Michaelmas 2008 E-zine

Welcome

Notices

Trinity Alumni Awards 2008
Twelve Days Of Workshops at Science Gallery
Trinity School of Medicine Tercentenary Update
TCD Genetics at 50
Greetings from Beijing

Trinity Alumni Awards 2008

Former Senator Dr Mary Henry and renowned Irish author William Trevor were among four recipients of this year’s Alumni Awards which were presented on October 30th last.
The other awardees were RTÉ’s Morning Ireland presenter Áine Lawlor, and one of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs, Barry O’Callaghan, Chairman of Education Media and Publishing Group (EMPG).
Selected by a committee chaired by Dr Thomas Mitchell, the alumni were presented with awards in recognition of achievements in their respective fields and the contribution they have made in Ireland and internationally.

See Alumni of Note for detailed biographies of this years recipients.

TWELVE DAYS OF WORKSHOPS at Science Gallery.

Remember when you used to make all your own Christmas presents? Reignite your creative streak and celebrate Christmas Science Gallery style with "twelve days of workshops" where you can do everything from building your own robot, extracting the DNA of a strawberry to building a small, powerful USB charger. Our workshops are fun for adults and "big kids" and run 12:00-18:00 Tuesday-Sunday, with late opening on Friday till 20:00.
For more information check out www.sciencegallery.com

Trinity School of Medicine Tercentenary Update please see

www.medicine.tcd.ie/bulletin/sept-oct-2008/tercentenary-update-sept-2008.pdf

TCD Genetics at 50

In September Department of Genetics celebrated its 50th anniversary. For more information on achievements of geneticists please see the Irish Times Special Report www.tcd.ie/Genetics/Genetics50_IrishTimes.pdf

Greetings from Beijing

All China-based Chinese TCD graduates are invited to join the Irish Network China.  For further details see Irish Network China

Mark Godfrey
T: +86 13910137447
E: contact@irishnetworkchina.com

Family Notices

Our sympathies are with the families of our recently deceased Alumni.

Elizabeth Oliver-Thompson Carroll-Leahy (1931)
Dennis Morris LL.B. (1953)
Dame Maeve Fort M.A. (1963)
Kelvin G. Redford M.A. (1963)

Elizabeth Oliver-Thompson Carroll-Leahy (née McDonald) (1931)

Elizabeth Oliver-Thompson was born at Dalkey, Co.Dublin. Christened in tribute to her grandmother, all her life was known just as Olive.

She was one of four girls and a boy born to Robert Howard Nolan Macdonald and his wife Prim – a daughter of an eighth generation Church of Ireland parson. From an early age she displayed musical and sporting talent, and at the age of 16 she played the cello in the trio which won the medal at the Feile Cheoil - the Irish equivalent of the Eisteddfod.  She played tennis, golf, hockey and bridge (was to be a life-long pleasure).

After schooling at the Alexandra she went up to Trinity College Dublin where she spent two happy years reading History. Through her elder sister Nola, and Nola’s husband Boney Wyse Jackson, she met Valentine Craig-Cooper who, with Boney, was studying law at the Middle Temple. Val became a barrister and in 1934,she gave up university life to marry him. 

During the war years Val served with the British Forces in England and Africa.  Olive’s own war service began with nursing the wounded returning from Dunkirk, and then varied according to where Val was, but included during his time at the Staff College at Camberley working in a greengrocer’s shop and delivering vegetables to homes at which she and Val would dine that evening. There was also a period outside Newcastle where she met, amongst many Army people, a gunner colonel called Pat Carroll-Leahy and she introduced him to his second wife, Norah. 

Olive joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1948. This was the beginning of a long and happy association during which she played tennis for the Partnership.  However these were years of struggle – the necessity to keep a home and educate her son led to many economies and hardship. Due to her courage in the face of considerable odds, her son progressed through Stowe, and after National Service, the College of Law. 

She retired from the Partnership in March 1978, and in December of that year Pat Carroll-Leahy, now a widower for the second time, and Olive married at Chelsea Old Church. They lived at Mallow, outside Cork and Olive was re-engaged by the John Lewis Partnership to visit the Partnership pensioners in Ireland.  Pat and Olive had a wonderful time visiting far-flung parts of Ireland, which they always managed to combine with visits to their many friends and relations. They returned to England in 1981. and came over on a house-hunting expedition. 

