Trinity College Dublin
(TCD; Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha
Cliath), corporately designated
as the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the
Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin,
was founded in 1592 by letters patent
from Queen Elizabeth I as the
"mother of a university", and is the only constituent college of the University of
Dublin
. Located in Dublin
, Ireland
, it is Ireland's oldest university.
Originally
established outside the city walls of Dublin in the buildings of
the dissolved Augustinian monastery of All Hallows, Trinity was set
up partly to consolidate the rule of the Tudor monarchy in Ireland
, and it was
seen as the university of the Protestant Ascendancy for much of its
history; although Roman Catholics
had been permitted to enter as early as 1753, certain restrictions
on their membership of the college remained until 1873, and the
Catholic Church in Ireland forbade its adherents from attending
until the late 20th century. Women were first admitted to
the college as full members in 1904.
Trinity is
now surrounded by Dublin and is located on College Green
, opposite the former Irish Houses of
Parliament
. The college proper occupies
190,000 m
2 (47
acres), with
many of its buildings ranged around large
quadrangles (known as 'squares') and two playing
fields.
Academically, Trinity is divided into three
faculties comprising 24 schools,
offering
degree and
diploma courses at both
undergraduate and
postgraduate levels. It is consistently ranked
as the best university in Ireland, and as the 43rd best worldwide
in the 2009
THES -
QS World University Rankings of universities.
The Library of
Trinity College
is a legal deposit
library for Ireland and the United Kingdom
, containing over 4.5 million printed volumes and
significant quantities of manuscripts (including the Book of Kells), maps and music.
The College and the University
Trinity College and the University of Dublin have a complex
relationship, and while a "difference or distinction" between the
two is often asserted, it has been said that they are "one body" -
this was the finding of the High Court of Justice of Ireland
delivered by the then
Master of the
Rolls, Andrew Maxwell Porter, on 2 June 1888, which reviews a
legal history where he finds that the two terms seem often to have
been used interchangeably. Notably the case in question, which had
"the College" and "the University" on opposite sides, created the
still-extant Reid Professorship of Law and the Reid Entrance
Exhibitions, and vested them in the College, on the basis that the
bodies at the heart of the University (the Senate and the Council)
did not exist when Reid made his bequest, and because it could not
determine when, or if, the University had been created distinct
from TCD.
At the root of the question is that fact, that none of the
chartering monarchs, Elizabeth I,
Charles I, or
George III, created a university
distinct from Trinity College - the only structure "erected" by
Elizabeth was Trinity College, "mother of a/the University," and
its Provost, Fellows and Scholars on the Foundation were the
authority recognised by legal documents up to the time of Queen
Victoria. The role of Chancellor was also a College role. Notably,
the
Act of Union referred to
"the university of Trinity College".
In the Irish Senate on 18 April 2000 David Norris - one of the
three senators representing the Trinity College constituency in the
Irish Senate and an employee of the College - admitted that there
is "no difference or distinction" between Dublin's Trinity College
and the University of Dublin.
Reputation
Trinity is one of Ireland's principal third-level institutions. The
institution has been ranked highest in Ireland in some
international surveys.
Rankings
- Times Higher Education Supplement Global Ranking
2009
- 43rd overall globally, 13th
in Europe and 1st in Ireland, up from 49th
globally in 2008; 32nd for Arts and Humanities
globally (up from 37th in 2007)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Ranking
- 201-300 globally and 1st in
Ireland.
- Whitefield Consulting Worldwide - European MBA Rankings
2007
- 16th in Europe and 1st in
Ireland
Campus
Goldsmith Hall campus residence at
Trinity College Dublin.
Trinity retains a strong collegiate and "campus" atmosphere despite
its location in the centre of a capital city (and despite its being
one of the most significant tourist attractions in Dublin). This is
in large part due to the compact design of the campus, whose main
buildings look inwards, and the existence of only a few public
entrances. The main campus "island" is approximately
190,000 m
2 (47 acres), including the
Trinity College Enterprise
Centre nearby, and buildings account for around 200,000 m²,
ranging from works of older architecture to modern
facilities.
Trinity's campus contains many buildings of architectural merit,
especially from the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the
Chapel and Examination Hall designed by
Sir William Chambers and the Museum
Building designed by the Irish architects
Thomas Newenham Deane and
Benjamin Woodward.
In addition to the city centre campus, Trinity also incorporates
the Faculty of Health Sciences buildings located at
St. James's
Teaching Hospital and
the Adelaide and Meath incorporating
the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght. The Trinity Centre
at St James's Hospital has recently been completed and incorporates
additional teaching rooms as well as the Institute of Molecular
Medicine and John Durkan Leukaemia Institute.
