating a competitive acceptance rate of 17.4%.

For applicants who are not citizens or residents of theEuropean Union,different procedures apply.Disadvantaged, disabled, or mature students can also be admitted through a program that is separate from theCAO,the Trinity Access Programme,which aims to facilitate the entry of sectors of society which would otherwise be under-represented.

Students from non-European countries, such as the United States, may be admitted directly if they have passed the International Baccalaureate or EU/EFTA exams and meet the minimum admission requirements. Admission is not guaranteed and places will be filled in order of merit by the applicants with the highest score.

For those who have not taken the above exams, there is the one-year Foundation Program. This includes essays, discussions, question and answer sessions and training in study to prepare students for admission to Trinity College.Students must demonstrate proficiency in English to be admitted to the Foundation Program and must have a minimum score on theIELTS,TOEFLorDuolingo English Test(DET). Requirements also vary depending on the program. In addition to English language proficiency, students must meet the high school score.

Admission to graduate study is handled directly by Trinity College.

Awards

Entrance Exhibition and sizarship

Students who enter with exceptionalLeaving Certificateor other public examination results are awarded an Entrance Exhibition. This entails a prize in the form of book tokens to the value of €150.00. Exhibitioners who are of limited means are madeSizars,entitled to Commons (evening meal) free of charge.

Foundation Scholarship

Main article:List of Scholars of Trinity College Dublin

Announcement of Fellow and Scholars at Trinity College Dublin on Trinity Monday 2013

Undergraduate students of Senior Freshmen standing may elect to sit the Foundation Scholarship examination, which takes place in the Christmas Vacation, on the last week before Hilary term. On Trinity Monday (the first day of Trinity Term), the Board of the college sits and elects to the Scholarship all those who achieve First in the examination. Election to become a scholar of Trinity Dublin is widely regarded as "the most prestigious undergraduate award in the country".Those from EU member countries are entitled to free rooms and Commons (the college'sFormalHall), an annual stipend and exemption from fees for the duration of their scholarship, which lasts 15 terms. Scholars from non-EU member countries have their fees reduced by the current value of EU member fees. Scholars may add the suffix "SCH." to their names, have the note "discip. schol." appended to their name at Commencements and are entitled to wear Bachelor's Robes and a velvet mortarboard.

Competition for Scholarship involves a searching examination and successful candidates must be of exceptional ability. The concept of scholarship is a valued tradition of the college, and many of the college's most distinguished members were elected scholars (including Samuel Beckett and Ernest Walton).The Scholars' dinner, to which 'Scholars of the decade' (those elected in the current year, and every year multiple of a decade previous to it, e.g., 2013, 2003,..) are invited, forms one of the major events in Trinity's calendar.One of the main objectives is the pursuit of excellence, and one of the most tangible manifestations of this objective is the institution of the scholarship.

Under the Foundation Charter (of 1592), Scholars were part of the body corporate (three Scholars were named in the charter "in the name of many" ). Until 1609 there were about 51 Scholars at any one time. A figure of 70 was permanently fixed in the revising Letters Patent of Charles I in 1637. Trinity Monday was appointed as the day when all future elections to Fellowship and Scholarship would be announced (at this time Trinity Monday was always celebrated on the Monday after the feast of theHoly Trinity). Up to this point, all undergraduates were Scholars, but soon after 1637 the practice of admitting students other than Scholars commenced.

Until 1856, only the classical subjects were examined. The questions concerned all the classical authors prescribed for the entrance examination and for the undergraduate course up to the middle of the Junior Sophister year. So candidates had no new material to read, 'but they had to submit to a very searching examination on the fairly lengthy list of classical texts which they were supposed by this time to have mastered'. The close link with the undergraduate syllabus is underlined by the refusal until 1856 to admit Scholars to the Library (a request for admission was rejected by the Board in 1842 on the grounds that Scholars should stick to their prescribed books and not indulge in 'those desultory habits' that admission to an extensive library would encourage). During the second half of the 19th century, the content of the examination gradually came to include other disciplines.