Their arrival in Swarraton was the start of a very happy time for them both.  They were lucky to be welcomed by many kind friends and neighbours. After Pat’s death Olive kept up her interest in fishing on the Test, golf at Leckford where she completed the final hole in par 3 in 2002 which was her ninetieth year, and where she was delighted that a cup she had given to the John Lewis Golfing Society had been presented after a competition earlier this month.  Latterly she concentrated particularly on bridge - whilst her many friends continued to provide the support and companionship she needed. 

In the last four years she spent more time in London, where she was made most welcome at the Royal Hospital’s Bridge Club, where she greatly enjoyed playing with what she called ‘the old men’ most of whom were younger than her. She thoroughly enjoyed celebrating her 90th birthday there in 2003.  Two of her greatest joys were the births of her great grand-grandchildren Jemma and Freddie and their many visits with Bertie and Peter gave her immense pleasure and these, together with the devotion and love of her sister Jean, were the brightest moments in her declining months. 

All her life long Olive had the priceless gifts of friendship and fun coupled with a genuine interest in family and friends.  Blankets for babies, cakes for neighbours and her little gatherings, all were evidence of how much she loved her friends and was loved by them

She was warm-hearted, generous and supportive, courageous, loyal and kind, with a great sense of humour. She loved finding connections with family and friends, full of anecdotes and stories and a fund of knowledge about our families.

I think she would have liked (by way of her message to us all) to quote from a famous son of Chelsea Old Church, Sir Thomas More, who in his last letter to his daughter Meg wrote: ‘Pray for me as I will pray for thee and our we may all meet merrily in Heaven’.

Dennis Morris LL.B. (1953)

Dennis Morris, who has died in Portugal aged 78, was in earlier life one of Ireland's most expert parliamentary draftsmen.
Born in Blackrock in 1930, the son of the local doctor, Morris went from Blackrock College to read law at Trinity College, Dublin. At King's Inns he was a prize winning student and was called to the Bar in 1953.
He practised on the Northwestern circuit, mainly around Sligo, until 1961 when he joined the parliamentary draftsman's office and found his real trade. He was meticulous without being inflexible, yet strong enough to resist demands sometimes made to produce legislation without due consideration.
He was a pillar of the University Club where he lunched almost every day and of which he was honorary secretary. He had a leading role in negotiating its merger with Kildare Street Club in 1975, so ensuring the survival of both.
His skills were welcome in Hong Kong when he moved there in 1985. As a self-proclaimed Kingstown unionist it gave him some pleasure to be in on the British Empire before its end.
He found Hong Kong lonely. But within a few years he married Maria, a widow from neighbouring Macao. It was the happiest of marriages. They retired to Portugal, of which Maria was a citizen, and travelled in Europe. Morris wrote articles on drafting legislation for learned journals in which he made clear his distaste for the intrusions of the European community.
His contented retirement came to an end when Maria died of motor neurone disease in 2007 after several years' illness. He looked after her lovingly but he himself contracted cancer shortly before her death. Last January he visited his old haunts in Dublin to take leave of his friends - or so it seems now.
Dennis Morris died 13 October 2008.

Dame Maeve Fort M.A. (1963)

Maeve Geraldine Fort was born on 19 November 1940, an only child of a Liverpool hospital administrator. She left Nantwich Grammar School early when she discovered that Trinity College Dublin did not then require A-levels from its new entrants.

Graduating with a respectable degree in English and French, she qualified for a French government scholarship to the Sorbonne. Disregarding advice that she had no hope of getting into the Foreign Office, she was one of 12 successful new entrants to the junior grade in 1962.

She sailed successfully through postings to New York, a secondment to SEATO in Bangkok, and spells in Bonn and Lagos, before being promoted to First Secretary in the British Foreign &Commonwealth Office (FCO). She was then sent to the UK mission to the United Nations in 1978.

On this second New York posting Maeve Fort was one of those dealing with African affairs and she made her mark through her effective participation in the sometimes confrontational Namibian Contact Group.

