University of Dublin
Encyclopedia
The University of Dublin (Ollscoil Átha Cliath in Irish
), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin (since the nineteenth century), located in Dublin, Ireland
, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I
issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin
, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it Ireland's oldest operating university
. Unlike the universities of Oxford
and of Cambridge
, after which the University of Dublin was modelled and both of which comprise several constituent colleges, there is just one Dublin college: Trinity College
. Thus the designations "Trinity College Dublin" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes.
The University of Dublin is a member of Irish Universities Association
and the Coimbra Group
, a network of leading European universities.
and University of Cambridge
in the form of a collegiate university
, Trinity College being named by the Queen as the mater universitas ("mother of the university"). As no other college was ever established, Trinity is the sole constituent college of the university and so Trinity College and the University of Dublin are for most practical purposes synonymous.
Queen Victoria issued letters patent
in 1857 giving legal foundation to the senate, and other authorities specific to the university – but the high court held in 1888 that these dealt with "not the incorporation of the University of Dublin but of its Senate merely", the judge noting pointedly, referring to the founding of University College Dublin, that "The advisers of Queen Victoria knew how to incorporate a University when they meant to do so." In a remarkable High Court case of 1898, the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity were the claimants and the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin were among the defendants, and the court held that Trinity College and the University of Dublin "are one body".
However, the actual statutes of the university and the college grant the university separate corporate legal rights to own property and borrow money and employ staff.
Each meeting of the Senate is headed by a "Caput", consisting of the Chancellor, the Provost of Trinity College (or Vice-Provost in their place) and the Senior Master Non-Regent. (A Master of Arts is called a Regent during the three years following the time when he or she took that degree; subsequently he or she is designated as Non-Regent, and one elected by the Senate from among the Masters Non-Regent, by statute, is, according to ancient usage, designated as "Senior Master Non-Regent".)
At the first Public Commencements of the academic year the Senior Master Non-Regent is elected on the proposition of the Chancellor and the Provost. The Senior and Junior Proctors and the Registrar also make the declaration which is appropriate to their respective offices. In attendance also are, usually, the Registrar (who is responsible for legal and administrative matters) and the Junior and Senior Proctors (who present undergraduate and postgraduate candidates for degree commencement ceremonies). There is also a mace holder, the Chief Steward (responsible for College Security) or his deputy, who proceeds the Caput in a procession. Attendees stand while the procession progresses to the head of the room. These ceremonies are usually conducted in the Public Theatre in the front square of Trinity College. Business is conducted in Latin and the Chief Steward verbally asks for each candidate to be put under scrutiny by saying "ad scrutinum", with the Doctors and Masters of the Senate then asked in turn as distinct groups to consent to the degree being awarded to the candidate.
Under statutes the University Senate also elects two members to the University Council, chaired by the Provost and having the Senior Lecturer of the College as secretary, which governs academic matters. The current Provost of Trinity, John Hegarty
, formerly Dean of Research, was elected in 2001. The franchise for the Provost election is the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College. The University Council is in effect part of the College, and not of the Senate. The Senate also elect members to the Library Committee which oversees the Trinity College Library
.
Traditionally, sports clubs also use the moniker "University" rather than "College". Some of the legal definitions and differences between college and university were discussed in the reform of the
University and College in The Charters and Letters Patent Amendment Bill which later became law but many of the College contributions to this were unclear or not comprehensive, possibly because it concerned an internal dispute within College as to outside interference and also as misconduct by College Authorities in overseeing voting which led to a visitors enquiry which in turn found problems with the voting procedures and ordered a repeat ballot.
The Visitors are also dealt with in Statutes and consist of the Chancellor of the University and one other person (usually a member of the Judiciary) and are a final appeal should anyone contest a decision of the Board or a procedure within College which has been appealed through Departmental School, Faculty, Council, and Board levels and is still contested. The visitors can therefore overturn a decision of the Board. Given the Chancellor of the University is one of two visitors and has the overall authority in difference of opinion between both visitors, it would seem the Board of the College has also some degree of subsidiarity to the University.