Around the turn of the 20th century, "Non-Foundation" Scholarships were introduced. This initially was a device to permit women to be, in effect, elected Scholars, despite the then commonly accepted legal view that the statute revision of 1637 permitted only males to be elected Foundation Scholars. Clearly, when women were not permitted in the college, this had not caused any difficulties, but with the admission of women as full members of the college, an anomaly was created. Non-Foundation Scholarship granted to the women elected to it all the rights of men, with the exception of voting rights at a meeting of the Body Corporate, a very rare event in any case. As women are now admitted to Foundation Scholarship on exactly the same basis as men, Non-Foundation Scholarships are retained as a device to allow for more than 70 persons to be Scholars at any one time provided they meet the qualifying standards. Foundation Scholarships are given to those whose performance is considered particularly exceptional, with the remaining qualifying persons that year being elected as Non-Foundation Scholars. While the number of Foundation Scholars remains fixed at 70, there is, in theory, no limit on the number of Non-Foundation Scholars. Non-Foundation and Foundation Scholars receive the same benefits and therefore the two groups are regarded in equal esteem and usually refer to themselves collectively as theScholars of Trinity College Dublin.

Reputation

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWUWorld	151–200 (2023)
CWURWorld	235 (2022–23)
QSWorld	81 (2024)
THEWorld	=134 (2024)
USNWRGlobal	215 (2023)

Trinity is ranked 81st in the world, 26th in Europe and 1st in Ireland in theQS World University Rankings2024, one of the world's leading indicators of university evaluation.The highest ranking in the QS system was in 2009, when it was ranked 43rd in the world.Trinity is also ranked 134th in the world and 1st in Ireland in theTimes Higher Education World University Rankings2024.

In response to a long-term decline in rankings (from 43rd according to the last combined THE/QS ranking in 2009to 88th in QSand 117th in THE for 2018), in 2014 Trinity announced a plan to reverse the trend, aiming to reenter the top 50.The dentistry program offered by theDublin Dental University Hospitalis ranked 51–75 in the world.

World University Rankings
Year	QS (Change)	THE (Change)
2004	87	N/A
2005	111(24)	N/A
2006	78(33)	N/A
2007	53(25)	N/A
2008	49(4)	N/A
2009	43(6)	N/A
2010	52(9)	N/A
2011	65(13)	76
2012	67(2)	117(41)
2013	N/A	110(7)
2014	61(6)	129(19)
2015	71(10)	138(9)
2016	78(7)	101(37)
2017	98(20)	131(30)
2018	88(10)	117(14)
2019	104(16)	120(3)
2020	108(4)	164(44)
2021	101(7)	155(9)
2022	101(0)	146(9)
2023	98(3)	161(15)
2024	81(17)	134(27)

Student life

Societies

Main article:List of Trinity College Dublin student organisations

TheUniversity Philosophical Society,theCollege Historical Societyand theCollege Theological Societyhold debates and discussions in theGraduates Memorial Building.

As of 2020, Trinity College has 120+ societies. Student societies operate under the aegis of the Dublin University Central Societies Committee (CSC).

Situated in theGraduates Memorial Building(GMB) are the three oldest societies:University Philosophical Society(the Phil), theCollege Historical Society(the Hist) and theCollege Theological Society(the Theo). The Phil meets each Thursday evening in thechamberof the GMB, the Hist meets each Wednesday evening and the Theo meets each Monday evening. Both the Phil and the Hist claim to be the oldest suchstudent society:the Phil claims to have been founded in 1683, although university records list its foundation as having occurred in 1853,while the Hist was founded in 1770, making it the college's oldest society according to the Calendar.Records of Trinity's Chapel Choir date from 1762; as it was not yet an official university society, it is now not considered the oldest. Among the Phil'sHonorary Patronsare multipleNobel Prizelaureates, heads of state, notable actors, entertainers and well-known intellectuals, such asAl Pacino,Desmond Tutu,Sir Christopher Lee,Stephen Fry,andJohn Mearsheimer.The Hist has been addressed by many notable orators, includingWinston ChurchillandTed Kennedy,and counts among its former members many prominent men and women in Ireland's history.

