Issue 15 October 2010 www.tcd.ie/alumni
TrinityToday A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
The Evolving
Campus 300 Years of
Trinity Medicine
Redefining the
University
Entrepreneurial
Alumni
NEWS
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•
F E AT U R E S
•
INTERVIEWS
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Trinity Alumni Events
2010/11
When were you last in College? DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
2010 03
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER
An insider view of the Science Gallery with Director Michael John Gorman
THURSDAY
25
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
Alumni Career Network Science Gallery (For five weeks beginning 18 January)
FRIDAY
Digital Humanities at the Trinity Long Room Hub with Professor Jane Ohlmeyer
WEDNESDAY
08
2011 18 08 APRIL
SATURDAY
Christmas Commons Dining Hall
Trinity Ball SUNDAY
27 28 AUGUST
AUGUST
• Alumni Weekend • Celebrations for the Tercentenary of the School of Medicine
WEDNESDAY
22 DECEMBER
Christmas Homecoming Dining Hall
This is a selection of events from the Alumni Calendar. For full list of events and to book online visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/events
intment! po ap is d id o av o t ly Book ear
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Trinity Today | WELCOME
Editor’s Letter Dear Graduate, WELCOME to the 2010 edition of Trinity Today, Trinity’s annual alumni magazine. We hope that you find it an interesting and stimulating read. The theme this year is ‘The Evolving Campus’. As we go to press, a new institute for arts & humanities research – the Trinity Long Room Hub – has just opened. You can read more about this state-of-the-art building, and other exciting developments on our ever-changing campus, in Dr Christine Casey’s article on pages 16-19. The University is not just evolving physically, but conceptually too – a topic that outgoing Provost Dr John Hegarty discusses in depth in a wide-ranging interview on pages 12-15. He looks back with Trinity Today over the 10 years of his Provostship – a decade of radical change both in Ireland and in the third-level sector – and discusses the importance of a more flexible approach to academic disciplines and to ways in which the University can develop in the years ahead. Last year, we conducted a survey asking readers what they would like to see more of in Trinity Today. For many of you, the answer was features about your fellow alumni. We hope you enjoy the interviews in this edition – with, among others, airline executive Willie Walsh, comedian Risteárd Cooper, and United Nations Legal Counsel Patricia O’Brien – and agree that the breadth and variety of our graduates’ activities and achievements is a great testament to what a Trinity education can provide.
Editor: Jennifer Taaffe Editorial Team: John Dillon Sally-Anne Fisher Michael McCann Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn Marcella Senior Nick Sparrow
‘Front Square at night’ by Fionn McCann, taken during the Illume Exhibition, September 2010.
Photographers: Mac Innes Photography Fionn McCann Conor O'Kelly Paul Sharp
The Trinity alumni community continues to expand. There are now some 90,000 of us in over 130 countries worldwide! And it has never been easier to keep in touch. The alumni website contains all the information you need to find an alumni group, an event or a service of benefit to you, be it social, professional or educational. Start today by visiting www.tcd.ie/alumni. Medical graduates will be interested to read about the year-long celebrations that are planned for the School of Medicine Tercentenary. And graduates from all disciplines are invited back to campus for the Alumni Weekend in August 2011. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at these and other events, but at any time you can get in touch with me by emailing alumni.relations@tcd.ie. Many thanks to all who have helped put this magazine together. Jennifer Taaffe B.A. (1997) Alumni Relations Director
With thanks to: Trinity Foundation Communications Office DUCAC DU Publications SU Offices Publishers: Ashville Media Group www.ashville.com
We would be delighted to receive your feedback: TCD Alumni Relations, East Chapel, Trinity College, Dublin 2 t. +353 1 896 2088 e. alumni.relations@tcd.ie The opinions expressed in these pages are not necessarily shared by TCD Alumni Relations or Trinity College Dublin.
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CONTENTS | Trinity Today
20
Contents 4
Campus News Catch up on all the news from another busy year on campus.
12 Redefining the University Provost Dr John Hegarty speaks candidly to Louise Holden about his ten years at the helm of Trinity College.
16 The Evolving Campus
Dr Christine Casey takes us on a guided tour of Trinity’s architectural wonders.
20 300 Years of Trinity Medicine
Trinity Today celebrates the School of Medicine Tercentenary with details of what's in store for 2011 and interviews with a range of the faculty's successful graduates.
54
From Engineering to the Engine Room
24 Spectrum − The Invisible Resource
Director of CTVR, Linda Doyle, speaks to Trinity Today about the extraordinary potential in wireless communications.
26 Wild Child
TV personality Liz Bonnin on her passion for the natural world.
28 Trinity Research & Innovation
Dr Guido Mariotto, founder of spin out company Miravex Limited and Dr David Lloyd, Dean of Research, tell Trinity Today about the wealth of potential for innovation on campus.
32 Working Together
Sean Gannon, Director of the Careers Advisory Service outlines how the Trinity Career Network is helping to get graduates back to work.
Work of Art
42
34 High Flyer
CEO of British Airways, Willie Walsh speaks to Simon Carswell about industrial disputes, political wrangling and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.
36 Home Boys
David Malloy speaks to two of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs, brothers and creators of Daft.ie, Brian and Eamonn Fallon.
39 Tomaí Ó Conghaile
Labhair Aonghus Dwane, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, le Tomaí Ó Conghaile, céimí de chuid TCD, faoina shaol agus a chuid oibre.
40 Good Counsel
Patricia O'Brien, United Nations Legal Counsel, talks to Patrick Freyne about her Trinity roots and European outlook.
12
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trinity Today | CONTENTS
Home Boys
36
4
Campus news
26
42 work of Art
Catherine Giltrap, Curator of the Trinity Art Collections celebrates 50 years of artistic genius at Trinity College.
44 trinity Fictions
Dr Eve Patten on how Trinity has inspired some of the world’s most acclaimed writers.
40 Good Counsel
46 the Orchestrator
Judith Woodworth, Director of the National Concert Hall speaks to Aoife Crowley about the importance of the arts to Ireland.
48 Après trinity
Funnyman Risteárd Cooper shows us his serious side and passion for theatre.
Wild Child
50 On the Ball
All the news from an exciting year of sport at Trinity.
54 From engineering to the engine room
Paul Fitzpatrick catches up with Malcom O'Kelly, Ireland and Leinster rugby legend.
56 Honorary degrees
Trinity Today takes a closer look at the recipients.
70 In Memoriam
Trinity Today remembers former Provost Bill Watts, and offers condolences to the families of all deceased alumni.
74 Affinity Groups
News updates from the Trinity Business Alumni (TBA) and Dublin University Women Graduates Association (DUWGA).
58 Alumni events
75 Branch news
64 Class notes
79 Branch Contacts 80 One-on-One
CAtCH uP
High Flyer
➽
34
WIT CLASS- H MAteS
Trinity Today gets up close and personal with Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History, Eunan O'Halpin.
ON PAG E
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NEWS | Campus
Campus News . Supporting students in need
Trinity Takes to the Streets (TTTTS) has captured the imagination of alumni, friends and staff who are finding new ways to show their support for our students in need this year. TTTTS has proved a winning concept for people who want to find novel ways to participate in College life while providing direct support for the students that need it most. All funding currently goes directly to the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP), the National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID) and the Student Hardship Fund. While the major event on the calendar last year was the Dublin City Marathon, a ripple effect was created by individuals energised by the idea of TTTTS, who then created other 'offshoot' events like the TAP Laughs
Comedy Night and the Alumni Fun Run in Trinity. Word got back to our NY Alumni Group who also took up the challenge and ran a sponsored 5km fun circuit for TTTTS in Central Park. TTTTS 2010 kicked off with a wonderful 'Pimms in the Pav' evening on June 25th. Alumni and friends gathered in the newly refurbished Pav and enjoyed a balmy evening, with cricket in play and a great atmosphere all round; helped along with a plentiful supply of Pimms and some great raffle prizes. Over 80 alumni attended on the night, some of whom took the opportunity to have a mini reunion of sorts. What better way to take a trip down memory lane… Some wild and wonderful events on this year’s calendar capture the imagination and energy of our supporters, like the TAP
Barn Dance, the Donegal Mooathon, a 24 hour silence, and a poetry and coffee morning. Race contenders in the Dublin City Marathon and the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon are seeing their efforts rewarded with great support from the Trinity community. Our NY Alumni Group are once again geared up for their own TTTTS event, US style. For a full guide to what’s on, see www.trinitytakestothestreets.ie, or if you are interested in taking Trinity to the streets in your local area, contact info@trinitytakestothestreets.ie with your idea and we can help you get started. We look forward to keeping the TTTTS spirit alive and we thank you; Your support makes all the difference. www.trinitytakestothestreets.ie
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Campus | NEWS
NEW BUILDING FOR ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH, THE trInItY LOnG rOOM HuB, OPENS The Trinity Long Room Hub was officially opened by the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan on 8 September 2010. The Institute has received substantial investment of €10.8 million from the Government and European Regional Development fund under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). Key Points about the Trinity Long Room Hub: » 150 academics and over 300 postgraduate researchers are associated with the Hub. » 44 research students will be provided workspace in its Open Reading Room, allowing them to study amongst their research peers for various periods of time. » In its first year, 35 leading academics from international universities will
conduct their research at TCD through the Visiting Research Fellowships Programme » The building incorporates a digitisation suite for the post production of the digitised Library collections, making them publicly accessible; two conference venues which will host events, colloquia and seminars throughout the year; and the Ideas Space which has been designed for students and researchers to meet and discuss research and share ideas. » The Trinity Long Room Hub building has been shortlisted for the World Building of the Year 2010. In total, seven buildings from Ireland are on the shortlist. The judging will take place at the World Architecture Festival awards in early November. See www.tcd.ie/longroomhub for further information.
(l-r) Provost Dr John Hegarty, Minister for Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan and Academic Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, Professor Paul Holm at the opening.
The Dorian Gray Project On 30 November 2009 nearly 1,000 members of the College community participated in the Dorian Gray Project. Named for Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and based in the College Public Theatre, the project gave both students and staff an opportunity to have their portraits taken for inclusion in a College digital time capsule. Conceived of by Ronan Hodson B.A. (2004) and Joseph O’Gorman M.A. (1992) – both members of the Central Societies Committee (CSC) – the project was seen as an innovative way to promote collegiality among students and staff. Each participating individual’s portrait has been labelled, digitally filed and will be released to his or her Trinity email address on 30 November 2019. The Alumni Office has agreed to oversee the administration of opening the digital time capsule and the email delivery utilises the recent development of Trinity’s email for life policy. Although it is unlikely that any individual will have the good fortune to retain unblemished youth like Dorian Gray, the organisers hope that the portraits will serve to bring back happy memories of College days. The second element of the project, which was completed in the early summer of 2010, is due for launch in November 2010. This component
relied on the sterling work of David Adamson B.A. (2010), winner of one of the 2010 Student Awards. Each of the Dorian Gray Project portraits was manipulated so that it was rendered into a miniature format. All of the miniatures have been organised so that each, acting as a tile, has contributed to the production of a large-scale mosaic portrait of the College. This montage of portraits caught, in an instant of time, symbolises the living element that embodies College life and will act as a testimony that College is more than just bricks and mortar, quads and cobbles. The 'Dorian Gray Project Montage' will
be unveiled during Fourth Week – 2010 (18-23 October) and will be launched in electronic format. The Central Societies Committee (CSC) facilitates and promotes the diverse and dynamic activities of Trinity College’s 100 student-run societies. Trinity Alumni seeking information about student societies can go to www.trinitysocieties.ie. There is also an option to register on the website for those wishing to catch up with societies with which they were involved. The Dorian Gray Project Montage will be accessible from 23 October 2010 on www.trinitysocieties.ie/dorianGray. Trinity Today | 5
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NEWS | Campus
trinity Business Student of the Year
2010
New Academy for the Dramatic Arts to Provide World Class Training
Business Studies student Conor O’Toole was announced as the winner of the 2010 Trinity Business Student of the Year Award for his outstanding contribution to College society life and for his entrepreneurial activities. As well as studying for a degree in Business Studies and Economics, Conor is also the founding president and chairperson of the Trinity Investment Society and has also established the Trinity Capital Managed Student Fund which gives students an opportunity to learn about investments. Conor was presented with his Award by Mark Ryan, MD Accenture Ireland and President of the Trinity Business Alumni.
A new Academy for the Dramatic Arts is being developed in collaboration with the Cathal Ryan Trust in association with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), in London. The Academy will have the highest international standards in education and training for actors, directors, designers, playwrights, stage managers and technicians. It will provide three courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level which have been designed in Trinity’s School of Drama, Film and Music, by Professor Brian Singleton in association with RADA. The first intake of students will be in the 2011/12 academic year and the Academy for the Dramatic Arts will be housed in a refurbished, stateof-the-art building in the Trinity Technology and Enterprise Campus at Grand Canal Dock.
(l-r) Mark Ryan B.A (1982) presents Conor O’Toole with his prize.
(l-r) Provost Dr John Hegarty, Edward Kemp RADA Director and Danielle Ryan of the Cathal Ryan Trust.
Ballagh Prints for Sale The Trinity Trust and the Irish Architectural Archive have a limited number of prints by Robert Ballagh for sale. There are 10 copies each of 2 views: (1) The Campanile from within a room in the Rubrics. €425 (p&p €10 extra) (2) The Examination Hall from beneath the Campanile. €450 (p&p €10 extra) Both lithographs may also be ordered as a pair at the special price of €850, (p&p €10 extra). Orders should be sent to Clodagh Bowen, c/o TCD Trust, East Chapel, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Prints can also be ordered on www.tcd.ie/alumni/services/other/print.php
(1)
(2)
Donor Report 2008/09
The latest Donor Report outlines the depth, variety and importance of Trinity's College’s priority projects. These initiatives are being delivered thanks to the generosity and commitment of our donors, supporters and volunteers. The University is deeply grateful to them all. The 2008/09 Donor Report can be viewed at www.tcd.ie/alumni/news
Trinity Celebrates Ten Years of its Disability Service To mark the tenth anniversary of the Trinity College Disability Service, a symposium presenting research by the Disability Service staff on support for students with disabilities and a booklet documenting the experiences of students with disabilities was launched in June. The last ten years has seen the Trinity College population of students with disabilities grow from a very small number to almost 700. Trinity now has the highest number of students with disabilities of all third level colleges in Ireland. To celebrate the many success stories, the Provost Dr John Hegarty launched an anniversary booklet, 'Ten years of student experiences', at the event. It documents the inspirational stories of a number of current students and recent graduates with disabilities who, over the last ten years, have achieved academic success at third level. www.tcd.ie/disability
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Campus | NEWS
Trinity Annual Fund
Minister for Health Opens New Pharmacy Facility at Trinity
Sociology and Psychology student, Darren Allen, and English Literature and Classical Civilisation student, David Adamson, were announced as the overall winners of the 2010 Trinity Annual Fund Student Awards. Darren and David received the awards in recognition of their outstanding contribution to Trinity life in the past year in sports clubs, societies and other areas of College life. Since his first year in College Darren Allen has acted as a Trinity Access Programmes Ambassador and is also heavily involved in the Dublin University Judo Club. David Adamson has been involved in the Central Societies Committee in College and has also been instrumental in organising the Philosophical Society’s re-enactment of the Trials of Oscar Wilde.
A teaching facility which will provide training to the highest standard for Ireland’s pharmacists of the future was officially opened by the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD (B.A 1976), at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin in June. The facility is a collaborative initiative between Trinity and Boots Ireland, with the support of Helix Health. Professor Marek Radomski, Head of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences explained: “The facility is intended to be the most advanced in Ireland and allow Trinity to provide the highest standard of professional and research training to pharmacists of the future. Over the past years our School has greatly benefited from a strong partnership with Boots and we are very pleased to now also have Helix Health as one of our strategic partners. The project highlights the importance of university-industry relationships for the benefit of third level education and research in Ireland.”
Student Awards 2010
Background (l-r) David Kearney, Connall Fitzgerald Foreground (l-r) Orlaith Foley, David Adamson, Darren Allen (Photo by Eoin Holland). Minister for Health, Mary Harney TD pictured with staff at the pharmacy opening.
CRANN Opens Ireland’s Most Advanced Nano Research Facility CRANN, the TCD and UCC based nanoscience research institute, officially opened its €12 million Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (AML) in April 2010. The world class nanoscience research facility features some of the world’s most powerful microscopes, allowing material to be viewed at the atomic scale. The CRANN AML will allow Ireland to compete globally to win new research funding and foreign direct investment that would previously have been beyond our capability. Importantly, the facility will also provide direct value to indigenous companies working in the medical device, ICT and pharmaceutical sectors. The CRANN AML, which was funded by the Higher Education Authority and Science Foundation Ireland, was officially opened by the Minister for Labour Affairs, and Public Service Transformation, Mr Dara Calleary TD (B.A 1996).
Minister Dara Calleary TD pictured with Dr Despina Bazou with the Helium Ion Microscope.
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NEWS | Campus
India’s Minister for Corporate Affairs Speaks at the TCD Glucksman Symposium ‘Perspectives on India and the West: Politics, Religion and Art’ was the theme of the eighth Lewis Glucksman Memorial Symposium organised by the Trinity Long Room Hub. The symposium featured three experts in the fields of Indian politics, religion and art who in their talks highlighted the longstanding connections between India and the West. India’s Minister for Corporate Affairs, Shri Salman Khurshid, closed the symposium with a presentation on the experience of minorities in India and the west. Above left, Shri Salman Khurshid, India’s Minister for Corporate Affairs, at the launch of the Symposium and, above right, with Provost Dr John Hegarty.
0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 Digitising your research 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 part of its strategy 0101010101 to enhance electronic0101010101 access to its 0101010101 As 0101010101 collections, the College Library has recently completed 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 project to digitise over 200 theses mainly 101010101a feasibility 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 on subjects in History and History of Art. This group of 101010101 Ph.D. 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 and M Litt theses was submitted over the past 60 101010101 years. 0101010101 0101010101 It includes research on subjects from 0101010101 the history of 101010101 medieval 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 warfare, freemasonry, hedge schools, clothing 101010101 design 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 and manufacture, to botanic illustration and early 101010101 Irish 0101010101 wood sculpture. 0101010101 0101010101 The plan is to make0101010101 all of these theses fully available 101010101 0101010101 0101010101 TARA – the University’s Institutional Digital Archive 101010101 in0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 and managed in the Library – they will be fully indexed 101010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 in Google and other search engines and will promote 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 awareness of the research activity and intellectual 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 achievements of Trinity’s alumni. 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 The copyright remains with the original0101010101 authors and 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 the present conditions requiring full acknowledgement 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 in any reference to the work will remain.0101010101 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 The Library regards this as an exciting 0101010101 opportunity to give great exposure to higher degree0101010101 dissertations, 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 but it is important to give any alumni an0101010101 opportunity 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 to withhold their thesis from such exposure, if they 01010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 wish. The Library aspires to an ambitious digitising 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 programme for all of its collection of 4,000 theses. 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 Further information ON the thesis 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 digitisation project and contact details 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 for those wishing to comment or enquire . 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 on their own work are on the Library s 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 web site at: 1010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 www.tcd.ie/Library/using-library/theses. 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 php#DigitisationProject 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 8 | Trinity Today 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 010101 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 010101TRINITY 0101010101 0101010101 0101010101 TODAY 2010.indd 8
Bliain den scoth don Ghaeilge i TCD Bhí bliain iontach ag Oifig na Gaeilge i 2009-2010. Don chéad uair, ceapadh Meantóir, Orlaith Ní Fhoghlú, ar an dá scéim cónaithe Gaeilge (ar an gcampas agus i nDartraí) agus eagraíodh neart imeachtaí, ina measc turas chuig an Oireachtas, céilí i Halla na Tríonóide, tóraíocht taisce uibheacha agus ciorcail comhrá, agus bhí neart ócáidí sóisialta eile ag na mic léinn chomh maith. Trí chomhaontú leis an eagraíocht Gael Linn, cuireadh réimse leathan ranganna Gaeilge ar fáil do phobal an Choláiste, idir mhic léinn agus bhaill foirne, ag ceithre leibhéal- A1, A2, B1 agus B2. Cúis bhróid a bhí ann don Choláiste nuair a tháinig an tAire Gnóthaí Tuaithe, Pobail agus Gaeltachta, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, inár dteannta i mí Feabhra, leis an chéad Scéim Teanga a sheoladh don Choláiste. Sa Scéim, leagtar amach gealltanais maidir le feabhsú ar sheirbhísí dátheangacha i TCD a dhéanfar idir 2010 agus 2012. Agus bhí Éigse na Tríonóide den scoth againn i mbliana! Féach www.tcd.ie/gaeloifig le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais.
An Cumann Gaelach.
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Campus | NEWS
Science Gallery Continues to Wow! Since opening in February 2008 over 500,000 visitors - five times the original projections - have experienced Science Gallery and its unique engagement approach to science and art. The Gallery has been recognised internationally with a Special Commendation for innovation in the museum sector at the European Museum of the Year Awards in 2010. Additionally a Science Gallery led consortium secured European Framework Programme funding for an ambitious three year project ‘Studiolab’ succeeding against stiff competition in the first ever Science and the Arts call. The success of Science Gallery shows the huge public interest in science as Dublin prepares to be the European City of Science in 2012. At the launch of the Science Gallery second annual review Michael John Gorman said: “We look forward to playing a central role in bringing science throughout the city during Dublin’s tenure as European City of Science in 2012. Beyond Ireland, there is currently significant international interest in the model of Science Gallery as a new, dynamic interface between the University and the city. Dublin has the distinction of having created the world’s first Science Gallery, but I would hope to see at least 20 Science Galleries around the globe by 2020, inspiring a new generation of Leonardos around the world and connecting them to Ireland.” BIOrHYtHM: MuSIC And tHe BOdY is Science Gallery’s latest flagship show, following in the footsteps of Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, LOVE LAB, What If... and the family favourite BUBBLE.
Shakespeare in Front Square In June the works of William Shakespeare took centre stage in Front Square. The event, organised by the Dublin University Players, saw over 45 free performances around the city in various locations such as St Stephens Green, the Irish Botanical Gardens and Christchurch Cathedral with a headline act each night in Front Square. Alongside one-off performances, lectures, comedic sketches and live music, a feature of the week was the community outreach programme. Performers from both Ireland and abroad actively participated in this initiative that saw both live performances and interactive workshops taking place in 12 Dublin schools with the aim of bringing Shakespeare back into the classroom.
Ryan Tubridy along with several of the performers at the official launch of the Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival.
www.sciencegallery.com Trinity Today | 9
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NEWS | Campus
TCD Association and Trust
History post-grads visit Northwestern University
This year the TCD Association and Trust Annual Booksale celebrated 21 years of success. In these austere times the money that it raises for the enhancement of the research collections in the College libraries is more important than ever as many other sources of funding have dried up. The sale was held earlier in the year than is usual being on 18th-20th March 2010, and the proximity to St. Patrick’s Day had some effect in the numbers attending.
A group of post-graduate students from the Department of History visited Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois last May to take part in an exchange programme based around the theme ‘Empire and Violence’. The trip was made possible by generous funding from the Trinity North American Alumni. With researchers focusing on periods from the 1100s to the 1980s and places from Ireland to the Philippines, the aim of the conference was to discuss common themes which resonate throughout the world and throughout history. In this most stimulating research environment, the Trinity students benefited hugely from the round table sessions with their colleagues from Northwestern and also from the enthusiasm of the faculty members of the History Department. As well as the meetings in Northwestern, the postgraduates spent a day in the Newberry Library, Chicago’s oldest public library. Many thanks to Dr David Spadafora and Dr James Grossman, Vice President for Research and Education at the Newberry Library, for accommodating the students. Thanks also to Newberry Library benefactors Anthony Mourek and Dr Karole Mourek.
Annual Booksale
tions towards next year’s sale. The Committee welcomes contribu
For further details contact the Committee at: booksale@tcd.ie or telephone +353 1 896 2276
TCD Celebrates Women's Achievements To mark International Women’s Day 2010, Trinity College Dublin launched a week long schedule of exciting events throughout College with the opening of a photographic exhibition in the College Sports Centre showcasing girls and women in developing countries around the world. Women’s achievements in technology and the arts were celebrated, while at the same time awareness was raised of the inequalities that women still experience, on both a national and international level. All events marked the contributions of women in different artistic and scientific fields and recognised the role of both men and women in attaining equality of participation.
Department of History post-graduate students at the Newberry Library.
tCd Historical Society win anniversary debate
The debating team of Trinity College’s Historical Society took the honours for the fourth year in a row at this year’s Irish Times Debate, the 50th anniversary of the event. The winners, Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin and Niall Sherry, beat off competition from debaters from five third level institutions to win the Demosthenes Trophy. Debating against the motion ‘This House Believes that Ireland Owes a Debt of Gratitude to Fianna Fáil 1926 – 2010’, the winning team achieved a confident victory to take the prestigious prize. Nobel laureate and former first minister of Northern Ireland Lord David Trimble chaired the debate.
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Campus | NEWS
T
PHOTOGRAPHY Competition
he Trinity Today Photography Competition, which was open to all students, staff and alumni provided applicants with artistic license to submit images (old and new) that they felt captured the character and spirit of the College. The response was tremendous and we are delighted to announce the 2010 competition winners...
students
Callum Swift
OVERALL WINNER
Alessio Frenda RUNNER UP
alumni Adrian Costigan
WINNER
Beverly Turner
RUNNER UP
staff John Rowland
WINNER
Debra Birch
RUNNER UP
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INTERVIEW | Provost
Redefining the University
Dr John Hegarty was elected Provost of Trinity College Dublin in August 2001. Under his leadership, the College has transformed the way in which it engages with society – building the world’s first Science Gallery, establishing the National Institute for Intellectual Disability, forming the Innovation Alliance with UCD and building links with cultural institutions in Ireland and beyond. As he enters the last year of his Provostship, the former physics professor reflects on Trinity today with Louise Holden.
I
n 2001 hopes for Ireland were high. The country had shed its disadvantaged status and entered into direct competition with global economic powers. Irish higher education was expected to be a world player, but resources did not reflect expectations. Eminent laser physicist Dr John Hegarty was appointed 43rd Provost of Trinity College Dublin at a watershed moment for the university sector. “It wasn’t about student numbers anymore,” says Hegarty, who will finish his tenure as Provost next year. “We had enjoyed 25 years of growth at the University. The time had come to control numbers and focus on quality.” Research was key. R&D was at a low level in Ireland but this changed with the introduction of the National Development Plan 2000-2006 in 2000, when the Irish government made a significant strategic decision to invest in a national research agenda, much of it focused at third level. TCD’s strategy was unambiguous: move up the line in R&D. “There were two prongs to this,” Hegarty outlines. “The first was to increase the cohort of postgraduates from 20 per cent to one third of the student body. The second was to generate international recognition for research activity in Trinity. Research is not valuable here if it is not valuable abroad. We recognised the need to build capacity in areas where we already had strength, such as nanoscience and immunology. We identified eight major research areas where we could excel. In terms of research impact, TCD is now in the top one per cent of institutions in the world in 15 fields. This year, for example, our research in immunology is ranked number three in the world in terms of citations in academic publications,” says Hegarty. These measures have contributed to Trinity’s steady rise through international league tables such as the Times Higher Education-QS world university rankings. With the profile, came the people, the ideas, and the money. “We had a crazy ambition in 2003 – to bring €100 million in income from research funding. We have reached that target this year,” Hegarty reveals. The nurturing of the arts and humanities has been a priority for Hegarty;“This area has been neglected in economic thinking,”he says.“The arts and humanities felt under siege in the boom years but they have as important a role to play in economic development as the sciences do.”
As part of his legacy, Hegarty hopes that his recent work in the arts and humanities field will engender a revolution in arts education at Ireland’s oldest university. It started with the announcement last year of the plans to establish a new stateof-the-art Academy of the Dramatic Arts, due for completion in 2011. “There was much dismay in 2007 when the School of Drama, Film and Music was forced to discontinue the long underfunded Bachelor in Acting Studies undergraduate degree programme,” says Hegarty. “We set up a forum on acting training involving the theatre industry to establish what was needed in Ireland. In addition to acting training, the new Academy will broaden the focus to encompass directing, writing and other critical aspects of theatre production. We are working with RADA to develop this new angle for the University,” he adds. The Academy is just one example of how Trinity is engaging with the world of the arts and humanities beyond the campus to enrich offerings within. “This is about reaching out into the city, connecting history with culture and creating networks that lead to job creation for our graduates,” Hegarty explains. To establish a conceptual foundation for the development of the arts and humanities at Trinity, Hegarty set up an internal Creative Arts, Technologies and Culture Forum, which meets once a month to share ideas across disciplines. “We have composers, poets, economists and computer scientists all around a table,” says Hegarty, clearly excited at the potential of the Forum. “The discussions spark new energy which can be developed and unleashed using all the potential we have here on campus. We have enough enthusiasts to make it happen.” The Forum is an example of how the modern University is pushing disciplines across boundaries and into new territory, according to Hegarty. Pushing out boundaries is an inherently risky business, but he insists that the University must constantly take risks, no matter what the economic context.
