Founded in
1592 by
Elizabeth I,
Trinity College, Dublin is
Ireland's oldest
university, and the only college in
The University of Dublin[?]. It is located on College Green in
Dublin, opposite the old House of Parliament. Trinity has approximately 11,000 undergraduates, 3,500 postgraduates and 1,700 staff. (2000/01 figures) The College is divided into six faculties: Arts (Humanities); Arts (Letters); Business, Economic and Social Studies; Engineering and Systems Sciences; Health Sciences; and Science.
Trinity's larger Dublin rival is University College Dublin.
Trinity College juxta(near) Dublin was founded by royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The Corporation of Dublin granted the new university the lands of All Hallows monastry, a mile to the south east of the city walls. (Trinity College is today in the very centre of Dublin, as the city has moved eastwards.)
During its early life, Trinity was a university exclusively for the Protestant ascendency class of Dublin. Roman Catholics were first admitted in 1793, though they had to obtain the permission of the Bishop of Dublin to take up a place, well into the twentieth century. Women were admitted to Trinity College for the first time in 1904.
A more detailed history is at History of Trinity College (http://www.tcd.ie/Visitors/tcd-hist.html) on the TCD Website.
The Library of Trinity College is the largest research library in Ireland. It is entitled legally to a copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland, and contains 4.25 million books. The
Book of Kells, the Library's most famous book can be seen in the Long Room of the old Library. It is also believed that the Jedi Archives in
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was inspired by the Long Room.
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