Other societies include Vincent de Paul Society (VDP), which organises a large number of charitable activities in the local community;DU Players, theatre and drama societies which hosts more than 50 shows and events a year in the Players Theatre;The DU Film Society, founded in 1987, which organises filmmakers and cinephiles in college through workshops, screenings, production funding, etc.;Trinity FM, which broadcasts six weeks a year onFM97.3 with various student productions;and the Q Soc – Trinity LGBT society, which is Ireland's oldestLGBTsociety and celebrated its 25th anniversary in the 2007/08 year.The Card and Bridge Society holds weekly poker and bridge tournaments and was the starting point for many notable alumni, includingAndy Black,Padraig ParkinsonandDonnacha O'Dea;the Dublin University Comedy Society, known as DU Comedy, hosts comedy events for its members and has hosted gigs in college by comedians such asAndrew Maxwell,David O'Doherty,Neil DelamereandColin Murphy;The Dance Society, known as "DU Dance", provides classes in Latin and ballroom dancing, as well as running events around other styles, such as swing dancing.In 2011 theLaurentian Societywas revived. It had played a key role as a society for the few Catholic students who studied at Trinity while "the Ban" was still in force.The Trinity Fashion Society was established in 2009, and holds an annual charity fashion show and an international trip toLondon Fashion Week.

Clubs

College Park,Trinity College

A winter scene in College Park

Trinity has a sporting tradition, and the college has 50 sports clubs affiliated to the Dublin University Central Athletic Club (DUCAC).

The Central Athletic Club is made up of five committees that oversee the development of sport in the college: the executive committee, which is responsible overall for all activities; the Captains' Committee, which represents the 49 club captains and awardsUniversity Colours (Pinks);the Pavilion Bar Committee, which runs the private members' bar; the Pavilion Members' Committee; and the Sports Facilities Committee.

The oldest clubs include theDublin University Cricket Club(1835),theDublin University Boat Club(1836)andDublin University Fencing Club(1774).Dublin University Football Club,founded in 1854, playsrugby unionand is theworld's oldest documented "football club".Dublin University A.F.C.,founded in 1883, is the oldest survivingassociation footballclub in theRepublic of Ireland.TheDublin University Hockey Clubwas founded in 1893,and the Dublin University Harriers and Athletic Club in 1885.

The newest club in the university is theAmerican footballteam, who were accepted into theIrish American Football League(IAFL) in 2008. The Dublin University Fencing Club has won a total of 43 titles in 66 years.While the modern DU Fencing Club was founded in 1936, its origins can be dated to the 1700s when a 'Gentleman's Club of the Sword' existed, primarily for duelling practice.

Publications

Trinity College has a tradition of student publications, ranging from the serious to the satirical. Most student publications are administered by Trinity Publications, previously called the Dublin University Publications Committee (often known as 'Pubs'), which maintains and administers the Publications office (located in No 6) and all the associated equipment needed to publish newspapers and magazines.

From 1869 to 1893 the literary magazineKottaboswas published, edited byRobert Yelverton Tyrrell.It has been called 'perhaps the cream of Irish academic wit and scholarship'.

There are two rival student newspapers:The University TimesandTrinity News.The University Timesis funded by theStudents' Unionand has won national and international awards since its inception in 2009, including the award for best non-daily student newspaper in the world from the US-based Society of Professional Journalists.Trinity Newsis Ireland's oldest student newspaper, launched in 1953.It publishes both an online edition and a print edition every three weeks during the academic year. For the last 10 years, the paper has been edited by a full-time student editor, who takes a sabbatical year from their studies, supported by a voluntary part-time staff of 30 student section editors and writers.

