The oldest university in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin is has played a vital role in the history of Dublin and Ireland down through the years.
Trinity has not always been at the heart of the city. In fact at its foundation in 1592, it was located outside the city walls. The site was once All Hallows monastery, which had fallen to abandon and disrepair. When a small group of Dublin citizens obtained a Charter from Queen Elizabeth to found a University, the City Corporation granted them the land and its buildings.
In the late seventeenth century, Ireland entered a period of great turmoil, which naturally disrupted the life of the burgeoning college. In the early 1640's the provost was forced to flee and the fellows were expelled by the commonwealth authorities soon afterwards. Again in 1689 all of the fellows were expelled and their students with them, and the college was converted into a barracks for James II's soldiers.
The eighteenth century was a relatively peaceful one, and being a protestant university at the time, Trinity was well seen, and assisted by the parliament across the road. University during this time was rightly proud of the rigorous standards it set for students and fellows alike The majority of Ireland's finest sons of the eighteenth century were graduates of Trinity: Jonathan Swift, George Berkeley, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith, Henry Grattan, Wolfe Tone...
This was a time of building for the college, with the library being begun in 1712, then later the Printing House, the Dining Hall, then Parliament Square and Botany Bay. It was late in that century that, in common with Oxford and Cambridge, the college relaxed its religious exclusivity, allowing Roman Catholics to enter as far back as 1792.
The nineteenth century was a time of academic reform, instigated by Provost Bartholomew Lloyd. As well as the generalist Bachelor of Arts programme, the curriculum was extended to provide moderatorships, or honors programmes. The first of these programmes were in Mathematics, Ethics and Logics, and Classics. Natural and Experimental Sciences would follow some years later.
Throughout the twentieth century, the college continued to grow, despite financial troubles arising from Ireland's newfound independence from the British crown. The college admitted its first women students in 1904, and ten years later women made up 16% of the student body. Women's contributions continued to grow from that early day.
Without contest, the period of greatest growth for Trinity College has been the past 65 years. From 1,500 in 1939, student numbers at the college grew to 13,700 by the end of the twentieth century, with students traveling from 70 countries around the world to attend.
The Book Of Kells
Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, housed in the Old Library building. The Book of Kells was written around the year 800 AD and is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. It contains the four gospels, preceded by prefaces, summaries, and canon tables or concordances of gospel passages. It is written on vellum and contains a Latin text of the Gospels. The manuscript it illustrated by magnificent whole pages of decoration, with smaller painted decorations appearing throughout the text. It was given to Trinity College in the 17th century and has been on display in the Old Library since the 19th century. In 1953, it was been bound in four volumes. Two volumes can normally be seen, one opened to display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of script.
Ticket Prices
Adults: €8.00
Students/Senior Citizens: €7.00
Family ticket: €16.00 (2 adults plus up to 4 children)
Group Rate (10+): €6.00 each
Secondary School Groups: FREE October - April / €6 each May - September (plus teacher free)
Children (under 12): Free all year around (includes primary school groups).
Admission to the Old Library includes:
Turning Darkness into Light Exhibition
Temporary Long Room exhibition
For more information about these exhibitions, Click Here.
The visit to the Old Library is self-guided.
Bookings not taken. Please allow 10 - 20 minutes to queue during peak season (June - August).
Visitors should allow at least 40 minutes to an hour for their visit.
Opening Hours (seasonal)
May - September:
09.30 - 17.00 (Monday - Saturday)
09.30 - 16.30 (Sunday)
October - April
09.30 - 17.00 (Monday - Saturday)
12.00 - 16.30 (Sunday)
Bank Holidays
09.30 - 17.00 (Monday 6th August)
12.00 - 16.30 (Monday 29th October)
Closed from Friday 21st December (17.00) until Wednesday 2nd January (09.30) For further details please contact adiffley@tcd.ie
Contact Information
Anne-Marie Diffley at:
Tel: (01) 896 2320
Fax: (01) 896 2690
E-mail: adiffley@tcd.ie
Tour of the Trinity College campus are also available. For more information, Click Here.
Buildings
Attractions
Go to the Trinity College website here.
Photos by Brendan J. Dempsey, AVMS, Trinity College Dublin.
For more photos, have a look at the Trinity Photographic Centre website.