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Provost | INTERVIEW
There is a spontaneous and constant percolation of ideas in Trinity that makes education such a unique area to work in. It’s endlessly fascinating and it can’t be achieved from the top down. Universities have to be enabling spaces for ideas. Trinity is an excellent place for that.”
“The Science Gallery was a high risk venture. The public has a certain fear of science. The Gallery was designed to bring science and the citizen together through the medium of the arts. It has been a magnificent success. Risks like this are the job of the University.” Connections spark progress: between art and technology; campus and community; scholarship and practice; the university and the citizen. “The university has to be a more porous concept, with vaguer boundaries that allow the movement of ideas,” Hegarty muses. The important, and hitherto elusive, community of nontraditional learners has been a particular target under Hegarty’s leadership. Older learners, people with disabilities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds have not been
well-represented in Irish third level, despite the abolition of fees. “In 2005 we reserved 15 per cent of places in Trinity College for students from non-traditional backgrounds. We have exceeded that. More than 20 per cent of our students are from these targeted communities. We have quite a social mix at Trinity now," the Provost notes. “People with intellectual disabilities have not been traditionally included in higher education,” he continues. “We are challenging that. The arrival of students with learning disabilities into our programmes has had unexpected consequences for all our students. It has helped to develop people in a new way. It’s another example of how we’re not just doing ‘business as usual'." For Hegarty, new frontiers always beckon. The next phase Trinity Today | 13
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INTERVIEW | Provost
of Trinity’s growth will involve what he describes as the ‘reinternationalisation’ of the College. “Before 1970 half of all Trinity students were international. We want to double the number of non-EU students in Trinity over the next few years. This will help to diversify our funding sources and raise Trinity’s global profile even further as well as contributing to the richness of the overall student experience.” Another potential source of funding lies in philanthropy, an under-exploited resource in European higher education. “If we don’t secure resources through new channels we will be reduced to mediocrity,” Hegarty warns. Of course, the most sustainable route to financial security is to generate funding using the renewable resources at hand. Hegarty sees intellectual property as a key growth area for Trinity, higher education and the economy at large. “We’re not good at growing companies based on our own ideas. Why don’t we have our own Google for example? We need to
on the digital humanities, making novel use of the College’s own expertise in archiving and material retrieval. This is not simply an exercise in converting ink to binary code; “The Trinity Long Room Hub will explore what the digitisation of material means for education and the exploration of knowledge,” says Hegarty. “It will contribute to the creation of new types of graduates, immersed in the arts and humanities but comfortable in the digital world.” More border crossings are taking place in the field of biosciences. The construction of the flagship Biomedical Sciences Institute is the largest capital development project in the history of the University, both physically and conceptually: five schools in one place comprising 850 researchers from chemistry, pharmacy, medicine, bioengineering, biochemistry and immunology, as well as all pre-clinical medical education. “The objective is to take a view of diseases across disciplines,” says Hegarty. “New understandings arising out of
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1. Provost, President Mary McAleese and Professor Rose Anne Kenny at the launch of the public phase of the TILDA study. 2. Provost with conservation staff at the launch of the Save the Treasures of the Long Room campaign. 3. Provost pictured with students at the launch of Trinity Week 2009. 4. University Chancellor Mary Robinson LL.B., M.A., S.C., LL.D. (h.c.), H.F.T.C.D. (1967), Provost and Peter Sutherland LL.D. (h.c.) (1996). 5. Launching the Trinity Indian Society - Provost, Dr John Hegarty, Indian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, P.S Raghavan and founding member of the society, Shyam S. Sathyanarayana.
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pool our resources in higher education and take our good ideas to the next level.” To this end, the Innovation Alliance between Trinity and UCD will create a space to advance the capacity of Irish researchers and students in this domain. “We need to broaden the mindset of students. We need to encourage a greater sense of creativity and initiative around employment and entrepreneurship.” His comments touch on a wider critique of Irish second level schooling. One of the main problems with the senior cycle, says Hegarty, is the lack of connection across subjects. “The future is at the borders,” he adds. The newly developed Trinity Long Room Hub, which opened last month, occupies border territory. Hegarty describes it as “a new nerve centre for the arts and humanities” at TCD. As an institute for advanced study, the Hub will include a focus
this approach can be translated into healthcare. We are taking all our achievements in health research over the last five years and bringing them to the next level. It’s a bold experiment.” The Biomedical Sciences Institute is the second phase of the University’s Pearse Corridor development plan. It began with the Naughton Institute, which houses CRANN, the flagship nanoscience institute, and the Science Gallery, and has its foundation in 20 years of development in the sciences and engineering. The Naughton Institute is also located alongside the new Sports Centre. The Pearse Corridor developments are contributing to the rejuvenation of Pearse Street and are another significant physical step in linking Trinity with the city and its local communities, and of realising a more porous concept of the University. The opening of the Biomedical Sciences Institute is planned
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Provost | INTERVIEW
for 2011, the tercentenary of Trinity’s School of Medicine when centuries of medical advancement in Ireland will be celebrated. The new partnership between Trinity and its associated hospitals under the title ‘Trinity Health’ will be the basis for another century of innovation in healthcare, education and research. These developments are just one feature of a decade of strategic risk-taking under Dr Hegarty. “The last ten years have been challenging but not because of the recession. The Celtic Tiger years did not bring the investment in higher education that we expected but research did well, and Ireland has been catapulted into competition with the best universities in the world.” Within the College, the challenges of changing curricula, reordering structures, and uniting disciplines have resulted in significant change. “There has been a lot of change and there is a lot more to come, but the most interesting aspect of the whole process has been the emergence of people and their
Trinity secures in excess of €80 million in funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) In July 2010, the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD, announced significant Government investment in research and innovation under the HEA Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). Seventeen of Trinity’s submitted proposals were successful, securing funding of €81.9 million. Trinity will be providing an additional €20.6 million in matched funding. Provost Dr John Hegarty welcomed the announcement. “This is a significant investment in the future of this country. It involves very many of our best academic staff and students, working closely with partners in other institutions and in industry. The investment will have long term consequences for the livelihood and the spirit of the nation. There are still major funding deficits, but this is a timely recognition that our institutional strategy and our vision for job creation are correct,” he said. Major projects for which Trinity has received funding include:
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• THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE – €55.4 MILLION The Biomedical Sciences Institute is the most ambitious construction project in Trinity’s history, redefining the scientific research landscape in College and enabling Ireland to take an international lead on the delivery of quality research benefiting human health and society.
• THE TCD-UCD INNOVATION ACADEMY FOR GRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING – €861, 000 5
ideas,” says Hegarty. “There is a spontaneous and constant percolation of ideas in Trinity that makes education such a unique area to work in. It’s endlessly fascinating and it can’t be achieved from the top down. Universities have to be enabling spaces for ideas. Trinity is an excellent place for that.”
Louise Holden B.A. (1995), a graduate of English and Drama Studies is now the education feature writer for The Irish Times.
The TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance is a radical new partnership between Ireland’s leading universities to develop an innovation ecosystem for Ireland with higher education, enterprise and government driving economic recovery and the knowledge society. The TCD-UCD Innovation Academy is the educational centre piece of this alliance. The Innovation Academy will transform fourth level education and training across two institutions which together account for over 50 per cent of the Ph.D. students in Ireland.
• TEN GRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAMMES – €19.6 MILLION
Ten graduate research programmes will create 100 research positions and research platforms, partnerships and innovation models across a range of disciplines, including science and engineering, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
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FEATURE | The Evolving Campus
The Evolving Campus by Dr Christine Casey
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he architecture of Trinity College, though celebrated for its coherent classical planning and design, is in fact the outcome of many building periods. While the gridded plan of squares and gardens finds its origins in the sixteenth century quadrangle, nothing above ground is earlier than 1700. James Ussher and his contemporaries would be astounded by the scale and magnificence of the buildings which succeeded the relatively modest hall, chapel and residential ranges which housed the University during the seventeenth century. Equally, returning alumni of the late twentieth century could not fail to register the very remarkable expansion of the campus during recent decades. As in the past, new buildings have been made possible through a combination of public funding and private benefaction, the latter particularly in evidence in recent decades. While building activity has been most concentrated at the eastern end of the campus, new structures have also been inserted into the group of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings which form the sequence of squares behind the Provost’s House and the west front. In the process familiar views have been replaced by new vistas and historic buildings find themselves framed in remarkable contemporary settings. Competition and bespoke commissions have been employed to produce a rich variety of design and in several instances buildings of immense formal eloquence. The greatest expansion of College accommodation has been devoted to the sciences and the ‘East End’ of the campus now constitutes a concentrated group of new buildings, related in
structure and form, which house burgeoning disciplines such as nano and materials science, bio-sciences, pharmacology, genetics and computer science. In contrast to the Italianate and Neo-Georgian character of the original botany, physics, anatomy, zoology and chemistry buildings which screen the new buildings from College Park, the East End is characterised by a late-modernist architectural vocabulary. Initially inspired by the work of Mies van der Rohe and driven by a rational approach to structure and form, this was an architecture developed in Ireland principally by the firm of Scott Tallon & Walker which was responsible for much of the new work in College. In contrast to the gridded plan of the western campus here development is linear with a covered colonnade to the easternmost range of buildings which is linked to a terrace of brick houses on Westland Row by a long glazed internal street or concourse. In many instances the new buildings bear the names of those whose munificence brought them into being. The Nasr Institute of Advanced Materials (2000) is named for Sami Nasr and the Naughton Institute (2007) – home to the Centre for Research and Adaptive Nanostructures (CRANN), Science Gallery and a world class Sports Centre – for Martin Naughton. The Lloyd Institute of c.2000 by Cullen Payne, a twin building with the Nasr Institute, preserves a link to the past in two sculpted panels retained from the Dixon Memorial Hall of 1939 by F.G. Hicks. The stylised Portland stone sunken-relief figures, which now frame the portal of the Lloyd, represent nature and science and were carved by Wilfred Dudeney.
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The Evolving Campus | FEATURE
The Berkeley Library with the sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Sfera con Sfera, 1982-3, bronze, Trinity College Art Collection (Photograph by John Jordan). (Top line – left to right) Interior of the Ussher Library (Photograph by John Jordan) | Interior of the Dublin Dental Hospital (Photograph by John Jordan) | Parsons Building, home to the School of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering (Photograph by Ros Kavanagh).
(Bottom line – left to right) Naughton Institute (Photograph by Gerry O’Leary) | Façade of The Lloyd Institute (Photograph by Helene Binet) and Portland stone sunken-relief figure detail at the entrance.
In recent years building has extended beyond the Westland Row boundary and a pedestrian bridge links the East End to student accommodation in Goldsmith Hall which occupies a large site between the railway station and Pearse Street. Beyond it, construction is now reaching completion on the Biomedical Sciences Institute, an ambitious new facility which is gradually emerging from scaffolding to public view. Designed by RKD architects and incorporating two glazed atria and a large public concourse, the development will accommodate immunology, neuroscience, bio-engineering and a centre of excellence for cancer drug discovery. Among the most original and distinctive additions to the eastern campus in recent decades is the Parson’s Plinth for mechanical engineering added to the Parsons Building in 1995 by Grafton Architects. This consists of an ingeniously aligned and dramatically lit workshop plinth and above it a cubic laboratory strikingly faced in dark black basalt. Close by the Parsons Building with a public entrance to Lincoln Place is the Dublin Dental Hospital that includes TCD’s school of dental science, which was significantly extended in 1998 by the distinguished English architectural firm of Ahrends Burton & Koralek (ABK). ABK was founded in 1961 on the strength of Paul Koralek’s newly-won commission for the Berkeley Library at Trinity College.
The Berkeley commission was the outcome of an international competition which attracted entries from architects all over the world. Koralek drew the competition designs in his New York apartment where he was then working for Marcel Breuer. From these modest beginnings emerged a most remarkable building, arguably the finest of the twentieth-century in Ireland. Sited on the east side of Fellows’ Garden adjacent to the west front of the Deane & Woodward’s Museum building and to the eastern pavilion of the Old Library, the Berkeley is subtle in its relationship to the existing buildings and squares, sculptural in detail and magnificent in its internal lighting effects. A raised forecourt or podium between the museum and the Old Library is reached by steps and ramps from Fellow’s Garden, New Square and College Park. This raised expanse of smooth granite, punctuated by Arnaldo Pomodoro’s sculpture Sphere with Sphere (1982-3) adds enormously to the impact of the building. Those who have had the pleasure of reading in the deep oriel windows of Iveagh Hall or in the many nooks and crannies of the upper floors will recall the immense luxury of this building in terms of the sculpting of material, space and light. Such magnificence comes at a price and the splendidly solid character of the Berkeley did not lend itself to interior Trinity Today | 17
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FEATURE | The Evolving Campus
rearrangement or casual expansion. Thus with the dramatic expansion of the student population by the 1990s a new library was required and in 1998 Mc Cullough Mulvin and Keane Murphy Duff undertook the daunting task of adding a new building to the Berkeley. The Ussher Library, completed in 2003, lies off the south-east corner of Fellows’ Square on ground between the Berkeley and the College boundary wall on Nassau Street. While the burgeoning East End and the new library buildings are among the most conspicuous features of the expanding campus, a less visible though significant development is the acquisition by College of historic building stock in the vicinity of College Green. Foremost among these is the former Gas Company building on D’Olier Street which now houses the School of Nursing. Built in 1928 to designs by Robinson & Keefe it is among the most original and engaging early twentieth-century buildings in Dublin, best known for its Art Deco façade and the exotic former showrooms. The street front of grey and black polished stone with chrome-plated ornamental bolts has an etched glass frieze depicting a central flame fuelled by flanking stylised male figures. Inside the restrained Art Deco of the façade gives way to a goodhumoured vaguely Egyptian idiom. On College Green itself, the eighteenth-century Daly’s Club house once frequented by members of the Irish Parliament now houses the Treasurer’s Office and around the corner on Foster Place the wonderful interior of the former Royal Bank of 1860 designed by Charles Geoghegan is the inspiring setting for the Innovation Academy, an initiative of the Innovation Alliance established in 2009 by TCD and UCD.
Familiar views have been replaced by new vistas and historic buildings find themselves framed in remarkable contemporary settings.” These newly acquired historic buildings add significantly to the life of the University as does a vital but not so visible intervention in the fabric of the eighteenth-century College, namely the extensive restoration of the Dining Hall following a devastating fire in 1984 when the roof collapsed and the interior was exposed to the elements. In little over two years the entire building was reconstructed to designs of De Blacam & Meagher whose new servery and dining arrangements brought logic and elegance to daily lunch and evening Commons. The recipient of awards from the Architectural Association of Ireland and the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, this was a conservation project praised for its integration of rational planning and respect for historic fabric. A decade later De Blacam & Meagher would add two further buildings to the campus both tucked in behind New Square. The most conspicuous of these is the Beckett Theatre of 1993, built on a sliver of ground known as the ‘Narrows’ between New Square and Pearse Street, which has a distinctive, oak-clad rehearsal block reminiscent of a timber Shakespearean playhouse and looking almost as old with its darkened weathered finish.
(Above) The Dining Hall (Photograph by John Jordan). (Top left) The Art Deco façade and interior of the Gas Company building on D’Olier Street, home to the School of Nursing. (Bottom left) The façade and interior of the Long Room Hub (Photograph by Ros Kavanagh).
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the evolving Campus | FEATURE
dr Christine Casey is a senior lecturer in architectural history in the Department of History of Art & Architecture and an honorary member of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Her publications include two volumes in the Buildings of Ireland series including Dublin (Yale University Press, 2005) and she is editor of The eighteenth-century Dublin town house (Four Courts Press, 2010).
The most recent addition to the College buildings, completed in summer 2010, is the Trinity Long Room Hub by McCullough Mulvin which stands on the west side of Fellows’ Square opposite the Berkeley Library and next to the diminutive 1937 Reading Room. The Long Room Hub now rises behind Thomas Manly Deane’s little temple of Nike. The Hub building stands on a narrow site between the Provost’s Garden and Fellows’ Square and one of the casualties of its construction is the loss of visual connection between the Provost’s House and the square. By way of compensation its tall unbroken window surfaces frame spectacular new views of the dining hall and campanile and of the Old Library and the Berkeley. These vistas will be enjoyed by the post-graduates, post-doctoral scholars and research fellows of the Long Room Hub, a new centre for the humanities which aims to make the Long Room and library collections more readily available for study, to foster interdisciplinary research and to attract international scholars to Trinity. The footprint of the building is incredibly compact, a mere 34m x10.6m, formerly used for the parking of bicycles. This results in a very slender, towerlike form whose parapet height, attenuated form and granite cladding relate directly to the Old Library and by implication to the Long Room which is its raison d’être. ‘Buildings improving or falling into decay are unerring signs of a nation’s increasing grandeur or declension’ wrote Arthur Young in 1779. Young knew a thing or two and his assessment rings true in the remarkable expansion of Trinity’s campus in recent decades.
‘Trinity College Dublin - A wa
lking Guide’
Now that you’ve read about the buildings, why not see them for yourself using Trinity College Dublin A Walking Guide by Fergus Mulligan. Each walk in the Guide comprises a gentle stroll of 45-60 minutes, bringing you to all the main sights of the University and giving an intimate flavour of Trinity through its 400 year history and via the architecture and people who shaped the College. Photography by John Jordan. See www.tcd.ie/Library/Shop for further information or contact library.shop@tcd.ie
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FEATURE | tercentenary
A Proud Heritage Inspiring Excellence
300 years of
Trinity Medicine A
tercentenary is a big event in any institution and we certainly hope that in 2011 we can assess what has been done over the 300 years and also plan for the future. We can celebrate our strong traditions combined with the latest achievements to further
strengthen the School’s international standing, one that ranks among the best in the world. In 2011 the School of Medicine will move into a new home in the Biomedical Sciences Institute that is being built on Pearse Street. It is exciting that for the first time in recent history, the School will have facilities that will position it for the challenges of the twentyfirst century. I invite all graduates, Trinity’s 'ambassadors' around the world, to visit in 2011 and help us make the Tercentenary a real cause for celebration. We are fortunate to have very committed alumni who care deeply about the School’s progress and we look forward to seeing you here.
Professor dermot Kelleher M.D., F.R.C.P.I., F.R.C.P., F.Med Sci (1978) Head of School of Medicine Vice Provost for Medical Affairs.
school of Medicine at a Glance • Founded in 1711. • Affiliated hospitals – St James’s and Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Incorporating the National Children’s Hospital (AMNCH) – have strong public service ethos. • Major figures of Irish medicine came through TCD. • Currently 640 students from 35 countries.
Print by Tudor (1753) of the Library, showing the Anatomy House at the end of the colonnade to the right
***** 1711 First medical school building opened on 16 August. 1761 George Cleghorn, who is credited with the first description of infectious hepatitis, appointed professor. 1827 Robert James Graves, who achieved renown as a clinical teacher and for his description of hyperthyroidism, appointed professor. 1832 Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital established as a teaching hospital with funds from the bequest of Sir Patrick Dun, a leading physician at the time of the school’s establishement. 1840 William Stokes, who is acknowledged internationally as one of the founders of cardiology, elected Regius Professor of Physic. 1873 Edward Hallaran Bennet, who is remembered for his description of Bennett’s fracture of the thumb, appointed professor. 1936 Denis Burkitt, who would become famous for his work on Burkitt’s Lymphoma, graduated. 1937 William Hayes, who would become one of the leading geneticists of the twentieth century, graduated. 1953 The Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine is presented to the College by Lady Normanby in memory of her father, Walter Edward Guinness, Baron Moyne. Her brother, Lord Moyne, establishes a capital fund for its maintenance. 1994 Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at St James’s Hospital opened. 2000 Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at AMNCH in Tallaght completed. 2003 The Durkan Laboratory for Research on Leukaemia and the Institute of Molecular Medicine at St James’s Hospital established. 2011 Tercentenary.
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tercentenary | FEATURE
Up to the Challenge Stanley Quek M.B., M.A. (1970)
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n 2010, Dr Stanley Quek, a TCD medical alumnus, announced a €1 million challenge grant to support the School of Medicine’s new home in Biomedical Sciences Building. Dr Quek is hoping that TCD graduates will join in the effort. Dr Stanley Quek is a medic, former diplomat, developer and designer. He is Executive Chairman of Region Development Pte Ltd, and CEO and Group MD of Frasers Property Australasia, UK and Europe. Stanley excelled in all activities in which he became involved, representing England as national schoolboy bridge champion, recognised as an eminent family physician and more recently as one of Singapore’s leading entrepreneurs and international developers. Whilst juggling with his medical practice and running a small property development company, he rapidly extended into the international market, partnering with some of Singapore’s largest leading property companies in the acquisition of residential property sites in Sydney and London. Stanley is actively involved with each project’s detail from conceptual design to completion and is motivated by the challenge and excitement of creating innovative homes rather than financial gain. His biggest project at present is Lord Norman Foster’s first high rise residential tower in Sydney. The creation of a vertical village in an urban setting is now being used as a model for other major cities in Australia. Being a citizen of the world, Stanley transcends nationality having created thriving businesses on three continents: Asia, Australia and Europe.
Whilst not practising medicine, Stanley continues to be involved in promoting medical education. He has maintained close ties with Ireland and the Irish Universities and Medical Schools Consortium, helping to recruit qualified Asian applicants for all Irish medical schools. Stanley was the Republic of Ireland’s Honorary Consul General in Singapore, serving the Irish Communities in Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia, before the Embassy of Ireland was established in May 2000 as a result of significant increases in Irish consular and trade activities. Dr Quek is Chairman of the Singapore Ireland Fund. He sits on the boards of Trinity Foundation and of the Tercentenary Board of the School of Medicine.
”I am supporting the new home for Trinity School of Medicine as I firmly believe that students need to have world-class facilities to get world-class education.” Dr Stanley Quek
help us BuIld a neW hOMe FOr the SCHOOL OF MedICIne Are you interested in supporting breakthrough science and excellent education? How would you feel if your name, or the name of a loved one, became associated with the new building of the School of Medicine in Trinity? A named laboratory, seminar room or lecture hall will make a lasting gift permanently associated with the name of the donor—or that of a family member, friend, colleague, or professor—with Trinity.
➽ to donate please contact: tercentenary@tcd.ie
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FEATURE | tercentenary
Medical Alumni
A
&
Eileen O’Reilly with her husband Dr Ghassan Abou-Alfa.
eileen M. O’reilly M.B. (1990)
Associate Member, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University 1) what made you decide to study medicine? Several role models in the family provided strong inspiration to pursue a career in medicine and subsequently several key individuals during my medical training in Ireland provided further encouragement and support for a career in medical oncology, including Dr Peter Daly, Dr John Crown and Professor James Fennelly. 2) what does you current job involve? what do you like most about it? I am a medical oncologist working in a large comprehensive cancer center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). I treat patients with a variety of gastrointestinal malignancies, although my clinical and research activities are focused on the treatment of pancreas, biliary, neuroendocrine and primary liver malignancies. Other key activities include teaching and education and training the next generation of GI medical oncologists.
Jean Holohan
Additionally, I have a number of institutional administrative roles and I am the current president of the MSKCC Medical Staff. I have one more key feature of my work that is truly valued, and that is that I work alongside my husband, Ghassan Abou-Alfa, who is also a medical oncologist at MSKCC! 3) what has been the highlight of your career to date? Pancreas adenocarcinoma is an extremely challenging malignancy, and one day, albeit not in the imminent future, substantial and meaningful progress will be made in this disease. My hope is that I will be part of that change. As medical oncologists, we get to look after patients and their families at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Even in a small way in difficult malignancies, matters can improve for a period of time, and these small occurrences are treasured. 4) what is your most vivid memory of your time in trinity? I have many happy memories of my six years at Trinity College, of note was springtime at TCD which is a particularly beautiful time there, although also somewhat overshadowed with looming end-of-year examinations! The reputation and recognition of TCD at an international level is very heartening and I feel proud and privileged to have received my undergraduate degree there.
Jean Holohan M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O. (1980) CEO Asthma Society of Ireland
1) what made you decide to study medicine? My father was a GP in a small village in Co. Clare. He was totally dedicated to his patients and his community and he inspired both my sister and I to study medicine. Although neither of us followed him into general practice his example was fundamental to my career choice. 2) what does you current job involve? what do you like most about it? After many years in senior management in an international pharmaceutical company I decided about four years ago to realise a long held wish to work in the voluntary sector. My current role as CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland is a valuable way to use my medical background and my business skills to help and support patients at a very fundamental level. I feel strongly about the importance of patient representation in shaping and developing our health service. One of the most rewarding aspects of my current role is working with a small but dedicated team to deliver a patient service consistent with international best practice.
3) what has been the highlight of your career to date? In many ways medicine is a privileged career because everyday practice can yield an exciting event to widen our knowledge and deepen our humanity. For me, the most exciting event in the past year has been the acceptance of the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive of the Asthma Society of Ireland proposal to implement an evidence-based asthma management programme in Ireland. Implementation of this programme on a national basis will improve quality of life for thousands of patients and will reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this common chronic disease. 4) what is your most vivid memory of your time in trinity? I had never been inside the gates of College until the day I registered for pre-med. I can remember coming into Front Square, in the height of Freshers’ Week, as a young 17-yearold and finding myself in a vibrant, liberal and international community. Almost 30 years later the most enduring memory is of being immersed in a university life that was varied, stimulating and fun.
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tercentenary | FEATURE
Leo Varadkar
Ceppie Merry (in the centre) with her Ph.D. students Mohammed Lamorde and Pauline Byakika.
Leo Varadkar M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O. (2002)
Fine Gael Communications & Energy Spokesman 1) what made you decide to study medicine? Medicine is very much the family business. My father is a GP and my sister Sophie went to medical school in Trinity before me. She is now a consultant paediatrician in Great Ormond Street in London. My mother is a practice nurse and my other sister, Sonia, is a midwife. I actually studied law briefly, not many people know that. It was only for a few weeks and then I switched to medicine. I did not really like the first few years which were laboratory and lecture based and I even failed a few exams but I really got to like medicine once I got into the clinical years. I always wanted to study in Trinity. Even as a child I was attracted to the buildings and cobblestones. It was also very practical. Being a Northsider, Trinity was the easiest to get to. I loved my time in Trinity. 2) did you become involved in student politics during your time at trinity? I was involved in debating with the Hist in first year and also became secretary of the small Fine Gael branch on campus. I ran for the committee but lost out narrowly. The same week, I
Ceppie Merry M.B., Ph.D. (1991) Senior Lecturer in Global Health, TCD and St James’s Hospital 1) what made you decide to study medicine? A school friend of mine died the week that our inter cert exams began and watching her through her long illness was the main reason I chose medicine as a career. 2) what does you current job involve? what do you like most about it? I am developing collaborative research and training programmes between Trinity College and Makerere University, Uganda. I love the fact that this job involves figuring things out as we go along. 3) what has been the highlight of your career to date? Definitely the highlight has been working with children in camps for internally displaced people in post conflict northern Uganda. 4) what is your most vivid memory of your time in trinity? Professor Roy Brown from Chemistry teaching us the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation pH = pKa + log salt over acid!
Omar Shamsaldeen
was elected as chairman of Fine Gael in Trinity. With the help of a small but very active group of people we managed to increase membership and we won the “medium society of the year” award from the Central Societies Committee the next year. I am still in touch with a lot of people who were involved in the branch at the time. 3) what made you decide to go into politics full time? When I got elected to the Dail I really had no choice. I had planned to keep the two going but that turned out to be impossible. I still do a little bit of medical work and am finishing off my General Practice post-grad training at the moment. I am on the TCD/Health Service Executive training scheme so I guess I am still a Trinity student of sorts. 4) what has been the highlight of your career to date? Achieving things in opposition is difficult but a lot of the ideas that I was the first to talk about went mainstream. For example, I wrote the first policy paper calling for a rationalisation of quangos and state agencies back in March 2008 long before the McCarthy Report and the government’s plan to do so. I like to believe I started the ball rolling on that one. 5) what is your most vivid memory of your time in trinity? Probably the Trinity Ball. There’s no party like it.