Student magazines currently in publication include the satirical newspaperThe Piranha(formerlyPiranha!magazine but rebranded in 2009),the generalistT.C.D. Miscellany(founded in 1895; one of Ireland's oldest magazines),the film journalTrinity Film Review(TFR)and the literaryIcarus.Other publications include theStudent Economic Reviewand theTrinity College Law Review,produced independently by students of economics and law respectively; theTrinity College Journal of Postgraduate Research,produced by the Graduate Students Union;theSocial and Political Review(SPR);theTrinity Student Medical Journal;andThe Attic,student writing produced by theDublin University Literary Society.More recent publications includeTrinity Business Review (TBR)andThe Burkean Journal,a politically and culturally conservative magazine named after one of Trinity's most notable alumni,Edmund Burke.

Ball

Trinity College Commencements

The Trinity Ball is an annual event that draws 7,000 attendees.Until 2010, it was held annually on the last teaching day of Trinity term to celebrate the end of lectures and the beginning of Trinity Week. Due to a restructuring of the teaching terms of the college, the 2010 Ball was held on the last day of Trinity Week. In 2011, the ball was held on the final day of teaching ofHilary Term,before the commencement of Trinity Week. The Ball is run by Trinity Ents,Trinity Students' Unionand Trinity'sCentral Societies Committeein conjunction with event promotersMCD Productions,who held the contract to run the Ball until 2012.The Ball celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

Students' Union

Main article:Trinity College Dublin Students' Union

The Students' Union's primary role is to provide a recognised representative channel between undergraduates and the university and college authorities. The Campaigns Executive, the Administrative Executive and the Sabbatical Officers manage the business and affairs of the Union. The Sabbatical Officers are: The President, Communications Officer, Welfare Officer, Education Officer and Entertainments Officer and are elected on an annual basis; all capitated students are entitled to vote. The SU President, Welfare Officer and Education Officer are ex-officio members of the College Board.

The Graduate Students' Union's primary role is to provide a recognised representative channel between postgraduates and the university and college authorities.The GSU president is an ex-officio member of the College Board.

Traditions and culture

Commons

Campanile

The Old Dining Hall

Commons is a three-course meal served in the College Dining Hall Monday to Friday, attended by Scholars, Fellows andSizarsof the college, as well as other members of the college community and their guests.

Commons starts at 18:15 during the week, and its start is signalled by a dramatic slamming of the Dining Hall doors. The bell of the Campanile in the college is rung at 18:00 to inform those attending the dinner.

ALatinGrace is said "before and after dinner", read by one of the scholars.

Grace	Latin	English
Ante Prandium (Before Dinner)	Oculi omnium in te sperant Domine. Tu das iis escam eorum in tempore opportuno. Aperis tu manum tuam, et imples omne animal benedictione tua. Miserere nostri te quaesumus Domine, tuisque donis, quae de tua benignitate sumus percepturi, benedicito per Christum Dominum nostrum.	The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord. Thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature. Have mercy on us, we beseech thee, O Lord, and bless thy gifts, which from thy kindness we are about to receive, through Christ our Lord.
Post Prandium (After Dinner)	Tibi laus, tibi honor, tibi gloria, O beata et gloriosa Trinitas. Sit nomen Domini benedictum et nunc et in perpetuum. Laudamus te, benignissime Pater, pro serenissimis, regina Elizabetha hujus Collegii conditrice, Jacobo ejusdem munificentissimo auctore, Carolo conservatore, ceterisque benefactoribus nostris, rogantes te, ut his tuis donis recte et ad tuam gloriam utentes in hoc saeculo, te una cum fidelibus in futuro feliciter perfruamur, per Christum Dominum nostrum.	To thee be praise, to thee be honour, to thee be glory, O blessed and glorious Trinity. Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. We praise thee, most gracious Father, for the most serene ones, Queen Elizabeth the foundress of this college, James its most munificent builder, Charles its preserver, and our other benefactors. Asking thee, as we make use of these thy gifts rightly and for thy glory at this time, that we might exalt in thee together with the faithful happily in the future, through Christ our Lord.

