Trinity College Dublin

First 50 years is the most famous of the volumes in the Trinity College Library. Shown here are the Madonna and Child from Kells (folio 7v). A medieval University of Dublin was founded in 1320 under a papal brief issued by Pope Clement V in 1311, and the university maintained an intermittent existence at St. Patrick's Cathedral over the following centuries, but it did not flourish and finally came to an end during the Reformation period. 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 of letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I, incorporating Trinity College at the former site of the disbanded Augustinian Priory of All Hallows, immediately southeast of the city walls, provided by the Corporation of Dublin. The college's first provost was the Archbishop of Dublin, Adam Loftus (after whose former college at Cambridge the institution was named), The books which formed the foundation of the great library were acquired, either by private purchase or donations, a curriculum was devised, and statutes were framed. Trinity College Dublin is one of the two sister colleges of both Oriel College, Oxford, and St John's College, Cambridge, The first building of this period was the Old Library, begun in 1712, followed by The Printing House and the Dining Hall. During the second half of the century, the Parliament Square slowly emerged. The great building drive was mostly completed by the early 19th century with the inauguration of the Botany Bay, the square which derives its name in part from the herb garden it once contained. Today, the square contains 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. The Engineering School was established in 1842, and was among the first of its kind in Ireland and Britain. This requirement was removed under the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1793, before the equivalent change at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, but certain restrictions on membership of the college remained; professorships, fellowships and scholarships remained reserved only for Protestants. In December 1845, Denis Caulfield Heron was the subject of a hearing at Trinity College. He had previously been examined and, on merit, been 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 Irish courts, which issued a writ of 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. This decision confirmed that students who were not Anglicans (Presbyterians were also affected) could not be elected as Scholars, Fellows, or be made a professor. Within three decades of this, however, all disabilities and restrictions imposed on Catholics were repealed. In 1873, all religious tests, except for those relating to entry to the Divinity school, were abolished by an Act of Parliament. In 1871, just prior to the full repeal of all limitations on Catholic students, 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 the Catholic 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 with the Archbishop of Dublin John 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. 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 their ad eundem degree; they were known as Steamboat ladies and the fees they paid helped to fund Trinity Hall. In 1907, the Chief Secretary for Ireland proposed the reconstitution of the University of Dublin. Under which the Queen's Colleges at Belfast, Cork and Galway and a new college for Roman Catholics were also to be included. A "Dublin University Defence Committee" was created and successfully campaigned against any change to the status quo. The Irish Catholic bishops also declined to give support to the proposal as Catholic students would be attracted into an atmosphere inimical to their religious faith. Ultimately this episode led to the creation of the National University of Ireland. Trinity College was one of the targets of the Volunteer and Citizen Army forces during the 1916 Easter Rising but was successfully defended by a small number of unionist students, most of whom were members of the university Officers' Training Corps, along with a number of Australian soldiers on leave. From July 1917 to March 1918, the Irish Convention met 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", the Irish Free State was 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 the Irish Times that 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. in particular during the Gallipoli campaign. It has also been said of the period before Ireland 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. Despite this sectarianism, 1958 saw the first Catholic reach the Board of Trinity as a Senior fellow. This plan, suggested by Brian Lenihan and Donogh 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 later formed 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. The School of Pharmacy was established in 1977, and around the same time, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was transferred to University College Dublin in exchange for its Dental School. 21st century , 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. The Hamilton Mathematics Institute in Trinity College, named in honour of William 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 expired in March 2025. In June 2025, Trinity College Dublin severed all ties with Israeli universities and companies, becoming the first Irish university to fully divest. This includes ending investments, commercial relations, academic collaborations, and Erasmus+ exchanges. The move followed recommendations from a taskforce setup in response to the encampment. The university had investments in 13 Israeli companies, some linked to illegal settlements. The decision was praised by student leaders and politicians, who called it a model for other institutions to follow. ==Buildings and grounds==