Maeve Fort left New York in 1982 for a year at the Royal College of Defence Studies, followed by a posting to Santiago on promotion to Counsellor. In 1986 she returned to the FCO as head of the West African department and concurrently non-resident Ambassador to Chad.

From 1989 to 1992 she was Ambassador to Mozambique. She also played a significant part in helping to broker a ceasefire in the Mozambican Civil War and was outspoken in her condemnation of corruption.

In 1992 she left for four years as Ambassador to the Lebanon, then one of the most dangerous FCO posts and one that was filled only by volunteers. She lived behind barbed-wire barricades and had a staff of Royal Military Police bodyguards whom she referred to as "my boys".

In 1996 she was cross-posted to South Africa as High Commissioner, making her the highest-ranking British female diplomat. She loved the country, as she did all her postings, and forged real bonds of affection with President Nelson Mandela.

Maeve Fort always enjoyed close relations with her military and intelligence colleagues, and her ability to extract confidences from contacts would have made her an excellent case officer. She delighted in competing with the intelligence community in collecting useful information, and she often won.

She was a compulsive shopper, especially for designer clothes. "You only regret the things you didn't buy," she said; and the garments she gave to charity were sold for useful sums. Above all she was gregarious and loved being surrounded by people. She was compassionate and loved to help people enjoy themselves. She laughed easily and often but quietly, as if enjoying a private joke.

Maeve Fort was appointed CMG in 1990 and advanced to DCMG in 1998. She then became a "double Dame", receiving the DCVO on the occasion of the Queen's State Visit to South Africa in 1999.

She took no paid employment after retiring from the FCO but was a trustee of the British Red Cross from 2001 to 2007 and of the Beit Trust from 2000 onwards.

Dame Maeve Fort died on 18 September 2008.

Kelvin G. Redford M.A. (1963)

Kelvin Redford died on 19th June 2008; obituary to follow in next edition of the ezine.

Class Notes

George Strunz B.A. (1959)

Officially retired in 1999 from a career in chemical research and teaching with the Canadian Forest Service and the University of New Brunswick, George now has more time to devote to his other interests, in particular to painting. He has had seven solo exhibitions of his work in Fredericton galleries and recently taught a course in pastel painting in the University of New Brunswick’s ‘No Limits’ program. George is a past president of the Fredericton Arts Alliance, an organization whose objective is to promote and advocate for the arts in the region. In May 2008, he travelled in Ireland with the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Arts Board, visiting studios, community arts projects and officials of the Arts Councils of Northern Ireland and the Republic to explore the possibility of new interactions between the New Brunswick and Irish arts communities. So far this has led to the establishment of month-long exchange residencies for artists from New Brunswick and Northern Ireland, funded by the respective Arts Councils.

Michael Barry B.A., B.A.I. (1971)
Michael’s new book, Homage to al-Andalus, was launched by Robert Ballagh, 28 November 2008.

Peter G. Ledbetter B.B.S., M.A., F.C.A. (1974)
Peter Ledbetter was recently appointed as Board Director of Irish Aviation Authority.
Having spent several years with Coopers & Lybrand, Mr Ledbetter joined GPA
Group plc. at its inception in 1975 where he was closely involved in the formation of the company’s evolving strategy, as well as the execution of its policies from 1975 to 1990.
He was an Executive Director of Irish Life and Permanent plc. from 1991 -
2000.
Mr Ledbetter is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and alumni of Harvard Business School. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Faith Ponsonby (née Brandon), M.A. (1974)
Faith is now living in Mullinahone, Co Tipperary.  She has gained the British Horse Society Instructor Examination and is therefore the only Trinity Graduates holding this qualification which is one of the highest Equestrian Coaching Examination in the world.  She is one of five Irish people to hold such a qualification. In her time at TCD Faith was President of D.U. Elizabethan Society and was the first recipient for a Trinity Pink awarded for Equestrian ship.  She presented TCD at Ireland at numerous student Equestrian International Competitions all over Europe – even as far afield as Poland, when behind the Iron Curtain.