During Advent, members of the Chapel Choir, the oldest choir in the university, sing Christmas carols to accompany the meals.

Trinity Week

Trinity Week begins each year on Trinity Monday in mid-April.

The start of Trinity Week is marked by the election of Fellows and Scholars to the College on Trinity Monday. The board of the college, having chosen the new Scholars (those who achieved a First in the Foundation Scholarship) and Fellows,announce in front square those appointed, before an ecumenical service is held in the College Chapel, with music sung by the Chapel Choir.

Other traditions

Trinity has a longstanding rivalry with nearbyUniversity College Dublin,which is largely friendly in nature.Every year, Colours events are contested between the sporting clubs of each University, as well as between their respective debating societies.

In popular culture

Parts ofMichael Collins,The First Great Train Robbery,Circle of Friends,Educating Rita,Ek Tha TigerandQuackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronxwere filmed in Trinity College. It served as the filming location forLuftwaffeheadquarters inThe Blue Max.

The Irish writerJ. P. Donleavywas a student in Trinity.A number of his books feature characters who attend Trinity, includingThe Ginger ManandThe Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B.

Fictional Naval SurgeonStephen MaturinofPatrick O'Brian's popularAubrey–Maturin seriesis a graduate of Trinity College.The character is played byPaul Bettanyin the 2003 filmMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

In the Channel 4 television seriesHollyoaks,Craig Deanattends Trinity College. He left Hollyoaks to study in Ireland in 2007 and now lives there with his boyfriend,John Paul McQueen,after they got their sunset ending in September 2008.

In theStar Trek: VoyagerepisodeFair Havenset in a holographic 19th century Ireland near Dublin,Captain Janewayreprograms the hologram character Michael Sullivan to have "the education of a 19th century 3rd year student at Trinity College".

Claire Kilroy's novelAll Names Have Been Changedis set in Trinity College in the 1990s. The story follows a group of creative writing students and their Enigma tic professor. A photograph of Trinity is used in the cover art.

Barry McCrea's novelThe First Verseis set in Trinity College. The narrative focuses on freshman Niall Lenihan's search for identity and companionship and details his involvement with mysticism at the college.

InKaren Marie Moning'sThe Fever SeriesTrinity College is said to be where the main character, MacKayla Lane's sister Alina, was attending school on scholarship before she was murdered. The college is also where several of the minor characters who inform Ms. Lane about her sister are said to work.

InCecelia Ahern's novelThanks for the Memories,Justin Hitchcock is a guest lecturer at Trinity College.

TheOscar Wilde Memorial Sculpturein Dublin'sMerrion Squaredepicts Wilde wearing the Trinity College post-graduate tie.

InSally Rooney's 2018 novelNormal Peopleand its 2020television adaptation,the main characters, Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan, are students at Trinity College and are elected scholars.Rooney studied English as a scholar in Trinity.In the television adaptation, Connell is played by former Trinity College (The Lir Academy) studentPaul Mescal;two other actors in the series, Frank Blake (who plays Marianne's older brother Alan) andKwaku Fortune(who plays Philip, a friend of Marianne's at Trinity), are also alumni of the Lir Academy.Series director and executive producerLenny Abrahamsonstudied philosophy at Trinity and was also elected a scholar.Following the broadcast of the series, Trinity was widely reported to have received a substantial increase in applications, to a total of over 40,000, including a small increase in applications from the United Kingdom.

Notable people

For a more comprehensive list, seeList of Trinity College Dublin people,List of Scholars of Trinity College Dublin,andList of Provosts of Trinity College Dublin.