The main site of Trinity College has been described as retaining a tranquil collegiate atmosphere despite its location in the centre of a capital city, and despite it being one of Dublin's, and Ireland's, most prominent tourist attractions, with more than 2 million visitors annually. 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 main site of the college, Trinity owns a number of buildings nearby in central Dublin, as well as an enterprise centre near Ringsend and a botanic garden in Dartry. The college has been used as a location in numerous movies and novels. including the Trinity College Enterprise Centre some distance away, and buildings provide around 200,000 m2 of 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 by College Park, which has both a cricket and a rugby pitch. The college's western side is older, featuring the Campanile, as well as many fine buildings, including the Chapel and Examination Hall (designed by Sir William Chambers), Graduates Memorial Building, Museum Building, and The Rubrics (the sole surviving section of the original 17th-century quadrangle), all spread across the college's five squares. An organ case held within the Examination Hall was noted by Dublin Tourism to be the oldest existing Irish made organ case, reputed to have been built in 1684 by Lancelot Pearse. The gilt oak chandelier which hangs in the Examination Hall was taken from the old Irish House of Commons in nearby College Green. The Provost's House sits a little way up from the College Front Gate such that the House is actually on Grafton Street, one of the two principal shopping streets in the city, while its garden faces into the college. The Douglas 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, Forbes ranked it one of the 15 most beautiful college grounds in the world. 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's Anglican heritage, there are daily services of Morning prayer, weekly services of Evensong, and Holy Communion is 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. According to a Dublin Tourism brochure in the late 1990s, it was the "only chapel in the country which is shared by all the Christian denominations". 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. Behind the chapel is a small cemetery named Challenor's Corner, which is reserved for the burial of Provosts of the college. The space is named after Luke Challenor, who was buried there in 1613. Library |right 's Sphere Within Sphere sculpture stands outside the Eavan Boland Library. The Library of Trinity College is Ireland's largest research library. As a result of its historic standing, Trinity College Library Dublin is a legal deposit library, now under the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 in Irish law and the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 in UK 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 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 Berkeley Library, named for the philosopher George Berkeley, was renamed after attention was brought to Berkeley's history as a slave trader, 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, and in October 2024 it was renamed the Eavan Boland Library after the poet Eavan Boland. This makes it the first building named after any woman on Trinity’s city centre site. Previous to the renaming, Trinity asked members of the public to vote on a figure for the library to named in honour of. Wolfe Tone won the poll with 31% of the vote, while Boland netted 7%. Trinity subsequently chose to ignore the vote. The Library also includes the William Hamilton Science and Engineering Library and the John Stearne Medical Library, housed at St James's Hospital. 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". The near-zero energy building provides 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 on Dame Street to the Faculty of Health Sciences buildings, located at St. James's Hospital and Tallaght 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 college's botanic garden, which developed from a herb garden on the main site, is located in Dartry, around four kilometres south of the main site, and it also owns a large set of residences on the Dartry Road, in Rathmines, called Trinity 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 in Grand Canal Dock as part of an "Innovation District" for the area. These plans were later scaled back. In addition to College Park, Botany Bay and other on-site 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 later monarchs, such as James I in 1613, and most notably Charles I in 1637 - the latter increased the number of fellows from seven to 16, established the Board – initially consisting of 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 the Oireachtas, including in 2000. ==Organisation==