Patrick J Talty M.V.B., M.A., M.R.C.V.S. (1974)
The Veterinary Council elected a President and Deputy President at the Council Meeting held on 17 January 2008.
Patrick Talty Veterinary Inspector with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, has been elected as President of the Veterinary Council. Mr Talty has served as a member of the former Veterinary Council since 1996.

Beatrice Aird-O’Hanlon B.A. (1984)
Beatrice Aird-O’Hanlon who studied French and Classical Civilisation, published her first novel Return to Coolavella last year. Four universities, including Trinity, and the National Library have requested copies. She has almost completed her second novel. Beatrice is a member of the Wicklow TCD Association. 

John C Golden B.A. (1987)
Huthwaite, Inc., the world’s premier sales performance improvement company has named John C. Golden as new president and CEO. Golden assumed his leadership role on Aug. 29, 2008. He brings to Huthwaite a balance of sales, education and management know-how, including significant experience in the learning industry.

Golden has served as senior vice president of education and business development at the Mortgage Bankers Association, and in various executive positions at CBT Systems, New Horizons, and Learning Sciences International.

Dr Karl Cazzini B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D. (1989)
After graduating, Karl worked for Summit Technology as Senior R&D Engineer. In 1998 Karl travelled to the U.S to take up a position of Senior Scientist with Summit Technology Inc. (Waltham MA). Karl then worked for Alcon Laboratories Inc., as Senior Scientist developing cutting edge opthalmic surgery instrumentation. In 2004, Karl was appointed Director of New Product Development for Gaymar Industries (Buffalo NY) leading R&D on patient temperature management technology for the OR and critical care support surface technology. In january 2008, Karl joined Baxter Healthcare Corporation (RenalDivision) as Director of R&D Engineering. In 1999 Karl married Cliona McAlister B.A. (1990) in the TCD Chapel. Karl & Cliona now have three beaultiful children, Aideen 5, Cara 4 and Joseph 1, all of whom are proud to be dual citizens of Ireland and the United States. Travelling regularly to Ireland to visit family, Karl and Cliona would love to hear from lost friends and acquaintances!

David Leonard Stratton Hodgkinson M.Litt. (2002)
David has left St James School, and, after six months teaching Latin as a Distance Learning tutor and working for a major exam board, is returning to teaching as Head of Classics at Headington Girls School, Oxford. He has been developing a new GCSE in Ancient History with OCR, and will be developing a textbook for this in the coming months.

Alumni Events

B.A.I. 1978 Class Reunion 10 October 2008
Veterinary 1967 Class Reunion 21-23 August 2008
Pharmacy Reunion Dinner, Dining Hall, 26 September 2008

B.A.I. 1978 Class Reunion 10 October 2008

“Day After” - Trinity College Engineering Reunion 1978

It was an amazing event, from the moment I walked into McDaid's around 5 pm yesterday evening to leaving Cafe En Seine, sometime after 2 am this morning. In between there was the initial polite greetings in McDaids where about a dozen of us had gathered. By the time we left there, we had shaken off the gap years and we walked through the pouring rain to the Pav as reunited friends.

When we got to the Pav, there were twice as many again, taking up the central area, close to the bar; familiar territory to us all. By now the handshaking, backslapping and hugging was going on in earnest and the serious task of putting familiar old names on less familiar new faces was well underway.
 
After the usual refreshment, it was back out into the rain for the short walk to the Science Gallery, situated in a much developed new part of the college. The meal was great, the speeches were short (it was hard to silence the enormous network of concurrent conversations for long!); although Mick O' Loughlin B.A.I. (1978) silenced us all as he captured the mood with his singing of Tom Waits 'Martha'.
 
So we toasted each other and those who couldn't make it and tried to remember the names of those we haven't tracked down yet. It was hard to say farewell at the end of the night, realising we had left it 30 years after the last big farewell. So its no wonder I woke up this morning feeling physically and emotionally drained. I'll never survive another 30 year wait.
 
So when shall we meet again as a (hopefully even larger) group? In 5 years time? Perhaps.

It was great to meet you all again.

My special thanks to Paddy, Arthur, Brian and Chris for making it happen.

May your God go with you.
 
