Trinity College, Dublin

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Trinity started in 1592 making it now over 400 years old, it's recognized internationally and is the premier college in Ireland. It's ranks 43 in the world and is in the top 50 colleges in Europe. Many oustanding Irishman were graduates of Trinity. There are now, give or take, 16,000 students with 70 countries represented.

Trinity was founded by the Tudor monarcy. Though it was founded by protestants, Roman Catholics were allowed to enter as early as 1793, but women were not allowed to attend until 1904. Even Trinity was caught up in political events and in 1689 all the students were expelled so James II t could use it for barracks.

For thouse of you who are researching your genealogy (like me) you can browse the related links on Trinity's website.


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When i was in Dublin, Natrually i decieded to visit Trinity College. Although the builings and everything were nice, i probably wont visit it again. It's one of those things you do once. I did see the Book of Kells and the line was HUGE. I waited forever and i have to say it was not worth the time to me. I can see if your into that stuff it could be intresting, but honestly the best part of it to me was just sitting on some stairs and people watching. The day i was there they had some sort of event going on, so that could have contributed to the massive line to see the book.

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Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to educate the upper class children and protect them from the Catholics. Famous alumni include the author of Dracula Bram Stoker, author Jonathan Swift, playwright Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and poet Oliver Goldsmith. According to Fodors, Catholics had to receive a dispensation from their bishop or face excommunication until 1966.

My visit to Trinity College consisted of walking through the campus a couple of times, if you want to see the Book of Kells, you'll find it here along with a long queue of people who are willing to pay 8E to have a gander at it. Or you can go on a tour of the campus for 10E which includes admission to the Old Library and Book of Kells so the tour is only an additional 2E. No mention of whether the tour cuts the queue.

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Trinty College was one of the highlighs of our trip. Although we didn't get a chance to see the book of Kells or visit the Old Library (not enough time) we did have a wonderful time walking around the grounds on a beautiful sunny day.

The College was founded in 1952 by Queen Elizabeth I and was originally a Protestant college. Catholics weren't allowed to attend the college until sometime after 1970.

There have been many famous students who have attended Trinity College, Samuel Beckett being one of them. There are a few squares with very well manicured lawns with some benches to enjoy a nice reprise from the city. You'll also find a few sculptures scattered around the grounds.

The main attractions while visiting Trinity College ofcourse are the Old Library and the "Book of Kells".

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As most curious visitor will seek the Book of Kells on the campus of Trinity College, some may give quick disregard to the campus itself. Taking one of the student-led tours of the campus, along with viewing the Book of Kells is the best option. The tours are conducted by current Trinity College students for the price of €10, which includes admission to the Book of Kells (Kells admission is €9 by itself). This is a great deal! The tours last about 30min and walk through the main sections of the small campus, pointing out the main buildings and the history associated with them. Trinity College has housed many great Irish figures and the guides do a good job of talking some of them up, as well as providing some student-based history.

After the tour, you may enter the library where the Book of Kells is housed. The Kells displays are not large, but show a nice bit of history of the Book and similar items. The Book of Kells is a fancifully hand-painted manuscript of parts of the Bible from about 800 AD. The display shows a different page of the text and illustrations each day. The book is rather small, so can be difficult to see as people cram around the display case (no photos!). If you are there in high season, go early or rather late to get a good view.

Above the Kells displays is the Long Room of the library, which is a long wooden library with vaulting ceilings and large shelves of books from the collection started in the mid 1800s. There are marble busts of some of history's (and Ireland's) philosophers and writers. There is a displays of the oldest known harp in Ireland, as well as a display of important Irish literary contributors through history.

Cost: €10 for tour & Kells entrance (€9 for just Kells)

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As most curious visitor will seek the Book of Kells on the campus of Trinity College, some may give quick disregard to the campus itself. Taking one of the student-led tours of the campus, along with viewing the Book of Kells is the best option. The tours are conducted by current Trinity College students for the price of €10, which includes admission to the Book of Kells (Kells admission is €9 by itself). This is a great deal! The tours last about 30min and walk through the main sections of the small campus, pointing out the main buildings and the history associated with them. Trinity College has housed many great Irish figures and the guides do a good job of talking some of them up, as well as providing some student-based history.

After the tour, you may enter the library where the Book of Kells is housed. The Kells displays are not large, but show a nice bit of history of the Book and similar items. The Book of Kells is a fancifully hand-painted manuscript of parts of the Bible from about 800 AD. The display shows a different page of the text and illustrations each day. The book is rather small, so can be difficult to see as people cram around the display case (no photos!). If you are there in high season, go early or rather late to get a good view.

Above the Kells displays is the Long Room of the library, which is a long wooden library with vaulting ceilings and large shelves of books from the collection started in the mid 1800s. There are marble busts of some of history's (and Ireland's) philosophers and writers. There is a displays of the oldest known harp in Ireland, as well as a display of important Irish literary contributors through history.

Cost: €10 for tour & Kells entrance (€9 for just Kells)

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Trinity College was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. It is the oldest university in Ireland and it still is the top ranked university in the country. Many of Ireland's most famous authors are Trinity College alumni, including Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and Oliver Goldsmith, whose statue can be seen near the main entrance. The campus is quite beautiful and makes for a very pleasant walk. Trinity College's most famous attraction is the "Book of Kells", which is housed in the university's Old Library. The best deal if you're visiting Trinity College is to buy a guided campus tour/Old Library combo ticket. Admission to the Old Library is 9 Euros, while a campus tour/Old Library ticket costs 10 Euros. Unfortunately, this is the one thing I didn't have time to do during my week in Ireland, but I did enjoy walking around the campus on my own.

The college was founded in 1592 and is home to the 9th century Book of Kells. While it was well worth a visit to see the Book of Kells, for me the real treat was walking into the massive library. The library is as old as the college, and the rows upon rows of books were quite literally breathtaking. The Book of Kells is a manuscript which contains the transcriptions of 4 gospels.

Walking through the main entry to Trinity College the first building that caught my eye was the Campanile located on the lawn just past Parliament Place.

This Bell Tower looked majestic and drew a fair gathering of visitors. Being 30 metres high the bell tower was built in 1853 by Sir Charles Lanyon, architect of Queen's University, Belfast.

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Trinity College is one of the most popular tourist sights in Dublin and on the afternoon we visited was very crowded. With only a 2 night stay in Dublin we had to take what was on offer and managed an hour to view the buildings. On reflection we should have taken one of the tours on offer but this required a substantial wait.

Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth of England the university is the oldest in Ireland. Originally a Protestant College it was rare for Catholics to attend until 1970 when the Catholic Church relaxed their opposition to members attending.

The old library is the home for the iconic Book of Kells.