There are approximately 700 on-campus rooms available for students
in residences such as Goldsmith Hall.
The largest off-campus
residence is Trinity
Hall
on Dartry Road in
Rathmines
, four km to the south of the city campus, but large
numbers secure accommodation external to the college.
Foreign and exchange students are given priority when rooms are
allocated.
History
Early history
The first university of Dublin (unrelated to the current
university) was created by the Pope in 1311, and had a Chancellor,
lecturers and students (granted protection by the Crown) over many
years, before coming to an end at the
Reformation.
Following
this, 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 of Letters Patent
from Queen Elizabeth (see
footnote 1) incorporating Trinity College Dublin at the former site
of All Hallows monastery, to the south
east of the city walls, provided by the Corporation of Dublin. The first
Provost of the College was the
Archbishop of
Dublin,
Adam Loftus,
and he was provided with two initial Fellows,
James Hamilton and
James Fullerton. Two years after foundation, a few Fellows and
students began to work in the new College, which then lay around
one small square.
During the following fifty years the community increased and
endowments, including considerable landed estates, were secured,
new fellowships were founded, the books which formed the foundation
of the great library were acquired, a curriculum was devised and
statutes were framed. The founding Letters Patent were amended by
succeeding monarchs on a number of occasions, such as by James I
(1613) and most notably by
Charles
I (who established the Board - then the Provost and seven
senior Fellows - and reduced the panel of Visitors in size) and
supplemented as late as the reign of Queen Victoria (and later
still amended by the
Oireachtas in
2000).
18th and 19th centuries
The eighteenth century was for the most part peaceful in Ireland,
and Trinity shared in this calm, though at the beginning of the
period a few
Jacobites and at its end
some political radicals perturbed the College authorities. During
this century Trinity was seen as the university of the
Protestant Ascendancy.
Parliament, meeting on the other side of
College Green, made generous grants for building. The first
building of this period was the Old Library building, begun in
1712, followed by the Printing House and the Dining Hall. During
the second half of the century Parliament Square slowly emerged.
The great building drive was completed in the early nineteenth
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's own Botanic Gardens).
The nineteenth century was also marked by important developments in
the professional schools. The Law School was reorganised 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 the British
Isles.
In
December 1845 Denis Caulfield
Heron was the subject of a hearing at Trinity
College Dublin
. Heron 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 a
writ of
mandamus requiring the case to be adjudicated by the
Archbishop of
Dublin and the
Primate of Ireland.
The decision of
Richard Whately and
John George de la Poer
Beresford was that Heron would remain excluded from
Scholarship.
20th century
Women were admitted to Trinity as full members for the first time
in 1904.
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.
In 1962 the School of Commerce and the School of Social Studies
amalgamated to form the School of Business and Social Studies. In
1969 the 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 located in Trinity
College); Science.
The School
of Pharmacy was established in 1977 and around the same time, the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was transferred to University
College, Dublin
.
Student numbers increased sharply during the 1980s and 1990s, with
total enrolment more than doubling, leading to pressure on
resources.
Recent years
Trinity is today in the centre of Dublin, and continues to grow and
develop its academic and other activities.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 example, the mentioned reduction from six to
three faculties. The ten year strategic plan prioritises four
research themes that Trinity seeks to compete for funding at the
global level.
Catholics and Trinity
During its first two centuries, Trinity was exclusively for those
in what became known as the
Protestant Ascendancy.
Following early steps
in Catholic Emancipation,
Catholics were first admitted in 1793,
prior to the equivalent change at the University
of Cambridge
and the University of Oxford
. In 1873, all religious tests were
abolished, except for entry to the
Divinity School. However, it was not until
1970 that the
Roman Catholic
Church, through the then
Archbishop of Dublin
John Charles McQuaid, lifted
its policy of disapproval or even
excommunication for Roman Catholics who
enrolled without special dispensation. At the same time, the
Trinity authorities allowed a
Roman
Catholic chaplain to be based in the college. There are now two
such Catholic chaplains.
Relations and proposed mergers
Trinity
College Dublin is a sister college to
Oriel
College
, University of Oxford and St John's College
, University of Cambridge.
From 1975, the Colleges of Technology that now form the
Dublin Institute of
Technology had their degrees conferred by the University of
Dublin. This arrangement was discontinued in 1998 when the DIT
obtained degree-granting powers of its own.
Trinity has been subject to several proposed mergers.