Other contributions on Trinity College can be found in submissions to the Oireachtas on reform of Seanad Éireann
, the upper house
of the Irish Oireachtas
, since the University elects members to that body) and in particular the verbal submission of the Provost.
is the current Chancellor of the University, its titular head, and there are an up to six pro-Chancellors, who can act in her place. In November 2010, when Professor Petros Florides was inaugurated these also included Dr Tony O’Reilly, Dr Patrick Molloy, Dr Dermot McAleese, Dr John Scattergood and Dr David Spearman.
they are Doctors or Masters of the University:
In each academic year, the Senate holds not less than four Stated Meetings for the
Conferring of Degrees; of these Meetings, which, according to ancient usage, are known in the
University as "Public Commencements", two shall be held in Michaelmas Term, and two in
Trinity Term.
The Senate also holds a Stated Meeting in Hilary Term for the purpose of transacting
business of the Senate other than the conferring of degrees.
The University of Dublin has numerous historic achievements, including the development of the ISBN system and being the first university in Europe to award degrees in modern languages.
, and a university at Dublin was authorized by Pope Clement V
on the 13th July 1311, following petitioning by the Archbishop of Dublin
John Lech. A Chancellor and staff were subsequently appointed to this Studium Generale and the university's students were granted royal protection in 1358 by Edward III in efforts to restart the university, another attempt to re-found in 1475 but these endeavors for a Catholic
university came to an end with the English Reformation
of the 1530s. Following the Reformation in the 1540s Archbishop George Browne
DD, made unsuccessful attempts to establish another University in Dublin, called Christ College at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Again in 1566 another attempt was made based on Archbishop Browne's ideas again unsuccessfully. Between 1584 and 1591 Archbishop Adam Loftus
won the argument against the Lord Deputy of Ireland Sir John Perrot
proposal for a new university at St. Patrick's, with two colleges.
In 1592, a small group of Dublin citizens obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth
incorporating Trinity College Dublin, which was then and remained the only college of a new University of Dublin. The Corporation of Dublin
granted the university the lands of the dissolved Priory of All Hallows, one mile to the south east of the city walls. Two years later a few Fellows and students began to work in the new College, which then consisted of one small square. During the next fifty years, the community increased. Endowments, including great landed estates, were secured, new fellowships were founded, books which formed the beginning of the great library were acquired, a curriculum was devised and statutes were framed.
The nineteenth century was 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 sound basis by legislation in 1800 and under the inspiration of James Macartney, the brilliant and quarrelsome anatomist, 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.
Queen Victoria
issued letters patent
in 1857 giving legal foundation to the Senate and other university authorities.
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.
In 2000 the College embarked on a "reform" process with the intention of "restructuring" the six faculties into three. After five years of debate the restructuring had attained five Faculties and two "super schools" or "Vice Deaneries". The governing Authority had also eliminated a debt of about three million Euro. A new Governing Authority were then elected and another "restructuring" plan presented to them. This resulted in three faculties but had increased the debt to over five million.
In 1977 the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was transferred to University College Dublin
in an arrangement in which UCD also gained the sole Agriculture Faculty but Trinity College establish a dental Hospital.
and Benjamin Woodward
.
class of Dublin – Elizabeth actually expressed the hope that it would help shape a more developed loyal ruling class. The 1637 statutes required that students entering college take an oath of allegiance to the Protestant crown, the oath of supremacy, and a declaration against transubstantiation (a basic tenet of the Roman Catholic faith).
Following the first steps of Catholic Emancipation
, Roman Catholics were first admitted in 1793 (prior to Cambridge
and Oxford
). In 1873 all religious tests were abolished, except for the Divinity School
. However, it was not until 1970 that the Roman Catholic Church, through the Archbishop of Dublin
John Charles McQuaid
, lifted its policy of excommunication
for Roman Catholics who enrolled without special dispensation, at the same time as the university authorities allowed a Roman Catholic chaplain to be based in the university. Trinity College, Dublin is a sister college
to Oriel College, University of Oxford
and St John's College
, University of Cambridge
.
Women were admitted to the University of Dublin as full members for the first time in 1904.The first female professor was appointed in 1934.
degree after four years, but may receive an ordinary B.A. after three years' study. Bachelors of at least three years' standing may proceed to the degree of Master of Arts
.
From 1975 onwards, University of Dublin degrees were also awarded to graduates at the colleges of the Dublin Institute of Technology
(DIT); this practice continued until 1998 when DIT gained the ability to award degrees in its own right.
