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Trinity College Dublin: A History

Dublin University, Trinity College was founded under charter signed on 3 March 1592. The first students, who arrived in 1594, were accommodated in an Elizabethan brick quadrangle which formed the nucleus of the College buildings well into the Georgian period. From the later 17th century the college was rebuilt on the scale of one of the smaller colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. The Rubrics is the only range of buildings of this period to survive. From the earliest period, the basic principle of the College architecture has been the construction of ranges of buildings grouped around courtyards and open spaces.

Records of early entrants only go back to 1637, as early admission books did not survive. It is known, however, that eighty-nine students were admitted in the first fifteen years of foundation and that the annual intake was about sixteen by the early 1620’s. The civil wars in the mid and late 17th century in Ireland marked the lowest point of the College’s history. No new entrants were recorded between 1645 and 1652.

The new age of the 18th century brought considerable progress to the College. A great building programme commenced with the Old Library in 1712 followed by the Printing House and Dining Hall which expressed the ordered vigour of the College’s life. In this period, the curriculum was informed by Enlightenment trends. Chairs in modern languages were founded and there were increased numbers of students, which rose from under 400 to over 600 during the course of the century.

During the 19th century the College responded to the momentous changes which were taking place in Ireland and abroad. Between 1830 and 1900 twenty new chairs were founded, and Trinity scholarship displayed to the full versatility, the industry and self-confidance of the Victorian age. Student numbers passed the 1000 mark in the early 1800’s and averaged 1300 in the latter half of the century.

In the 20th century and particularly in recent decades the growth in total student numbers has accelerated. In the past forty years, student numbers have increased from 3,109 in 1964 to 11,298 in 1994, while the range of courses offered and departments established has widened considerably. Over this same period, the composition of student numbers has changed, both across disciplines and across degree levels, with a very significant increase in the number of postgraduate students, from 357 in 1964 to 2,531 in 1994.

The Trinity College Site Planning Committee (SPC) noted that the sense of collegiality which permeates the College Green campus,  despite having a current student population of some 10,000, stems from the fact that the College was very small for a long period of time.  This sense is strongly reinforced by the College architecture, and the objective of any planning of buildings on the campus should be the combination of the sense of intimacy and grandeur which is achieved in the West End of the campus.