One of the first
proposals was in 1907 when the Chief Secretary for Ireland
proposed the reconstitution of the University of Dublin. A
Dublin University Defence
Committee was created and was successful in campaigning
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 concerns of the bishops was the remains
of the
Catholic
University of Ireland, which would become subsumed into a new
university, which on account of Trinity would be part Anglican.
Ultimately this episode led to the creation of the
National University of
Ireland.
In the
late 1960s, there was a proposal for University
College, Dublin of the National University of Ireland to become a
constituent college of a newly reconstituted University of
Dublin. This plan, suggested by
Brian Lenihan and
Donogh O'Malley, was dropped after
opposition by Trinity students.
Famous Trinity Alumni
Amongst the graduates are included notable people in the fields of
arts and sciences like
Jonathan
Swift,
Bram Stoker,
Oscar Wilde,
Dominic
West (Actor),
Samuel Beckett
(
Nobel Laureate in
Literature),
Ernest
Walton (Nobel Laureate in
Physics),
three holders of the office of
President of Ireland, and one
Premier of New Zealand
(
Edward Stafford);
including
Jaja Wachuku (first
indigenous
Speaker of the
House of
Representatives of Nigeria and first Nigerian
Foreign Affairs Minister).
- See also :Category:Alumni of
Trinity College, Dublin.
Academic organisation
The
Trinity academic year is currently divided into three terms in the same manner as the University
of Oxford — Michaelmas
term (October, November and December), Hilary term (January, February, March) and
Trinity term (March, April,
May). As of the 2009/10 teaching period however, the
academic year will no longer be structured along 'Oxbridge' lines;
rather the year will be divided into two teaching periods, both of
twelve weeks.
In January 2008 a new structure replaced the six old faculties with
three new ones, as follows:
- Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Engineering, Mathematics and Sciences
- Health Sciences
Each faculty is headed by a Dean (there is also a Dean of
Postgraduate Studies).
The Faculties are divided into Schools (currently there are 23
Schools).
Undergraduate
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.
Undergraduate students are usually eligible for an honours degree
after four years e.g.
Bachelor of
Arts (BA). In some exceptional cases (and also in some
professional subjects such as medicine and engineering), an
ordinary degree (in contrast to the honours degree) may be awarded
after three years of study.
In recent years, students have been offered a larger range of
courses outside of their major field of study, under a 'broad
curriculum' policy. Junior Sophisters, or third year students, also
frequently study abroad.
The four-year degree structure makes undergraduate teaching at
Trinity closer to the North American model than that of other
universities in England and Ireland (Scottish universities, like
TCD, generally also require four years of study for a Bachelor
degree). There has been pressure from the Irish government on
Trinity over the years to compress its Bachelor of Arts teaching
into three years of study, in line with other Irish universities,
though this never came to anything.
Degree titles vary according to the subject of study. The
Law School awards the
LL.B., the LL.B. (ling. franc.) and the LL.B.
(ling. germ.). Other degrees include the BAI (engineering) and BBS
(business studies). The
B.Sc.
degree is not in wide use although it is awarded by the
School of Pharmacy; most science and computer science students
are awarded a BA.
Honours Bachelors, who have held their degrees for at least three
years, may apply to have the degree of Master in Arts (MA)
conferred on them,
as at
Oxbridge.
Postgraduate
At
postgraduate level, Trinity offers a
range of taught and research degrees in all faculties. About 31% of
students are post-graduate level, with 1,600 students reading for a
research degree and an additional 2,200 on taught courses (see
Research 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 offers
Postgraduate
Diploma (non-degree) qualifications, either directly, or
through associated institutions.
Admissions
Admission to undergraduate study for European Union school-leavers
is generally handled by the
CAO , and not by Trinity
College.Applicants have to compete for university places solely on
the basis of the results of their school leaving exams. Through the
CAO, candidates may list
several courses at Trinity College and at other third-level
institutions in Ireland in order of priority. Places are awarded in
mid-August every year by the
CAO after matching the number of
places available to the academic attainments of the applicants.
Qualifications are measured as "points", with specific scales for
the Irish
Leaving Certificate,
and all other European Union school leaving results, such as the UK
GCE
A-level, the
International Baccalaureate
along with other national school leaving exams.
For applicants from that are not citizens of the
European Union, or that have not been
resident of the
European Union,
different application procedures apply.
Disadvantaged, disabled or mature students can also be admitted
through a program that is separate from the
CAO, the Trinity Access
Programme. This aims to facilitate the entry of sectors of society
which would otherwise be under-represented. The numbers admitted on
this program are significant relative to other universities, up to
15% of the annual undergraduate intake.