Amongst the past students/graduates (and some staff) are such notable figures as:

• Samuel Beckett(Nobel Laureate in Literature)
• George Berkeley
• Daniel Bradley
• Francis Brambell
• Edmund Burke
• J.B. Bury
• William Campbell(Nobel Laureatein Medicine)
• Michael Coey
• William Congreve
• Thomas Davis
• Henry Horatio Dixon
• Edward Dowden
• Francis Ysidro Edgeworth
• Robert Emmet
• George Ensor
• George Francis FitzGerald
• Gordon Foster
• Edward Francis Bani Forster
• Percy French
• Oliver Goldsmith
• Henry Grattan
• Olivia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
• Veronica Guerin
• William Rowan Hamilton
• Edward Hincks
• Michael Roberts Westropp
• Nathaniel Hone the Younger
• Ludwig Hopf
• John Kells Ingram
• Peter Lalor
• John Hewitt Jellett
• John Joly
• William Johnston
• Gregorios Joseph
• Dionysius Lardner
• Sheridan Le Fanu
• Bartholomew Lloyd
• Humphrey Lloyd (physicist)
• Thomas Ranken Lyle
• James MacCullagh
• Mairead Maguire(Nobel Peace Prize)
• Edmond Malone
• Charles Maturin
• Albert Joseph McConnell
• George Francis Mitchell
• Richard Maunsell
• William Molyneux
• Thomas Moore
• Hans Motz
• Charles Algernon Parsons
• Thomas Preston
• Louise Richardson
• George Salmon
• Brendan Scaife
• Erwin Schrödinger
• Samson Shatashvili
• Edward Stafford
• Bram Stoker
• Whitley Stokes (physician)
• Whitley Stokes (Celtic scholar)
• George Johnstone Stoney
• Jonathan Swift
• James Joseph Sylvester
• Edward Hutchinson Synge
• John Lighton Synge
• John Millington Synge
• John Trenchard
• Wolfe Tone
• John Winthrop Hackett
• Frederick Thomas Trouton
• Jaja Wachuku
• Ernest Walton(Nobel Laureate in Physics)
• Denis Weaire
• E. T. Whittaker
• Oscar Wilde

Others include four previous holders of the office ofPresident of Ireland,Douglas Hyde,Éamon de Valera,Mary RobinsonandMary McAleese,and two holders of the office of Taoiseach,Éamon de ValeraandLeo Varadkar(De Valera matriculated as "Edward de Valera" ).

See also

• Academic dress of the University of Dublin
• Dublin University (constituency)
• Education in the Republic of Ireland
• List of chancellors of the University of Dublin
• List of professorships at the University of Dublin
• List of universities in the Republic of Ireland
• Trinity Hall, Dublin