Omar S. Shamsaldeen M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., B.A. (2004)
Dermatology Resident, Kuwait Board of Dermatology 1) what made you decide to study medicine? I always liked to help people so I thought being a doctor will enable me to help more people than any other job. 2) what does you current job involve? what do you like most about it? Being dermatologist I like being able to diagnose many problems from the skin, I could really be there for my patients, but also have a life outside the office. 3) what has been the highlight of your career to date? Being the best performing resident in the boards and setting up my Skin Blog where patients from any part of the world can consult me about their skin problem. 4) what is your most vivid memory of your time in trinity? The time when our final med results were published on the notice board, we all went crazy!
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INTERVIEW | linda doyle
Spectrum the invisible resource?
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o Linda, before we start, would you tell us how you came to be in trinity and what you do here? I have been in Trinity a long time, since doing a Ph.D. here in the early 1990s. I am in the School of Engineering. I am Director of the Center for Telecommunications ValueChain Research (CTVR). CTVR is an SFI funded national telecommunications research centre. It is headquartered here in Trinity and brings together researchers from six different universities in Ireland to work on problems in the telecommunications field. We work very closely with industry and have lots of industrial partners including Bell Labs Ireland, Xilinx Research Labs, NXP, M/A Com, Socowave among many others. We design telecommunication networks for the future. what in your research excites you? My work is all about wireless communications and how radios make best use of the electromagnetic spectrum. The mobile phones we all use work in specific spectrum bands. Our TVs work in different spectrum bands. Wi-Fi works on different bands again. As the whole world is becoming more and more dependent on wireless and mobile communications, spectrum becomes a scarcer resource. We try and find ways of designing communication systems that can use spectrum in a way that can eradicate this scarcity. For example -we design radios that are `cognitive’. Rather than being confined to one set of spectrum bands like all of the services mentioned above, these radios can use any spectrum that they can find that is free and they can move about as congestion levels changes. They can learn the behaviours of users and anticipate and manage spectrum needs which can allow for more dynamic planning. I love the fact that cognitive radio is such an interdisciplinary subject. It draws on communication theory, hardware design, software engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, mathematics, game theory and many other topics.
And the challenges involved are not just technical. To make our ideas work we need to shift many mindsets. For example many incumbents (e.g. mobile operators) think that cognitive radios are radios that will ‘have a mind of their own’ and completely disrupt existing services. Regulatory changes are also needed. How might this be of relevance to the general public? I am sure there are already people out there who are annoyed when their smart phones don’t work as quickly as they should or can’t connect to the internet in all the locations they want. Can you image what will happen when everyone has a smart phone and when everyone is using even more bandwidth hungry applications? So while the public may not look at a phone and see any physical difference because of the kind of things we do in CTVR, they certainly will feel the effects of a scarcity in spectrum! wow! there seems to be enormous potential here – what needs to happen now? There are lots more technical challenges to overcome. Making really flexible dynamic radios that can learn is hard! And as mentioned already there are also mindsets to be changed. In Ireland we have a great support from the regulators (Comreg) that allows us to get spectrum to test our ideas (in CTVR we really like building prototypes to showcase our ideas). This is a really important part of proving that these new mobile and wireless communication systems can actually work and will not cause interference to all around them! So we need to build more examples of these sophisticated new systems in action. You need to work with all sorts of people. Is it difficult communicating with other disciplines and people outside the university? It can be very difficult to get across what we are doing. The kind of work we do can be invisible and the technical details involved are very complex. We try all sorts of different ways of getting our ideas across. I recently came across a fantastic explanation of
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Linda Doyle | INTERVIEW
Linda Doyle, Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, speaks to Trinity Today about what intrigues and excites her about her research and why we should all be interested in the enormous potential she sees.
the Health Care system in the USA that was helpful during the debates that took place last year. It was called ‘Health Care on Napkins’. We will be doing a ‘Cognitive Radio on Napkins’ series ourselves in the coming months. I also do a small amount of research in the art and technology domain and some of my Ph.D. students come from backgrounds that are very different than those working on mainstream
Vision is the art of seeing the invisible” — Jonathan Swift, Trinity alumnus
telecoms problems. These students often open my mind to thinking very differently about technology and more importantly speaking differently about technology - I try to learn as much as I can from them and put some of it into action in CTVR.
If you had all the people who are stakeholders of Irish spectrum in a room together – what would you ask them to do? I have a long list of asks. But if I had to pick one thing I would ask them to take risks. We need to do things here that no one else is doing in the world. Even if we are not sure we should give things a go. While spectrum is a scarce resource internationally, in Ireland we have a smaller population, lower demands and the fact we are an island means we can do things here without disturbing neighbours (radio transmissions do not respect national boundaries!). I think we should be testing the latest, greatest and whackiest wireless ideas here! In CTVR we are constantly pushing the idea of Ireland as a Spectrum Playground and there is much potential. Before we go, is engineering really a discipline at all? or just a collection of unconnected DIY manuals? I am going to ignore the unconnected DIY manuals comment! I would say for me that engineering is about a particular kind of mindset. It is a mindset that is able to grasp the multifaceted and multi-disciplinary nature of a problem, a mindset that is able to deconstruct the problem into its constituent parts and map solutions to the problem. The solution or solutions may come from a collection of available techniques and fields but it's often the case that the main challenge involves translating the problem into a form that actually allows a particular technique to be applied as well as understanding the assumptions that are being made in doing so and identifying the constraints that need to be met. And the key thing is to do this for known and well-defined problems as well as futuristic problems that are less well-defined and poorly understood.
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INTERVIEW | liz Bonnin
KZ22 46 34 4322
Liz Bonnin, the biochemistry graduate with a passion for science broadcasting, speaks to David Molloy.
Kodak Film
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any Irish people will remember Liz Bonnin from RTÉ’s 'Off the Rails', and later for her time as a presenter on BBC’s venerable flagship entertainment show 'Top of the Pops'. Now, the biochemistry graduate from Trinity has left the entertainment business behind her, and is putting her degree to good use following her passion for science broadcasting. Liz fell into television quite by accident after completing her degree, she recalls. “I had applied for Ph.Ds in the UK, and had received some positive letters back. But I decided to take a year out, to decide what my next step would be. As much as I loved biochemistry, I was trying to figure out whether I was ready to do research; if that was what I wanted to do, or if I wanted to try something else. And that was when the whole TV thing happened.” Liz had, in her school and college days, been a singer in a number of bands with friends, and was, as she puts it “kind of known” in Dublin’s small entertainment scene. When producers at RTÉ were looking for a new face to present the IRMA Irish Music Awards, they approached Liz and asked her if she’d be interested. “You know what? Sometimes the most random things are the most fun. I’m taking a year out, why not have a go?”
¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
WildChild Liz in India.
“'Wild Trials' was the moment where I decided to go back to school. Filming something like that made me realise there was quite a lot of value in making a programme like that, and the message you can get out to people... it was a really important time.” Bonnin ended up winning the competition, and her prize was a trip to India to photograph wild tigers. A lifelong big cat enthusiast, this was everything she could have wanted. “That was a dream come true,” she remembers. “It was... spiritual, [there was] something powerful about the whole experience for me.” The prize involved tracking a tiger from elephant-back for days, an experience which cemented Liz’s interest in the field, and she soon after applied to the Royal Veterinary College in London for a Masters course in Wild Animal Biology. The chance to combine her scientific and broadcasting careers was an attractive prospect, and she began to look seriously at science programming. “There’s far too much light television. Entertainment is great for entertainment’s sake, but it would be great to be influencing children − and grown-ups − with science, which is what I’m ultimately passionate about. So I always had it in my head that I might marry the two together.” Prudent planning paid off; by acquiring a science programming specialist as her agent at the beginning of her Master’s course, she walked out of college (for the second time) and into BBC’s 'Bang Goes the Theory', the flagship show for practical experimentation and exploration of cutting-edge research. The spiritual successor to the classic 'Tomorrow’s World', the show has just finished its second season, and a third is in the pipeline. Set for two series a year, Bonnin loves working on the show and exploring the opportunities it provides her with. “My forte is biology and wildlife, but we all do different types of stories: I’ve been at the bottom of an ocean in Norway doing
'Wild Trials' was the moment where I decided to go back to school.” Before she knew it, Liz had a string of presenting jobs, from the children’s show 'The Den' and fashion show 'Off the Rails' to a slot on Channel 4’s news and entertainment show 'RI:SE', and later, 'Top of the Pops'. But despite all her success, something wasn’t quite right. “After a couple of years, I was beginning to miss sciences, and I began to think ‘what am I doing? What am I going to do for the rest of my life? Is this where I want to end up?’ And I knew it wasn’t,” she says. Getting back to her science roots, Bonnin tried her hand at a few technology shows here and there, but it wasn’t until she got a spot with RTÉ once more on the celebrity competition show 'Wild Trials' that she became dedicated to the idea. The show challenged participants to become wildlife photographers around Ireland, with a trip to an exotic location as the winner’s prize. 26 | Trinity Today
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liz Bonnin | INTERVIEW
The fact that I wake up every morning and work at something I’m really, truly passionate about is, I think, quite rare. It’s a blessing to be doing what I’m doing.”
drills with the Navy there, transferring submariners from a nuclear submarine... all the way to research on living forever.” Bonnin is by no means a one-trick pony either: the year-long project behind the scenes at London’s Natural History Museum, 'Museum of Life', has just finished, and she is working on a new programme on the emotions and intelligence of animals, something she feels needs to be explored more closely. Following her passions like this is something which, Liz acknowledges, she is fortunate to be doing. Within the BBC science unit, she has come to be accepted and to be an integral part of the team. “There’s a massive pool of scientific knowledge. I feel very much like part of a family for the first time in my scientific career,” she says. “The fact that I wake up every morning and work at something I’m really, truly passionate about is, I think, quite rare. It’s a blessing to be doing what I’m doing.” Yet for all her modesty, Bonnin arrived where she is today with only a small amount of luck and an awful lot of hard work. And things were not always as effortless as they might appear looking back. “Of course I’ve had low moments,” she reminisces. “Life is strange like that. It doesn’t really matter how hard you’re working, or how much you want something, sometimes things
just don’t go your way. When I was filming 'RI:SE' and 'Top of the Pops', and that all waned a little bit, it was quite difficult. I remember living off my credit card for a couple of months. I remember it being hard, but I never remember wanting to come home to Dublin. I was thinking ‘this is going to be tough’ but I was going to see it through. I’ve had moments where I’ve had disappointments, with jobs you don’t get. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to do. I think it’s about riding with it, keeping your head above water, and inevitably the tide will turn. As much as things don’t go your way all the time, if you hang in there, things pick up.” It’s OK, Liz says, to be unsure of what to do next. Take your time, she advises, and don’t feel pressured into a single path. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a year, or two or three out, before you do whatever you think you want to do. There’s a lot of focus on ‘succeeding’ and making your money. I’m not really into that whole thing. When I left I kind of, sort of knew that biochemistry wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be. Don’t put yourself under any pressure− as much as life is short, there’s a lot of time to pack lots of stuff in, and there’s plenty of time to get to your final destination.”
david Molloy B.A. (2009) is a freelance journalist working in Dublin. He served as Editor of the student newspaper, Trinity News, in the 20092010 academic year.
Liz in studio and on location. Trinity Today | 27
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FEATURE | Research and Innovation
Trinity
Research & Innovation
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n recent years the university sector in Ireland has seen significant expansion in research funding across many areas. With the increasing focus on how to deliver on the country’s strategy for the knowledge economy, interest is now centred on how to commercialise the outputs of this research by licensing to established companies or by the formation of University spin out companies. The number of spin out companies from Irish Third Level colleges increased by 250 per cent in 2009. Thirty-five companies were created from campus research last year.
Supporting Trinity’s Research Activities The Trinity Research & Innovation (TR&I) team supports researchers by assisting with the submission of highquality proposals for external research funding and by managing College’s intellectual property, technology and knowledge transfer portfolios. TR&I encourages innovation by assisting researchers at all stages of the commercialisation process and by providing entrepreneurship training.
Technology Transfer Ten new spin out companies commercialising research were approved as TCD campus companies during 2009 – two of which had formed in late 2008. These companies will exploit the latest technologies in bioscience, physical science and information and communications technology. “The government investment in research and innovation, through Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative (TTSI), has had a significant impact in the formation of these companies,” says Dr James Callaghan, Associate Director of Trinity Research & Innovation. “The resulting growth of expertise in the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), which facilitated the formation of the companies, has enabled greater commercialisation of Trinity’s world-class research achieving in 2009 the highest annual number of spin out companies by the College to date.”
FIND OUT MORE www.tcd.ie/research_innovation/
In 2009, in addition to approving these new campus companies, the TTO received 47 disclosures of novel intellectual property arising from research conducted in Trinity’s schools and research centres. Twenty-two new patent applications were filed in 2009, bringing the number of priority patent applications filed in the last three years to a total of 65. In 2009, six new licence agreements were concluded by TCD, resulting in a total of 21 over a three year period. The licences were granted to a range of companies – major multinationals, SMEs and new campus companies. Dr Margaret Woods, Technology Transfer Manager in TR&I, reports that “the expanded, experienced TTO team, put in place in mid-2008 with TTSI support, has continued to deliver impressive technology transfer results in 2010. In the first five months of the year, six further TCD campus companies were approved and five licences granted. We have a healthy portfolio of emerging technologies, and the TTO team looks forward to continuing success in the future.”
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research and Innovation | FEATURE
HOw ALuMnI
2009
Spin Out companies
Solvotrin therapeutics Ltd. ›› Many of the world’s most effective and widely-used medicines are acidic and, when taken as tablets, cause damage to the lining of the stomach. Solvotrin has invented a number of technologies which solve this problem. Academic promoter: Dr John Gilmer, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, TCD.
BioCroi Ltd. ›› The drug discovery market is driven by innovation in new therapies. BioCroi offers solutions to advance current high-content screening of drug candidates in the drug development laboratory. Academic promoter: Dr Tony Davies, School of Medicine, TCD.
Miravex Ltd. ›› Produces a hand-held imaging device which can be used in cosmetic medicine providing 3D computer-generated images of a patients’ skin with accompanying data analysis, including pigmentation and colour analysis. Academic Promoters: Professor Igor Shvets, Dr Guido Mariotto and Dr Roman Kantor, School of Physics. See Case Study on page 30.
Kinometrics’ ›› Technology product, SureWash, has been designed to improve the quality of hand hygiene among healthcare workers. SureWash is an interactive camera-system that monitors how well healthcare workers wash their hands. Academic Promoter: Dr Gerard Lacey, School of Computer Science and Statistics.
treocht Ltd. ›› Treocht is developing a webbased system to monitor global events, using print, video and audio sources, and then applying sentiment analysis to Web 2.0 and self-learning systems to deliver a rapid decision support system for financial market predictions. Academic Promoters: Professor Khurshid Ahmad, School of Computer Science and Statistics and Professor Colm Kearney, School of Business.
empowertheuser ›› (ETU) EmpowerTheUser specialises in technologies for immersive learning and developmental skills, enabling training providers to build and deliver high impact online learning for a fraction of traditional costs. Academic Promoters: Professor Vincent Wade and Dr Declan Dagger, School of Computer Science and Statistics, Professor Michael Gill and Professor Brian Fitzmaurice, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine.
recitell Ltd. ›› Provides advanced e-learning solutions for both the classroom and individual use. Its first product offerings support the teaching and assessment of reading skills using an approach that evokes traditional methods within an advanced technological environment. Academic Promoters: Professor Frank Boland and Darren Kavanagh, School of Engineering.
Share navigator Ltd. ›› Provides professional stock market software, education and support for self directed investors. Academic Promoters: Aidan Bodkin, TCD MBA graduate and Stephen Cox, UCD MBA graduate.
Anamates (jointly with UCC) ANAMATES.com provides a simple-to-use, but very powerful web-based, tool which empowers ordinary computer users to create visual animations without having to master high end professional tools, such as Flash. Academic Promoters: Brendan Tangney, School of Computer Science and Statistics, TCD, Dr Mark Tangney (UCC), James Bligh (NDRC), Dr Chris Collins (St Thomas’ Hospital, London).
Gofer ICt ›› Gofer is a mathematics educational software start-up which is developing a new approach to mathematics learning for Irish Leaving Certificate students. Academic Promoters: Elisabeth Oldham, School of Education, Dr Samik Sen and Professor Siddartha Sen, Fellow Emeritus and former TCD lecturer in mathematics.
CAn Get InVOLVed Trinity wishes to engage with experienced business people from our alumni network to work alongside our researchers and students to assist with and potentially drive the formation of new companies. There is a spectrum of potential involvement, including: • Acting as mentors for students and/or researchers interested in exploring the commercial possibilities of their work; • Helping to crystallise potential commercial opportunities; • Advising the TR&I Technology Transfer Case Managers and researchers at Trinity College on the identification and assessment of commercialisation opportunities that could lead to the formation of new companies; • Helping to assess business plans of potential campus companies; • Having identified a suitable opportunity, preparing a business plan in conjunction with the Technology Transfer Case Managers and advisors from Enterprise Ireland where appropriate. This business plan to lay out channels to market, plus detailed roll out plan, costs of plan, funding options and organisation structure to manage the rollout; • Acting as interim CEO initially, to drive the creation of the business, the initial management team and identify appropriate sources of funding; • Develop strategic growth plans to place the company on a sustainable trajectory; • Potential to be an angel funder in campus companies; • Advising the College on its broad strategy in this area; • Supporting academics and schools with whom they have built a relationship. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact:
James Callaghan Trinity Research & Innovation, e. james.callaghan@tcd.ie | t. +353 1 896 1427
nick Sparrow Trinity Foundation, e. nsparrow@tcd.ie | t. +353 1 896 1031 Trinity Today | 29
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FEATURE | research and Innovation
Case Study
MIrAVeX dr Guido Mariotto on his experience of forming a spin out company
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iravex Limited is a spin out company from Trinity College Dublin that specialises in the areas of optics and image analysis. Miravex was founded in 2009 by Dr Guido Mariotto, Dr Roman Kantor and Prof. Igor Shvets, who have between them more than 40 years combined experience in the areas of optics, image analysis and signal processing, and is the result of a seven year long research project during which Miravex’ proprietary technology was developed. The first product of Miravex is Antera 3DTM, a medical device for the analysis and evaluation of the skin’s surface properties. Antera 3DTM is based on advanced optical technology which allows the view of skin in two and three dimensions as well as
Research and Innovation Centre, whose mission is to assist academics in protecting and commercialising IP generated in College. The TTO, through Dr Graham McMullin – together with the Promoters – assessed the patentability of the technology and recognised its novelty and market potential. For the past three years we have concentrated our efforts on technology development and market validation, by collecting feedback from end users from the very early days. This was initially done by e-mail, telephone enquiries and meetings with dermatologists, cosmetic doctors and plastic surgeons. As soon as prototype units of our device were ready, they were placed at a number of clinics and hospitals in Ireland and in several European countries. To safeguard the IP and establish the terms of use of the prototypes, non-disclosure and material transfer agreements, drafted by the TTO, were signed with our beta-customers.
Extensive market research and on-site validation confirmed the commercial potential of our project.”
(l-r) Dr Roman Kantor; Dr Guido Mariotto; Professor Igor Shvets.
multi-spectral analysis of epidermis and dermis, and is targeted for use by plastic surgeons, dermatologists and cosmetic doctors. Initially, we worked on developing an automated device for the test and fault diagnostics of high frequency electronic circuits used in the telecommunications and aerospace industries. This device, based on the measurement of the electromagnetic field by a near-field microwave probe, included an imaging setup to locate the area of the circuit to analyse that was also developed in house. We quickly realised that this imaging setup – developed as an aside to complement the electronic circuits test device – had a far greater potential of being developed into a commercially viable product. After securing the necessary research funds thanks to Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund, the Promoters started the process of filing a patent application to protect the Intellectual Property (IP) – owned by College. The invention was disclosed to the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) in Trinity
Extensive market research and on-site validation confirmed the commercial potential of our project, which was recognised by Enterprise Ireland with their approval of Miravex as a High Potential Start-Up. Miravex Limited was founded in late 2009 by the three promoters, and it was awarded “campus company” status by College soon after that. We also won the ‘Best in class’ award at EI’s Industrial technologies conference in 2009 after negotiating with the TTO the terms under which the College is licensing to Miravex the rights to exploit the IP. Antena 3D ™
We engaged with a business partner, James Carroll (InvestorFirst), in 2009 as part of Enterprise Ireland’s Business Partners Scheme. James has been a great help in the writing of our business plan and in assisting us in trying to secure investment in our company. Miravex is currently fundraising to secure the necessary resources to underwrite their business plan. You can learn more about Miravex by visiting our website www.miravex.com.
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research and Innovation | FEATURE
On Innovation dr david Lloyd, Dean of Research
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t’s funny how many people mention the iPhone when asked about innovation. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a recent concept. While innovation has achieved unprecedented importance in the last couple of years, there was no shortage before the iPhone. Trinity has been innovating for nearly 420 years – we are international leaders in education and research. The concept of Ireland as the ‘innovation island’ is rooted in our wealth of human capital. By increasing our innovative potential we sustain and promote economic growth. This places a unique emphasis on higher education – especially on its quality – another of Trinity’s strengths. Significant Trinity outputs underpin Ireland’s international research standing. After a decade of average investment in our higher education institutes (by any international comparator) Ireland is now positioned in the top 20 countries globally in research quality output. Dig deeper into Trinity’s contribution and you find internationally benchmarked world class performance. Irish output in areas such as immunology (third in the world) and nanoscience (sixth in the world) – the bulk of which has come from activities here in Trinity – rank amongst the very best in what is a global game. These are not soft measures. They relate directly to the quality of outputs, which are a magnet for industrial research investment and bring tangible innovation potential.
The Innovation Alliance has two major strategic components: • A Fourth Level Innovation Academy. Best likened to an innovation finishing school, this straddles both campuses, building on their combined strength and distinctiveness. It focuses in particular on fourth level Ph.D. education, with innovation centre-stage in a new joint Graduate Diploma in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The programme includes mentoring, interdisciplinary projects, facilitating student mobility between institutions, and ensuring a full range of expertise and resources at UCD and TCD is available to Ireland’s pipeline of entrepreneurs. The Academy will see its first student intake this September. • A refocus on enterprise development. Building on the universities’ existing technology transfer operations and enterprise facilities, this will harness and commercialise new ideas, augment our capacity for pre-competitive research, prototyping, process innovation and incubation. President Barack Obama noted that the key to future success lay in‘… laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs…’ In Ireland, Trinity and its alumni have a crucial role to play – in recognising that innovation is not just a new mobile phone, but neither is it an entrepreneur working on their own. Irish innovation is a mindset, an appetite for success with the means to achieve it in a highly interconnected ecosystem - one which Trinity is playing a major role in fostering, shaping and delivering.
By increasing our innovative potential we sustain and promote economic growth. This places a unique emphasis on higher education.” Universities are not commercial organisations but are central to long-term wealth creation. We should be pro-commercial. Our core ‘products’ are knowledge and graduates: graduates imbued with a higher 'innovation quotient' – the new IQ – than their international peers. We have to help them be innovative in the companies where they work or give them skills to create their own ventures. Higher education is rightly challenged to balance multiple objectives – education, research, knowledge transfer, societal engagement, translating intellectual property into spin outs and so on. Trinity is working hard on all these fronts. Last year TCD and UCD jointly announced the creation of an Innovation Alliance an unprecedented collaboration between what some see as traditional rivals. This was borne of pragmatism and an appreciation of the importance of quality and scale. Together, TCD and UCD account for around one half of Ireland’s graduate population and execute about half of all exchequer-supported research.
FInd Out MOre www.innovationalliance.ie
dr david Lloyd holds a B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry and Ph.D. from the School of Chemical Sciences in DCU. He spent three years as a post-doctorate in the School of Pharmacy, Trinity College Dublin before taking a position in De Novo Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, UK, where he headed the company’s ligand-based design discovery programme. In June 2005 Dr Lloyd was appointed as Trinity’s first Associate Dean of Research with a brief to foster and build external research interactions for Trinity, and in July 2007 he became the Dean of Research for the University. Trinity Today | 31
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ALUMNI | Career Network
Working Together
by Sean Gannon, Director of the Careers Advisory Service.
How the Career Network is helping to support alumni through difficult times.
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nemployment has had a striking impact on the Irish economy during the last two years with one in eight jobs vanishing. Unlike earlier recessions, professionals have been amongst the groups hardest hit. When people are out of work for any length of time, their skills can become stale, they become less confident and their contacts diminish. The Provost, Dr John Hegarty, sensing that the jobs crisis was having a severe effect on alumni, set up a small working group (Professor Carol O’Sullivan, Dean of Graduate Studies; Bridget Noone, Enterprise Executive; John Dillon, Director of Alumni; and me, Sean Gannon, Director of the Careers Advisory Service), to see how the resources of the College could be best harnessed to provide assistance. There followed a survey of 15,000 alumni during the autumn of 2009 to establish their needs which were two-fold: » An opportunity to get market intelligence on which sectors were likely to provide employment as well as a forum where unemployed graduates could network; and » Practical assistance with career planning and job search. The working group designed a programme to run for two mornings (Tuesday and Thursday) each week for a total of six weeks. Each Tuesday was a sector (Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, ICT, Financial and Professional Services, and Entrepreneurship) overview. The series kicked in February with an outline of future opportunities in Ireland and key note presentations by the Governor of the Central Bank, Patrick Honohan, Chris Horn, co-founder of Iona Technologies and Gerard Walker, Senior Policy Advisor at Forfás. The final seminar focussed on volunteering and further studies options as well a working abroad. The Thursday workshops concentrated on career planning, job applications, effective networking and interview success. Participants were mentored by experienced recruiters and HR
professionals and given an opportunity to get personal advice in relation to their future plans. Many of the corporate supporters of the College generously provided assistance with speakers and/or mentors. Overall, 200 alumni participated in the programme with a core group of 40 attending the Thursday workshops. There was a wide range of experience amongst the participants - from recent graduates to redundant executives with considerable work experience.
I improved my CV by adding a concise personal statement at the start, and making sure it showed what difference my work had made rather than just describing roles. I made up some notices and business cards to give to people who meet a lot of my potential customers. I felt quite comfortable giving out my business cards, as the course helped me to appreciate the importance of being clear, proactive and strategic about letting people know about myself and the service I offer.” Ruth Foley B.A. Ph.D. (1998)
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Career network | ALUMNI
(l-r) Patrick Honohan, Governor of the Central Bank; Provost, Dr John Hegarty; and Chris Horn, co-founder of Iona Technologies, at the launch of the Career Network.
One of the most striking features of the programme was the support by alumni for alumni. Many of the contributors were themselves Trinity graduates who were delighted to have an opportunity to make a difference. And make a difference they did! Ten weeks after the programme finished, a small group of participants re-convened with John Dillon, Mary Rose Greville (one of the mentors) and Brendan McDonald (Adjunct Professor of Organisation and Leadership) to share their experiences. Over a cup of coffee in the newly re-furbished Innovation Academy in Foster Place people related the progress they had made and although not everyone was in a job, their confidence was revived and they felt they were taking positive steps towards securing employment. front gate adverts_aw.pdf
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The course and discussion panel sessions were invaluable in helping me to formulate a plan of action to find a new position. The course content refreshed the skills and tools needed and the weekly sessions added structure to my week. It was a great support base of like-minded people coming together on a weekly basis to keep the momentum going in a very positive way in a challenging economy. I have since secured a new position and I used what I learned at the course in the search and interview process.� Christina Petris M.A., M.Sc. (Mgmt.) (1999) With the jury still out on the issue of economic recovery and no sign of any dramatic change in unemployment levels the Alumni Office and the Careers Advisory Service will be running a Career Network event in the new year, as well as providing a new online service for alumni and students.
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INTERVIEW | Willie Walsh
high flyer British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh, speaks to Simon Carswell.
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or two years in the early 90s, Willie Walsh juggled his job as a manager in flight operations at Aer Lingus with studying for a Masters of Science in Management and Business Administration, stepping off short-haul flights at Dublin Airport and heading into Trinity College for lectures. A graduate of the class of 1992, he enjoyed his studies so much he considered a second Masters, but he got sense – and married, he says. This year, more than ever, as Chief Executive of British Airways, Walsh has had to rely heavily on what he studied at Trinity and on the practical experience he earned while managing Aer Lingus which he led as Chief Executive through heavy turbulence between 2001 and 2005. Frank and uncompromising, Walsh has been battling BA’s cabin crew for well over a year in his attempt to reform work practices and bring the airline’s costs in line with leaner competitors in one of the UK’s most tense industrial standoffs. One of his famous past statements, “A reasonable man gets nowhere in negotiation,” has resurfaced many times over the past year. Walsh was just 23 at the time he made that remark, he says, but still believes it. “If you go into a negotiation and you are reasonable and the other party is not reasonable, then you are not going to get anywhere,” he says, speaking to Trinity Today before an appearance at the Trinity Business Alumni in the University’s Dining Hall last June. “It is rare that you get people going into negotiations where all parties are going to be nice to one another, so to some degree you are going to be met with unreasonableness. If you keep giving, then people will just keep taking.” "The reason for the industrial strife at BA is the dramatic change in the airline industry over the past decade," says Walsh. There are just over 1,060 airlines in the world today, he adds, with an astonishing 570 formed over the past ten years; yet over the last decade almost 200 airlines folded. At the same time the industry lost money in seven of those ten years. “This is a brutal business – competition is incredible. Competition in Dublin with Michael O’Leary is the most brutal form of competition you can find - you just can’t stop,” Walsh says.