The University has been represented since 1613 when James I
granted it the right to elect two Members of Parliament
(MPs) to the Irish House of Commons
. When the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain were joined with the Act of Union
, which came into force in 1801, the University sent one MP to the British House of Commons
at Westminster
until 1832, when it was given another. It continued to elect two until the establishment of the Irish Free State
in 1922. The Government of Ireland Act 1920
provided for a House of Commons of Southern Ireland, for which the University was to elect four MPs as in Westminster, where University representatives were MPs and not Lords, University of Dublin seats were in the Dáil and not the Seanad. These were the only MPs to attend the opening of the House in 1921 since Sinn Féin candidates in the twenty-six counties were returned unopposed and took the other 128 of the 132 seats. Sinn Féin recognised their own Parliament determined by the Irish people as distinct to any continuation of British legislative rule under the British Government of Ireland Act. From 1923 to 1936, the University elected three TD
s to sit in Dáil Éireann
. Since the new Constitution of Ireland
in 1937, the University has elected three Senators to Seanad Éireann
.
The current representatives of the University are Ivana Bacik
, Sean Barrett
and David Norris. Notable representatives have included Edward Gibson, W. E. H. Lecky
, Edward Carson, Noel Browne
, Conor Cruise O'Brien
and Mary Robinson
.
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 M.A. and in 1918 all those who had received a degree from the University.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin (since the nineteenth century), located in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as 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", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it Ireland's oldest operating university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. Unlike the universities of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, after which the University of Dublin was modelled and both of which comprise several constituent colleges, there is just one Dublin college: Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as 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", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. Thus the designations "Trinity College Dublin" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes.
The University of Dublin is a member of Irish Universities Association
Irish Universities Association
The Irish Universities’ Association is the representative body of the heads of the seven Irish universities and is based at NUI offices in Merrion Square, Dublin...
and the Coimbra Group
Coimbra Group
The Coimbra Group is a network of 40 European universities, some among the oldest and most prestigious in Europe. It was founded in 1985 and formally constituted by charter in 1987....
, a network of leading European universities.
Organisation
The University of Dublin was modelled on University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in the form of a collegiate university
Collegiate university
A collegiate university is a university in which governing authority and functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges...
, Trinity College being named by the Queen as the mater universitas ("mother of the university"). As no other college was ever established, Trinity is the sole constituent college of the university and so Trinity College and the University of Dublin are for most practical purposes synonymous.
Queen Victoria issued letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in 1857 giving legal foundation to the senate, and other authorities specific to the university – but the high court held in 1888 that these dealt with "not the incorporation of the University of Dublin but of its Senate merely", the judge noting pointedly, referring to the founding of University College Dublin, that "The advisers of Queen Victoria knew how to incorporate a University when they meant to do so." In a remarkable High Court case of 1898, the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity were the claimants and the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin were among the defendants, and the court held that Trinity College and the University of Dublin "are one body".
However, the actual statutes of the university and the college grant the university separate corporate legal rights to own property and borrow money and employ staff.
Detail
The university is governed by the university senate, chaired by the chancellor or their pro-chancellor. The Senate was constituted by the Letters Patent of 1857 as a body corporate under the name, style, and title of "The Chancellor, Doctors, and Masters of the University of Dublin", empowered by statements such as "It shall be and shall continue to be a body corporate with a common seal, and shall have power under the said seal to do all such acts as may be lawful for it to do in conformity with the laws and statutes of the State and with the Charters and Statutes of the College. It shall consist of the Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellors, and such Doctors and Masters of the University as shall be members of the Senate in accordance with such regulations and conditions as the Board shall enact." The "Board" in the above case however is the governing authority of Trinity College, so it would seem the University has also some degree of subsidiarity to the Board of the College, but this is countered by the role of visitors below.Each meeting of the Senate is headed by a "Caput", consisting of the Chancellor, the Provost of Trinity College (or Vice-Provost in their place) and the Senior Master Non-Regent. (A Master of Arts is called a Regent during the three years following the time when he or she took that degree; subsequently he or she is designated as Non-Regent, and one elected by the Senate from among the Masters Non-Regent, by statute, is, according to ancient usage, designated as "Senior Master Non-Regent".)
At the first Public Commencements of the academic year the Senior Master Non-Regent is elected on the proposition of the Chancellor and the Provost. The Senior and Junior Proctors and the Registrar also make the declaration which is appropriate to their respective offices. In attendance also are, usually, the Registrar (who is responsible for legal and administrative matters) and the Junior and Senior Proctors (who present undergraduate and postgraduate candidates for degree commencement ceremonies). There is also a mace holder, the Chief Steward (responsible for College Security) or his deputy, who proceeds the Caput in a procession. Attendees stand while the procession progresses to the head of the room. These ceremonies are usually conducted in the Public Theatre in the front square of Trinity College. Business is conducted in Latin and the Chief Steward verbally asks for each candidate to be put under scrutiny by saying "ad scrutinum", with the Doctors and Masters of the Senate then asked in turn as distinct groups to consent to the degree being awarded to the candidate.