Cheers...Philip

Philip Duggan, B.A.I. (1978)

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Veterinary 1963-67 Class Reunion 21-23 August 2008

Twenty-one TCD veterinary graduates from 1963 to 1967, accompanied by their partners, attended a reunion in Dublin during August 2008. The main event was a dinner in the 1592 Restaurant adjacent to the TCD Dining Hall on the evening of Thursday 21 August. Most of the participants were from different parts of Ireland and the UK but some had traveled from as far away as Australia, USA and South Africa. Also in attendance were four former staff members of the TCD Veterinary School.

The dinner was preceded by a wine reception in the foyer of the Dining Hall. There were big smiles and loud chuckles as people identified familiar faces, some not seen for 40 and more years. The camaraderie continued through the dinner and there were many good laughs as amusing anecdotes and funny stories from veterinary practice were told.         

During the morning of Saturday 23 August a group of the participants visited the Veterinary Hospital and Veterinary Facility at UCD Campus Belfield, Stillorgan and were given a very interesting tour of the impressive new facilities by Professor Grace Mulcahy, Dean, UCD Veterinary School. 

Between the two main events the participants got together for a series of pub sessions, lunches and dinners. Overall the reunion was judged to be a great success and plans are already afoot to repeat the exercise in 3 years time.

Alex Donaldson M.V.B., SC.D., M.R.C.V.S. (1965)
Malcolm Argyle B.A. M.V.B. (1966)
Co-organisers

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Pharmacy Reunion Dinner, Dining Hall, 26 September 2008

Liam Farmer B.Sc. (Pharm.) (1989), Moninne Howlett B.Sc. (Pharm. (1989) and Paul Gallagher, B.Sc. (Pharm.) Ph.D. (1987).

Muireann McAlister B.Sc. (Pharm.) (1991), John Cassidy and Aiden Nolan


Claire Lean B.Sc.(Pharm.) (1989), Roseline O’Donohue, Mary Quill B.Sc. (Pharm.) (1989), Ciaran Hughes and Ann Marie Healy, B.Sc.(Pharm.), Ph.D. (1989)

For a full schedule of events in TCD see our events page.
For a full schedule of Branch events please see our branches pages.

Alumni Branch News

TCD Alumni Association Switzerland
TCD Association Scotland
Yorkshire Branch
TCD Association East Midlands Branch
Gloucestershire Branch Winter Event

TCD Alumni Association Switzerland

On the 1st November 2008, a group of twenty met for an Indian meal in Geneva. It was good to see some new faces as well as renew contact with the existing members. We are looking forward to an informal dinner with Senator Shane Ross, B.A. (1980) on 14th December in Geneva and hear the latest news from college.
The group in Zurich will meet for drinks before Christmas.

More details will follow on our web page -www.tcd.ie/Alumni/events/branchevents/branch_europe.php#switzerland

Malcolm Ferguson B.A.I.  M.A. (1974)

TCD Association Scotland

The TCD Association Scotland annual summer outing took place on 2 August 2008. The outing was to Newhailes House, regarded as one of Scotland's finest historic homes.  Thirty-four members attended the visit and one of the members invited everyone to her home afterwards.

The AGM is due to take place on 1 December 2008 at the Irish Consulate General. The meeting will be followed by lunch. The Association has to acknowledge the generosity of the Consul General Cliona Manahan, B.A. (1978) for her generous support of the AGM and her hospitality.
as aye,
Christopher

Christopher Haviland, LL.B. M.A. (1962)

Yorkshire Branch

Twenty-four members of the Yorkshire Branch met for an excellent lunch at the Malt Shovel, Brearton, followed by a visit to Markenfield Hall, a rare fourteenth century fortified manor house between Harrogate and Ripon.