New airlines are emerging all the time and low-cost carriers such as Ryanair have challenged the more established players like BA, forcing it to adjust its practices and costs to compete. “Michael O’Leary post-9-11 said: `Crisis? What crisis? At a time when everyone else in the industry was worried about their very survival O’Leary went out and ordered 100 new aircrafts,” he says. More intense competition, coupled with significant changes in consumer behaviour and the rising cost of fuel, means that Walsh has no choice but to reform work practices. He has reduced the headcount at BA by 12,000 since he joined as Chief Executive in 2005 and in ten years’ time hopes to have about 42 per cent of cabin crew at Heathrow on his new contracts. The savings will be
I always said I timed my run for the job to perfection – no one else wanted it...” dramatic - £160m a year and rising. This will allow the airline to grow, Walsh says. “I am very, very determined to tackle this one. This is a structural issue at BA which should have been tackled a long time ago. We’ve made very significant progress. It just demonstrates what can be done when you are determined,” he says. Walsh gets hundreds of letters from BA shareholders, customers and members of the public saying he should just sack striking cabin crew to keep BA jets flying. Fervent anti-union boss, Michael O’Leary (a fellow Trinity graduate), has said he would have sacked them long ago. “I have a lot of admiration for him. As a businessperson I think his track record is incredible. He goes about things in a very different way to me,” says Walsh of his rival. “He is very aggressive and his approach to customer service is different to anybody else. But I think he has revolutionised air travel. Short-haul air travel is very different today and it is largely because of him, not solely because of him.” He describes the financial performance of Ryanair as “stunning”. “He [O'Leary] makes margins that nobody else can
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Willie Walsh | INTERVIEW
A reasonable man gets nowhere in negotiation...”
get close to, that people can only dream about,” he says, but warns that people should not try to replicate his business manner. “His style is unique – I have seen people try to mimic his style and fail miserably… I am pleased that there is only one Michael O’Leary in the world. I hope it stays that way.” Born in Dublin in 1961, Walsh joined Aer Lingus as a cadet pilot in 1979 and rose through the ranks to become a captain in 1990. A management degree under his belt and developing skills landed him the job of Chief Executive of Futura, the company’s Spanish charter airline, in 1998. He returned to Dublin as Chief Operating Officer in 2000 just before 9-11 sent Aer Lingus into a tailspin. The company had no Chief Executive and post-9-11 few were interested. “I always said I timed my run for the job to perfection – no one else wanted it,” Walsh says. Transatlantic business, which accounted for 40 per cent of revenues and 50 per cent of profits at Aer Lingus, collapsed. He cut a third of staff, slashed costs and set up new, profitable routes. “The story which people tend to talk about at Aer Lingus is the cuts but the reality is what happened was we made it more efficient which allowed it to expand. We started flying a hell of a lot more people at lower prices to more destinations,” he said. In 2004, concerned about the airline’s future, Walsh and his two most senior executives asked the Government for permission to develop an investment proposal in an attempt to encourage a policy shift towards privatisation. After considerable opposition from politicians and the airline’s unions, Walsh changed course and departed the airline a short time later. The then Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD said in the Dail in 2006, the year after Walsh had joined BA, that Aer Lingus management under Walsh had
“wanted to steal the assets for themselves through a management buyout, shafting staff interests”. “I thought it was a pretty cowardly thing to do – to make comments like that in the Dáil exercising privilege when you are not there to defend yourself,” he said. “A good friend of mine in London who is a lawyer said: `Get him to say that outside of Parliament and we would have a bit of fun’ – but he never did.” Walsh doesn’t return to Ireland very often but on one visit in the summer of 2007 he realised how expensive the country had become while still offering poor service. “That said everything about Ireland. We were living beyond our means – we had allowed prices to get too high; we weren’t offering value for money… We just got lazy. We thought the good times would never end, and they came to a very abrupt end,” he says. Walsh says that it is sad to see the impact of the recession but he’s encouraged that people are being realistic about it and that there is less anger in Ireland than in Greece and other countries. “At one level you feel sorry for the politicians – at another you have to say that it was their fault in the first place. I don’t blame the banks for everything,” he says. As for his future, Walsh is entering his sixth year as Chief Executive of BA and doesn’t see himself leaving his current job any time soon. “I genuinely love it. I haven’t taken a holiday, not since I joined there,” he says. “That doesn’t bother me. I was the same at Aer Lingus. I like being active – lying in the sun is torture to me.”
Simon Carswell (B.A. 1998) is Finance Correspondent of The Irish Times and author of Something Rotten: Irish Banking Scandals (Gill & Macmillan, 2006).
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INTERVIEW | Fallon Brothers
Home Boys Daft.ie is one of Ireland’s most popular websites and the leading property listings website in the country. Founded by the Fallon brothers, both engineering graduates, Daft.ie has grown from a part-time project to a successful business. In their spacious new offices on Golden Lane, Eamonn and Brian Fallon talk to David Molloy about how they got to where they are today.
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aft.ie had its genesis in the early days of the internet in Ireland, when access was offered to the public for £25 through the Indigo company, to which the Fallon brothers signed up. When their older sister finished college and began looking to move out from home, she complained about the ordeal - picking up the Evening Herald and sifting through the property section, making calls to arrange viewings, and walking the city every evening. The technologically-minded brothers decided to find the website for Dublin properties which they assumed existed − and found nothing. At the time, they thought it was an odd omission, but nothing more. Until Brian (B.A.I. 2005) brought up the idea again for a transition year competition while he was in school, and got Eamonn (B.A.I., M.Sc. 1999) on board. “It was the right time,” Brian explains. “There were a huge amount of people moving back to Ireland, and at Trinity, there were 14,000 students who got internet access for the first time, and there were no Irish websites to look at.” This was back in 1998, and traffic grew slowly at first. Yet by the end of the three month period Brian’s school competition ran for, they suddenly found themselves with a website which thousands of people were using every day.
“It was at that point that we decided to learn how to automate it, to learn the tech behind it, and it kind of became a part-time project thereafter,” Brian recalls. “We just kind of technically made it so it could automate itself, and set it free and let it go. And over about six years, every year, the site doubled in traffic." The thinking at the time, the brothers explain, was that if you did everything for free, and built traffic, eventually you’d make money from advertising. That never happened, and the dotcom crash was the end of that model. In 2004, it was clear that the fledgling company needed to make money or it wouldn’t last. “I think what we learned out of that business model was trial and error,” Brian recalls. “We tried loads and loads of different things and they all failed, and eventually that process enabled us to learn what works.” This led the Fallons to decide they needed a business plan that didn’t depend on outside advertising or contracts; they needed to generate revenue based on their content alone. Eamonn explains: “What our plan really was, was to convert ourselves from a free listings website to a ‘paper’ classifieds website. To compete headon with the newspapers, in a similar model to how they do it, charging per listing.”
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Fallon Brothers | INTERVIEW
Eamonn
* Ire lan d's
Big ge st
Pro pe rty
Sit e
*
Brian
“We tried loads and loads of different things and they all failed, and eventually that process enabled us to learn what works.”
“In an early start-up phase, you need to be really honest...”
Brian Fallon
Eamonn Fallon
In the beginning, they couldn’t have pursued a path of charging for their content - they didn’t have enough users to justify it. It was a question of at what point their product was valuable enough to charge for. “At the time, people didn’t pay for things online. And especially, they didn’t pay for nontangible things online,” says Brian. “So we were asking them to pay for something they couldn’t physically see or hold. 2003/2004 was about the time the market had matured enough that we were able to do that. We wouldn’t have been able to do it before then.” By the time they introduced their new business model, Daft.ie had 300,000 unique views each month, which vastly increased the odds that everyone who placed a listing would get a response. They now have 1.2 million unique views a month, and 80 per cent of the property searching audience in Ireland. “There’s more value in advertising from Daft than in a national newspaper. You have to provide value to people if you’re going to charge. And it was just at the point where we turned on charging for listings that the value was good enough to charge for.” While both brothers are engineering graduates, neither has a business qualification. Yet they see that as a strength: “A lot of it is relevant to Daft.ie in that a lot of work here is product engineering - you know, making a great product,” Eamonn says. “The great thing about engineering as well is you’re not expert at anything. You just do so many things in engineering that when you have to pick up marketing, and sales, and finance, it’s pretty easy. It’s the best decision I ever made. Trinity was so much fun, and has a great mix of people. The Buttery was where everyone started out, and you kind of slowly drifted down towards the Pav as you got closer to fourth year. And obviously, in summer it’s great to sit out on the pitch.” Like his brother, Brian enjoyed his time in Trinity, and lived in Goldsmith Hall for a year. He even had a disciplinary run in
with the Junior Dean of his day for an unauthorised barbeque. “The Junior Dean laughed when I said ‘I’m here about the BBQ incident.’ I don’t think there were any repercussions except I had to promise not to have any more... someone actually stole the barbeque, and I think he felt sorry for me for that!” Both brothers still attend some of the alumni functions, and Brian has been involved with the Science Gallery as part of the Leonardo group - a steering and policy committee - since the beginning. Back to business, what is it like working as brothers? Have there been any problems, and how has the relationship worked? “In an early start-up phase, you need to be really honest,” says Eamonn. “Without a sounding board, you can just go off on crazy tangents, without someone there secondguessing you and the priorities of what you’re doing every day. So, having two people set up a company is better. Having the ability to tell someone that their idea is crap is even better." Both brothers still have an equal shareholding in the company. Despite equal bargaining power, there has never been any animosity between them, or an impasse. As they say, it’s simply a question of making the best argument and reaching a conclusion. With such a success story behind them, what advice do they have for students or graduates looking to set up their own business? “The worst thing you can do is set up a company to make money. Because you’re not going to be passionate about it, you’ll just be looking for money. I think we were on €10,000 salaries for the first year when we went full-time. I had to move back in with my parents. Someone who’s entirely motivated by money just won’t be passionate enough about the product or will try and push things too quickly." “The worst that can happen is that you can fail, and that isn’t a bad thing,” adds Brian. “You’ll learn what doesn’t work. We spent a good few years failing, and that enabled us to learn what works.” Trinity Today | 37
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Experience something new in the Old Library
The Trinity Library Shop 10% discount to all alumni* The Library Shop opening hours are: 9.30 - 5.00 Monday to Saturday 12.00 - 4.30 Sundays e. library.shop@tcd.ie www.tcd.ie/Library/Shop *On production of relevant ID
Trinity Affinity Credit Card
You get a unique credit card and we give a little back to the College every time you spend on your Trinity AfďŹ nity Credit Card. Michael Kinsella - Tel: 01 649 3281 - Email: michael.kinsella@boimail.com www.bankofireland.ie Terms and conditions apply to all credit card applications. Applicants must be 18 years of age to apply. Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Financial Regulator.
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tomai Ó Conghaile | SAINALT
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nis dúinn píosa fút féin, a thomaí. Is as contae Ard Mhacha, taobh amuigh d’Iúr Cinn Trá, mé ó dhúchas. Is ann a chuaigh mé ar scoil − d’fhreastail mé ar Choláiste Cholmáin ar an Iúr − agus is ansin a thosaigh mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge chomh maith. Cé nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge ag mo thuismitheoirí ná ag mo dheirfiúr, bhí an teanga go fóill beo i mo cheantar féin go dtí tús an chéid seo caite agus bhí an-dúil ag mo theaghlach sa chultúr nuair a bhí mé ag fás aníos - is cinnte gur spreag sé sin mé dul i dtreo na Gaeilge. • Cén fáth gur roghnaigh tú Coláiste na tríonóide? Cén cúrsa staidéir a lean tú anseo? Bhí sé de rún agam i gcónaí staidéar a dhéanamh ar an Ghaeilge ar ollscoil ach rith sé liom fosta go mbeadh sé suimiúil teanga eile a fhoghlaim ag an am céanna. Bhí rud éigin an-tarraingteach faoi staidéar a dhéanamh i gcathair bheoga mar Bhaile Átha Cliath agus nuair a fuair mé amach go dtiocfadh liom Spáinnis agus Gaeilge a dhéanamh le chéile i gColáiste na Tríonóide, thapaigh mé an deis agus thosaigh mé ar mo thuras Tríonóideach! • Bhí tú páirteach sa Scéim Chónaithe i tCd- inis dúinn píosa faoi sin. Bhí am iontach agam i TCD, ní hamháin go raibh an-chraic agus spraoi ann ach d’oscail sé mo shúile domh maidir leis na féidearthachtaí a bhí ann leis an Ghaeilge. I mo bhliain dheireanach cuireadh tús leis an Scéim Chónaithe Ghaeilge ar champas agus bhí an t-ádh orm go bhfuair mé áit ann. Níl aon amhras gurbh í sin an bhliain ab fhearr a bhí agam ar ollscoil – teach lán cainteoirí Gaeilge, uilig ag déanamh cúrsaí éagsúla ach ag labhairt i nGaeilge i rith an ama. Bhí atmaisféar iontach ann agus chuir an scéim go mór le híomhá na teanga san ollscoil ar fad. Tá an scéim ag cur le saol na Gaeilge i TCD i gcónaí agus tá mé an-bhuíoch agus sásta go raibh mé féin páirteach ann. • Chuaigh tú ag obair leis na meáinconas mar a chuir tú suim i bheith ag obair leo? Thosaigh mé ag scríobh don Trinity News nuair a bhí mé sa dara bliain – bhí mé mar Eagarthóir Gaeilge ann agus ceapadh mé i mo Leas-Eagarthóir ar an nuachtán ina dhiaidh sin. Mar sin chuaigh mé isteach sna meáin tríd an Ghaeilge agus bhain mé an-sult as an chineál sin oibre – ag cur eolais ar fáil don phobal agus ag cur na Gaeilge chun cinn ag an am céanna. Leis an taithí sna meáin chumarsáide
Labhair Aonghus dwane, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, le tomaí Ó Conghaile, céimí de chuid TCD (B.A. 2004), faoina shaol agus a chuid oibre.
Tomaí
Ó Conghaile a fuair mé i TCD, d’éirigh liom post a fháil leis an nuachtán laethúil, 'Lá Nua', i mBéal Feirste. Bhain mé triail as na meáin chraolta ansin chomh maith agus bhí clár agam ar Raidió Fáilte sular thosaigh mé mar léiritheoir agus láithreoir le BBC Raidió Uladh. D’fhoghlaim mé go leor ansin agus cuireadh os comhair na gceamaraí mé fiú nuair a seoladh an clár Imeall Geal cúpla bliain ó shin. Bhí anspraoi agam á láithriú sin agus craoladh an dara sraith ar BBC2 le déanaí. Bhí fís agam i gcónaí tús a chur le tograí de mo chuid féin agus sin an rud atá idir lámha agam i láthair na huaire. I ndiaidh domh aithne a chur ar ghluaiseachtaí teangacha eile ar nós na Bascaise agus na Catalóinise, rith sé liom go raibh gá le forbairt a dhéanamh ar na meáin Ghaeilge anseo mar sin i 2008 chuir mé tús leis an iris stílbheatha, nós. Pléann an iris leis an saol comhaimseartha agus tá sé ar fáil ar líne, mar aon le leagan clóite a bhfuil athstruchtúrú a dhéanamh air faoi láthair. Tá baint agam chomh maith le togra eile a bhfuil an-tábhacht leis ná 'Nuacht24', seirbhís nuachta ar líne ar a mbíonn scéaltaí agus físeáin ag dul suas ann gach lá. • An mbíonn teagmháil fós agat leis an gColáiste? Tá mé go fóill i dteagmháil le roinnt mhaith daoine a bhí ar Choláiste na
Tríonóide liom, agus bím ag plé le Roinn na Gaeilge ó am go chéile chomh maith. Leis an idirlíon, tá mé in ann bheith ar an eolas faoi cad a bhíonn ar siúl ag an gCumann Gaelach srl. agus is tógáil chroí dom é an obair mhaith atá ar bun i TCD faoi láthair – tá an ollscoil á Gaelú de réir a chéile! Míle buíochas as labhairt le “Trinity Today”, a thomaí, agus gach rath ort amach anseo!
Oifig na Gaeilge Tá Oifig na Gaeilge ann leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn i measc phobal an Choláiste, idir mhic léinn agus bhaill foirne, leis na scéimeanna cónaithe Gaeilge a riaradh, agus lena chinntiú go mbíonn dualgais reachtúla an Achta Teanga á comhlíonadh. • Guthán: +353 1 896 3652 • R-phost: gaeloifig@tcd.ie • Gréasán: www.tcd.ie/gaeloifig
English translation available at www.tcd.ie/gaeloifig
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INTERVIEW | Patricia O’Brien
Good Counsel Patricia O’Brien, United Nations Legal Counsel, talks to Patrick Freyne.
(Above left) The United Nations Headquarters in New York (above right) Patricia O’Brien.
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atricia O’Brien M.A., BARRISTER-AT-LAW (1978), Legal Counsel for the United Nations, and a woman who is often found jetting from post-conflict countries to war crimes tribunals, always had an international outlook. On a sunny Sunday afternoon in New York, she’s hoping to get a walk in Central Park between our interview and a critical work call (“Another crisis,” she sighs), and she’s telling me, over the phone, about her unusually cosmopolitan childhood. “Well, I was born in Brunei,” she says, “then we lived in Nigeria and then Cambodia and then the Congo. My father was a barrister. He worked for the Red Cross and then Shell, so much of my childhood was spent going backwards and forwards from boarding school in Ireland [at Clermont in Rathnew], to wherever my parents were at the time. I got quite an international outlook from that. It definitely affected how I saw the world.” She eventually decided to follow her father into the law and to do so at Trinity College. Both decisions, she says, were obvious choices for her. “The law was a natural calling because I’d been very influenced by discussions at the dinner table,” she says. “It was a natural pull for me. And there was
no question but that I’d be going to Trinity. I suppose I saw it as the more cosmopolitan and international option. And I’d been brought up with a very literary background and had read many authors from Trinity − Oscar Wilde, the Dunleavy books. I think my generation was very immersed in that stuff.” Indeed, she says that she spent her first year involved in more literary discussions than legal ones, but jokingly refrains from too much candour about her college years. “I have one son in Trinity and a daughter possibly on her way there, so I can’t reveal too much about what I was like,” she says.“ Let’s just say I applied myself to my studies. That’s the message I’d like them to get if they happen to read this.” She recalls her law class as being vaguely nomadic. “We were a very small year,” she says. “We didn’t have a base. We used to take lectures in a science lab. I remember fiddling with scientific instruments on the desk while getting our law lectures. There were a lot of fun and interesting people in my class − people like Ferdinand von Prondzynski and the late Gerry Ryan, God rest his soul." At the time she was simultaneously doing her King's Inns exams. She was called to the bar in 1979 and devilled to
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Patricia O’Brien | INTERVIEW
this time she was involved in issues of international law, where Nicholas Kearns. Women were in a minority, but she doesn’t she, unbeknownst to herself, built up an international profile feel that her gender worked against her. “I’m very conscious of her own. In 2008, to her surprise, she was asked to take up of gender as an issue and over the years I’ve tried to push the role she currently occupies at the UN. Was that a tough the boundaries in whatever way I can, but from my personal decision? She laughs. “It was a big decision,” she says. “But perspective it never got in the way. I got a lot of support from when you’re asked by the Secretary General of the United colleagues and never had any sense of being marginalised by Nations to be his Legal Counsel, it’s very difficult to say ‘no’.” virtue of being a woman.” She now works directly with Ban Ki-moon and oversees And she says that she instantly loved the job. “I enjoyed a staff of over 200 people. She outlines the breadth of studying law, but the more I practiced, the more I was sure it her work: “We’ve been dealing with was the right thing for me. It gave me unconstitutional changes of government a very disciplined way of seeing the in countries like Guinea, Honduras, world and as years went by, I really got Madagascar; we’re dealing with piracy to see the value of it more and more.” off the coast of Somalia; the Gaza issue; Her career temporarily took the International Criminal Court - the a backseat when she married a tribunals in Yugoslavia and in Rwanda. Tipperary doctor, moved to Vancouver The Secretary General is insistent that and had her three children (although international law is always brought she kept in touch with the law and to bear on his policy decisions, and qualified at the Canadian bar). When whenever he’s coming to a policy the marriage ended she found herself decision he engages me.” back in Ireland, and took a job at the Asked how she responds to hawkish Attorney General’s office. “I was in the critics of the UN, the passionate job two weeks when the crisis around internationalist again emerges. “The the extradition of Brendan Smyth UN is the place where all states have occurred,” She recalls, “I really was in a voice irrespective of their size. That’s at the deep end. It was the beginning something I’m very conscious of as an of my background in a political and Irish person and I always quote Adlai legal environment.” Stevenson. It’s about ‘the right of all And it was an environment she nations great or small to have weight, to loved. Two years later she had have a vote and to be attended to’.” an opportunity to work with the She relishes the challenges and the Government in Brussels. “If you’ve had successes of her job, even if she’s always as much exposure as I’ve had to the Patricia O’Brien with Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary on call and doesn’t get to return to international sphere, you always see the General of the United Nations. Ireland as much as she’d like. Thankfully, world through an international prism,” her three children visit often and sound she says. “I don’t want to politicise but like they’re flourishing (one is studying medicine in UCD, the my own personal feeling is one of absolute commitment to the second is studying history and economics in Trinity, and the European project and its values. Of course, I see the problems third has just finished her Leaving Cert, and is maybe, just politicians can have convincing the people within a democratic maybe, considering a future in the Law). In fact, they’re due to state of the value of pooling sovereignty in a bigger project, come to New York the week after we speak. In the meantime, but I think the whole negative attitude to the European Union there’s an urgent call due to come in, and this interview is from some quarters is very unfortunate. It’s not just about what keeping her back. we can get from it, but what we can contribute to it. I find it difficult to understand this lack of capacity some people have to look outward.” Patrick Freyne B.A., M.Phil. (1996) is a freelance She herself moved beyond Europe to an even larger journalist who writes for The Sunday Tribune and configuration of states. After four years in Europe she The Irish Times among other publications. returned to work in the Department of Foreign Affairs. During
If you’ve had as much exposure as I’ve had to the international sphere, you always see the world through an international prism...” Trinity Today | 41
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FEATURE | Trinity Modern Art Collection
by Catherine Giltrap Curator of the Trinity College Art Collections
Background to the Modern Art Collection
T
he fabric of Trinity College combines not only magnificent architecture and landscaped vistas but is also fashioned by the presence of the College’s collection of art dating back to the early 1600s. A twenty-first century perspective of the campus environment encompasses both historic and modern pictures and sculptures by Irish and international artists of great renown, some of which have become contemporary icons of our University. The genesis of this recent passage in the history of our visual experience at Trinity College can be pinpointed to the arrival of a true uomo universale who arrived from England in the 1950s, the son of a fishmonger, come to Trinity to lecture on Botany. Ireland at the time, bound by creative shackles and impeded by economics, was verging on a cultural desert. However, this botanist, having knowledge of how new life might burgeon forth from under even the most arid of land, began sowing seeds, nurturing existing shoots, and looking deeper into how Ireland’s inherent visual creativity might be enabled, empowered, and experienced by an all-encompassing audience. The botanist was George Dawson FTCD, HRHA (1927-2004), later geneticist and founder of the Department of Genetics, Fellow of the College, and initiator of the College Gallery Picture Hire Scheme stimulating the proactive collecting of modern and contemporary art at Trinity. These celebrations serve to commemorate his contribution to the visual arts in Ireland as much as that of Trinity College. His personal passions were science and the wonder of intellectual discovery, overseas aid and volunteerism, the visual arts, and people. His love for art was fostered by his interest in the natural world and by a friend’s encouragement while studying biology at Clare College, Cambridge, where a similar picture hire scheme was already in existence. Speaking with those who knew him,
whether close friends or acquaintances, the picture is clear - George believed in people and the importance of the interaction of communities. He could be considered one of the founding fathers of interdisciplinary engagement at Trinity.
50 years of The College Gallery Picture Hire Scheme The College Gallery Picture Hire Scheme was initiated during the academic year 1959-60 by George and four students attending Trinity College at the time – Nicholas Carey, Alan Elliott, Galway Johnson, and John Killen. Student and staff committees were directly involved in both
(below left) The Picasso exhibition at the old TCD Exhibition Hall in the Berkeley Library 1969 and a piece from the TCD collection that was on display. (below) The Smurfit Institute of Genetics at TCD featuring works by Arnaldo Pomodoro.
the selection of art and staging of exhibitions, such as the Picasso solo show in 1969, the like of which Ireland had never seen before. The purpose of the College Gallery was to hire pictures to students and staff for their rooms and offices on campus. The objective has always been to encourage an interest in, and a critical eye for, modern and contemporary art, to stimulate creativity and debate, and to serve as a complement to education and research, meanwhile enhancing the already prestigious campus environment forming the heart of Ireland’s capital city. The TCD Association & Trust provided the initial £100 to purchase 27 framed reproductions of international masters. In the early 1960s, persuaded by the opportunist
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(left) Richard Gorman RHA, TCD graduate and artist, with his ‘Sept Series’ prints (2007) that he donated to Trinity. (below left) The TCD Collection Roy Lichtenstein banner on show in the old Exhibition Hall in 1967. (below right) Brian Henderson, ‘Study for Phapamani’ (2009), donated by Prof. David Scott in honour of the 50th anniversary of the College Gallery.
George, The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation lent the first group of original works by significant Irish and international contemporary artists. These were purchased with the express purpose of display at Trinity as their first home before transferral in 1982 to form part of the inaugural collections of ‘CAM’ The Contemporary Art Museum of the Gulbenkian Foundation at Lisbon. Nine paintings from this original group are on display for the first time since they left Trinity in an exhibition at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Paris until 3 October 2010. George, and others including artists, lent and later donated artworks to the College and added significantly to the acquisition fund.
and a cross-disciplinary student volunteer committee. During 2009-10, the scheme was launched online for the first time ever. Plans are currently in the pipeline to create complementary virtual ways to encounter and engage with the prestigious College art collections. Trinity’s Modern Art Collection has been concerned not only with individual artworks and their artists, but with the people who shaped the collection over 50 years, the exhibitions they facilitated, the artists they met, the public they invited to share and respond to these experiences, and the friendships they made by developing an artistic community that communicates within a campus, its city, and a creative nation.
George Dawson, along with early key supporters such as Professor Anne Crookshank and Adrian Phillips, had an ability to enthuse an everchanging body of staff and students to actively engage with the visual arts of the moment, in the moment, and his initiatives continue to inspire, influence, and involve the campus and communities beyond. The College Gallery hire scheme still exists today, assisted by the Curator
If you have an interesting story, memory, comment or photographs relating to this 50 year history please submit it online or by post to the Curator. Contact information and full details of the celebratory exhibitions and associated programme including special alumni events, plus how to acquire a copy of the commemorative publication, are available on the Trinity College Art Collections website www.tcd.ie/artcollections.
D
uring Michaelmas Term 2010, Trinity College will celebrate 50 years of collecting, displaying, and promoting modern and contemporary art. Major public exhibitions will be held at The Douglas Hyde Gallery (24 Sept. – 3 Nov. 2010) and The Royal Hibernian Academy (19 Nov. – 19 Dec. 2010). A collaborative display looking at the current and future potential of the intersection of art, science and technology will be staged at Trinity’s own Science Gallery during December. A beautifully illustrated commemorative publication providing extensive
contextual and historical background information on the significant impact of Trinity College’s contribution to the development of visual arts practice in Ireland will be available for purchase from mid-November 2010. Proceeds from the book will support new acquisitions, conservation, and collections management, to perpetuate opportunities for generations of students, staff, and the visiting public to engage with contemporary Irish and international art. These celebrations have been made possible by the generous continued support of alumni through the TCD Association & Trust.
Smartphone users may download a free ‘QR reader’ application to activate the following tag to instantly link to the College Art Collections website. Open the programme by clicking on the icon. This automatically activates the phone camera as a scanner. Simply place the camera aperture over the tag. This instructs the phone to open the website immediately. There is no need to take a photograph.