Under statutes the University Senate also elects two members to the University Council, chaired by the Provost and having the Senior Lecturer of the College as secretary, which governs academic matters. The current Provost of Trinity, John Hegarty
John Hegarty
John Hegarty was elected 43rd Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in 2001 for a ten-year term.-Life:He was born in Claremorris, County Mayo, and was educated locally at St Colman's College...
, formerly Dean of Research, was elected in 2001. The franchise for the Provost election is the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College. The University Council is in effect part of the College, and not of the Senate. The Senate also elect members to the Library Committee which oversees the Trinity College Library
Trinity College Library, Dublin
Trinity College Library Dublin, the centrally-administered library of Trinity College, Dublin, is the largest library in Ireland. As a "copyright library", it has legal deposit rights for material published in the Republic of Ireland; it is also the only Irish library to hold such rights for the...
.
Traditionally, sports clubs also use the moniker "University" rather than "College". Some of the legal definitions and differences between college and university were discussed in the reform of the
University and College in The Charters and Letters Patent Amendment Bill which later became law but many of the College contributions to this were unclear or not comprehensive, possibly because it concerned an internal dispute within College as to outside interference and also as misconduct by College Authorities in overseeing voting which led to a visitors enquiry which in turn found problems with the voting procedures and ordered a repeat ballot.
The Visitors are also dealt with in Statutes and consist of the Chancellor of the University and one other person (usually a member of the Judiciary) and are a final appeal should anyone contest a decision of the Board or a procedure within College which has been appealed through Departmental School, Faculty, Council, and Board levels and is still contested. The visitors can therefore overturn a decision of the Board. Given the Chancellor of the University is one of two visitors and has the overall authority in difference of opinion between both visitors, it would seem the Board of the College has also some degree of subsidiarity to the University.
Other contributions on Trinity College can be found in submissions to the Oireachtas on reform of Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
, the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the Irish Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
, since the University elects members to that body) and in particular the verbal submission of the Provost.
Current officers
Dr Mary RobinsonMary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
is the current Chancellor of the University, its titular head, and there are an up to six pro-Chancellors, who can act in her place. In November 2010, when Professor Petros Florides was inaugurated these also included Dr Tony O’Reilly, Dr Patrick Molloy, Dr Dermot McAleese, Dr John Scattergood and Dr David Spearman.
Senate composition
The undermentioned persons are members of the Senate, provided that in each casethey are Doctors or Masters of the University:
- Resident Doctors or Masters of the University, that is, Doctors or Masters who are not members of the College or University staff but who hold rooms in College or are in attendance on lectures in arts or in the professional schools.
- Doctors and Masters of the University who have held a Studentship of the University, or are Moderators who have obtained a large gold medal, or Moderators who have obtained a gold medal in or after 1935, or Moderators who have obtained two Moderatorships of a class higher than class III, and who have applied to the Registrar of the Senate for membership of the Senate, without payment of fee.
- Former Fellows of the College.
- Representatives and former representatives of the University in Seanad Éireann.
- Members of the staff of the College or University, during their tenure of office.
- Doctors or Masters of the University who have applied to the Registrar of the Senate for membership of the Senate, and have paid a fee of (£5 in 1966 – in 2009 about €50)
In each academic year, the Senate holds not less than four Stated Meetings for the
Conferring of Degrees; of these Meetings, which, according to ancient usage, are known in the
University as "Public Commencements", two shall be held in Michaelmas Term, and two in
Trinity Term.
The Senate also holds a Stated Meeting in Hilary Term for the purpose of transacting
business of the Senate other than the conferring of degrees.
Reputation
Rankings
- Times Higher Education Supplement Global Ranking
- 43rd overall globally and 13th in Europe, up from fifty-third globally in 2007 and forty-ninth in 2008, 37th for Arts and Humanities globally (up from thirty-ninth in 2006), and the only Irish University in the top 100 (there are 4 in the top 300).
- Financial Times MBA Ranking
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Ranking
- 203rd globally and 1st in Ireland.