Admission to graduate study is handled by Trinity College.
Awards
Entrance Exhibition awards
Students who enter with exceptional
Leaving Certificate or other public
examination results are awarded an Entrance Exhibition. This
currently entails a prize in the form of book tokens to the value
of €254.00, issued in two equal instalments in each of the Freshman
years.
Scholarships
The announcement of new scholars and
fellows
Undergraduate students of any year, but today most often Senior
Freshmen, may elect to sit the Foundation Scholarship examination,
which takes place in the break between Hilary and Trinity terms.
Those who succeed become Scholars. Those from EU member countries
are entitled to free rooms, commons (an evening meal) and fees for
the duration of their scholarship, which can last up to five years.
Scholars from non-EU member countries have their fees reduced to EU
student levels.
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 seventy 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 the
Holy 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 nineteenth century the content of the
examination gradually came to include other disciplines.
Around the turn of the 20th century, further examinations for
"Non-Foundation" Scholarships were introduced. This initially was a
formula to permit women to become Scholars, but without entitling
them to the same voting rights as men. Non-Foundation Scholarships
are now simply used as a means to elect more students to
Scholarship. While the number of Foundation Scholars remains fixed
at seventy, there is in theory no limit on the number of
Non-Foundation scholars. The only practical difference between the
two is that the Foundation Scholars are members of the body
corporate of the College and are entitled to certain voting
rights.
Competition for Scholarship has always involved a searching
examination: successful candidates need to be of exceptional
ability. The concept of Scholarship is a valued tradition of the
College and many of TCD's most distinguished alumni were elected
Scholars (including Samuel Beckett and Ernest Walton). The
Scholars' dinner, to which 'Scholars of the decade' are invited,
forms one of the major events in Trinity's calendar. A Scholarship
at Trinity College is a prestigious undergraduate award; a
principal aim of the College (as outlined in the Strategic Plan) is
the pursuit of excellence and one of the most tangible
demonstrations of this is the institution of Scholarship.
The Library and culture
The Long Room, housing the Book of
Kells and other ancient manuscripts.
The Library of Trinity College is the largest research library in
Ireland. As a result of its historic standing, Trinity College
Library Dublin is a
legal deposit
library (as per
Legal
Deposit Libraries Act 2003) for the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland, 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
circa five million books, including 30,000 current serials and
significant collections of manuscripts, maps, and printed music.
Six library facilities are available for general student use.
The €27 million
James Ussher Library,
opened officially by the President of Ireland in April 2003, is the
newest addition to Trinity's library facilities. The eight story
9,500 m² building provides 750 new reader spaces and houses the
Glucksman Map Library and Conservation Department. 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
Book of Kells is by far the
Library's most famous book and is located in the Old Library, along
with the Book of Durrow, the Book of Howth and other ancient texts.
Also incorporating the Long Room, the Old Library is one of
Ireland's biggest tourist attractions, and holds thousands of rare,
and in many cases very early, volumes.
Three
million books are held in the book depository in Santry
, from which
requests are retrieved twice daily.
In the 18th century, the college received the
Brian Boru harp, one of the three
surviving medieval Gaelic harps, and a national symbol of Ireland,
notably used on the Irish Euro coins.
Student activities
Clubs
College Park, Trinity College
Dublin
Dublin University Boat Club racing on
the river Liffey
There is a sporting tradition at Trinity and the college has 49
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
awards
University Colours ,
the Pavilion Bar Committee which runs the private members' bar, the
Pavilion Members' Committee and the Sports Facilities
Committee.
The oldest clubs include the
Dublin University Cricket
Club (1835) and
Dublin
University Boat Club (1836).
Dublin University Football
Club, founded in 1854, plays
rugby
football and is the
world's
oldest documented "football club". The
Dublin University
Association Football Club (soccer) was founded in 1883, the
Dublin University Hockey Club
in 1893, and the Dublin University Harriers and Athletic Club in
1885.
There are several graduate sport clubs that exist separate to the
Central Athletic Club including the Dublin University Museum
Players (cricket), the Lady Elizabeth Boat Club (rowing) and the
Mary Lyons Memorial Mallets (croquet).
The largest sports club in the college is the
Surf and Boarding Club with over 800 registered
members, though the active membership is much lower.
The newest club in the University is the American Football team,
who were accepted into the
IAFL in 2007.
Offically known as Dublin University American Football Club, they
compete under the name "
Trinity
Football".