Catherine Giltrap B.A., M.A. (1996) came to Trinity as the first Curator of the College Art Collections in late 2007. She was previously engaged in curatorial, educational, and consultancy roles at the Chester Beatty Library, Farmleigh, Fingal Arts Office, IMMA, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the State Art Collections and an independent docent in Rome and the Vatican. She graduated in the History of Art and Architecture and French at Trinity College. Her Masters is in Museum Studies, from the University of Leicester, focusing on university heritage and ‘The Role of University Collections’.
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FEATURE | Trinity in Literature
Trinity s n o i Fict by Dr Eve Patten
I
t’s well known throughout the literate world that Trinity has produced more than its fair share of great writers. But we might also point out that over the last two centuries or so, the College has inspired an impressive array of university-related fictions. Its elegant architecture and grounds are featured by numerous novelists from Charles Lever and Robert Maturin to Deirdre Madden and Jennifer Johnston, while its fictional graduates range from United Irishman Murrogh O’Brien, in Lady Maturin’s The O’Briens and the O’Flahertys (1827), or villainous society rake Hardress Creggan, in Gerald Griffin’s The Collegians (1829), to the heroic Stephen Maturin, fiddle-playing ship’s physician on HMS Surprise, in Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series (1969).
more interested in spending their university days with partying and pranks (blowing open the doors of college rooms with gunpowder was, it seems, a popular pastime), at the expense of their wellheeled parents in the country. Twentieth century fiction’s references to the University are a little lighter on the demons, if not the drinking. Not surprisingly, Dublin topographer par excellence James Joyce makes frequent asides to the ‘blessed Trinity’ punned upon by Stephen Dedalus in Ulysses and regularly lampoons its alumni, the ‘college swankies’ of Finnegans Wake. In his short story collection Dubliners, Lenehan and Corley of ‘Two Gallants’ pass along the College railings on their sleazy tour of the city’s pick-up areas, and in ‘The Dead’ the tipsy dinner guests instruct their cabman to ‘make like a bird for Trinity College’ as a safe landmark in the snowy streets. But of course Joyce, having foolishly gone to the wrong university as an undergraduate, was not in a position to write a proper Trinity novel. That privilege was left instead to the Irish-American J.P. Donleavy, author of one of the most celebrated accounts to date of College life and love, The Ginger Man. Published in 1955, The Ginger Man is often squeezed into a broader school of British campus fiction in the period, but Donleavy’s law student Sebastian Dangerfield is rather more sexually adventurous than the hapless protagonist of Kingsley Amis’s 1954 Lucky Jim. As a result the book was banned on both sides of the Atlantic (and still should be, some might argue, less for its erotica than its slandering of the College’s students as ‘a rogues’ gallery of Calvinists’). Dangerfield and his American associate O’Keefe describe a version of Trinity which, for all its damp freshman rooms where nothing will dry, fixes itself deep in the affections. Who could not be charmed by
Front Square and its environs possessed the tranquil air of a monastic cloister…” In the nineteenth century, the Trinity setting was ripe for sensationalism. Dour Trinity lawyer and later Home Rule leader Isaac Butt gave way to his Gothic side in his Chapters of College Romance, serialised (under a pseudonym) in the Dublin University Magazine from 1834. These tales of Faustian pacts, student gambling rings, vice, corruption and suicide suggest in their very titles—‘The Murdered Fellow’ is one, ‘The Bribed Scholar’ another—that all was not as it should have been among the upstanding members of the University. Nor had things improved a decade later: in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s chilling supernatural story ‘The Watcher’, first published in 1847. Perhaps the best nineteenth century account of College experience appears in a novel originally published in 1867. Old Trinity, a Story of Real Life, by T. Mason Jones, pits its protagonist, virtuous scholar Tom Butler, against a set of rakish wastrels 44 | Trinity Today
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Trinity in Literature | FEATURE
Donleavy’s description of the old dining hall, for example, where his protagonist seeks refuge from the twin pressures of undergraduate life on one hand, and marital strife on the other: Autumn’s October and I was so very chilly that year because the weather was bad. But it was nice to get in there because there is a thick pipe that goes all around the walls and it is filled with hot water. And it’s such a big room, with enormous portraits high up on the wall, which kept me well in the center in case one fell on my head. But it is such a very pleasant experience to go into this dining hall on a Dublin cold day and say, how do, to the lovely woman at the door taking gowns and move along in the academic line with a tin tray. Even in novels where things go badly awry for the characters concerned, Trinity tends to stand firm in scenic resilience. In Ann Haverty’s One Day as a Tiger (1999), Martin Hawkins, a disaffected Trinity historian (is there any other kind?) recognises that his love affair with academia came to an end when the seasons changed and ‘the bright candles on the blooming chestnut trees in Front Square were pristine and upright’. Novelist Claire Kilroy romances the same setting in her Trinity-set tale All the Names Have Been Changed (2009), the story of a circle of creative writing students dominated by their Sevengali-esque literature tutor, in the 1980s. Amidst the frenzy of their strained literary compositions, there is a burst of real poetry in the narrator’s description of escaping from the noise and bustle of the city in high summer, into the sudden, reverential quiet of the college. ‘The clatter and blare of Dame Street died away as I emerged from the darkness of Front Arch onto the broad cobbled expanse of the quad. It was an impressive vista. Front Square and its environs possessed the tranquil air of a monastic cloister…’. Disturbing the peace, finally, is a new generation of Trinity thrillers which have begun
to surface over the past few years. Cormac Millar – the alias of the Italian Department’s Cormac Ó’Chuilleanain – denies that his 2007 detective fiction The Grounds, set in a fictionalised ‘King’s College, Dublin’, is based on his own place of work, but surely certain elements in this tale of transatlantic academic intrigue look a little familiar? There are more chills and thrills in Barry McCrea’s The First Verse: here, timid Trinity English student Niall Lenihan becomes caught up in a sinister undergraduate cult whose members seek out arcane messages in randomly-chosen book passages, a game which quickly spirals beyond his control.
…centuries of graceful grey stones, red brick, cobblestones…” If you want to go right to the heart of contemporary Trinity life, read Tana French’s The Likeness, published in 2008. Following the murder of a young Trinity student, special police agent Cassie Maddox goes undercover in the university’s School of English in order to infiltrate a gang of arty postgraduates holed up in an old Wicklow manse. The Likeness is a compelling if somewhat implausible yarn, held together yet again by a perfectly painted Trinity backdrop: amidst ‘centuries of graceful grey stone, red brick, cobblestones’, enthuses the heroine, as she wanders into the sacred grounds, ‘you can feel the layers on layers of lost students streaming through Front Square beside you, feel the print of you being added to the air, archived, saved.’
Dr Eve Patten is a lecturer in the School of English, where she teaches on nineteenth and twentieth century British and Irish fiction. She took her first degree at Oxford and completed her Ph.D. on Irish Victorian culture at Trinity, where she is now a Fellow. Her books include Samuel Ferguson and the Culture of Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Literatures of War. She regularly reviews new fiction for The Irish Times, and is a judge on the 2010 International Impac Dublin Literary Award.
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INTERVIEW | Judith Woodworth
The Orchestrator Judith Woodworth, Director of the National Concert Hall, speaks to Aoife Crowley.
T
hough she admits that 'nerves of steel' are required, Judith Woodworth B.A. (1974) has found directing the National Concert Hall “never-endingly exciting and never-endingly challenging.” Since her appointment in 1993, she has overseen huge growth in the Concert Hall’s activities and scope, not least the development of a comprehensive educational programme, a massive expansion of concerts and soaring box-office sales. Woodworth smiles as she reflects on the development of the Concert Hall since that time. “I was thinking recently about where the Concert Hall was at when I was invited to apply for the new role of Director. In the mid '90s, there were about 240 days a year when there were concerts on. Now, there’s one virtually every day in the year, sometimes two or three concerts a day.“ In fact, the range of events is now so vast that last year the Hall broke both its box office and visitor records for the fifth year in a row. Woodworth explains, “What has happened over the 15 years, and my time there, is a huge growth in concert activity. Our box office sales are now €8.5 million a year.” A graduate of History and Political Science in Trinity, who also studied piano and singing at the Royal Irish Academy, Woodworth got her first taste of concert promoting in her third year as Secretary of the Music Society. “There was a small fund available to us. I engaged some musicians from the UK through an agency, set up and promoted the whole concert. It was just a small chamber music concert, but looking back, that was my very first promotion, back in ‘73 or ’74. It gave me a little flavour, a little taste of what it was like dealing through agencies and promoting and marketing.” “I thoroughly enjoyed my days in Trinity. Though what I studied was obviously not related to what I ended up doing, the seeds were planted in Trinity. They were golden days.” Like many who graduated from Trinity during the '70s, Woodworth found there was very little opportunity for those who wished to work in the arts. “I was determined that I was going
to leave Ireland, and so I applied for a whole variety of jobs in England, just to get a job.” After a brief stint in Lloyds Bank, she secured her first job within the music industry, working for Ibbs &Tillett, a well-established London artist management agency. “For someone coming from Ireland, who was very fresh in a way, this was a huge experience to get,” she explains. After three years, she was headhunted by Harrison Parrott, a much bigger and more dynamic international agency. In 1982, while still living in London, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Great Irish Houses Music Festival. Woodworth set about using the contacts she had made through her work with Harrison Parrott, and succeeded in attracting some of the
I thoroughly enjoyed my days in Trinity…They were golden days.” top international performers of that time, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Frederica von Stade and Kyung Wha Chung. The festival was not only important on a professional level. She also began to consider moving back to Ireland for good. “It gave me a realization that perhaps I did not want to spend the rest of my days in London, that there was potential [in Ireland]. And, the most important potential for me was the opening of the National Concert Hall in 1981. Here was a national concert venue, which gave another level of opportunity alongside the festival.” “People were very supportive, and it was at that stage that I decided what was perhaps lacking was a high-level international series of chamber recitals. In 1988, I put together a series which I named the Celebrity Concert Series. I had to go out and get my own sponsorship, I had to go out and mail everybody, and to my utter astonishment people subscribed, and it was extremely well attended.”
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Judith Woodworth | INTERVIEW
National Concert Hall Dublin.
Opportunity came knocking again in 1993, offering her the role of Director of the National Concert Hall. Although aware that it would be very challenging, she saw it as a chance to bring the crème of the international classical scene to Ireland. Now, looking back on her tenure, she is happy that she has achieved much of what she set out to do. In fact, the Concert Hall has been so successful that it has outgrown its current premises. Government acknowledged this in 2006, when they acquired the entire Earlsfort Terrace site with a view to redevelopment. The decision at that time was to build a new auditorium, to renovate the current auditorium to contemporary standards, and also to develop a smaller multipurpose hall, which is something that is currently desperately lacking. Judith is naturally very excited about this prospect, though the current economic situation does raise questions about when it may go ahead. “It has to be said that Earlsfort Terrace is a remarkably exciting site to develop. There are seven acres of gardens, and it would reintegrate what was originally established for the Great Exhibition in 1865. The gardens were originally developed at that time as a part of a whole with the building. That whole concept would be re-established 150 years later.” “So we wait to see what happens. We’re obviously not in control of the economic circumstances that we find ourselves in. However, it would greatly enhance the country’s arts infrastructure. And of course it’s all part of a wider picture which provides an incentive for tourism and international companies to base themselves here. The new Convention Centre, the Theatre in the Docklands and the renovation of the Concert Hall will all be of huge importance in this regard.” In 2002, Woodworth was appointed a Trustee of The Irish Times. “It’s been fascinating to have an insight into how the paper has been able to face the challenges both of the Celtic Tiger era and of the new challenges that have since come into play.” Woodworth is keenly aware of the importance of collaboration with other arts organisations. She was appointed the first Chair of Council of Directors of the National Cultural Institutions ten years ago. This, she explains, is as an extremely useful forum for debate and collaboration. By working together, the importance
of supporting the arts during this period of economic downturn can be emphasised. After all, she stresses, the arts are a very substantial provider of employment in Ireland, both directly and indirectly.
‘Cover Girl’ In the summer of 1969, Judith Woodworth was staying in the Gaeltacht of Inis Oírr. She was approached by an American, who asked if he might take her photograph for a magazine. The man was Jim Sugar, a photographer who had recently been awarded a full-time contract with the National Geographic, and the feature he was working on was titled 'The Friendly Irish'. Woodworth agreed, and her photograph was later taken in Dublin. She didn’t realise that she was on the cover of the magazine until it was spotted by a family friend. “It was just one of those things,” she laughs. “I just happened to be there.” RTÉ recently broadcast a programme 'The Summer of ‘69' based on the people whose photos appeared in the magazine.
Aoife Crowley is a TSM student of English and History, and the Editor of Trinity News. Trinity Today | 47
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INTERVIEW | Risteárd Cooper
près A
Trinity Risteárd Cooper speaks to David Molloy.
H
e’s an actor and comedian who has worked from Dublin to New York, a man who is both an outgoing, recognisable comedian and a quiet and accomplished actor. Risteárd Cooper began his theatrical career while still a student, but most of us know him best as the “okie-doke” alterego of RTÉ panellist Bill O’Herlihy on the infamous Après Match. While the month-long festival of football might have been a chance for most to unwind after a hard day’s work, Cooper and the rest of the Après Match found themselves with more work and more pressure, writing and recording three comedy sketches a day. He spoke to Trinity Today shortly after the World Cup final, and it’s clearly taken its toll.
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Risteárd Cooper | INTERVIEW
“I’m lying out in my garden and now that I’ve actually lain down I realise I’m pretty knackered, tired from it all,” Risteárd in character as broadcaster Pat Kenny. Cooper says when he answers the phone. “It’s quite a slog, quite an undertaking!” Of course being a huge sports fan helps: Après Match gives Cooper a chance to combine his passion for sports and comedy. He is a big fan of Germany (“they played the most exciting game... they play proper football”) and was one of the panellists for their third-place play-off against Uruguay in an Après Match special. The regular panellists took a back seat and let the Après Match crew comment on the game on live national television: something which Cooper describes as a "great buzz". “The powers that be in RTÉ entrust me to anchor a program like that, and they’re either mad or very generous. It’s really enjoyable. When you’re actually in the real studio, and I’m sitting in Bill O’Herlihy’s real chair, it’s like we’re children in a playground. ‘We’re on the real set, we’re being allowed go on the real set!’ It’s a full studio with proper cameramen!” Après Match is a pretty unique creation in sports broadcasting, something which Cooper knows all too well. In an industry where pundits are seen as experts in their field, Cooper is amazed his show still runs. "It’s all down to the good nature of the real panel," he explains. “Hats off to Bill and the boys!” The Après Match crew record in a different studio and don’t have much contact with the real panellists, but for their very first appearance, they shared a studio. “So Bill would hand over to us. And that was pretty weird, taking the mickey out of what they had just said, in front of them and in front of the nation.” Cooper seems to have reached Après Match saturation point after the World Cup, and it’s when he’s asked about his theatre work that he becomes really animated and passionate. But these two areas of his work aren’t really separate for him, he insists; there’s no real division for him between drama and comedy, since “there’s a lot of comedy in drama and drama in comedy, and you have to be able to do one well to do the other.” For Risteárd, the reason for his love of stage performance is the connection with the audience. “I love theatre. I think I love live performance more than TV; the engagement and contact with the audience is unbeatable, and the live experience is more challenging. It focuses the mind much more, it’s very real and a better buzz.”
Cooper’s love affair with theatre began at an early age, and he left school knowing he wanted to perform in some way. He spent a year studying singing before he began a two-year diploma course in Trinity’s Samuel Beckett Centre in 1986, at a time when the course was only beginning its second year. “Sometimes people get too carried away with the idea of training,” he says. “Even the term trained actor is a bit odd. You can either act or you can’t, but I think doing a course can certainly improve your skillset. It won’t give you talent, but it can hone your skills.” The Irish theatre business is a far cry from the New York theatre scene where Cooper cut his teeth as a young man. The audience numbers here are so small that there’s little in the way of adventurous, new productions: particularly in tighter times. “I feel sorry for struggling theatre companies which have their
mance I love theatre. I think I love live perfor tact more than TV; the engagement and con with the audience is unbeatable...” budgets slashed,” Cooper says, with a real sense of regret. “They’re in a position where they have to do something relatively conservative in order to get enough funding to do something they actually want to do that’s a bit more daring. It’s become more difficult for those kind of companies. I think there’s a pattern emerging which audiences aren’t willing to take that much of a risk in a recession, if it’s something which they’re not sure of, or if it’s a new play,” he says. Cooper is clearly proud of his achievements as an actor on stage, talking with fondness about many of his parts. The last play he performed at The Gate Theatre, 'The Yalta Game' by Brian Friel, is a particular favourite of his. The story of two unhappy people in broken marriages who meet on holidays, it’s a simple love story in many ways. “But like all great love stories it has lots of human complexity,” Cooper says. “I suppose there’s a lot of comedy in it, but it’s an impending tragedy because we know it’s going nowhere.” A comedic talent with a passion for serious drama, Cooper is playful, witty and respectful of art; a comedian who loves the theatre most of all, but who is best known for his television work. And this multi-faceted nature is precisely what makes the man so interesting. Trinity Today | 49
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SPORTS | News
On the Ball NEWS FROM AN EXCITING SPORTING YEAR IN TRINITY
Trinity College Sports Hall of Fame The Trinity College Sports Hall of Fame was awarded to the Harriers and Athletics Club at a dinner in the Dining Hall, Trinity College in March 2010. The dinner was also part of the celebration of the Club Quasquicentenary. Two female athletes, two male athletes and a coach were honoured through this initiative.
M
aeve Kyle, O.B.E., triple Olympian (Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo); Jane McNicholl, leading D.U.H.A.C. athlete of late 1960’s and early 1970’s, International CrossCountry team Bronze Medalist for Ireland at Frederick, Maryland, in 1970; Kingston Mills, Irish international cross-country runner, represented Ireland in the marathon at the second I.A.A.F. World Athletics Championships in Rome in 1987; Roy Dooney,, represented Ireland nine times
(above) Tom Maguire. (l-r) Maeve Esther Enid Kyle (née Shankey); Jane Eleanor McNicholl; Robert 'Roy' John Dooney; Kingston Henry Gordon Mills.
in I.A.A.F. World Cross-Country Championships and twice in the marathon - 15th European Athletics Championships in Split, Croatia in 1990 and fourth I.A.A.F. World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart in 1993; Tom Maguire, D.U.H.A.C. coach 1922 - 1954, coach to Irish Olympic athletics team in London in 1948, athletics starter and official handicapper of the Amateur Athletic Union of Eire.
‘60
‘70
‘90
‘80
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News | SPORTS
DU Boat Club Prevail at Trinity Regatta 2010
A
successful day was enjoyed by both Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC) and Dublin University Ladies Boat Club at the Trinity Regatta hosted at the Trinity Boathouse in the War Memorial Park, Islandbridge. In the eights events, the DUBC first eight defended the intermediate eights category, with hard fought victories over top crews such as Neptune and Galway Rowing Club. In the smaller boat categories, Trinity were again dominant with Paul Dunphy winning the intermediate singles title and American Rob Mawn gaining another victory in the novice single. The novice squad showed that the future of Trinity rowing is in good hands with an emphatic victory over UCD in the
novice eights category, while their female counterparts continued the winning streak with victories in the novice fours and eights events. The Ladies Boat Club also showed their strength at senior level by winning the senior four. Prizes were presented by President of the Boat Club, Des Hill who captained the Boat Club in 1969. The Regatta is one of the most important sporting events in the College sporting calendar and has been held every year since 1898 except during the First World War. The course which runs from Chapelizod to the weir at Islandbridge offers multilane straight course racing and the peculiarities of the course present a unique racing experience.
Rowing Revitalised
N
ot content to rest on their laurels after an historic Championship win in 2008, Trinity’s rowers are now set on leading their club to the front of the field. At home and abroad, competition is fierce. At Henley Regatta this year UCD recorded a triumphant win in the fours event, while Queens Belfast continued to dominate the British and Irish scene in the eights class. A revitalisation of Lady Elizabeth Boat Club (LEBC); DUBC’s alumni association, has seen a 200 per cent increase in the number of contributors and has raised over €35,000 since April 2010. The management committee headed by His Honour Justice Donagh McDonagh have been delighted with the response across the generations to date. LEBC is a fantastic way for past members to stay in touch with friends and their club. Members of LEBC can now look forward to an active calendar of social events and regular updates of news from Islandbridge. Most importantly, members of Lady Elizabeth can now provide the support that will soon bring a blur of black and white to the enclosures on finals day.
Trinity Regatta
Pinks
P
inks were presented at the DUCAC Sporting Commons in April this year. The Pink, awarded to Trinity sportsmen and women, corresponds to the Light Blue of Cambridge and the Dark Blue of Oxford. Pinks are awarded on individual merit, which is generally assessed in terms of representative selection or external achievement.
Pinks were presented to; » » » » » » »
Sarah McGrath (Basketball) Alexander Floyd (Boating) Nicola Fitzgibbon (Equestrian) Anthony Byrne (Equestrian) Zoe McElligott (Equestrian) Louis Arron (Fencing) Maria Treacy (Fencing)
» » » » » » » »
Donal Mulligan (Fencing) Scott La Valla (Rugby) James Gethings (Rugby) Sean O’Reilly (Waterpolo) Gillian Gavaghan (Swimming) Sharon Coady (Swimming) Tim Downing (Triathlon) David Misstear (Ultimate Frisbee)
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SPORTS | News
Annual Celebration for Sporting Achievements
T
he annual celebration of Trinity College sporting achievements took place recently when a thanksgiving service for sport was held in the College Chapel followed by Sporting Commons. Former WBA Super Bantamweight champion (2009) Bernard Dunne was also honoured on the night for his competitiveness in world boxing and his support of sports at Trinity College. Bernard was a student in Trinity College in 1999/2000 where he took a course in ‘Maximising Performance and Monitoring for Training in Sport’ in the Anatomy Department. He received a Trinity Sports Scholarship that year and boxed for the DU Boxing Club. DUCAC is the governing body for 49 sports clubs in College. Trinity sportsmen and women, past and present, gather for the annual thanksgiving service for sport.
More information on the various clubs and how to join can be found here www.ducac.tcdlife.ie.
Indian Team Wins Annual Ranji Trophy Ireland
Pic by Seamus Sullivan
he annual Ranji Trophy Ireland cricket match saw an Indian XI team record a close victory over an Irish XI team in Trinity College’s cricket grounds on 8 August last. The match, which finished with the Indian side winning by a margin of 11 runs, featured excellent fielding and bowling from the winning team and was supported by the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency P.S. Raghavan. Both the Irish team and Indian team, made up of Indian community residents in Ireland, were heavily supported on the day.
The teams in action during the annual Ranji Trophy Ireland.
Pictured right, journalist Alan Ruddock B.A. (1984) who captained the Irish selection at the inaugural match in 2009 and was to captain this year’s team but sadly passed away earlier during the year. During his time at Trinity, Alan had been captain of the successful University Ramblers cricket team.
The Ranji Trophy Ireland cricket match was established in 2009 to promote Irish-Indian relations and is named after Indian Prince Ranjitsinhji, Maharajah of Nawanager, the most famous cricket player of his generation and the first non-Englishman to play test cricket for England.
Pic by Seamus Sullivan
T
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News | SPORTS
Sports Scholarships
2009/2010
J
ohn Delaney, CEO of the FAI presented the Sports Scholarships this year in the newly renovated Pavilion Bar in December 2009. He was very impressed with the standard and quality of the Scholarship recipients. Twenty three students were awarded Scholarships, representing 12 sports. Cadburys presented awards to two Trinity students at the event; Eoin Fanning and Thomas Corrigan, for their outstanding performances in Gaelic Football. The Scholarships are awarded on the basis of high performance, potential development, involvement in particular sports club along with academic excellence. Since its initiation 17 years ago, the Scholarship programme has awarded over 300 sporting students. Recipients: Athletics: Fiona O’Friel, Bryony Treston, Becky Wood. Cycling: Melanie Spath. Equestrian: Anthony Byrne, Nicola Fitzgibbon. Fencing: Louis Arron. GAA: Gerard Cafferkey, Hannah Larmon, Karen O’Shea, Martin Phelan. Hockey: Maebh Horan, Caroline Murphy. Orienteering: Niamh O’Boyle, Rowing: Sarah Dolan, Iseult Finn, Ali Floyd. Rugby: Dominic Gallagher, Scott La Valla. Soccer: Niall O’Carroll, Evin O’Reilly. Squash: Sarah Corcoran. Volleyball: Fionnuala Nevin.
Club News › DU Ladies Boat Club
(DULBC) started this season with high hopes after a successful 2009 season. Sarah Dolan and Iseult Finn faired well in the Rowing Ireland winter trails and the Senior VIII toped this off with a 40th place in London Head. There have been wins at all levels throughout the season notably the Senior VIII and Novice IV at Skibereen Grand League Regatta as well as several wins at Trinity Regatta.
› The DU Badminton Club this year were winners of the University League Division 1 in March, they were semifinalists at the Irish Badminton Intervarsity Competition and Meike Boettcher was a finalist in the Ladies Singles Division 1. › The Junior and Senior Boxing Intervarsity Competition was won by DU Boxing Club. › The Fencing Club won a number of competitions this year. The Eppe and Foil Intervarsity, the Trinity Cup, Irish Open (Ladies Foil), Colours and the Intermediates. They medalled in the Duffey Epee, Merseyside Open, East of Ireland and the Northern Irish Open. › The Climbing Club became
Intervarsity Champions in February.
› The men’s Judo team won
gold and the women’s team won silver at their Intervarsity Competition.
› The Women’s Ultimate
Frisbee won their Indoor and Outdoor Intervarsity Competitions and the Women’s 2009-10 team are the highest achieving women’s team in Ireland to date. The Club came second overall in the Open Indoor, the University League Open and the Mixed Intervarsity Competition.
› In GAA news Fresher
Tomas Corrigan was selected on the Ulster Bank Rising Stars Team for 2010. Earlier in the year Tomas won a Cadbury’s U21 GAA Scholarship, his scores bringing Trinity all the way to the Trench Cup final in Maynooth. At the annual GAA Ball a total of 14 awards were presented on the night - GAA team of the year was won by “Ladies Gaelic Footballers” and GAA person of the year was won by Ryan Casey/Aaron Hurley. The Quill Cup in January was won by the DU Ladies Gaelic Football Club and they lost the Quarter Finals of the All Ireland Championship, losing to University of Jordanstown.
› DU Harriers and Athletic
Club brought one of their biggest ever teams to the Intervarsity Cross Country Championships hosted by CIT in March and were rewarded with an overall 2nd place finish behind DCU. Fourth place finishes by JF Liam Tremble and Louise Reilly (OYD) were the highlights. DUHAC is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year by hosting the Intervarsity Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Morton Stadium in Santry in April.
› The Ladies A Squash won their Intervarsity in March and won the Leinster Ladies Division 1 League.
› The DU Sub Aqua Club
finished hosting its series of Technical Diving talks. The talk series was opened by Ian Lawler on ‘40 years of DUSAC’ where he plotted the advances from the early days of diving in t-shirts and other home made equipment in the (then) murk of Dublin Bay, through to the uncertain beginnings of boat-diving in the '80s.
Sarah Dolan
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INTERVIEW | Sports
From Engineering to the engine room
The famously-relaxed Malcolm O'Kelly may have hung up his boots but he's still as engaging as ever in conversation. Paul Fitzpatrick caught up with the Ireland and Leinster legend and Trinity graduate.
W
ant an insight into the life of a 6ft 8in international second row? Here's one to get you started. Picture the scene. Rising star Malcolm O'Kelly, a gangly young colt on the professional rugby scene, is out for the night with some teammates and stands at a bar, frustration growing, as he tries in vain to order a drink. Each time he waves an arm, or flicks the eyebrows, the lady behind the counter skips on to the next punter. A dozen years later, the laconic southsider takes up the tale with a chuckle. “Eventually I got very p**sed off and went back down to the table,” he recalls. “I was only a young guy at the time. One of the senior guys went back up to the bar and asked 'why won't you serve this guy?' and the girl looked at them and said “I'm not going to serve this man until he gets down off that box!” That's O'Kelly – laconic and witty to the end. Shooting the breeze on a Friday morning, the giant Templeogue man, who turned 36 last July, is engaging and articulate in looking back on his career. From Engineering in Trinity College to the engine room – that's second row, 'donkey work' as the man himself says – for the Irish and Leinster sides, O'Kelly, holder of 92 internationals caps, has seen it all. There's one moment, however, which stands out. “One of the things I'm remembered for I suppose was in 2004 when we finally beat England in Twickenham. It was kind of out of the blue because they were the World Cup holders and I suppose the moment that people remembered was the occasion I made a tackle on the line to stop Martin Regan from scoring a try and, I suppose, save the game. People are always coming back to me saying, 'that was your finest moment'.” O'Kelly, of course, was one of the elder statesmen of the “golden generation” of Irish talent. After years of struggling to win matches in the old Five Nations, Irish rugby, helped by the convenience of our traditional provincial system, embraced the pro era and went on to enjoy the greatest period in its history, yielding a Grand Slam and Heineken Cups for three of the four provinces.