Further reading

• Aalen, F. H. A., and R. J. Hunter. “The Estate Maps of Trinity College: An Introduction and Annotated Catalogue.”Hermathena,no. 98 (1964): 85–96.online
• Auchmuty, James Johnston.Sir Thomas Wyse, 1791–1862: the life and career of an educator and diplomat(PS King & sons, 1939).
• Bailey, Kenneth ClaudeA History of Trinity College Dublin, 1892–1945(Trinity College Dublin, 1947)
• Black, R. D. "Trinity College, Dublin, and the theory of value, 1832–1863."Economica12.47 (1945): 140–148online.
• Bewley, Dame Beulah. "Ireland's first school of medicine"History Ireland19.4 (2011): 24–27online
• Dixon, William Macneile.Trinity College, Dublin.(F.E. Robinson, 1902)online
• Finn, Gerry P.T. "Trinity Mysteries: University, Elite Schooling and Sport in Ireland"International Journal of the History of Sport(2010) 27#13 pp 2255–2287. covers 1800 to 1970.
• Fox, Peter.Trinity College Library Dublin: A History(Cambridge UP, 2014).
• Gogarty, Claire. "Building Finances of Trinity College, Dublin, in the Early Eighteenth Century."Dublin Historical Record50#1 (1997): 71–75.online.
• Harford, Judith.The opening of university education to women in Ireland(Irish Academic Press, 2008).
• Irish, Tomás. "Trinity College Dublin: An Imperial University in War and Revolution, 1914–1921." inThe Academic World in the Era of the Great War(Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) pp. 119–139.
• Jackson, P. S. Wyse. "The botanic garden of Trinity college Dublin 1687 to 1987."Botanical journal of the Linnean Society95.4 (1987): 301–311.
• Kelly, Laura.Irish medical education and student culture, c. 1850–1950(Oxford UP, 2018).
• Kirkpatrick, T. Percy C.History of the medical teaching in Trinity College Dublin and of the School of Physic in Ireland(Hanna and Neale, 1912)online.
• Luce, John Victor, ed.Trinity College Dublin, the first 400 years(Trinity College Dublin quatercentenary series, 1992).
• McDowell, Robert Brendan, and David Allardice Webb.Trinity College Dublin, 1592–1952: an academic history(Trinity College Dublin Press, 2004)online.
• McGurk, John. "Trinity College, Dublin: 1592–1992."History Today42.3 (1992): 41–47.
• Mahaffy, John Pentland.An epoch in Irish history: Trinity College, Dublin, its foundation and early fortunes, 1591–1660(T. Fisher Unwin, 1906)online.
• Morris, Ewan. "'God Save the King' Versus 'The Soldier's Song': The 1929 Trinity College National Anthem Dispute and the Politics of the Irish Free State."Irish Historical Studies31.121 (1998): 72–90online.
• Moss, Jean Dietz. "'Discordant Consensus': Old and New Rhetoric at Trinity College, Dublin."Rhetorica14.4 (1996): 383–441.
• O'Farrell, Fergus. "Trinity v. UCD."History Ireland23.4 (2015): 48–49online,student rivalry.
• Parkes, Susan M., ed.A danger to the men?: a history of women in Trinity College Dublin 1904–2004(Lilliput Press, 2004).
• Pašeta, Senia. "Trinity College, Dublin, and the Education of Irish Catholics, 1873–1908."Studia Hibernica30 (1998): 7–20online.
• Post, Robert M. "Forensic activities at Trinity college, Dublin, in the eighteenth century."Communication Studies19.1 (1968): 19–25.
• Raraty, M. M. "The Chair of German at Trinity College, Dublin 1775–1866."Hermathena(1966): 53–72online.
• Rembert, James A. W. "Dialectic at Trinity College, Dublin." inSwift and the Dialectical Tradition(Palgrave Macmillan, 1988) pp. 63–72.online
• Stanford, William Bedell. "Classical Studies in Trinity College, Dublin, since the Foundation."Hermathena57 (1941): 3–24.online
• Urwick, William.The Early History of Trinity College Dublin 1591–1660: As Told in Contemporary Records on Occasion of Its Tercentenary(T. Fisher Unwin Paternoster Square, 1892)online.
• Ussher, H. "Account of the Observatory Belonging to Trinity College, Dublin."Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy1 (1787): 3–21.online.
• Walsh, John. "'The problem of Trinity College Dublin': a historical perspective on rationalisation in higher education in Ireland."Irish Educational Studies33.1 (2014): 5–19.
• Webb, David A. "The herbarium of Trinity College, Dublin: its history and contents."Botanical journal of the Linnean Society106.4 (1991): 295–327.
• West, Trevor.The bold collegians: the development of sport in Trinity College, Dublin(Lilliput Press in association with DUCAC, 1991).

External links

• Official website
  • Photo gallery of Trinity College
  • Trinity College official history
• Buildings of Trinity College at Archiseek
• Satellite Photo of Trinity College
• Courses at Trinity College
• Satellite Photo of Trinity Hall
• Scarves of the University of Dublin
• The Trinity Ball
• Trinity News
• Trinity College Central Societies Committee
• Trinity College Dublin Students' Union
• 360 Panorama of Long Room Library