Visiting Trinity College, Dublin

Provost George Salmon

When traveling I enjoy visiting universities, so while in Dublin I had to visit Trinity College. Trinity College was founded over 400 years ago. As well as being an important university, it is famous for the Old Library containing the Book of Kells, a 9th century illustrated manuscript of the four gospels of the Bible. The long room of the Old Library houses over 200,000 books from the 14th-19th century - and at 1pm each day people are able to request and read books from the collection. Trinity College is also famous for some of its alumni including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett. One story that interested me was that the Provost Professor George Salmon finally agreed to sign a document allowing women to study at Trinity College in 1904. It is said that he signed with his hand, but not with his heart. Later that year, he died, and his grave is near the back entrance of the College, where the women students passed as they entered. Now the women students can enter in the front gate, and make up 62% of the student population.

Books in the Old Library

The Book of Kells (facsimile)

Sharynne in the Long Room of the Old Library