Having retired from the professional game last May, O'Kelly – who is currently involved in skill re-training work with Engineers Ireland, a role he speaks passionately about – still keeps in touch with the sport and, unusually for a top sportsman, with engineering itself. Since his time in Trinity, the two have gone hand in hand. “I have very fond memories obviously, as a kid it was a place I always looked upon as somewhere I always wanted to be but never really expected to be,” he smiles. “At the time, I found myself there it was quite surreal. “When I got involved in Engineering it was something I always wanted to get involved in and in terms of the course, it was probably one of the most enjoyable periods of my life, to be there and to be studying. There was a great ethos in the College.” The social scene, just as in rugby, was a huge part of life in the College. Friendships made in both tend to endure. “You're in the centre of the city and certainly in Engineering, you do a lot of hours, it's 36 hours plus, so you really get to know the crew and you build relationships and friendships in that time and become quite tight,” he says. “I still have a great relationship with a lot of my engineering guys, even though I'm nearly 15 years out I still have daily emails and great banter among the guys, so it just shows you how strong the relationships are.” O'Kelly played rugby for the College in his final term. “I was briefly involved. My commitment at the time was to St Mary's and I was quite keen to keep that distinct from what I was doing in College. It was just something that I separated. St Mary's were always very good to me at that time and had created me as rugby player, so I felt a duty there. “But I did get to know the likes of Paddy Spicer and so on, who were in the rugby club. Jamie Heaslip's brother, Richie Heaslip, was a training partner of mine, he was also a Trinity graduate
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Sports | INTERVIEW
Pic by Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE
Rugby was something that I could always get involved with to keep me on the straight and narrow and it certainly did that.”
from Science. He played with Trinity and he suggested that I should. So I did play with them in my final year. Leaving Trinity with his parchment secured, O'Kelly embarked on life in the paid game with London Irish, a club steeped in lore but a fledgling set-up in professional terms. "Was it hard to take the plunge, you ask" It's love to say that it was my decision but it kind of happened for me,” says O'Kelly. “It was a case of the game turning professional and the opportunity arose and for me it was just a case of following the path. It was something I don't think anybody would turn down. It was a great opportunity and I took it. “I went to London for three years and the opportunity was there, everything was just laid on a plate for me, all I had to do was just put on the boots every Saturday and just do the business.” As well as providing a career, rugby was a way of fending off distractions, too. “I think at that stage of my life it was great for me to have focus. Rugby was something that I could always get involved with to keep me on the straight and narrow and it certainly did that." While engineering was a fall-back option, it was one he didn't consider. A hallmark of top athletes is tunnel vision and this one had it; a career in top-class rugby was the light at the end
of his. “I certainly didn't look at it like that,” he says. “I had just finished Engineering and I had spoken to people, like a good friend of mine Frank Kennedy, and there were opportunities for me in Dublin as an engineer but I couldn't not go with the rugby... it was everything.” Fifteen eventful years later and O'Kelly can finally relax, not that he's ever had a problem doing so. His carefree nature is legendary but behind it is a driven character, a warhorse who was known as one of the top line-out specialists in the game during his career. He took ten weeks “to unwind” in South America on his retirement and now is looking forward to staying involved in the sport at some level, keeping fit, working and, he states in his trademark south Dublin drawl, keeping off the weight. He still gets plenty of recognition, too. “It's more my height I think, I kind of stick out a bit! It's always a funny thing. It can be hard to deal with. If you're trying to just go about your business it can be a little bit tedious but, you know what, you are what you are and you create your own kind of monster and in the end it brings the extrovert out in you, you enjoy feeding off people and you get to meet all sorts of people from different backgrounds who you wouldn't normally meet.” Something different. Just like the man himself. Trinity Today | 55
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ALUMNI | Honorary Degrees
Honorary Degrees Winter Commencements - December 2009
Summer Commencements - July 2010
» Paul Durcan (Litt.D) one of Ireland’s most eminent and original poets was conferred with a Doctor in Letters. In addition to his national and international reputation as a poet, he is also an important and fearless commentator on social issues and through his work has provided some of the most succinct appraisals of modern Irish social, cultural and political life. In 1990 he was Writer Fellow of the College, and from 2004 to 2007 he held the Ireland Chair of Poetry at Queens University Belfast, UCD and TCD. He has published more than 20 books and his work has won many awards. » Michael Griffith (Sc.D) the Chief Executive of Fighting Blindness (1996-2008) and founding chairman of the charity in 1983, was conferred with a Doctor in Science. For more than twenty years the Fighting Blindness CEO has played a crucial role in the development of biomedical research in Ireland and of genetics at Trinity in particular. His support and fundraising efforts since the 1980s led to the mapping of the genes responsible for retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness. The charity, Fighting Blindness, today supports more than 14 research projects on eye diseases. » Geraldine Kennedy (Litt.D) the Editor of The Irish Times since 2002 was conferred with a Doctor in Letters in the year of the 150th anniversary of the newspaper. The Irish Times editor during her distinguished career has made a significant contribution to political journalism, a career which spans over thirty years working with The Irish Times, and formerly The Sunday Tribune and The Sunday Press. She was also a member of the Dáil (1987-1989). » Ismail Serageldin (Litt.D) is the Director of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, which is acclaimed as the world’s first library and research centre and a crossroads of dialogue throughout history. Known worldwide as an inspiring humanist and social scientist, Mr Serageldin is a leading authority on the role of education and of science and technology in promoting developing societies. He was also Vice-President of the World Bank (1992-2000), with responsibility, until 1998, for environmentally and socially sustainable development. He has published over 50 books and monographs and has served on numerous international bodies and fora.
» Dr Kristina M. Johnson (Sc.D) is currently the Under Secretary for Energy at the Department of Energy in Washington, DC and she was conferred with a Doctor in Science at TCD. Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary, Dr Johnson was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Johns Hopkins University. A graduate from Stanford, her academic career in electrical engineering started with a postdoctoral fellowship in Trinity. She served as Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centre for Optoelectronics Computing Systems at the University of Colorado for five years and then served as Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University (1999- 2007). » Dr Mohamed ElBaradei (LL.D) former Director General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) is also a joint recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 with the IAEA for their efforts “to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way”. He was conferred with a Doctor in Laws at Trinity. The Egyptian born Dr ElBaradei, is a lawyer by training and headed the IAEA from 1997 until the end of his third and final term in 2009. His courageous and committed work for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and his contributions to peace have been widely recognised internationally. » Lynne Parker (Litt.D) Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Rough Magic Theatre Company was conferred with a Doctor in Letters. Rough Magic is one of the most innovative theatre companies in Ireland which was co-founded 25 years ago by Lynne Parker, a graduate in English from Trinity and also a former member of the College’s DU Players. Under the leadership of Lynne Parker, the company has in recent years become a major force in Irish Theatre, winning the Irish Theatre Award for Best Production four times in six years. The company is committed to developing and producing new Irish work for the stage, commissioned from leading playwrights and theatre artists.
(l-r) Michael Griffith,Geraldine Kennedy,
Paul Durcan, Ismail Serageldin.
(l-r) Provost, Dr John Hegarty, Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, Dr Kristina M. Johnson, Chancellor Mary Robinson, Lynne Parker.
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Remembering Trinity
Your legacy will make a difference
ry in your will is a ve y it in Tr g in er b Remem t the University efi en b ill w at th t generous ac for years to come. efit, eas that could ben ar y an m e ar re The school, rary to a specific lib e g lle o C e th from larship program. ho sc r o ct je ro p research it nothing now, yet s st co ill w ur yo A gift in ow satisfaction to kn f o l ea d at re g a can give ift will live on. that your future g
ott t Paula McDerm ac nt co n, io at For more inform 896 2088 tcd.ie / +353 1 at foundation@
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alumni | Awards 2009
The Alumni Awards 2009
The 2009 Alumni Awards were presented at a gala dinner in November 2009. Compère for the evening was Áine Lawlor B.A. (1982). The recipients were presented with awards in recognition of achievements in their respective fields and for the contribution that they have made both at home and abroad.
About the awardees
Chris de Burgh M.A. (1990) In a career spanning three decades, 17 studio albums, 3,000 concerts worldwide and album sales in excess of 40 million, Chris de Burgh is one of Ireland’s most successful artists. The foundations for a remarkable and durable career were laid back in 1975 with the release of Chris’s debut album, 'Far Beyond These Castle Walls'. Even greater success was to follow with the release of 1986’s 'Into The Light', an album which featured 'The Lady In Red', which achieved No.1 status in 25 countries and has now sold in excess of 8 million copies. Chris has since gone on to release several more albums. Chris established his own record label Ferryman Productions in 2003 which released his latest three albums. Over the years Chris has remained connected to his alma mater where he studied English and French. In 1992, he was the star of This Is Your Life, recorded in the College Dining Hall. The singer is a passionate supporter of Trinity’s Science Gallery sitting on its Development Board and, as a ‘Leonardo’, assisting with the Gallery’s creative output.
Peter Fallon M.A. (1976) When Peter Fallon arrived in Trinity in 1968, he was already a published poet. He quickly became involved in arts activities around the campus. He played rugby and cricket for the College and worked in the Sheriff Street Literacy Programme. In 1970, when he was just 18, Peter founded The Gallery Press. Within a couple of years he was publishing books by two of his lecturers, Brendan Kennelly and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin. Since then he has edited and published more than 400 collections of poems and plays by Ireland’s leading writers and he has fostered a generation of outstanding younger poets. He has been poetin-residence at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and Heimbold Professor at Villanova University which conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate. News of the World: Selected and New Poems appeared in 1998. He returned to Trinity in 1994 as Writer Fellow in the Department of English where he completed a dramatisation of Kavanagh’s Tarry Flynn. He received the O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institution and he is a member of Aosdána.
Mark Pollock B.A. (1998) When he lost his sight in 1998, Mark Pollock was a final year student, Captain of the University Boat Club, an international rower and in line for a job with a London investment bank. Mark knew he had two choices: to give up or to get on with his life. He began the process of rebuilding his identity. Using his guide dog Larry, he learnt to negotiate Dublin’s busy streets and to use a computer with the aid of speech technology. He continued competitive rowing and went on to win silver and bronze medals in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He also took up marathon running completing six marathons in seven days in China’s Gobi desert in and the North Pole marathon. In 2007, he was back on foot for the lowest and highest foot races in the world – the Dead Sea Ultra and Everest Marathon. His biggest achievement was to come in 2009 when he became the first blind man to reach the South Pole. Through his experiences Mark has become a highly successful international speaker. He sits on a number of boards and advisory groups in the not-for-profit sector. A regular visitor to campus, Mark launched the 2009 College Health and Sports Week and supports initiatives such as Trinity Takes To The Streets.
Louise Richardson M.A. (1980) Louise Richardson was appointed Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews in 2009. Prior to this appointment, she was Executive Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. For 12 years she was a Professor of Government at Harvard. Her teaching has been recognised with both national and local awards including the Levenson Prize. A political scientist by training, Louise has specialised in international security with an emphasis on terrorist movements. She has written numerous articles on international terrorism, British foreign and defence policy, security institutions, and international relations. She serves on the editorial board of the journals Security Studies and Democracy and Security. Louise was awarded the Sumner Prize for work towards the prevention of war and the establishment of universal peace. Her research has been recognised with awards from, among others, the Ford Foundation, the Milton Fund, the Sloan Foundation, the Krupp Foundation, the Center for European Studies, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the United States Institute of Peace. Louise sits on Trinity College’s Long Room Hub Advisory Board.
We were shocked and saddened to hear the news that Mark Pollock suffered a serious injury resulting from a fall during the summer. At the time of going to press he is undergoing extensive treatment for a spinal injury. Our thoughts are with him, his family and loved ones as he battles to what we hope will be a full recovery. You can find out how Mark is getting on, and send him a message, at his website www.markpollock.com/blog/blog.asp. 58 | Trinity Today
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Awards 2009 | alumni
Professor Iggy McGovern recited his poem written especially for the occasion
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Would you have looked up to the sky Or did it all just pass you by Mired in our sad economy In this Year of Astronomy? Now train your solvent Jodrell Banks On four bright objects from our ranks The first has won enduring fame A Norman Conquest, in his name, Of home and far flung foreign parts A topper of the music charts: The case for Mars is herewith pled Re-name it the…Lady in Red The second chose ere his degree To make a life in poetry Prize-winning writer who by dint Of toil guides others into print: An editor worth his salary For ‘galaxy’ read ‘Gallery’
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The third has faced infirmity With fortitude and dignity His motto surely “boldly go!” By desert, ocean, mountain, snow: No-one should be surprised to hear He’s off to space, the next frontier The fourth strove to discern the gist Of what impels the terrorist; A noted Dean in Harvard Yard Now Principal of our Scottish pard Where she will set the world to rights Her name up in The Northern Lights
7 From left to right 1) Eleanor Kelleher and Diane Davison. 2) Nicola Cosgrave and Charmaine Kenny B.A., M.Sc. (2005). 3) John Dillon B.A.I., M.Sc., M.B.A. (1992) with Rupa and Asheesh Dewan. 4) Rachael Naughton B.A. (1997) and Fergal Naughton B.A.I. (1998). 5) Jean Fallon, Mary Coyle, Mary Elizabeth Berney. 6) Terry Pratchett Litt.D. (h.c.) (2008), Neasa Ní Chinnéide and Provost Dr John Hegarty. 7) Robert O’Byrne B.A. (1981), Sinead Dunwoody and Kathy Gilfillan, B.A. (1972). 8) Seamus Heaney Litt.D. (h.c) (1988).
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But now we must return as one To this our Third Rock from the Sun O’Casey’s quasi-comical Life question astronomical ‘what is the stars?’ is answered now: Applaud them as you would The Plough! Iggy McGovern M.A. (j.o.) (1983) October 2009.
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alumni | Events
Graduate Reunion Weekend
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Teresa McKenna M.B., M.A. (1965). John Saeed M.A. (j.o.) F.T.C.D. (1990), Joan Maguire M.B. (2000). Medical Class of 1985. Back Row: Fergus Mason M.B., Arthur Courtney M.B., John Stinson M.B., Damian Mohan, M.B. Front Row: Beth Mason, Linda Stinson, Marie Scully M.B., Cliona Magee M.B., Brigid Mohan, Deirdre Dowdall M.B. J. Roderick (Roddy) Evans M.B. (1945). Malcolm Graham M.B., M.A. (1945), Evelyn Graham. Roger Bowell M.B., M.A., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.S.I. (1965), Niall Heney M.D., F.R.C.S.I. (1965), Mary Henry M.D., M.A. (1965) – Chairperson TCD Association & Trust, Basil Hudson M.B., M.A. (1965). M.V.B. Class of 1975. Back Row: John Hill M.V.B., Karl Smyth M.V.B., Eugene McGrath M.V.B., Anthony (Tony) Henderson M.V.B., M.R.C.V.S. Front Row: JJames (Jim) Kenny M.V.B., M.A., M.R.C.V.S., Desmond (Des) Leadon
8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15)
M.V.B., M.Sc., M.A., F.R.C.V.S., Alan Clements M.V.B., M.R.C.V.S., Colm Gaynor M.V.B., M.Sc.(Mgmt.), MSc., M.A., M.R.C.V.S., B.L. Anne Louise Moore (née Cantan) B.A., M.Sc. (1961), Charles (Charlie) Moore B.A. (1960). Eric Engelstad, Joyce Rubotham B.A. (2000), Alma McDonnell-Callan B.A. (2000), Gavin Callan B.A. (2000). Paul Hunt B.B.S. (Lang.) (2000), Sarah Fleury B.B.S. (Lang.) (2000), Tómas Ó hAonghusa (Thomas Hennessy) B.B.S. (Lang.) (2000). Norah Kelso, Provost Dr John Hegarty, Mary Henry M.A., M.D. (1965). Leonard Abrahamson B.A.I. (1970), Heather Abrahamson (née Waters) B.A. (1972). Janette Kelly B.A. (2000), Meahb Doyle B.A. (2000). S Colin Neill B.B.S., M.A. (1970). Pauline and Richard Wormell B.A. (1965).
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Events | alumni
London Dining Club Bicentenary
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Colin Smythe O.St.J., M.A., LL.D. (h.c.), F.R.S.A., Robert (Roy) Foster M.A., Ph.D. (1971) Guest Speaker, Jennifer Lyons. Patrick and Sandra Sweeney, Kate and Frank Larkin M.B. (1982) outgoing Chairman of TCD London Dining Club. Gary Collins B.Dent.Sc. (1990) and Deirdre Collins. Conor and Mary O’Shea. Caroline (Carol) Leighton (née McDonnell) B.A. (1964) – outgoing Honorary Secretary TCD London Dining Club and John Kurkjian M.A. (1954). Iris O’Ferrall and Jeremy Craig B.A. (1965). Trish Ferguson and Patrick Geoghegan. Sara Curnock Cook and Jeremy Curnock Cook M.A. (1971). Anne Mills, Aida Power, Jane Corboy. Denis & Catherine Daly. Roy Leighton, Hamidah Shaikh M.A. (1964), Vera (Vanne) Campbell (née Cowdy) M.A. (1964), Peadar Ó Mórdha M.B., M.A. (1991).
Trinity Today | 61
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alumni | Events
Christmas Homecoming 2009 1
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From left to right 1) Triona Gara B.A. (1999), Mairead Finucane B.A., Ph.D. (1999), Jennifer Mitchell B.A., Ph.D. (1999). 2) Judy Gannon B.A. (2001), Rebekah Fozzard M.Sc. (2006). 3) Léonie McCabe B.A. (2000), Deirdre MacEvilly B.Sc. (Clin. Lang) (2000), Ed McNally B.Sc. (Pharm.) (2001), Maeve Lyons B.A. (2000). 4) David Long B.A. (2007), Lina Persechini B.A. (2007). 5) Sorcha Richardson B.A. (2009), Brian Reddy B.A. (2006), P O’Farrell. 6) Niamh Doyle B.A. (1999), Naomi Tierney B.A. (2008), Sarah Gilligan B.A. (2008). 7) Jennifer Kelly B.A. (2001), Shane Duffy B.A. (2001), Paul Connaughton B.A. (2001), Niamh Ryan B.A. (2001), Colin O’Sullivan B.A., M.Sc. (2001), Sharon Conheady B.A. (2001), Darren Comisky B.A. (2001). 8) Morgan McElligott B.A. (2008), Ted Shields B.A. (2008), James O’Dowd-Nolan B.A. (2008).
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Andrew Lindsay B.A. (1996), Shane Doorley B.A. (1996), Brian McHugh B.A. (1996). Front: Deirdre Teeling B.A. (2009), Hilary Allen B.A. (2009) Back: Caoilfhionn Nic Conmara B.A. (2009), Stephen Mahon B.A. (2009), Grainne Conroy B.B.S. (2009), Kevin Timoney B.A. (2009), Eoin Moore B.A. (2009), Kieran Curtis B.A. (2009), Niall Sherry B.A. (2009). Aoife Mullally M.B. (1993), Deirdre Mullally B.A. (2000). Aisling Croke B.A. (2008), Shane McGuinness B.A. (2008). Jennifer Taaffe, B.A. (1997), Norah Kelso, Anne Kavanagh M.Phil. (1997). Eanna O Caollai B.A. (1996), Gareth O’Sullivan B.Sc. (Syst.Inf.) (2007). Denise McGivney Nolan B.A. (1995), Valerie Ringrose Fitzsimons M.A. (1995). Caoimhe Connolly LL.B. (2002), Áine Ni Ghráinne LL.B. (2002), Lucinda Glynn B.A. (2002), Mark Finan LL.B. (2002), Lucinda Creighton LL.B. (2002).
» This year’s Homecoming takes place on Wednesday 22 December from 6-8pm in the Dining Hall. Don’t forget to book early! See www.tcd.ie/alumni for full details 62 | Trinity Today
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Events | alumni
Christmas Commons 2009 1
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John Dillon B.A.I., M.Sc., M.B.A. (1992) Alumni Director, Sinead Dillon, Declan Budd LL.B., M.A. (1968) Trustee TCD Association & Trust, Michael McCann M.A. (1976) Kildare Branch. Ester Tossi Mac Dermot B.A. (1984) and Fidelma Kelly B.A., M.Phil. (1983). Jane Grimson (née Wright) B.A.I. (1970) and William Grimson B.A.I. (1970). Mary Rolfe (née Farrell) B.A. (1992), Janet Hurley (née Miller) B.A. (1992), Patrick Farrell, Susan Miller B.A. (1989).
5) 6) 7) 8) 9)
Sally Ann Leahy and Anne McMonagle M.A. (1985). Fionnuala Tansey M.B.A (1992), Neale Webb B.A., F.C.A. (1996), Fiona Quigley M.A. (1981). Aoife O’Brien, Philip Dunne, Olive Moran M.Sc. (Mgmt.) (2006), Paddy Collins, Fionnuala Tansey M.B.A. (1992), Paddy Butler. Marie Fanning, Mary Butler Ward LL.B., M.A. (2003), Mary Benson. Derek Mitchell B.A.I. (1970), Carol Mitchell (née Burke) B.A. (1971), Hilary Kirkpatrick, Robert Kirkpatrick B.A.I. (1970).
TCD Association & Trust Annual Dinner 2010 1
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From left to right 1) Kate Desigar, George Salter M.A. (1947). 2) Ann Budd (née Lawson) M.A. (1968), John Walsh B.A., M.Litt., Ph.D. (1997), Eavan O’Brien M.A., Ph.D. (2003). 3) Richard Tottenham B.A. (1954), Elizabeth Tottenham (née Mulcahy Morgan) M.A. (1965), Avril Forrest, Leslie Forrest M.A. (1968). 4) Jennifer Waldron-Lynch (née Carney) B.A. (1957), Frank Waldron-Lynch. 5) Mary Morrissey M.Sc. (1986), Shauna O’Boyle, B.A.I. (1992).
» The TCD Association and Trust Annual Dinner will be held on Friday 13 May 2011. Visit www.tcd.ie/alumni for further details Trinity Today | 63
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alumni | Class Notes
Class Notes NEWS FROM, AND HIGHLIGHTS OF, THE LIVES OF TRINITY COLLEGE ALUMNI FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Erica Roseingrave B.A. (2000)
2000s Frieda Klotz B.A. (2000) Frieda completed her book, The Philosopher’s Banquet, which she co-authored with Dr. Katerina Oikonomopoulou from St. Andrews University. The book will be out next year, published by Oxford University Press. Frieda is based in New York, where she now works as a journalist covering news and culture, often for Irish publications. She would love to hear from you if you have any interesting story leads or contacts (friedaklotz@gmail.com). Fletcher Thomson LL.M. (2002) Fletcher is enjoying practicing law in the United States. In May, he won a $50.5 million trade secrets judgment, the largest jury verdict in Connecticut history. More recently, Fletcher was named a '2010 New England Rising Star', a peer nominated distinction limited to 2.5 per cent of young lawyers practicing in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Marie-Louise Bowe M.A., H.Dip. Ed., L.R.I.A.M., A.R.I.A.M., T.T.C.T. (2002) Marie-Louise has just received a Fulbright Scholarship to undertake a Doctorate (Ed.D.) at Columbia University in New York City. Currently she is a Music Methodology Lecturer at NUI Maynooth and Music Teacher at Belvedere College Dublin. Also, a freelance violist, piano accompanist and traditional fiddle player, Ms Bowe’s main area of research is examining 'The Provision of Instrumental Music Education in Irish Schools'. Orla Brady LL.M. (2003) Orla is an attorney in the New York office of Kreindler & Kreindler LLP, a law firm representing personal injury and wrongful death victims and their families from the US and around the world. She lectures on various aviation litigation related issues across the US. Orla was recently named one of the 'Most Influential Women' by the US publication the Irish Voice.
Erica Roseingrave B.A. (2000) After graduating from Trinity with a degree in Business Studies and Economics in 2000, Erica worked for the Irish Echo newspaper in New York, before joining TV3 Television in Dublin as a researcher. She joined RTÉ as a presenter on 'Nationwide' before returning to TV3 where she worked for a number of years as a TV news reporter. She then joined CIE (Ireland’s State Transport Company) where she managed communications and media relations for Bus Éireann. In 2008 Erica joined Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland and is Head of Public Affairs and Communications for Ireland, where she oversees all aspects of Coca-Cola’s external affairs programme. In 2009, Erica won the award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility campaign at the All Ireland Marketing Awards, for the Coca-Cola Designated Driver programme. Erica is actively involved with the Trinity Business Alumni and was a participant at the Ireland Funds Global Young Leaders Forum held in Farmleigh in June.
Eoin Haugh B.A. (2005) Claire Sherwin B.A. (2004) and Eoin Haugh B.A. (2005) celebrated their marriage in the College Chapel on 19 December 2009. Laura Egan B.A. (2005) Laura received an M.Litt. in Material Culture & Artefact Studies from the University of Glasgow in 2007. She is currently working in the National Library of Ireland. 64 | Trinity Today
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Class Notes | alumni
« Charmaine Kenny B.A., M.Sc. (2005)
Since being selected as the 51st Rose of Tralee in August 2009, 12 fabulously random, excitedly exhausting, humbling and magical months ensued for Charmaine. It has been a whirlwind journey through 11 countries, 25,000km of Ireland’s roads, 23 airport landings, hundreds of dress changes and thousands of camera flashes and handshakes. Some of the highlights include: Acting ambassador to three charities and going on field visits with each – Voluntary Services Overseas (Malawi), The Chernobyl Children’s Project (Belarus) and Suas Educational Development (India). Getting involved in education projects including the Global Campaign for Education, the Centre for the Talented Youth of Ireland and the Trinity Access Programmes. Swapping the high heels for the runners in aid of various charities and participating in the Dublin City Marathon (for Trinity Takes To The Streets), the Great Gorilla Run in London, the Mooathon in Donegal, the Connemara half-marathon, the Irish Runner 5-miler in the Phoenix Park, the Kildare leg of the 32-marathon challenge and the Achill half-marathon.
Charmaine Kenny B.A., M.Sc. (2005) in Belarus with The Chernobyl Children’s Project.
Peter Henry B.A. (2006) Peter is compiling details of the College’s old ties, scarves and blazers. If you know the designs of any old club or society garments he would like to hear from you. In particular, he is looking for designs for the DU Boxing, Lawn Tennis, Harriers and Athletic, Swimming and Squash clubs, the tie of The College Pen (c1930), and the undergraduate (SRC) tie of the early 1950s – but all information is welcome. Contact Peter at pehenry@tcd.ie or 1 Upper Rowe Street, Wexford.