- Whitefield Consulting Worldwide – European MBA Rankings 2007
- 16th in Europe and 1st in Ireland
Early history
The idea of an Irish university was first proposed in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and a university at Dublin was authorized by Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
on the 13th July 1311, following petitioning by the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
John Lech. A Chancellor and staff were subsequently appointed to this Studium Generale and the university's students were granted royal protection in 1358 by Edward III in efforts to restart the university, another attempt to re-found in 1475 but these endeavors for a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
university came to an end with the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
of the 1530s. Following the Reformation in the 1540s Archbishop George Browne
George Browne (archbishop of Dublin)
George Browne D.D. was an English Augustinian who was appointed by Henry VIII of England to the vacant Episcopal see of Dublin. He became the king's main instrument in his desire to establish the state church in the Kingdom of Ireland.-Life:...
DD, made unsuccessful attempts to establish another University in Dublin, called Christ College at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Again in 1566 another attempt was made based on Archbishop Browne's ideas again unsuccessfully. Between 1584 and 1591 Archbishop Adam Loftus
Adam Loftus (Archbishop)
thumb|right|200px|Archbishop Adam LoftusAdam Loftus was Archbishop of Armagh, and later Dublin, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1581. He was also the first Provost of Trinity College, Dublin.-Early life:...
won the argument against the Lord Deputy of Ireland Sir John Perrot
John Perrot
Sir John Perrot served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland...
proposal for a new university at St. Patrick's, with two colleges.
In 1592, a small group of Dublin citizens obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
incorporating Trinity College Dublin, which was then and remained the only college of a new University of Dublin. The Corporation of Dublin
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...
granted the university the lands of the dissolved Priory of All Hallows, one mile to the south east of the city walls. Two years later a few Fellows and students began to work in the new College, which then consisted of one small square. During the next fifty years, the community increased. Endowments, including great landed estates, were secured, new fellowships were founded, books which formed the beginning of the great library were acquired, a curriculum was devised and statutes were framed.
Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
The eighteenth century was for the most part a peaceful era in Ireland, and the university shared its calm, though at the beginning of the period a few Jacobites and at its end a very small group of political radicals seriously perturbed the College authorities. During this century it was the university of the Protestant ascendancy. Parliament, meeting on the other side of College Green, viewed it benevolently and made generous grants for building. The first building of the new age was the Library, begun in 1712; then followed the Printing House and the Dining Hall; and 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.The nineteenth century was 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 sound basis by legislation in 1800 and under the inspiration of James Macartney, the brilliant and quarrelsome anatomist, that it was in a position to play its full part, with such teachers as Graves
Robert James Graves
Robert James Graves, M.D., F.R.C.S. was an eminent Irish surgeon after whom Graves' disease takes its name. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Fellow of the Royal Society of London and the founder of the Dublin Journal of Medical Science...
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.
Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
issued letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in 1857 giving legal foundation to the Senate and other university authorities.
Twentieth century
The School of Commerce was established in 1925, and the School of Social Studies in 1934. In 1962 the School of Commerce and the School of Social Studies amalgamated to form the School of Business and Social Studies. The School of Pharmacy was established in 1977.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.
In 2000 the College embarked on a "reform" process with the intention of "restructuring" the six faculties into three. After five years of debate the restructuring had attained five Faculties and two "super schools" or "Vice Deaneries". The governing Authority had also eliminated a debt of about three million Euro. A new Governing Authority were then elected and another "restructuring" plan presented to them. This resulted in three faculties but had increased the debt to over five million.
In 1977 the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was transferred to University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
in an arrangement in which UCD also gained the sole Agriculture Faculty but Trinity College establish a dental Hospital.
Recent years
The University of Dublin is today in the very centre of Dublin, as the city has moved eastwards. Its campus contains many buildings of architectural merit, especially from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These include the Chapel and Examination Hall designed by Sir William Chambers and the Museum Building designed by the Irish architects Thomas Newenham DeaneThomas Newenham Deane
Sir Thomas Newenham Deane was an Irish architect, the son of Sir Thomas Deane, and father of Sir Thomas Manly Deane, who were also architects....
and Benjamin Woodward
Benjamin Woodward
Benjamin Woodward was an Irish architect who, in partnership with Sir Thomas Newenham Deane, designed a number of buildings in Dublin....
.
