- Also known as:
- the University of Dublin and Trinity College
- Irish:
- Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath
Trinity College Dublin
-
What is Trinity College Dublin?
Trinity College Dublin, located in the heart of Dublin, Ireland, is the country's oldest university, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. Though the names Trinity College Dublin and the University of Dublin are used interchangeably, legal differences exist between them.
Initially intended to boost the Protestant Reformation and align Ireland intellectually with Europe, Trinity first only admitted Anglican students. Today, its campus displays a mix of architectural styles, with the Long Room in the Old Library as a highlight. The library holds over six million printed volumes, including the Book of Kells.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where is Trinity College Dublin located?
Trinity College Dublin is located in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. At the time of its founding in 1592, the college was situated outside the city walls, on the site of a former Augustinian monastery. As Dublin expanded, the city's boundaries grew to surround the school, placing it in the city's center. Today, its vicinity is considered the heart of the city. The 400-year-old campus features a mix of architectural styles, with buildings clustered around Front Square and stretching back to Library Square.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
When was Trinity College Dublin founded?
Trinity College Dublin, the oldest university in Ireland, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland and was endowed by the city of Dublin. It was intended as the first of several colleges that would constitute the University of Dublin, though Trinity College remains the sole college to have been established.
Trinity College was established to strengthen both the Protestant Reformation and English rule in Ireland, with the aim of aligning the country intellectually with the rest of Europe. Until 1793, only Anglicans could enroll. Restrictions against Roman Catholics were eliminated in 1873. Women were first admitted in 1904.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some famous landmarks or buildings at Trinity College Dublin?
Trinity College Dublin has many architecturally notable buildings on its 400-year-old campus. The Long Room, in the Old Library, is a highlight, famous for its barrel-vaulted ceiling and housing 200,000 of the college's oldest books.
The Campanile (bell tower) is located between the university’s Parliament and Library squares. According to legend, students who walk under the tower while the bells are ringing will fail their exams. The college's Library is a legal deposit library, holding over six million printed volumes, including rare books and manuscripts. One of its treasures is the Book of Kells, an illuminated gospel book from the 9th century.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What subjects can students study at Trinity College Dublin?
Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592, is Ireland’s oldest university. Though initially established to strengthen Protestant Reformation and English rule in Ireland, it was among the most liberal in the British Isles.
Trinity College offers a range of subjects across undergraduate and graduate programs grounded in the liberal arts tradition. The college provides 41 majors, 15 disciplinary minors, 25 interdisciplinary minors, and more than 900 courses. Graduate offerings include master’s degrees in fields such as English, public policy, and urban planning.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Trinity College Dublin considered an important university in Ireland?
Trinity College Dublin holds importance as Ireland's oldest university, established in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It was designed to mirror the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, intending to solidify both the Protestant Reformation and English authority in Ireland, aligning the nation intellectually with the rest of Europe.
Its library stands as Ireland's largest, housing significant medieval illuminated manuscripts, such as the renowned Book of Kells. Although initially exclusive to Anglicans, religious restrictions were progressively eased, allowing Roman Catholics to enroll from 1793, with complete elimination of religious requirements for professorships, fellowships, and scholarships by 1873. Women were first admitted in 1904. Today, Trinity offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs rooted in the liberal arts.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Trinity College Dublin, the oldest university in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland and endowed by the city of Dublin. The two names of the school—the University of Dublin and Trinity College Dublin—are used interchangeably, though there are legal and other differences between these entities. Trinity College’s library is the largest in Ireland and contains a significant number of medieval illuminated manuscripts, including the famous Book of Kells (c. 800).
History and architecture
Trinity College was intended to be the first of many constituent colleges of the University of Dublin, in an organizational plan modeled after the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. However, only one college was established. The school’s establishment was also intended to strengthen the Protestant Reformation and English rule in Ireland and to bring the country into step with the rest of Europe intellectually. Enrollment was limited to Anglicans until 1793, after which Roman Catholics and Dissenters were permitted to enroll but with some restrictions still in place. Professorships, fellowships, and scholarships were reserved for Protestants until 1873, when all religious requirements were eliminated. However, in 1871 the Catholic Church in Ireland instituted its own ban against Catholics attending Trinity, though this was not imposed by the university itself. That ban was lifted in 1970. Women were first admitted to the university in 1904.
At the time of its founding, Trinity was located outside Dublin’s city walls in the buildings of a former Augustinian monastery, the Priory of All Hallows. As Dublin’s population grew, the city’s boundaries expanded and surrounded the school, such that its vicinity is now considered to be the heart of the city.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Trinity’s buildings boast many different styles of architecture. One of the most striking features is the campanile (bell tower) located between the university’s Parliament and Library squares. A legend claims that any Trinity student who passes underneath the tower while the bells are tolling will fail the school’s exams. This has led to a ritual in which many students mark their graduation day with a celebratory walk underneath the tower.
Library and collections
The Library of Trinity College Dublin, as it is officially known, is composed of several buildings and contains more than six million printed volumes, including extensive collections of rare books, maps, and manuscripts. As a designated legal, or copyright, deposit library, it is entitled to one print copy of every book published in Ireland; it may also request a copy of every book published in the United Kingdom.
The library’s early benefactors included James Ussher, an Anglican prelate who studied at Trinity, and Henry Jones, an Anglican bishop and former vice-chancellor of the university who presented the library with what has become its prize jewel, the Book of Kells. This illuminated manuscript is housed in the Old Library, an 18th-century building with a stunning main chamber nearly 213 feet (65 meters) long. The chamber, known as the Long Room, features a barrel-vaulted ceiling and bookcases lining the upper gallery in addition to those on the lower level. Its other treasures include an antique bust of the great Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, a medieval harp made of oak and willow with brass strings, and one of the few remaining copies of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, which was read out loud by Irish nationalist leader Patrick Pearse outside Dublin’s General Post Office on April 24, 1916, at the start of the Easter Rising.