1990s Sara Sheridan B.A. (1991) Sara is now under contract at London-based publisher HarperCollins. She writes historical fiction. Her last book The Secret Mandarin reached no.9 in the UK Heatseeker Chart. She is also working on a children’s picture book which will be on the shelves in the spring of 2011. She tweets @sarasheridan. Morgan Crowley B.Sc. (Mgmt.), M.A. (1992) Award-winning performer Morgan Crowley has enjoyed a diverse year; upon completion of tours with Cirque du Soleil and in the title role in Phantom of the Opera in the USA, he returned to his role in BBC’s 'Eastenders' and a debut role in 'The Tudors', presented his cabaret in five countries, featured as an aerial artist in an historic event at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport to mark the city’s 20th Anniversary and premiered several new classical works in London and New York. Further information can be found at www.morgancrowley.com Fiona Dowling B.Sc. (Physio.), M.B.A. (1994) Fiona is the Executive Director of Comber (www.comber.ie), an Irish nongovernmental organisation which supports the development of pioneering disability services in Romania and leads an new initiative to facilitate networking and collaboration between Irish NGOs and the Eastern European Aid and Development Network (EEADN). Having completed an undergraduate degree in physiotherapy at Trinity, Fiona
worked for ten years as a paediatric physiotherapist in Irish and international healthcare settings. Fiona began working in management and international development on a full time basis after completing an M.B.A. in 2003. Aaron Quigley M.A. (1995) Aaron has been appointed Professor in the Chair of Human Computer Interaction at the School Of Computer Science in the University of St Andrew’s Scotland. He took up his appointment in July 2010 following a move from the University of Tasmania Australia where he was Associate Professor and the inaugural director of the HITLab Australia. Brenda Moore-McCann B.A., Ph.D. (1996) Brian O’Doherty/Patrick Ireland: Between Categories (2009) by Dr Brenda Moore-McCann is the first book to explain in depth the extraordinary range of a career spanning 50 years. Fully illustrated it is already attracting positive critical reviews (Irish Arts Review Dec. 2009 and www.artcritical.com ). See www.seeartmatters.com and www.amazon.com. Jeffrey C Crosbie B.A. (1996) Jeffrey has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia for his thesis entitled 'Synchrotron Microbeam Radiation Therapy'. He is working as a post-doctoral research fellow at Monash University and as a medical physicist at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Jeffrey is married to Maria and they have two children. Lynda Stopford B.A. (1996) Lynda is Head of Engagement with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI), an organisation which invests in and supports high impact social entrepreneurs. Prior to joining SEI, Lynda was Programme Director for Common Purpose, an international leadership development organisation. She also spent time in India and Pakistan recruiting international students for a Dublin-based private business school. Returning to Europe in mid 2001 after a period in graduate school in the US, Lynda worked in a Brusselsbased political communications and strategy organisation, Gplus Trinity Today | 65
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alumni | Class Notes
« Killian Stokes B.A. (1995)
Graduating from BESS in 1995, Killian worked internationally in telecoms until 2002 when he joined Concern in Dublin as a corporate fundraiser. In 2009, he co-founded MyGoodPoints. org, an online charity which allows donors gather their unused loyalty points and air-miles online and donate these directly as cash to fund charity projects of their choice at home and overseas. Over the past year MyGoodPoints.org has gathered almost €1 million in pro bono support - free software, consulting, engineering time, sponsorship and graphics etc from corporates including Google Ireland, Vodafone, KPMG, Microsoft, Salesforce and the NDRC. To learn more or lend your support visit www.mygoodpoints.org.
Fiona Dowling B.Sc. (Physio.), M.B.A. (1994) Jeffrey C Crosbie B.A. (1996).
Europe. She is joint leader of the BC alumni group in Ireland and also volunteers with a project which works to inspire new young immigrants to Ireland to reach their educational potential. She was a participant at the inaugural Ireland Funds Global Young Leaders Forum held in Farmleigh in June. Paul Kenny B.A. (1996) Dr Kenny has recently had a major piece of research published. The findings which confirmed the 'addictive' properties of junk food, were published in Nature Neuroscience.
1980s Charles J. Dorman Ph.D. (1984) Charles was one of 78 microbiologists elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology (Academy). Fellows of the Academy are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. There are now over 2,000 Fellows representing all subspecialties of microbiology, including basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service. Yvonne Mary Bruton Miller B.Sc. (Rem.Ling.) (1987) Yvonne and her colleague Amada Rees formed The Baby Sign Factory Ltd in 2008. They have won several major nursery industry awards for their launch product 'Bamba’s First Comforts'− a toy kit which promotes early communication in young babies. Their experience as Specialist Speech and Language Therapists led to the development of the kit which is now being sold internationally and is in line for more awards this year. Previous awards received are BACRA Playtime Product of the Year 2008, British Female Inventors and Innovators −Special Recognition Award 2008, Talking Tots Great Toy Guide
Award 2008, Practical Pre-School Silver Award 2008. For more information visit www.babysignfactory.com. ESS Reunion – Class of ’89 When you are a 20 year old student looking forward to the future, 20 years seems like such a long time. However as a 40 something year old graduate looking back on those years it’s as if they disappeared in the blink of an eye. And in October 2009 that’s just what happened when the ESS class of 1989 met. Nearly 20 years to the day since graduation almost 100 members of the class of ’89 came together to celebrate those special years spent in Trinity College. And as former classmates re-ignited old friendships and struck up new ones the years just rolled away. For one night only it was a privilege to be back in Trinity College, with the elegant surroundings of the Dining Hall lending a regal sophistication to the occasion. It was an even bigger privilege to be able to meet once again all the fantastic people we shared our lectures and our lives with for those four short but life affirming years. The night itself was a real trip down memory lane with a photo-slide show, from the '80s making us laugh and cringe in equal measure. Lecturer, Dr Gerard McHugh M.A. (j.o.) (1990), in his welcoming speech brought us up-to-date with how much college life has changed since the days of dodgy perms and shoulder pads. One night was not enough to fill in all the gaps over the last 20 years so the wheels are now in motion to ensure regular hookups and many more reunions! – Submitted by Sharon Cooney B.B.S. (1989)
1970s Michael J. O’Connor M.B.A. (1978) Michael is a board certified commercial and consumer bankruptcy specialist (American Bankruptcy Board of
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Class Notes | alumni
(Far left) Photograph of the Four Courts Dublin by Nicholas Mackay B.A. (1978). (Left) Professor R. B. McDowell M.A., Ph.D., Litt.D., LL.D. (h.c. 2003), Fellow Emeritus, M.R.I.A. (1936) pictured with Anne Leonard M.A. (1969).
Certification). He is admitted to the New York State Bar, as well as the United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Michael is a Chapter 7 Trustee and was appointed to the Chapter 7 Trustee Panel for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York in 1986. Nicholas Mackay B.A. (1978) It was an anxiously-awaited letter from a certain auspicious institution that stopped Nicholas in his tracks late one morning. It proclaimed that from over 10,000 entries his photograph had ‘been selected and hung in the exhibition’ – The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London. On the appointed day, he assembled in the Courtyard off Piccadilly and was led to an age-old ceremonial of blessing at St James’ Church. Afterwards, he returned to the Academy for a reception and to see his work on display. His photograph with an Irish theme, Four Courts Dublin was located in the Porter Gallery. Later on, he walked around to savour the inventiveness and creative skill on show, knowing that he had been privileged to play a small part in this worldclass artistic occasion.
1960s Ann Fuller (née Mahon) M.A. (1960) Ann received the honorary award of Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, in recognition of her many years of service to the Arts community as co-founder and administrator of the Dublin International Piano Competition, Chairman of the Cultural Relations Committee of the Dept of Foreign Affairs as well as her service on the Fulbright Committee, the committee of An Taisce and many other organisations − a wonderful tribute to her years of selfless devotion to the Arts in Ireland. Michael Martin B.Dent.Sc. (1963) Michael is coordinating the 50 year reunion of the Medical and Dental Classes of 1963 planned to take place in 2013 and would be delighted to hear from other members of the class. Email michaelmartin40@aol.com to your register interest. Anne Leonard M.A. (1969) Anne edited the The Magnificent McDowell – Trinity in the Golden Era which is currently on sale in the Trinity Library Bookshop. Anne presented the original letters from alumni that make up The Magnificent McDowell, to The Manuscripts Room, to mark Professor McDowell’s 97th Birthday, in September.
1950s Rosalind (Roz) Zuger M.A. (1952) “Graduation plus fifty plus years”. Just about to reach an age milestone and looking back at 50 plus years post graduation from TCD, Roz pondered, what role did Trinity play in her overall career and in her life. Did it indeed play a role? Preferring not to review a litany of events, she chose to review circumstances or just where and when College impacted her progress.
William J. Lowe Ph.D. (1975) William is Chancellor and Professor of History at Indiana University Northwest. Previously he was Provost and Professor of History at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he also served as Interim President during the 2007-2008 academic year. He holds the degrees of B.A. in History (Michigan State University) and Ph.D. in Modern History (Trinity College, Dublin). He has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at The College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York; Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Detroit; and Dean of Graduate Studies at Chicago State University. His career includes administrative appointments at State University of New York at Cortland and Lake Erie College, Ohio. Dr. Lowe is active in research and writing in the field of modern Irish history and was a Fulbright Scholar. His current project is the history of the Royal Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.), from 1836 until its disbandment in 1922. Trinity Today | 67
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« Professor John Victor Luce M.A., LITT.D., S.F.T.C.D. (1942)
Professor John Victor Luce M.A. (Dublin and Oxon), LITT.D., M.R.I.A. and Fellow Emeritus TCD, celebrated his 90th birthday in May 2010. Awarded a Trinity Entrance Scholarship in 1937 he studied Classics and Philosophy, became a Scholar and graduated with First Class Honours and Gold Medals in both disciplines. Appointed Junior Lecturer in Classics in 1942, he was made a Fellow in 1948. He progressed from Reader to Associate Professor of Classics (1971-1983) and held the post of Erasmus Smith Professor of Oratory from 1984-89. He was a Tutor, Senior Tutor, Public Orator (1972-2005), Senior Dean (1977-85) and Vice-Provost (1987-89), a position his father Dr A.A. Luce had also held. He was Honorary Secretary of the Trinity Trust 1948-65. A talented sportsman, he captained three TCD Clubs – Hockey, Cricket and Squash, gained six international hockey ‘caps’ for Ireland and was Chairman of DUCAC for 20 years. His many publications include TCD. The First 400 Years and Orationes Dublinienses Selectae (1971-1990). Overall 350 candidates were presented for Honorary Degrees during his tenure as Public Orator. He has been married to Lyndall Miles for 62 years, his three daughters are Trinity graduates and four of his grandchildren have subsequently graduated; the family tradition lives on into the fifth generation.
(Background) (l-r) Nicholas Odlum B.A. (2009), Prof. John Luce, B.A.(Mod) (1942). (Foreground) (l-r) Kristina Odlum (née Luce) B.A. (1976), Lyndall Luce (née Miles) M.A. (University of St. Andrews) (1946).
After graduating in 1952 with a First and a Gold Medal she stayed on for an extra year to complete a diploma in Social Science. This led to her being recruited by Marks and Spencer to train as store staff managers. Ending up in New York several years hence, finding employment was tough until suddenly a recruiter recognised her alma mater and “decided to take a chance.” From then on doors opened as her experience accumulated and as more recruiters became familiar with this bastion of education located in the heart of Dublin’s fair city. Her career went from success to success, going from personnel management to the specialty of employment placement in rehabilitation medicine to presently 'vocational expert' evaluating law firm clients who have suffered a personal injury. College impacted her husband’s ‘dyed in the wool’ New Yorker opinion, he came to love College and only wanted to stay on campus when in Dublin, attend College events in New York, and once in a while wear a TCD tie surreptitiously! So, has College affected her personal and professional life? It has catapulted them beyond all of her expectations. Has Trinity played a role? You bet it has! David Laing F.R.S.A. (1958) David spent most of his time in College organising activities for Choral, the Opera Society, and was Secretary and subsequently Conductor of the College Singers. On leaving he joined the group campaigning for a concert hall in Dublin, with whom he arranged over 200 concerts in the next two and a half years all over Ireland – at the same time singing daily in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Subsequently he worked as General Manager of the London Mozart Players. He founded the Music Festival in Great Irish Houses, while at the same time reviving the Belfast Festival at Queen’s University in 1971. In 1978 he was appointed the first Curator of Russborough House and the Beit Collection. For some years he was involved in operating three of the finest restored steamships on the River Thames, until an association with the Shane’s Castle Railway which dated back to 1971 turned into a full-time occupation. He raised the funding to purchase it, and moved it to the historic site between the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills where it has operated since 2002.
1930s Dorothea Findlater B.A. (1932) Dorothea celebrated her 100th birthday in December, receiving her centenarian’s medal from President Mary McAleese. Upon graduating from Trinity, Dorothea married Dermot Findlater and they had two sons and three daughters. During the 1930s she was a Director of Bulmers in Clonmel. After the war she became a Director of the Belfast Empire. Throughout the years she raised a lot of money through her infamous charity lunches and coffee mornings. She attributes her age − and glow − to good nutrition.
Pic by Nigel Marlow
Emma Daunt (née McBride) B.A. (1932) Emma celebrated her 100th birthday on 5 April 2010. Emma studied French and Spanish and was lectured by the late Samuel Beckett M.A., Litt.D. (1959 H.C.). Longevity is inherited from Emma’s mother who also made the Big 100, in rude health.
Submit a Class Note online at www.tcd.ie/alumni
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Class Notes | ALUMNI
Fine Fellows 1966
Gerald Simms
The
Simms family
1972
Ciaran Simms
David Simms
David Simms on his graduation day with his mother, grandmother and father Gerald Simms, 1955.
T
rinity Monday is always a happy event in the College’s yearly schedule, but this year it was particularly proud and happy for the Simms family, for one of the new Fellows of 2010 was Ciaran Simms, and not only was his father David a Fellow of 1972, but his grandfather Gerald was also a Fellow, of 1966. Only once before in the 400 years of Trinity’s history has Fellowship been awarded to men of three successive generations, and that was over 200 years ago. The long standing record that the Simms have now equalled goes back to 1717 when James Stopford was elected to Fellowship. He resigned to become the vicar of Finglas and eventually became Bishop of Cloyne. In 1753 his son James was elected a Fellow, and in 1790 James’ son Joseph was in turn elected a Fellow. The Gwynn family can boast of another record, for they had four Fellows within two generations. This remarkable dynasty started with John Gwynn, who was elected a Fellow in 1853, and later became Regius Professor of Divinity. He was a leading authority on Syriac, a subject that he took up to stop himself getting bored on the long train journey between Trinity and Donegal. John Gwynn had eight children, and no less than three of them became Fellows of Trinity, one of whom went on to become Provost. This was E.J. Gwynn, who was elected Fellow in 1893 and succeeded Bernard as Provost in 1927. His brother Lucius Henry Gwynn was a Fellow of 1899, who played for Ireland in both cricket and rugby, only to die tragically at the age of 29 from tuberculosis. And
2010
New Fellow Ciaran Simms with his father David Simms on Trinity Monday 2010.
finally, another brother, Robert Malcolm Gwynn, was elected Fellow in 1906. He was still around Trinity in the 1950s, and is still remembered attending Commons with his massive ear trumpet. The old joke was that the College should change its name to Gwynnity College. Nor does the saga end there, for Provost Gwynn’s grandson Daniel Lucius Kelly is also a Fellow on the staff of the College. He is the son of Provost Gwynn’s daughter Ruth and was elected in 2007. And finally, believe it or not, there is a family connection between the Gwynns and the Simms, because yet another Fellow is Katharine Simms, who is also on the staff of the College and was elected a Fellow in 1990. She is not only a Simms but also a true blue Gwynn. Her mother was Mercy Simms (née Gwynn), wife of Archbishop Simms (an honorary Fellow) and granddaughter of old John Gwynn, Regius Professor of Divinity, through his youngest son Brian. All this must constitute some kind of a record. Perhaps some future generations of Trinity Fellows will take up the challenge; there are a few records here waiting to be broken. The Simms have only one generation to go to make an all time record. We wish them luck for tomorrow and congratulations for today.
by Peter Boyle M.A., Ph.D., F.T.C.D. (1972)
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alumni | In Memoriam
s t t a W ) l l i B ( r u h t r A William 1930 - 2010
Provost 1981-1991
B
ill was born in Dublin, to a working-class Presbyterian family1. He spent many of his early years in Athy but moved back to Dublin to attend St Andrew’s College. In 1948 he obtained a Sizarship in Modern Languages in this College, and proceeded to the Honor course, reading French and German. He played rugby in both school and College. Indeed, one of the memories of BMcM’s undergraduate days was watching a First XV match in College Park and seeing a very muddy Bill in the line out. He was very much a hands-on forward! As an undergraduate, he was a member of the College Fabian Society. The membership was divided between Socialists and Communists, with the latter having the more members. One year, Bill organised a coup at its AGM and brought in enough new
members to seize control of the club for the Socialists. Needless to say, there was a counter-coup the next year. Bill had always been interested in field biology and, in the Junior Sophister year of his Mod. Lang. course, he persuaded the appropriate authorities that he could enter the Senior Freshman year in Natural Sciences, reading Botany, Geology, and Zoology. He ultimately obtained First Class Moderatorships in Mod. Lang. (1952) and Natural Sciences (1953), in the latter specialising in Botany. On graduating, he moved to Hull as a Junior Lecturer in Botany. By coincidence, Gerry (Geraldine, née McGrath B.A., M.LITT., 1954) had taken up a teaching position there too; he had known her in College, the romance continued to flourish and they
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In Memoriam | alumni married in 1954. Faced with the certainty that he would be called up for military service in Britain, he resigned and they came back to Dublin in 1955. He initially got a post as assistant to Frank Mitchell, but a vacancy soon came up in Botany and Bill came in as an Assistant Lecturer. Bill’s field of research was in palynology − the investigation of past vegetation and landscape using pollen and other fossilised remains of plants, preserved in peat bogs or the mud at the bottoms of lakes. (On at least one Christmas morning he was there in College at his microscope, counting pollen grains – a picture that evokes the amazing industry of the man). Bill added greatly to our knowledge of the history of the Irish landscape. He was also keenly interested in the flora and vegetation of the present day, and enjoyed sharing that interest on field trips. His research shed light on the history of the Burren – a place of immense fascination to botanists, and one for which he had a deep affection. Starting from an invitation in 1961 from Herb Wright in Minnesota, he forged links with fellow-researchers across North America. He broke ground in regions that had hitherto been ‘blank’ on the map in historical terms: notably in Florida, at the frontier zone between temperate and tropical climates. About half of his 70 or so publications are based on work done in the USA. He was presented with a Distinguished Career Award by the American Quaternary Association in 2008. He became a Fellow of TCD in 1960, a Reader in Botany in 1964 and was appointed to the University Chair of Botany in 1966. He was a highly effective administrator, and a driving force behind the remarkable expansion in the biological sciences that took place during his time in office. He became Dean of Natural Sciences in 1969 and was appointed Senior Lecturer in the following year. He spearheaded the formation of the Central Admissions Office, to rationalise the admission of students into all the Universities in the country, setting up the ‘points system’. While this has come in for some justifiable criticism, it was a vast improvement over the ‘free for all’ that went before. When Provost Lyons stepped down in 1981, Bill was a strong candidate for the office, and was elected after a lively campaign. He faced a number of serious crises during his Provostship, one internal when the Dining Hall burnt down on 13 July 1984. He
masterminded the restoration process with great enthusiasm. Externally, the College faced a very serious financial crisis not of its making. He strove to minimise the impact of the necessary cuts on the core activities of teaching and research. He was involved in fundraising particularly for the new Theatre, and was instrumental in getting Beckett’s permission to name it after him, and getting Coca-Cola to fund it. He played a major role in the reorganisation of the Dublin hospitals. He was very proud of obtaining the money from the sale of Mercer’s Hospital, and setting up a Trust to use it for a Medical Centre in a run-down part of Tallaght. As if the Provostship was not enough, he became President of the Royal Irish Academy in 1982. The Academy was about to celebrate its Bicentenary and he was heavily involved in the preparations, though his period as President was up before the event itself. Bill made a tremendous contribution to nature conservation in Ireland. He played a signal role in the development of our National Parks, engaging patiently and constructively with politicians and civil servants. He pioneered scientific studies in Killarney that addressed major issues of management concern. In a bold and far-sighted move, Bill raised money from Trinity Trust to purchase land in the Burren, at Mullaghmore – land which is now part of the core of the Burren National Park. In recent years, he was involved in the development of the new National Park at Ballycroy in Co. Mayo. He was an active member of An Taisce, and in due course served as its Chairman. He was a founder member of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council – a charity that his family have put forward as a way in which to honour his memory. After he retired, he continued his research. He was a stamp collector and kept it up. He continued to take an interest in the affairs and management of this College that he loved. Only once could he be deemed to have expressed an opinion publicly: this was when he attended to vote at a meeting of the University Senate to elect a new Pro-Chancellor, an issue on which he held strong views. A conference celebrating his 70th birthday was held at the Royal Irish Academy in 2000. The proceedings of this conference2 – delivered by research collaborators and former students − constitute a notable tribute. His last appearance in College was to attend the Scholars’ Dinner in April, having been elected a Scholar in 1950. He spoke movingly at the dinner about his days as student and as Provost, and received a long ovation. Bill had vision, but he was a pragmatist. If he lost a particular argument, and this was rare, he shrugged his shoulders and got on with it. He attracted and held immense loyalty from those who served with and under him. He was an excellent mentor and an inspiration to many people. He was a man of extraordinary talents, and with the drive and energy to put those talents to good use. We bid farewell to an outstanding servant of the College, and to a good friend. Daniel Kelly B.A. Ph.D., F.T.C.D. (1971) Brian McMurry M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D., Fellow Emeritus, M.R.I.A. (1953)
Bill Watts coring a peat bog at Lough Goller Co. Clare, ca. 1995, with Gerry Doyle, Chief Technician, Botany Department (photo by Rosaleen Dwyer).
References: 1. Watts, W.A. 2008. ‘William Watts Provost Trinity College Dublin: A Memoir’. Lilliput Press, Dublin. 2. Mitchell, F.J.G.(ed.) 2001. ‘From Palaeoecology to Conservation: An Interdisciplinary View’. ‘Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy’. 101B: 1-164. Trinity Today | 71
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In Memoriam
ALUMNI | In Memoriam
The University is sad to announce the deaths of the following alumni and extends its condolences to their family and friends. ADAMJEE, Hakim, M.A. (1955) AHERN, Michael, M.B., M.A. (1965) ARMSTRONG, Florence, M.A. (1951) ASTILL, Neville, B.A. (1961) BARBOUR, William, M.A. (1942) BARLEE, Dorothy, B.Sc. (1950) BARNETT, Kenneth, B.A. (1982) BARRINS, Michael, B.A. (1996) BARRON, Henry, LL.B., S.C. (1950) BENSON (née Hobson), Eirene, B.A. (1937) BLACK, Thomas, M.B. (1960) BLACKBURN, Francis, M.A. (1981) BRADLEY, Daniel, M.A. (j.o.), F.T., C.D. (1981) BRYANS, Cecil, B.A. (1943) BYRNE, Albert, M.A. (1948) CARR, Edwin, B.A., Ph.D. (1987) CARR, Edward, B.A.I. (1967) CARROLL, Bernadette, M.A. (j.o.) (1999) CHALONER, Desmond, M.A. (1943) CHAPMAN, Terence, M.A., M.D. (1944) CLARKE, William, M.A. (1967) CLEEVE (née Findlay), Felicity, B.A. (1962) CLEMENTS (née Alexander), Susan, M.B. (1977) CROTTY, Isabel (Ismay), B.A. (Ad Eund. Oxon.), M.B. (1938) CROZIER, John, B.A. (1940) CURRAN, Eoin, B.A., M.Sc. (2002) DALY, Cahal Brendan, LL.D. (h.c.) (1992) DAVIS, Derek, B.A. (2000) DE LARRABEITI, Michael, B.A. (1966) DELANY, Stuart, B.A. (1997) DOLAN, John, B.Sc. (ENG.) (1985) DOWNEY Raymond, LL.B., M.A. (1939) FEENEY, Aidan, B.A. (1985) FEUERSTAK, Ronald, B.A.I., C.ENG. (1955) FITZSIMMONS, Wilford, B.A. (1934) FLETCHER, Richard, B.A., AGR.B. (1946) FLEURY, Richard, B.A.I., M.B.A., M.A. (1965) FORSTER, Victor, M.A. (1945) FORSTER, Edward, M.B., M.A. (1944) FOX, Roger, B.A. (1970) GALLOWAY, Nigel, B.A. (1999) GILGUNN, Ciarán, M.Sc. (2003)
GOOD, Robert, B.D. (1945) GRENE, Andrew, M.Phil. (1990) GRINDLEY, Colin, M.B.A. (1995) HACKETT, William, M.A., M.D. (1942) HASKINS, Thomas, M.A. (1948) HAYTHORNTHWAITE, James, M.B., M.A., L.M.C.C., F.R.C.S.C., F.A.C.O.G. (1950) HEADEN (née Woodhouse), Isabel, M.B. (1938) HEALD (née Pemberton), Joyce, B.A. (1951) HENDLY, Anna, M.B. (1947) HENRY, Peter, M.Sc. (Mgmt.) (1985) HICKS (née Houston), Janet, M.A. (1953) HICKSON, William, M.Sc., M.A. (1930) HOLLAND (née Beamish), Phyllis, B.A. (1984) HOWDEN, Roy, AGR.B., M.A. (1953) HUBY (née Woodrow), Primrose, B.A. (1936) HYDE (née Ryan), Hannah (1935) JACKSON, Arthur, M.A. (1954) JACKSON, Thomas, B.A. (1954) JOHNSTON, David, M.A. (1961) KEATING, Justin, M.A. (j.o.) (1962) KELLY, Martine, B.Sc. (Mgmt.) (1983) KERR (née Wells), Mary, LL.B., BARRISTER-AT-LAW (1934) KILMURRAY, Thomas, B.Sc. (SURV.) (1989) KING, Ciaran, B.A.I. (1984) LEA, Christopher, M.A. (1962) LEE, John, M.S.A., M.A., 1951 LIPSON (née McKeever), Denise, B.A. (1965) LIVINGSTONE, Ian, B.A. (1984) LLOYD, Robert, B.A., M.Sc. (1940) LORD, James, M.A. (1940) LYNCH, Gerard, B.Sc. (Mgmt.), (1987) MANGAN, Eileen, M.A. (j.o.) (1978) MARTIN, Frank, B.A. (1984) MCCANN, John, B.A. (1986) MCCLURE, Margaret, B.A. (1959) MCDONALD, Avril, LL.B., M.A. (1987) MCGING (née Finn), Ann, B.A. (1972) MCGUINNESS, Eithne, M.Phil. (2006) METRUSTRY, Deborah, B.A., M.Phil. (1988) MICHAEL, Terence, M.B., M.A. (1948) MILEY, Siobhán, B.A. (1989)
MILLER (née Mitchell), Judy, B.A. (1966) MILTON, Geoffrey, M.A. (1954) MOONEY, Brecan, B.A. (2000) MOORE-LEWY (née Moore), Peggy M.B., M.A., M.F.C.M., F.F.C.M. (1946) NIXON, Philip, B.A. (1971) O'FLANAGAN (née Hughes), Margaret, LL.B., M.A. (1977) ONWUMA, Moses, B.Sc., M.A. (1950) PETIT, Christopher, M.B. (1954) PHILLIPS (née Hepenstall), Amy, M.A. (1937) PILKINGTON (née Crawford), Clara (Clarissa), M.A. (1945) RAITT, Jean, B.A. (1959) ROE, Robin, M.C., C.B.E. (MIL.), M.A., C.F. (1952) RUDDOCK, Alan, B.A. (1984) SCALES, Joan, B.A. (1948) SIDES, James, B.A. (1966) SMYLY, Philip, M.B., M.A. (1939) SPENCE, Walter, M.A., B.D. (1940) STOKES, Robert, M.A. (1942) STUDDERT, Hallam, LL.B. (1953) SWEETNAM, William, B.A.I. (ELEC.ET MECH.), B.A.I. (1950) TAYLOR, Thomas, M.A. (1946) TEMPLE, Howard, B.A., LL.D. (h.c.) (1934) TRENCH, Charles, M.B. (1952) VAN MESDAG (née Bradley), Nuala, B.COMM., M.A. (1953) VAUGHAN (née Fitzpatrick), Maureen, B.A. (1940) WALLACE, Richard, M.A. (1939) WALSH, John, B.Dent.Sc. (1980) WATTS, William, M.A., SC.D., F.T.C.D., M.R.I.A. (1952) WEBB, Timothy, M.A., Ph.D. (1957) WEIR, Robert, M.B. (1944) WILLOUGHBY, George, M.A. (1943) WILTON, Claude, LL.B. (1943) WOOD, John, M.A. (1953) YATES, Thomas, B.A.I., M.IEI. (1941) YOUNG, William, MUS.B. (1949)
Based on information available to the Alumni Office for the period 1 September 2009 – 31 August 2010. 72 | Trinity Today
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Affinity Groups | ALUMNI
highlights The TBA has enjoyed another successful and exciting year, with a focus on expanding its membership and alumni outreach, and continues to run high profile events for its ever expanding membership base.
I
n one year the TBA membership has grown from 570 to over 1700. This is largely due to the new TBA website (www. tba.ie). The website facilitates online membership registration, photo galleries, event and speaker information, as well as current affairs content. It links to the social networking sites Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, where members can connect and view guest speaker interviews. This year, with Mark Ryan, MD Accenture Ireland as President, the TBA has had the pleasure of hosting a number of events. Notable highlights of the past year include a gala dinner at which Dermot Desmond was presented with the Trinity Lifetime Achievement in Business Award by the Provost Dr John Hegarty; the dinner in camera series with guest speakers Brian Lenihan TD, B.A. (1981) Minister for Finance and, most recently, Willie Walsh, M.Sc. (Mgmt.) (1992)
CEO of British Airways. Its roundtable business breakfast series, an addition to the dinner in camera series, is proving to be one of the more successful and interactive events run. Guest speakers for this have included David Went LL.B., BARRISTER-AT-LAW (1969), Chairman of The Irish Times and David Lloyd, Dean of Research in Trinity College Dublin. The TBA hosted the annual TCD Business Student of the Year award in the House of Lords, where this year’s winner, Conor O’Toole, was rewarded for his outstanding contribution to College life and entrepreneurial achievements. The TBA has also had a number of new corporate partners come on board this year, and is now proudly sponsored by Accenture, HSBC, The Irish Times, Mason Hayes+Curran, NCB, and Pulse Tidal. The TBA is a forum for innovative speakers and a chance for those working and interested in the world of business to connect with each other and with College, to network and to learn.