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. Linda Doyle has been Provost since August 2021. The terms "University of Dublin" and "Trinity College" are generally considered synonymous for all practical purposes. 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. Due to the 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 also 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. This was introduced separately from the Universities Act 1997. 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. Academic associations Trinity College is a sister college to Oriel College of the University of Oxford and St John's College of the University of Cambridge. In accordance with the formula of , 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 the equivalent degree at either of the other two universities without further examination, a process referred to as Incorporation. 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 • Marino Institute of Education • Church of Ireland Theological Institute • The Lir Academy 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 College has also formerly been associated with several other teaching institutions, such as St Catherine's College of Education for Home Economics (now closed), Magee College and Royal 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 the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the UK. Parliamentary representation The university has been linked to parliamentary representation since 1613, when James I granted it the right to elect two members of parliament (MPs) to the Irish House of Commons. 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. Representatives at Westminster included Edward Gibson, W. E. H. Lecky and Edward Carson. Since the new Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the university has formed a constituency which elects three senators to Seanad Éireann. Notable representatives have included Noel Browne, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Mary Robinson. ==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. 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 to DCU's CTYI programme, encourages academically gifted secondary students with a high aptitude for the STEM subjects, and was named the Walton Club in honour of Ernest Walton, Ireland's first and only Nobel laureate in Physics. The programme was centred upon a pedagogic principle 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, meeting Chris Hadfield and attending the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and the Web Summit. Students, or alphas as they are dubbed in honour of the eponymous physicist, develop projects in the club, with innovations pioneered there including a health-focused electroencephalogram. with an average acceptance rate of 17%. 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 during Michaelmas term and during Trinity term of 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 a Master of Arts. 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 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. Since 2018, Trinity has offered a dual BA programme with Columbia University in New York City. Students of history, English, European studies, or Middle Eastern and European languages and culture may spend their first two years at Trinity and their last two years at Columbia. Postgraduate At postgraduate level, 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 (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. Research The university operates an on-site Innovation Centre that promotes academic innovation and advising, provides patent counselling and in-depth research information, and also 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. 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 recognised qualifications in 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 their school leaving examinations, but can additionally take matriculation examinations which are held in the university in April, in which each subject is considered equivalent to that of the Irish Leaving Certificate. Applications for restricted courses require further assessment considered in the admissions process, such as the Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT) for medicine or entrance tests for 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 the CAO, candidates may list several courses at Trinity College and at other third-level institutions in Ireland in order of preference. The CAO awards 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 GCE A-level, the International Baccalaureate and 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%. Disadvantaged, disabled, or mature students can also be admitted through a program that is separate from the CAO, 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 the IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo English Test (DET). Requirements also vary depending on the program. In addition to English language proficiency, students must meet the high school score. Awards Entrance Exhibition and sizarship Students who enter with exceptional Leaving Certificate or 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 made Sizars, entitled to Commons (evening meal) free of charge. Foundation Scholarship 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's Formal Hall), 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. Rankings Trinity is ranked 75th in the world, 26th in Europe and 1st in Ireland in the QS World University Rankings (QS) 2025, one of the world's leading indicators of university evaluation. The highest ranking in the former combined QS-THE system was in 2009, when it was ranked 43rd in the world. Trinity is also ranked 173rd in the world and 1st in Ireland by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE) in 2026. In response to a long-term decline in rankings (from 43rd according to the last combined THE/QS ranking in 2009 to 88th in QS and 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 the Dublin Dental University Hospital is ranked 51–75 in the world, while the programmes in English literature offered by the university was ranked 21st in the world in 2025. ==Student life==

Societies , the College Historical Society and the College Theological Society hold debates and discussions in the Graduates Memorial Building. , Trinity College has 120+ societies. Student societies operate under the aegis of the Dublin University Central Societies Committee (CSC). Situated in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) are the three oldest societies: University Philosophical Society (the Phil), the College Historical Society (the Hist) and the College Theological Society (the Theo). The Phil meets each Thursday evening in the chamber of 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 such student 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. The Hist has been addressed by many notable orators, including Winston Churchill and Ted 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 on FM 97.3 with various student productions; and the Q Soc – Trinity LGBT society, which is Ireland's oldest LGBT society 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, including Andy Black, Padraig Parkinson and Donnacha 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 as Andrew Maxwell, David O'Doherty, Neil Delamere and Colin Murphy; The Dance Society, known as "", provides classes in Latin and ballroom dancing, as well as running events around other styles, such as swing dancing. In 2011, the Laurentian Society was 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 to London Fashion Week. Clubs , Trinity College Trinity has a sporting tradition, and the college has 47 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 47 club captains and awards University Colours (Pinks); the Pavilion Bar Committee, which runs the private members' bar; the Pavilion Members' Committee. The oldest clubs include the Dublin University Cricket Club (1835), the Dublin University Boat Club (1836) and Dublin University Fencing Club (1774). Dublin University Football Club, founded in 1854, plays rugby union and is the world's oldest documented "football club". Dublin University A.F.C., founded in 1883, is the oldest surviving association football club in the Republic of Ireland. The Dublin University Hockey Club was founded in 1893, and the Dublin University Harriers and Athletic Club in 1885. The newest club in the university is the American football team, who were accepted into the Irish 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 magazine Kottabos was published, edited by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell. It has been called 'perhaps the cream of Irish academic wit and scholarship'. There are two student newspapers: The University Times and Trinity News. The University Times is funded by the Students' Union and 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 News is 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 newspaper The Piranha (formerly Piranha! magazine but rebranded in 2009), the generalist T.C.D. Miscellany (founded in 1895; one of Ireland's oldest magazines), the film journal Trinity Film Review (TFR) 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 College Journal of Postgraduate Research, produced by the Graduate Students Union; the Social and Political Review (SPR); the Trinity Student Medical Journal; and The Attic, student writing produced by the Dublin University Literary Society. More recent publications include Trinity Business Review (TBR) and The Burkean Journal, a politically and culturally conservative magazine named after one of Trinity's most notable alumni, Edmund Burke. Ball 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 of Hilary Term, before the commencement of Trinity Week. The Ball is run by Trinity Ents, Trinity Students' Union and Trinity's Central Societies Committee in conjunction with event promoters MCD Productions, who held the contract to run the Ball until 2012. The Ball celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. Students' Union The Students' Union's primary role is to provide a recognised representative channel between students 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, Entertainments Officer and the Oifigeach na Gaeilge, 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. ==Traditions and culture==