Those attending were:

David Dockrell M.B. M.D. (1990) & Dervilla Dockrell B.Sc. (Curr.Occ.) (1990)
Michael Turner B.A. (1964)
Sean Blake M.B. (1978) & Laura Blake
Jim Lennox (96!) & Maureen Craven
Caroline Wakely M.A. (1965)
Daragh O'Reilly
Joyce Dunlop M.B. M.A. (1955) & James (Jim) Dunlop M.B. M.A. (1957)
Margaret (Maggie) Fleming M.A. (1967) & Peter Fleming
David Carson M.A. (1948) & Maureen Carson B.A. (1948)
Georgina (Gina) Ramsbottom M.A. (1954)
Walter & Anne Williamson
Peter Ross M.A. (1971) & Margaret Ross
Margaret-Ann de Courcey Bayley B.A. (1964) & Quentin Macdonald
Peter Fisher B.A. (1965) & Jane Kennelly

If any graduate/s resident in Yorkshire would like to become involved with this branch of the TCD Association, they should contact Peter Fisher, email p.fisher@dsl.pipex.com

Peter Fisher B.A. (1965)
Honorary Secretary

TCD Association East Midlands Branch

The autumn event was held at Loughborough University on 4th October.  Guest Speaker, Senator Ivana Bacik, was welcomed by the members of branch. After lunch Ivana gave members and guests an insight into her role as one of Trinity’s three senators and spoke about the issues which concern her most in contemporary Ireland.  She brought us up to date with recent changes and developments at Trinity as well as recalling her own undergraduate days. 

The next meeting will be held on Sunday 26th April 2009 with lunch at the Saracen's Head, Southwell before a visit to the nearby Workhouse - a National Trust property.  Please contact Rosemary May for further information.

Sue Duce M.A. (1970)

Gloucestershire Branch Winter Event

Gloucestershire Branch Winter Event

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Guest Speaker: Senator Shane Ross

Contact Jonathan Moffitt for further information

Interviews

Margaret Doyle BA. (1990)
Barry McCrea B.A. (1997)

Margaret Doyle B.A. (1990)

What are you doing with yourself these days?
I work with the Economist Group chairing and speaking at conferences on business and finance all over Europe.

I chair and speak at conferences for international businesses and institutions, e.g. ING, KPMG, the European Commission and the Insurance Institute of Ireland.

I work as a journalist, both in print and over the airwaves. I write on business (including, on occasion, for Trinity Senator Shane Ross at the Sunday Independent and The Economist). I often comment on TV and radio, (e.g. on Questions & Answers on RTE and on the BBC). I also guest co-present Wake Up to Money, the BBC’s daily radio programme.

I also serve as Member for Little Venice on Westminster, Britain’s leading council.  And I advise George Osborne, MP, the shadow chancellor, on fiscal policy.

Why did you choose your current career?
My training—at Trinity and later at Harvard Business School—taught me to understand complex economic and business issues. I enjoy trying to explain economic concepts and events for broader audiences, whether real or broadcast. This has become both more
difficult and more interesting over the past year, with the credit crunch and a sharp recession on its way. Moreover, I am very curious, and my work gives me the licence to ask questions.

My key public service interests are in finance, urban design and sustainable transport. I am deputy cabinet member for finance, where we look after a budget of close to £1 billion a year. We are planning to freeze council tax for the third year running, which we are very proud of given the challenging economic environment.

I sit on Westminster’s main Planning committee and I lead on cycling, so I am in the lucky position of being able to promote sustainable transport right in the heart of London.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Many of my evenings and weekend days are spent on public service—whether committees, consulting cycling groups or meeting local residents. However, my husband, Richard Berridge, is an excellent cook, so we enjoy having friends to dinner, and dining with them in return.
We like to walk. England has a superb network of ancient rights of way and common land that are open to the public (something for other countries to emulate). This summer we walked the South Downs Way—a 100-mile walk, much of which enjoys stunning views of the south coast.

What are your strongest memories of Trinity?
I sat Schol in second year and I don’t think I have ever worked harder in my life, even at Harvard, whose first semester is renowned as something of a “boot camp”.  As an Exhibitioner I lived in rooms, and I keenly remember the intensity of Hilary term—going from lecture to library to the all-nighter essay-writing sessions in front an ineffectual gas fire.  Of course, it was worth it for the sheer exhilaration of being elected on Trinity Monday.
Scholarship gave me two key privileges that transformed my College experience—living in rooms and dining on Commons. I was amused that potatoes were always served, even with dishes like lasagne and chilli con carne.