The most successful Trinity College sports club - based on
Intervarsities victories - is
Dublin University Fencing
Club (DU Fencing Club). A total of thirty-two Intervarsity
titles have been won by the club in fifty-five years of
competition. While the modern DU Fencing Club was founded in 1941,
its origins can be dated to the 1700s when a 'Gentleman's Club of
the Sword' existed, primarily for duelling practice.
Publications
Trinity College Dublin has a very strong tradition of student
publications, ranging from the serious to the satirical. All
student publications are administered by Trinity Publications,
until recently called the Dublin University Publications Committee
(often known as 'Pubs'), who maintain and administer the
Publications office (located in House 6) and all the associated
equipment needed to publish its newspapers and magazines.
Trinity News is Ireland's
oldest student newspaper having been founded in 1953. It is
currently published on a fortnightly basis, producing 12 issues in
total during the academic year. The focus is on students with
sections including College News, National News, International News,
Features, Science, Sports Features and College Sports. The paper
has been very successful in the Irish Student Media Awards winning
each of the "Newspaper of the Year", "Editor of the Year" and
"Journalist of the Year" in the last two years. 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 sub-editors and
writers.
Student magazines currently in publication include the satirist
Piranha!, the generalist
TCD
Miscellany (one of Ireland's oldest magazines) and the
literary
Icarus. Other
publications include the
Student Economic Review and the
Trinity College Law
Review, produced independently by students of economics and law
respectively, the
Trinity Student Medical Journal,
The
Attic, student writing produced by the
Dublin University
Literary Society and the
Afro-Caribbean Journal
produced by the
Afro-Caribbean Society. Some older titles
currently not in publication include
InTransit,
Central Review,
Trinity Intellectual, Times,
Harlot,
Evoke, and
Alternate.
Societies
Trinity College has a vibrant student life with 101 societies (in
2007). Student societies operate under the aegis of the Dublin
University Central Societies Committee which is composed of the
Treasurers of each of the Societies within the College. Society
size varies enormously, and it is often hard to determine exact
figures for most societies - several claiming to be the largest in
the college with thousands of members, while smaller groups may
have only 40-50 members. The larger societies include: the debating
society the
College
Historical Society, more commonly known as "The Hist", the
paper-reading society the
University Philosophical
Society (Trinity College Dublin), more commonly known as "The
Phil", both of which are situated in the
Graduates' Memorial Building
(GMB).
Vincent de
Paul Society (VDP), which organises a large number of
charitable activities in the local community.Players, one of the
most prolific drama societies in Ireland, hosts up to 50 shows and
events a year in the
Samuel Beckett
Centre.
The Biological Association, or "Biosoc" is
the medical student society, known for running charity event "Med
Day" every November, raising money for university associated
hospitals including acute stroke care in St James's
Hospital
.
The Radio Society, known as
Trinity FM,
broadcasts a variety of student made productions on a special
events licence on FM frequency 97.3FM for six weeks a year. The
Trinity LGBT society, which is the
oldest
LGBT society in Ireland, celebrated its
25th anniversary in the 2007/2008 year. The Dublin University
Comedy Society, known as DU Comedy, hosts comedy events for its
members and has hosted gigs on campus from comedians such as
Andrew Maxwell,
David O'Doherty,
Neil Delamere and
Colin Murphy. The Dance Society,
known as
dudance, provides classes in Latin and ballroom
dancing, as well as running events around other dance styles such
as swing dancing.
Trinity Ball
The Trinity Ball is Europe's largest private music party, annually
drawing over 6,000 party-goers. It is held annually on the last day
of Trinity Lecture term to celebrate the beginning of Trinity Week.
It is a
May Ball in the style of the
Cambridge Colleges, with the emphasis on live music. In recent
times the organisation of the Ball has been handed over to event
promoters MCD who will hold the contract to run the Ball until
2012. The Trinity Ball 2009 was the 50th Annual Ball.
Student representation
Trinity College - graduation day
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 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 Students' Union Communications Officer is responsible for the
publication of
The University Times, which is published
every three weeks by the Students' Union.
The University
Times is the voice of the Trinity College Dublin Students’
Union and many of the contributors are drawn from the ranks of
class reps and executive officers.
The Graduate Students' Union
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.
The Graduate Students' Union publish the "Journal of Postgraduate
Research" on an annual basis.
Academic associations
.
Two teaching hospitals are associated with the college:
A number of teaching institutions are involved in jointly taught
courses:
The School of Business in association with the
Irish Management Institute forms
the
Trinity-IMI Graduate
School of Management incorporating the faculties of both
organisations.