(l-r) Mark Ryan B.A. (1982), Dermot Desmond and Provost Dr John Hegarty.
(l-r) Dr Gerard McHugh, Head of School of Business and Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD, B.A. (1981).
Show TBA Charity Fashion
T
he TBA Charity Fashion Show, hosted in the Mansion House in March, was a huge success and one of the TBA’s most successful events this year! MCs on the night included Kathryn Thomas and Eddie Hobbs. The evening was a glamorous and glittering affair, with top labels on show and wonderful prizes throughout the night for an audience of over 200 guests. The event raised €16,000 for the charity RESPECT.
Kathryn Thomas, Marie (l-r) Mark Ryan B.A. (1982), ie Hobbs and Celia Edd 6), (200 . Louise Heavey B.A hion Show. Holman Lee at the TBA Fas
To become a member today, please visit www.tba.ie
corporate partners
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ALUMNI | Affinity Groups
DUWGA A
nother busy and successful year for the Association continued our theme of Connecting through Culture. The Guest Speaker at our annual dinner in November was Trinity graduate and broadcaster Anne (Aine) Lawlor B.A. (1984) and writer Carlo Gebbler addressed our Christmas gathering. DUWGA commemorated the life of Anne Denard M.A. (1951), former Dean of Women Students and Warden of Trinity Hall, by presenting a modello by Imogen Stuart to the Denard family. This maquette now hangs outside the Common Room in Trinity. We sent a number of delegates to the University Women of Europe Conference in Vienna in September and our Vice-President Veronica Campbell, B.A. M.Phil. (1993),
Dublin University Women Graduates Association travelled to India as part of the Virginia Gildersleeve Fund 40th anniversary. We hosted the annual returning graduates’ afternoon tea in August, returning scholars lunch in April and ran our round of the now well established Public Speaking competition for girls under 15. Our annual award was presented to the highest marked Junior Freshman TAP student Niamh O’Donoghue. We visited the Turner exhibition at the National Gallery in January 2010 and at our AGM in March, Christina (Kristina) Odlum B.A. (1976) took over the Presidency from Mary Morrissey M.Sc (1986). Our new theme of Community Connections was launched. A most enjoyable wine tasting evening was organised in March and we had a number of visits to the popular
Bewleys lunchtime theatre productions. Our annual Summer outing was a trip to Trim Castle and the Hill of Tara in May, and the day ended with a splendid reception in the home in Athboy of one of our members, Jennifer Waldron Lynch, B.A. (1957). DUWGA is hosting the annual Irish Federation of University Women conference in Dublin from 15-17 October and our theme is Meitheal – a coming together. The long established poetry group meets on Mondays in our room in Fenian Street during term times. Visit us at www.duwga.tcdlife.ie. Kristina Odlum B.A. (1976) President DUWGA | July 2010
(Far left) (l-r) Lyndall Luce (nee Miles), first non-TCD graduate President DUWGA 1993-1995, her daughter Kristina Odlum (nee Luce) B.A. (1976), current President holding a photograph of Lillian Mary Luce (nee Thompson), grandmother of Kristina and second President DUWGA 1938-1940. (Lillian was educated at Alexander College and was a gold medallist in Mental and Moral Science in Trinity. She married her tutor Dr A A Luce. Sadly she died in a tragic accident in 1940 with her only daughter Alice. (Left) DUWGA members and guests enjoying the summer outing to Trim Castle, May 2010.
Farewell Norah – and a big thank you! F
or the past 25 years, the public face of Trinity College has been represented to its graduates by Mrs Norah Kelso, Alumni Relations Officer. Norah has been the point of contact for Trinity alumni, both in Ireland and around the world and she has been the first port of call for many when they return to Trinity. Norah’s role has often taken her to alumni branch meetings within Ireland and abroad. Before taking on the role of Alumni Relations Officer with Trinity Foundation, Norah had worked as Secretary in the Department of Physics. For a quarter of a century Norah has single-handedly organised all the major annual alumni events in College such as the Reunion Weekend,
Christmas Commons, Christmas Homecoming as well as many other functions for the Medical School and others. Norah has performed her role with great efficiency, good humour, common sense and dignity, always going the extra mile and taking every challenge in her stride. She has acted as Secretary to the TCD Association & Trust for 25 years, organising the meetings of the Executive Committee, grant applications and the Annual General Meeting. On behalf of her colleagues in Trinity Foundation and all those in College who have worked with Norah down through the years, we would like to take this opportunity to thank her and to wish her well with her future endeavours.
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Branch News | ALUMNI
IRELAND
Branch News CORK BRANCH The AGM took place on 6 November 2009 in the Port of Cork building. The meeting was preceded by a wine reception and buffet supper. One of our members, Roger Flack B.B.S., M.A. (1971) gave a very interesting and illustrated talk on his recent visit to Antarctica. The trip also included the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The wild life in the area was amazing, especially the masses of penguins and seals. The Annual Dinner in April 2010 was held in the Rochestown Park Hotel. Fifty-eight graduates and guests enjoyed an excellent meal. Our special guest speaker was David McConnell M.A., F.T.C.D. (1966), Professor of Genetics in TCD. He gave an interesting and informative speech on the place of College among world universities in various faculties and all the new buildings which have been added to the university in the centre of a large city. Our June outing was to the Mizen Head Interpretative Centre in the West Cork and the Marine Centre at Brow Head. KILDARE AND WEST WICKLOW BRANCH Members of the branch visited Kilruddery House and gardens, Co. Wicklow in August 2009. TCD Senator Shane Ross B.A. (1980) gave the branch a talk on the banking crisis in February 2010 and members accepted invitations from him and Senator David Norris M.A. (1968) to visit and have lunch at Leinster House. Members represented the branch at Christmas Commons in December 2009 and at the Annual Dinner of the Association and Trust in the Dining Hall in May 2010. The 14th AGM took place in March 2010 and using the branch’s
successful formula of a quick AGM, a prolonged wine and cheese reception, followed by an interesting speaker who this year was Dr Barra Boydell B.A., MUS.B., Ph.D. (1970), Professor of Music at National University of Ireland, Maynooth speaking on eighteenth century musical instrument makers in Ireland. The fascinating talk was followed by a concert given by organist and harpsichordist Charles Pearson, on two eighteenth century pianos – a square piano by Southwell of Dublin and a fortepiano by Houston of London — with a selection of Hayden sonatas, a Field nocturne and – at full pelt — Mozart’s Rondo alla turca. The reception did not finish until late. The AGM voted, as customary, to send a cheque to the Senior Tutor by way of bursary for a needy student with a home address in either Kildare or West Wicklow. A new Chair was elected for 2010, June A Stuart M.A. (1966) and returned unopposed were Treasurer Michael J R Higgins M.A. (1965) and Secretary Michael J C McCann M.A. (1976). NORTHERN IRELAND BRANCH Almost 100 graduates and guests assembled in Malone Golf Club for the Annual Dinner in November 2009, which provided an occasion to meet friends old and new. It was refreshing to see many young graduates and guests among the gathering which is a healthy indication that the Association is going from strength in this its 85th year. The new President, John Maxwell LL.B., M.A., Barrister-At-Law (1964), welcomed everyone including the guest speaker, Dr Edward McParland, Fellow Emeritus TCD and former lecturer in the College’s History of Art Department. He referred to the
recent publication of Trinity Tales edited by Brendan Kennelly M.A., PhD., S.F.T.C.D. (1961), in which various contributors reminisced about their experiences in College. He thanked William Devlin M.A. (1972), Hon. Secretary for organising the Northern Ireland Association website which is linked to the main TCD alumni website. He went on to thank both Hazel Scott B.A. (1972) and Dr Kathleen Rankin M.Litt. (1975) for organising the dinner. For his part, in tracing both the architecture and associated history of several historic buildings, Dr McParland dwelt upon the freedom for study that the University afforded him since his appointment and the pleasure that that gave him. Some chuckles were raised in reference to several Dons of the eighteenth century to which one writer referred as enjoying the latter to the avoidance of the former. As always we were pleased to welcome representatives from other Trinity Alumni Associations: Dr Ian Bailey M.B., F.R.C.S.I. & E. (1951) from The Fermanagh Association and Maurice Walker representing the Antrim and Derry Association. Oonagh Ferrity, President of QUB Graduate Association and her husband Patrick were also guests. The speech to our guests was delivered by Sir Donnell Deeny M.A. (1978) and the reply made by Gavin Lloyd LL.B., M.A. (1964) from the Cambridge Association. The President thanked everyone for making the evening so enjoyable and this was evident as many graduates lingered on to chat and exchange memories and news.
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GREAT BRITAIN
ALUMNI | Branch News
LONDON BRANCH The past 12 months have seen a wide and varied schedule of events from the Inter Varsity Match at Twickenham in December 2009, to a convivial evening attended by graduates from years stretching from the 1950s to the 1980s at the historic Cittee of Yorke Tavern, to a private visit to Wellington Arch and Apsley House (No 1, London) − home of the first Duke of Wellington. Future events include a private evening visit to the Household Cavalry Museum, Horse Guards Parade, meeting beforehand at ICA in the Mall for afternoon tea and a showing of the film, 'Building for Books', made in College, in colour, in 1957. This was a rare chance to see this excellent, very atmospheric record of Trinity in the '50s. In December 2010 the Carol Service and AGM will be held at St Andrew by the Wardrobe Church, by kind permission of the Rector, Dr Alan Griffin M.A. (1966). In spring 2011 we are planning a visit to the newly re-opened Strawberry Hill, the former home of Robert Walpole, often described as Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic. NORTH – WEST ENGLAND BRANCH 'Mi casa es su casa' - In the autumn of last year Peter and Sandra Reynolds re-established the home hospitality tradition for TCD graduates and their families in North West England. They organised a superb barbecue at their beautiful house in Nether Alderly, and in addition they arranged a guided tour of the nearby St Mary’s Church and the local Water Mill, records for which date back more than 700 years. It was a memorable occasion and similar events are planned for the future. The annual dinner was held in April in the Lancaster Suite of Lancashire County Cricket Club, overlooking
North West England Branch (l-r) Brendan Costello (U.C.C.), Ronald (Ronnie) Russell M.A. (1973), J. Derek Stanley M.B. (1967).
the Test Match grounds. The event was oversubscribed, and we were delighted to welcome Ronald (Ronnie) Russell M.A. (1973), Moyne Institute, as our principal guest. Ronnie presented the toast to the College, and gave a fascinating resumé of the factors which influence and inspire the youth of each generation to seek more knowledge and research on the frontiers of science. We were pleased to learn about the continuing advances in the biological sciences which are being achieved through work conducted at TCD. Members have made several suggestions for future events including bungee jumping in North Wales, mud wrestling in Cumbria, rendezvous in Chester, and cheese and wine in the Wirral. Please keep the ideas flowing and we will let you know what has been arranged. OXFORD BRANCH The Oxfordshire Branch celebrated with lunch at Trinity College Oxford on 5 June. Fifty-one graduates and guests, including members from the London and Gloucester Branches, attended and much enjoyed an excellent meal in a wonderful setting on a glorious summer’s day, enhanced by access to the splendid gardens and a visit to the Chapel. Later in the afternoon most of the company joined the two arranged guided tours of the superbly refurbished Ashmolean Museum, a visit completed with afternoon tea on the rooftop restaurant. The members attended the Oxford Playhouse on 25 September for the matinee performance of Sean O’Casey’s 'The Silver Tassie', presented by the Druid Theatre Company.
SCOTLAND BRANCH The Summer Outing of the Association was held on 11 July 2010. Some 38 members attended the event which took place at Blair Adam, the home of Keith Adam B.A., B.B.S. (1973)and Elizabeth Adam M.A. (1969). Blair Adam was built in 1736 by William Adam the father of James and Robert Adam the famed neo-classicist architects and has been owned and lived in by the family ever since. The house is full of historical artefacts some of which were given to the Adam family by Sir Walter Scott who was a frequent visitor to the house (which included the key which it is reputed Mary Queen of Scots used to escape from Loch Leven castle which can be seen from the house). Both Keith and Elizabeth acted as guides as numbers required members to be divided into two parties. The Adams also took members through the garden and walled garden which is an arboretum. This took up the afternoon and after wandering freely over house and garden, Elizabeth offered members an excellent afternoon tea. TCD YOUNG ALUMNI LONDON In May this year, 150 alumni donned their finest and descended on the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone. They arrived early to enjoy a champagne reception and to meet friends old and new. The meal was faultless and it wasn’t long before everyone was up and dancing to the fantastic Funk Soul Brothers. A mini-raffle was held in aid of a community based organisation called Mafanikio CBO with nearly £400 raised on the night. This year’s organisers Laoise Dunphy M.Phil. (2009), Norah Ferris B.A. (2008), Kerrie McGinn B.B.S. (Lang.) (2008) and Lorna Pierse B.B.S. (Lang.) (2008) did a fantastic job and everyone involved had a wonderful evening.
Oxford Branch
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USA & CANADA
Branch News | ALUMNI
NEW YORK TRINITY BALL 2010 On Saturday 15 May, against the backdrop of Manhattan’s bright lights and within the exclusive surrounds of the Trump Soho New York, Provost Dr John Hegarty and his wife Neasa gathered with colleagues, New York alumni and friends for an evening of fine dining, dancing and celebrations at the most eagerly anticipated social event in the Alumni calendar. The gala evening featured exclusive performances by Trinity graduates, Morgan Crowley B.Sc. (Mgmt.), M.A. (1992) and Caroline Duggan B.Mus.Ed., M.A. (2001) and The Keltic Dreams. Other notable guests on the evening included Her Excellency Anne Anderson, Irish Ambassador to the UN, and Norah Kelso, who received special recognition for her longstanding relationships and dedication to US alumni relations.
New York Branch Above Mark Mulhern B.A. (1998), Eileen Lane, Fiachra Grisewood B.A. (2003) Peter Fitzgibbon B.A.I. (2003) and Elaine King B.A. (2003) Left Caroline Duggan and Provost, Dr John Hegarty with Keltic Dreams.
ONTARIO BRANCH The annual dinner was held at the National Club in Toronto. Approximately 40 alumni, guests and friends of Trinity attended to hear news of the College and the success of the Genetics Department, given by guest speaker David McConnell, Professor of Genetics, who flew in especially for the occasion. The year’s activities witnessed an increasing number of joint university events with both Oxbridge and US universities. The International University Clubs of Toronto (IUCT) has now been formally organised and TCD Alumni Ontario is a founder member.
This year’s dinner is tentatively organised for 4 November 2010 at the same venue. The current committee remains as previously with Chairperson/ Secretary John Payne M.A. (1974), Vice Chairperson Bill McConnell B.A.I., M.Sc. (1967), Treasurer John Cary B.A. (1969), and IUCT liaison and webmaster Bruce Buttimore B.A.I. (1970). Alumni are encouraged to contact John Payne at trinitydublin@rogers.com
Ontario Branch (l-r) Janet McConnell, Dr Heather Weir M.B. (1976), J.Leslie (Les) Colhoun LL.B., M.A., LL.D. (h.c.) (1948), Rosemary Morton M.A. (1952), Heather Colhoun LL.B., M.A. (1957), Patricia Hearn, Peter Hearn B.SC., LL.B., M.A. (1951), Prof David McConnell M.A., F.T.C.D. (1966).
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AFRICA
BRUSSELS BRANCH It’s been a great year for the newly invigorated Brussels branch with three successful events under our belt. In November, His Excellency Rory Montgomery B.A., M.A. (1981), Ireland’s Ambassador to the EU, hosted a reception at his private resident in Brussels for Trinity alumni living in Belgium. Over 100 alumni members responded to the Ambassador’s personal invitation, resulting in a fantastic evening, mixing old and new faces. We were privileged to have Norah Kelso, TCD Alumni Relations Officer as our guest of honour, and we hope that she is enjoying her retirement after all the hard work! The inevitable Spring pub quiz (in March) also drew a big crowd to The Old Oak pub in Schumann with fierce competition brewing between the 22 teams. It was a huge success thanks to the efforts of the committee and an event which we will definitely be hosting again over the coming year, and hope that we can generate as much success as this year. Our third event this year is one that we are particularly proud of. On the 4 May TCD Alumni Belgium cooperated with the UCD Belgium Alumni to organize the annual Brussels Irish Graduates Dinner. Unfortunately, due to the volcanic ash cloud which hovered over Ireland for a particularly long time, our keynote speaker Dr Garret Fitzgerald was unable to attend. He kindly sent over his speech which was read out by Rosita Agnew, President of the UCD Belgium Alumni, followed by Ambassador Montgomery who gave an entertaining and insightful speech at short notice. It was a great opportunity for Trinity to forge ties with other Irish graduates in Brussels and to support the Irish Diaspora in Belgium. We look forward to actively cooperating for another successful graduates’ dinner in 2011. A huge thank you has to go to the committee, His Excellency Rory Montgomery and all who have contributed and supported over the past year. Our goal for the next 12 months is to continue to hold events for our Brussels-based alumni and in particular to support newcomers in establishing themselves in Brussels, so look out for news about our newcomer evenings. We have set up Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin groups and welcome any new members to join. LIBYA BRANCH A successful event was held at the Markus Arch Restaurant located in the old ancient part of Tripoli earlier this year. The Libya branch was honored by the presence of His Excellency Patrick Hennessy B.A. (1973), the Irish Ambassador to Libya and Italy, along with Gerard McCoy and Jim Mongey, Enterprise Ireland Regional Managers of the Middle East and North Africa. Professor Mohamed A Daw, Ph.D. (1992) presented the Libyan branch trophy to the ambassador. Next day His Excellency Patrick Hennessy invited the guests and more than 50 Irish businessmen working in Libya, to afternoon tea at the Radisson BLU hotel. The ambassador encouraged the Irish business men and emphasised their role in improving Libyan/ Irish relationships. He also praised the role of the Libyan branch in strengthening such relationships.
SWITZERLAND BRANCH We were delighted to welcome the new Irish Ambassador to Switzerland, His Excellency Anthony Mannix as guest speaker to our Christmas dinner in Bern on 19 December. Eighteen members braved the snow storm that evening to be with us. In June we held a tour of Aigle castle followed by wine tasting in a local winery.
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
EUROPE
ALUMNI | Branch News
VICTORIA BRANCH In Melbourne recently, Ciaran Horgan B.B.S., M.A. (1983) hosted the TCD Victoria Alumni Association Annual Dinner within the hallowed halls of Melbourne University. We were fortunate to secure the Karagheusian Dining Room, one of the University’s most prestigious. Further, we were privileged to have His Excellency, Mairtin O Fainin, Irish Ambassador to Australia, as Guest of Honour and keynote speaker. Mairtin’s informative update on the Irish economy, the North of Ireland and Irish commercial activity in Australia was much appreciated and enjoyed by all present as was his easy manner and convivial style. Oueensland Branch Lunch at Sirromet restaurant on 27 September 2009.
Victoria Branch Back row, left to right (standing): Ciaran Horgan B.B.S., M.A. (1983); George Alexander B.A.I. (1949); Fintan Harte M.B., M.A. (1979); Jackie Horgan; Richard Jefferies; Win Parkes; Simon Caterson M. Phil. (1995); Matt McAuley M.A. (1975); Anne Jacques B. Comm. (1961) ; Fred Stewart B.A. (1972) Front row, left to right (sitting): Gordon Jacques; Marian Cantwell B.B.S., M.Sc. (Econ.), (1975); His Excellency, Mairtin O’Fainin, Irish Ambassador to Australia; Peter Hutchinson M.A. (1973); Trish Stewart B.A., H Dip Ed (1971).
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Ireland Antrim and Derry Mr Stanley & Mrs Joy White alumni.relations@tcd.ie Cork Mr Gerry Donovan donov@eircom.net Fermanagh Mrs Maeve Ferguson maeveyferg1@hotmail.com Kildare Mr Michael J McCann tcd-kildare@infomarex.com Northern Ireland (Belfast) Mr William Devlin william.devlin@btinternet.com Wicklow Mr Brian Cox briangcox@gmail.com Great Britain Cambridge Mr R Andrew Fox-Robinson ra.f-r@virgin.net Devon and Cornwall Mr Michael Clapham linacre101@yahoo.co.uk Edinburgh Mr Christopher Haviland c.p.haviland@btinternet.com Gloucestershire Mr Jonathan Moffitt jonathan_moffitt@blueyonder.co.uk Isle of Man Mr David Elyan alumni.relations@tcd.ie London Mr John Keetch keetchjohnd@aol.com Midlands (East) Ms Rosemary May may.inglewood@woodhouse-eaves.co.uk North of England Mr Martin Byrne byrneMPJ@hotmail.com Oxford Mr Martin Gaughan martinigaughan@yahoo.co.uk TCD Dining Club, London Ms Marian McKeown marian.mckeown@montagu.com TCD Young Alumni, London Vacant Yorkshire Mr Peter Fisher p.fisher@dsl.pipex.com Europe Belgium Mr Sean MacMahon trinityalumnibrussels@gmail.com Eastern Europe (Moscow) Mr François Nonnenmacher f.nonnenmacher@colliers.ru
France Ms Pamela Boutin-Bird pamela.boutin@free.fr Germany Mr James Löll loellj@gmail.com Ms Elisabeth Mayer elisabeth.mayer@zuv.uni-erlangen.de Mr Dominic Epsom dominic.epsom@bmw.de Luxembourg Ms Olive Cluskey-Deasy ddeasy@pt.lu Spain (Madrid) Ms Emma Naismith emma.naismith@gmail.com Switzerland Mr Malcolm Ferguson mfe@ch.ibm.com Africa East Africa Mr Gerard Cunningham gerard.cunningham@unep.org KwaZulu-Natal Mr John Conynham johnc@witness.co.za Libya Dr Mohamed Daw mohameddaw@gmail.com Republic of South Africa Mr Anthony G Marshall Smith marsmith@iafrica.com Zimbabwe Mr Farley Carter farleycarter@yahoo.ie Mr Mark Oxley mark.oxley@zol.co.sw Australia & New Zealand Australian Capital Territory Mr Tim Beckett tim.beckett@anu.edu.au New South Wales Nicholas McDonagh nicholas.mcdonagh@ireland.com Queensland Mr Derek Fielding dfielding1@optusnet.com.au South Australia Mr Patrick Bourke p.mbourke@bigpond.com Victoria Mr Ciaran Horgan chorgan@internode.on.net
Western Australia Mr Alex O’Neil alexoneil@bigpond.com New Zealand Mr Douglas C. Rawnsley rawnsley@ihug.co.nz USA & Canada Boston vacant Chicago Ms Jacqui Kane jacquekan@aol.com Connecticut & Rhode Island Ms Maraidh Thomson maraidhthomson@yahoo.com Mid-Atlantic Ms Brenda Kelliher tcdalumni@comcast.net New York Ms Naomi McMahon tcdalumninyc@gmail.com New York – Upstate Mr Ronald Ferguson rferguso@twcny.rr.com San Diego Mr Rob Mullally jamirish@sbcglobal.net San Francisco Dr Thomas G Browne thomas.browne@tcd-ussf.com Alberta Dr James Gough gough@ucalgary.ca Ontario Mr John G Payne trinitydublin@rogers.com Vancouver Island Mr Patrick H. Wesley hickland@telus.net Rest of the World Argentina Mr Juan (Sean) M McCormick smcc@srgl.com.ar Shanghai Mr David Martin martindcp@gmail.com Hong Kong Ms Heidi Chan heidi.chan@nabasia.com
Branch Contacts
Branch Contacts | alumni
India Bangalore Mr Sai Prakash sai@erinindia.com New Delhi Mr Rahul P. Dave rpdave@yahoo.com Japan Mr Leo Glynn tcdjapan@yahoogroups.com Malaysia Malaysian Irish Alumni Association www.miaa.org.my Mexico Mr Stephen TL Murray stephenmurray@yahoo.com Pakistan Mr Mahomed J Jaffer mjaffer584@yahoo.com Singapore Irish Graduates’ Assoc. of Singapore www.igas.org.sg/index.php Affinity Groups
Chinese Alumni Association Tao Zhang zhangt@tcd.ie DU Women Graduates Association Ms Hilary Roche tcd.duwga@gmail.com Geology Alumni Association Dr John R Graham earth@tcd.ie Law Alumni Association Mr Conor Gallogly conorgallogly@hotmail.com Trinity Medical Alumni Association Prof Leo F A Stassen medassoc@tcd.ie Philosophy Alumni Association Dr James Levine jlevine@tcd.ie Trinity Business Alumni Ms Emma Coonan info@tba.ie
nity and affi ome s e h c n a lc All br n to we are kee groups members. See mni new d.ie/alu www.tc information. er for furth Trinity Today | 79
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PROFILE | One-on-One
One-on-One Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History, Eunan O'Halpin, gets up close and personal!
How long have you been working in TCD? Ten years. Prior to that I worked in DCU for 18 years, and spent one year in the civil service. Why study history? Like other humanities subjects, history opens many doors and closes none. It provides a rigorous intellectual training together with the opportunity for individual student to identify and concentrate on ideas, places, peoples and eras of special interest to them. What is your favourite time of the year in Trinity? Mid-spring, when cricket starts and teaching dwindles off. When and where were you happiest? Generally in the present, whenever that was/is. What is your greatest fear? Being enclosed in very tight spaces (such as MRI scanners, with which I am all too familiar). What is the trait you most deplore in academics? Self-pity. What is the trait you most deplore in students? Their disinclination to see how much of their lives are still before them. What is your earliest memory? Looking up at the sky in 1957 in Howth in a vain attempt to see the Sputnik.
Name: Eunan O'Halpin Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History
What single thing (that doesn't cost the earth) would improve Trinity? Installing Dublin bikes stations on Front Square and near the Lincoln Gate. Your favourite building in Trinity? The 1937 Reading Room. It has iconic Trinity qualities: the link with service to Britain and the Empire, reassuringly rickety study space, and lavatory facilities which appear to have remained unchanged since it was first opened. Which period of history would you most like to have lived in? The present suits me fine. The most important event in Irish history was....? The Great Famine, which was also a key though largely ignored event in nineteenth century British history. If you had to be stuck on a desert island with someone who would it be? Roy Plomley − at least he would have loads of records with him. What is the last book you read? The last book I finished was Reginald Hill's A Cure for all Diseases. How do you relax? Reading; following sport; geriatric soccer; watching 'The West Wing' (3 series left!). What is the worst job you have ever done? The hardest job in my early years as an academic was dealing with students who, largely because of over-rigid regulations in multi-disciplinary courses, failed key elements and were not allowed to continue their studies. What has been your greatest achievement? Raising two sons. And your biggest disappointment? Failing to understand and appreciate my parents as individuals. Is there a motto that you live by? My country right or wrong. Any guilty pleasures you would like to share with us? Watching the England football team flop, though I generally cheer for England in wars.
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Trinity Annual Fund Alumni & Friends Supporting the College Alumni and friends of Trinity recognise, and have benefited from, the significant contribution Trinity College Dublin has made and continues to make to education and research in Ireland and across the world. The Trinity Annual Fund* (TAF) facilitates the many alumni and friends who wish to give back to Trinity and make a real difference to College life.
Donations are used to support the College in a number of areas
RESEARCH & TEACHING Supporting research and teaching initiatives of the College. e.g. • Ageing Project • Postgraduate Studies
STUDENT SUPPORT Assisting students experiencing serious financial difficulties. e.g. • Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) • Senior Tutor's Student Hardship Fund
TRINITY EXPERIENCE Supporting societies, sports clubs and other student activities. e.g. • Annual Student Awards • Student Publications
COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT & HERITAGE Conserving and supplementing College's treasures and improving and maintaining the campus for future generations. e.g. • Save the Treasures of the Long Room • Science Gallery
* The Trinity Annual Fund (TAF) works closely with the TCD Association & Trust to fund small and medium size projects which are not funded by mainstream College resources. * For residents of the US and UK, the University of Dublin Fund and The UK Trust for TCD are recognised trusts for tax efficient giving in the respective regions. For more information on the Trinity Annual Fund and other means of supporting the College, email foundation@tcd.ie or visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/support
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