Are you still in touch with other alumni?
Yes, lots. My contemporaries John Fingleton of Competition Authority fame, my New Square room-mate Rosemary Boyd (née Ward), my cousin, Marguerite Bolger, the employment barrister, and fellow lawyers Niall Lenihan, Emer Hunt and Basil Geoghegan joined Richard and me in celebrating our wedding in Wexford this summer.
I serve on the Consultative Board of the Institute of International Integration Studies (IIIS) at Trinity College, so I often run into economics academics, including, John O’Hagan, Andrew Somerville, Alan Matthews Frances Ruane and Philip Lane.

Where do you see yourself in five years' time?
Professionally, I hope to continue to deepen my understanding of finance and economics. I love broadcasting, so I would like to do more.
In terms of public service, I hope to have made cycling and walking in central London much safer and, therefore, more popular.
On the personal front, our life may become a little greener. Richard worked in the family business (Carrigbyrne Farmhouse Cheese) before moving over to London and he misses country life.

Barry McCrea B.A. (1997)

What are you doing with yourself these days?
I am a writer: my novel The First Verse came out in Ireland this year, and in American, Spanish and German editions before that.  In my day-job, I am an assistant professor in the department of Comparative Literature at Yale University.  Comparative Literature, which is just getting started at Trinity, is the study of literature across different languages.  I focus on English, French, Italian and Spanish, and I teach big introductory courses such as "introduction to narrative" as well as more specialized seminars of my own devising.
My work days are spent teaching and advising students, dealing with university administration, and the like.  I live in downtown New Haven, a short walk from campus; New Haven is a town which has a reputation for crime and poverty, but it's also an old city in American terms, with an intensely local life.  When I came here first, I thought it was a bland and empty place dominated by Yale, but the longer I live here the more layers to it I discover.  I am currently finishing a non-fiction book on the idea of family in early 20th-century European fiction.

Why did you choose your current career?
I always loved books and reading.  Poems, stories and novels were always alluring and exciting things for me, but I was always compelled to talk about and think about what they mean.  My decision to become a novelist and my decision to become an academic happened at the same time, for the same reasons.  I don't feel such a distinction between the two activities – thinking about the world in literary terms is the only way I have to get a grip on reality.  It allows one to dwell on big and frightening questions – death, love, separation, time, memory – in the comfort of sympathetic and often highly entertaining company.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Because I am trying to pursue two parallel careers at once, novelist and academic, my free time is very limited.  But I am in the enviable position of my most passionate hobby – writing fiction – also being part of my work.  In the time I have free from the demands of university life and academic writing, I try and devote my energies to fiction.  I also try and maintain my connection with Dublin, which still feels like home, and with Italy, where my partner is from. As much as possible, I try to spend the summers in Europe.  I have a network of close friends and family scattered in different locations throughout Europe and North America and my favourite activity is intense visits with them.  It is important for a novelist to know the present, and I try and keep up with quality new culture as much as I can.  I am making my way through the recent masterpieces of American television – The Sopranos, Mad Men, The Wire – and also do my best to stay apace with contemporary fiction, poetry and cinema.

What are your strongest memories of Trinity?
The freedom of living on campus in third and fourth year (thanks to
Schol) coincided with a heady moment of intellectual awakening for me.
Still vivid to me is meeting at the campanile at midnight to go for a pint in Renards; studying in the Lecky with the sun going down and people sitting the grass outside, knowing that the evening promised adventures; the mixture of tobacco and coffee smells, half intoxicating, half sickening, as I enter the arts block from the ramp in the morning, the night's reading or drunken conversations still swirling round my head – things like this.

Are you still in touch with other alumni?
Very much so.  Almost all of the people I was closest to then I am still very close to now, even though we are scattered around the world rather than living within a few hundred metres of each other.  Some of these were already schoolfriends, others I met while I was there.

Where do you see yourself in five years' time?
Closer to Dublin, I hope.

 

Sports

TRINITY 20pts UCD 18pts
Trinity won their second ‘Colours’ in three years when they beat UCD in a truly dramatic game of rugby in Donnybrook on Friday night. 14th November 2008
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