Trinity has also been associated in the past with a number of other
teaching institutions. These include
Dublin Institute of
Technology,
Magee College and
Royal Irish Academy of
Music.
The
Douglas Hyde Gallery, a
contemporary art gallery, is located in the college at the Nassau
Street entrance.
Governance
The College, officially incorporated as
The Provost, Fellows
and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of
Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is headed by the Provost,
currently John Hegarty.
The Body Corporate of the College is still headed by the Provost,
Fellows and Scholars. The Provost is elected primarily by fellow
academic staff, but students' votes have a small weighting.
Election to Fellowship and Scholarship is given to academic staff
and undergraduates respectively. Fellowship is awarded to academic
staff who are seen to have excelled in their field of research. The
Foundation Scholarships (informally known as
schols) are
awarded to students who get a first class honours grade in the
Scholarship examinations held annually at the end of Hilary term.
Upon election to Scholarship (usually in their Senior Freshman or
second year), Scholars are awarded a wide range of entitlements,
including an annual salary, free accommodation on-campus, a meal
every weekday at the traditional Commons dinner and exemption from
the annual examinations at the end of their second year.
It should be noted that the University is considered to be headed,
titularly, by the Chancellor, although in the founding Charter,
this role is described as "the Chancellor of the College" (see
footnote 1). Currently, the Chancellor is former
President of Ireland and former
UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights,
Mary
Robinson, and there are five Pro-Chancellors: Sir
Anthony O’Reilly, the Hon. Mrs
Justice
Susan Denham, Dr
Patrick Molloy, Professor
Dermot McAleese and Dr
John Scattergood.
The Board
Aside from the Provost, Fellows and Scholars, Trinity has a Board
(dating from 1637), which carries out general governance, and a
Council (dating from 1874), which oversees academic matters.
The governance of Trinity was changed in 2000, by the
Oireachtas, in legislation proposed by the Board
of Trinity, viz
The Trinity College Dublin (Charters and
Letters Patent Amendment) Act, 2000. This was introduced
separately from the Universities Act 1997 and 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 being an employee or student of the College
chosen by a committee of the Board which shall comprise the Provost
and two members of the Board from among nominations made by such
organisations as are representative of such business or
professional interest as the Board considers appropriate;
- One member appointed by the Board on the nomination of the
Minister
for Education and Science following consultation with the
Provost.
The fellows, non-fellow academic staff and non-academic staff are
elected to serve for a fixed term; the most recent elections took
place in 2008 for two- and four-year terms, as a transitional step
to more regular terms. The four student members are the President,
Education Officer and Welfare Officer of the Students' Union and
the president of the Graduate Students' Union (all ex officio) and
are elected annually for one-year terms. The vice-provost/chief
academic officer, senior lecturer, registrar and bursar are 'annual
officers' appointed for one-year (renewable) terms by the
Provost.
The Visitors
The College also has an oversight structure, in the form of
Visitors. Queen Elizabeth I originally
designated seven office-holders as Visitors, but King Charles I
later reduced their number to two, namely the Chancellor of the
University and the Archbishop of Dublin. Today, the primary Visitor
is the Chancellor (who may be substituted by one of the
Pro-Chancellors) and the second Visitor is appointed by the Irish
Government from a list of two names submitted by the Senate of the
University of Dublin.
Parliamentary representation
The
University of Dublin was previously represented in the British
House of Commons
, where its members included Sir Edward Carson.
The graduates of the University of Dublin constitute the
University of Dublin
constituency, electing three members of
Seanad Éireann, the Irish Senate.
Graduates of the
National
University of Ireland also elect three Senators. The senators'
term of office continues until a new
general election is called by the
dissolution of
Dáil
Éireann.
The three serving Trinity Senators (as at mid-2008) are Professor
Ivana Bacik, a legal scholar, Mr
David Norris, the
Joycean scholar, and Mr
Shane Ross, a journalist. Past Trinity Senators
have included the present University Chancellor
Mary Robinson and Mrs Justice
Catherine McGuinness, a former member
of the
Irish Supreme Court and
current President of the Law Reform Commission.
Traditions
The Latin Grace is said "before and after meat" at Commons, a
three-course meal served in the College Dining Hall Monday to
Friday (Commons is attended by Scholars and Fellows of the
College).
Each year, Trinity Week is celebrated in late May On Trinity Monday
and on the afternoon of Trinity Wednesday no lectures or
demonstrations are held. College races are held each year on
Trinity Wednesday.
There is
a long-standing rivalry with nearby University
College Dublin
, which is largely friendly in nature. Every
year Colours events are contested between the Sporting clubs of
each University.