Access for Catholics and women
During its early life, the University of Dublin was a university exclusively for the Protestant AscendancyProtestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
class of Dublin – Elizabeth actually expressed the hope that it would help shape a more developed loyal ruling class. The 1637 statutes required that students entering college take an oath of allegiance to the Protestant crown, the oath of supremacy, and a declaration against transubstantiation (a basic tenet of the Roman Catholic faith).
Following the first steps of Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
, Roman Catholics were first admitted in 1793 (prior to Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
). In 1873 all religious tests were abolished, except for the Divinity School
Divinity School
Divinity School may refer to:* The common noun, divinity school* When used as a proper noun, may be an abbreviated reference to one of the following:** Beeson Divinity School** Berkeley Divinity School** Brite Divinity School...
. However, it was not until 1970 that the Roman Catholic Church, through the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
, lifted its policy of excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
for Roman Catholics who enrolled without special dispensation, at the same time as the university authorities allowed a Roman Catholic chaplain to be based in the university. Trinity College, Dublin is a sister college
Sister college
Harvard University and Yale University in the USA and Oxford University and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom have a tradition of pairing their respective residential colleges or Houses with one another. Colleges that are paired are referred to as sister colleges, and have a ceremonial and...
to Oriel College, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and St John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Women were admitted to the University of Dublin as full members for the first time in 1904.The first female professor was appointed in 1934.
Degrees
Graduates of liberal degrees, i.e. non-professional such as Humanities or Science, receive an honours Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree after four years, but may receive an ordinary B.A. after three years' study. Bachelors of at least three years' standing may proceed to the degree of Master of Arts
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
.
From 1975 onwards, University of Dublin degrees were also awarded to graduates at the colleges of the Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...
(DIT); this practice continued until 1998 when DIT gained the ability to award degrees in its own right.
Parliamentary representation
For more details see University of Dublin (constituency).The University has been represented since 1613 when James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
granted it the right to elect two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs) to the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
. When the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain were joined with the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
, which came into force in 1801, the University sent one MP to the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
until 1832, when it was given another. It continued to elect two until the establishment of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
in 1922. The Government of Ireland Act 1920
Government of Ireland Act 1920
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which partitioned Ireland. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill or as the Fourth Home Rule Act.The Act was intended...
provided for a House of Commons of Southern Ireland, for which the University was to elect four MPs as in Westminster, where University representatives were MPs and not Lords, University of Dublin seats were in the Dáil and not the Seanad. These were the only MPs to attend the opening of the House in 1921 since Sinn Féin candidates in the twenty-six counties were returned unopposed and took the other 128 of the 132 seats. Sinn Féin recognised their own Parliament determined by the Irish people as distinct to any continuation of British legislative rule under the British Government of Ireland Act. From 1923 to 1936, the University elected three TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
s to sit in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
. Since the new Constitution of Ireland
Constitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
in 1937, the University has elected three Senators to Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
.
The current representatives of the University are Ivana Bacik
Ivana Bacik
Ivana Catherine Bacik is an Irish politician and academic. She has been Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College, Dublin Law School since 1996, and was a made a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 2005. She was elected a Senator for the University of Dublin...
, Sean Barrett
Sean Barrett
Sean Barrett may refer to:*Sean Barrett , British actor whose credits include Z-Cars*Sean Barrett , Irish transport economist and Senator...
and David Norris. Notable representatives have included Edward Gibson, W. E. H. Lecky
William Edward Hartpole Lecky
William Edward Hartpole Lecky, OM was an Irish historian.-Early life:Born at Newtown Park, near Dublin, he was the eldest son of John Hartpole Lecky, a landowner....
, Edward Carson, Noel Browne
Noel Browne
Noël Christopher Browne was an Irish politician and doctor. He holds the distinction of being one of only five Teachtaí Dála to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil. His controversial Mother and Child Scheme in effect brought down the First Inter-Party Government of John A...
, Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish politician, writer, historian and academic. Although his opinion on the role of Britain in Northern Ireland changed over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, he always acknowledge values of, as he saw, the two irreconcilable traditions...
and Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
.
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 M.A. and in 1918 all those who had received a degree from the University.
See also
- Education in the Republic of IrelandEducation in the Republic of IrelandThe levels of education in Ireland are primary, secondary and higher education. In recent years further education has grown immensely. Growth in the economy since the 1960s has driven much of the change in the education system. Education in Ireland is free at all levels, including college , but...
- List of early modern universities in Europe
- List of universities in the Republic of Ireland
- List of alumni of the University of Dublin
- List of Chancellors of the University of Dublin