Commons in 1743 Commons is a three-course meal served in the College Dining Hall Monday to Friday, attended by Scholars, Fellows and Sizars of 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. A Latin grace prayer is said "before and after dinner", read by one of the scholars. 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 this 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 friendly rivalry with nearby University College Dublin. Every year, "colours" events are contested between the sporting clubs and debating societies of the respective colleges. ==In popular culture==

The literary works of Trinity graduates, especially Wilde, Swift, Beckett, Goldsmith, Synge, and Stoker contributed to Irish literature, and played a major role in Dublin's recognition in 2010 as a UNESCO City of Literature. The Irish writer J. P. Donleavy was a student in Trinity and a number of his books feature characters who attend Trinity, including The Ginger Man and The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B. Fictional Naval Surgeon Stephen Maturin of Patrick O'Brian's popular Aubrey–Maturin series is a graduate of Trinity College. The character is played by Paul Bettany in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Claire Kilroy's novel All Names Have Been Changed is set in Trinity College in the 1990s. The story follows a group of creative writing students and their enigmatic professor. A photograph of Trinity is used in the cover art. Barry McCrea's novel The First Verse is 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. In Karen Marie Moning's The Fever Series Trinity 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. In Cecelia Ahern's novel Thanks for the Memories, Justin Hitchcock is a guest lecturer at Trinity College. Parts of Michael Collins, The First Great Train Robbery, Circle of Friends, Educating Rita, Ek Tha Tiger and Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx were filmed in Trinity College. It served as the filming location for Luftwaffe headquarters in The Blue Max. In the Channel 4 television series Hollyoaks, Craig Dean attends Trinity College. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode Fair Haven set in a holographic 19th century Ireland near Dublin, Captain Janeway reprograms the hologram character Michael Sullivan to have "the education of a 19th century 3rd year student at Trinity College". In Sally Rooney's 2018 novel Normal People and its 2020 television 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) student Paul Mescal; two other actors in the series, Frank Blake (who plays Marianne's older brother Alan) and Kwaku Fortune (who plays Philip, a friend of Marianne's at Trinity), are also alumni of the Lir Academy. Series director and executive producer Lenny Abrahamson studied 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. The Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture in Dublin's Merrion Square depicts Wilde wearing the Trinity College postgraduate tie. ==Notable people==

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 Laureate in 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 • John Winthrop Hackett • William Rowan Hamilton • Edward Hincks • Nathaniel Hone the Younger • Ludwig Hopf • John Kells Ingram • John Hewitt Jellett • John Joly • William Johnston • Gregorios Joseph • Peter Lalor • Dionysius Lardner • Sheridan Le Fanu • Bartholomew Lloyd • Humphrey Lloyd (physicist) • Thomas Ranken Lyle • James MacCullagh • Mairead Maguire (Nobel Peace Prize) • Edmond Malone • Charles Maturin • Richard Maunsell • Albert Joseph McConnell • George Francis Mitchell • 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 • Frederick Thomas Trouton • Jaja Wachuku • Ernest Walton (Nobel Laureate in Physics) • Denis Weaire • Michael Roberts Westropp • E. T. Whittaker • Oscar Wilde Others include four previous holders of the office of President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, Éamon de Valera, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, and two holders of the office of Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera and Leo Varadkar (De Valera matriculated as "Edward de Valera"). Alumni and faculty associated with Trinity include 56 Fellows of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, 8 Nobel laureates, 14 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Ireland, and recipients of the Victoria Cross, Copley Medal, Pulitzer Prize, Tang Prize, Faraday Medal, Wollaston Medal, and the Pour le Mérite. Additionally, as of 2025, the university has also produced 79 Fulbright, 152 Laidlaw, and 65 Mitchell scholars. ==See also==