In popular culture
In
James Plunkett's
Farewell
Companions, one of the characters claims to have been "through
Trinity", having entered at College Green and left at the Nassau
Street Gate.
Parts of
Circle of
Friends and
Educating
Rita were filmed in Trinity College.
The Irish writer
J.P. Donleavy was a student in Trinity. A number of
his books feature characters who attend Trinity, including
The Ginger Man and
The Beastly
Beatitudes of Balthazar B. H.A. Hinkson has written two
books about Trinity,
Student Life in T.C.D. and the
fictional
O'Grady of Trinity - A Story of Irish University
Life.
Fictional Naval Surgeon
Stephen
Maturin of
Patrick O'Brien's
popular
Aubrey–Maturin series
series is a graduate of Trinity College.
In the Channel 4 television series
Hollyoaks,
Craig
Dean attends Trinity College Dublin. 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.
All Names Have Been Changed a novel by
Claire Kilroy is set in Trinity College in the
1980s. The story follows a group of creative writing students and
their engimatic professor. A photograph of Trinity is used in the
cover art.
Research and innovation
The recently built Lloyd institute,
used by computer science, neuroscience, the Trinity Centre for High
Performance Computing, Physics and Statistics
Trinity College is the most productive internationally recognised
research centre in Ireland. The University operates an Innovation
Centre which fosters academic innovation and consultancy, provides
patenting advice and research information and facilitates the
establishment and operation of industrial laboratories and campus
companies.
In 1999 the University purchased an Enterprise Centre on Pearse
Street, seven minutes walk from the on-campus Innovation Centre.
The site has over 19,000 m² (200,000 ft²) of built space and
contains a protected building, the Tower, which currently houses a
Craft Centre. The Trinity Enterprise Centre will house companies
drawn from the University research sector in Dublin.
Multi-disciplinary research
Programmes in advanced technology
Campus industrial laboratories
Current and former campus companies
- Authentik - Language Learning Resources
- Broadcom Éireann Research Ltd, a Telecommunications Research
Company, 45% owned by Telecom Éireann, 10% by Trinity College
Dublin and the remaining 45% by the Swedish company Ericsson AB.
This company has since 2003 ceased operations.
- Commencements Ltd - management
consulting
- Cellix - Microfluidic instrumentation suppliers to
pharmaceutical, biotech and academic research laboratories
- CREMe
Software - Probabilistic Exposure Assessment Software for the
Food, Cosmetics and Environmental exposure sectors
- Eblana Photonics - Photonics
component developer of optoelectronic technologies
- Eneclann
- Irish Genealogical Research
Services
- EUnet - Internet solutions
- Havok -
developer of middleware for the video game industry, creators of
the Havok physics engine
- Identigen - Provision of DNA
testing services for traceability of food
- Insight
- Data Analysis Statistical
Consultancy
- Institute of European Food Studies
- Iona
Technologies - Software
- Irish Centre for
European Law
- Nutriscan Ltd - Human Nutrition
Research and Consultancy Services
- Opsona Therapeutics
(http://www.Opsona.com) - develop a unique and advanced range of
drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent autoimmune / inflammatory
diseases as well as cancers and infectious diseases
- Reminiscence - Equity Trading, trading NYSE, NASDAQ,
LSE & CME
- Scientific Resources Ltd - Quality
Assurance for the food, agriculture and pharmaceutical
industries
- Tolsys - Specialised hardware and software design in the area
of fault-tolerant computers
- X-Communications - Multimedia research and development company
References and Footnotes
- Extracts from Letters Patent ("First or Foundation Charter") of
Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and establish a College, mother
of a (the) University, near the city of Dublin for the better
education, training and instruction of scholars and students in our
realm...and also that provision should be made...for the relief and
support of a provost and some fellows and scholars...it shall be
called THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY NEAR DUBLIN
FOUNDED BY THE MOST SERENE QUEEN ELIZABETH. And...we erect...that
College with a provost, three fellows in the name of many, and
three scholars in the name of many, to continue for ever. And
further we make...Adam Loftus, D.D., archbishop of Dublin,
chancellor of our kingdom of Ireland, the first...provost of the
aforesaid College... And we make...Henry Ussher, M.A., Luke
Challoner, M.A., Lancellot Moine, B.A., the first...fellows
there... And we make...Henry Lee, William Daniell, and Stephen
White the first...scholars... And further...we will...that the
aforesaid provost, fellows and scholars of Trinity College
aforesaid and their successors in matter, fact and name in future
are and shall be a body corporate and politic, for ever
incorporated...by the name of THE PROVOST, FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS OF
THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH
NEAR DUBLIN, and that in all future times they shall be known...by
that name, and shall have perpetual succession...and we really and
completely create...them...a body corporate and politic, to endure
for ever... And whereas it appears that certain degrees have been
of assistance in the arts and faculties, we ordain...that the
students in this College of the holy and undivided Trinity of Queen
Elizabeth near Dublin shall have liberty and power to obtain
degrees of Bachelor, Master, and Doctor, at a suitable time, in all
arts and faculties. ...and that they shall have liberty to perform
among themselves all acts and scholastic exercises for gaining such
degrees, as shall seem fit to the provost and the majority of the
fellows, (and that they may elect...all persons for better
promoting such things, whether Vice-Chancellor, Proctor or
Proctors), (for we have approved assignment of the dignity of
Chancellor to...William Cecil, Baron Burghley...and...when he shall
cease to be chancellor...the provost and the majority of the
fellows shall elect a suitable person of this sort as chancellor of
the College. And the chancellor, or his vice-chancellor, with the
archbishop of Dublin, the Bishop of Meath, the vice treasurer, the
treasurer for war, and the chief justice of our chief place within
this our kingdom of Ireland, the mayor of the city of Dublin for
the time being, or the majority of them who shall be called
visitors, shall break off and limit all contentions, actions and
controversies (which the provost and the majority of the fellows
cannot settle), and that they shall punish all the graver faults
not amended by the provost and fellows.)"
- Times Higher Educational Supplement - QS World
University Rankings 2007 and Topuniversities.com, 2008. Based on various
categories including peer review, recruiter review, international
faculty ratio, international students ratio, student faculty ratio,
citations per faculty; 3 of the top 5 are in the UK but most of the
top 25 are in the USA.
- Dublin: The High Court of Justice of Ireland, as published by
Trinity College Dublin in Volume II of Chartae et Statuta Collegii
Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta
Dublin, 1898, pages 507-536, in re The Provost, Fellows and
Scholars of Trinity College Dublin v. the Attorney General, the
Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin and the
Trustees and Executors of the will of the late Richard Tuohill
Reid, holding that Trinity College and the University of
Dublin "are one body."
- Article Fourth, The Act of Union (Ireland) 1800.
Effective 1 January 1801.
- TCD generally has the highest entry requirements for school
leavers. See CAO points required for 2008 undergraduate
entry
- SJTU Ranking
- Whitefield Consulting Worldwide - European MBA Rankings
2007
- Trinity Hall houses 1,100 students, of whom the majority are
first years. Postgraduates, international students and other
continuing students also have rooms there.
- London: Newman, Cardinal Henry; The Rise and Progress of
Universities, Chapter 17 (The Ancient University of Dublin),
207-212
- History of Trinity College: Laying the
Foundations
- The Times,
Important Collegiate Question., Denis C. Heron 13 December
1845; pg3 col E
- The Times; Ireland. Protestant Alliance; 9 January
1846; pg5 col D
- TCD.ie
- IOL.ie
- TCD.ie
- Professor A. Norman Jeffares
- Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish
Times
- January update of the review - Scholars - TCD
- This also requires paying a nominal fee (€543 in 2007). See
College Calendar, Degrees and Diplomas,
I:E4:§4
- Graduate Studies - Trinity College Dublin
- Topuniversities.com
- A list of EU exams and conversion ratios
- Topuniversities.com There is also an exciting
international mix of its student body where 16% of students are
from outside Ireland and 40% of these students are from outside the
European Union.
- TCD.ie
- TCD.ie
- Dublin
University Central Athletic Club at tcdlife.ie
- Dublin University Cricket Club at tcd.ie
- Dublin
University Boat Club tcd.ie
- dufc.ie, web
site of Dublin University Football Club
- The Bold Collegians, Trevor West, 1991, Dublin University
Press
- Dublin
University Hockey Club at hockey.tcdlife.ie
- Dublin
University Harriers and Athletic Club
- Dublin
University Fencing Club at tcdlife.ie
- TCD.ie
- Trinitysocieties.ie
- Utvinternet.com
- MCD.ie
- Information | The Graduate Students' Union
- TCD.ie
- Irishtimes.com
- Topuniversities.com "Interdisciplinarity forms
a key element in the College strategy in increasing Trinity's
international standing as a research-led university. TCD has
developed significant international strength in research in eight
major themes which include globalisation; cancer; genetics;
neuroscience; immunology and infection; communications and
intelligent systems; nano and materials science as well as Irish
culture and the creative arts."
See also
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