2011 March-April E-zine

What's New?	Events	News	Branch Updates	Alumni Interview	Notices	Obituaries

What's New?

It’s a Trinity Thing…
‘It’s a Trinity Thing…’ is a new competition open to both photo and video entries for all alumni, students and staff of Trinity. The theme ‘It’s a Trinity Thing…’ provides applicants with artistic license to submit images or videos (old and new) that capture the personality of the College or the Trinity Experience. Win an iPad or Trinity Ball tickets by submitting an entry before 25 March.  More…

TCD Alumni Weekend – Open for Bookings!
The annual TCD Alumni Weekend takes place in College from 26-28 August 2011 with a varied programme including a reunion banquet on Saturday, 27 August. Graduates are welcome to book the whole weekend or individual events. The events are open to all alumni but we particularly encourage alumni from 2001, 1991, 1981, 1971 & 1961 to attend this year. And, as tercentenary celebrations are taking place in Chemistry and Botany, this is an ideal opportunity for graduates from those disciplines to get together with former classmates. Find out more about the weekend programme or book online today.

2011 Alumni Awards Nominations
Nominations are now open for the 2011 Alumni Awards and we would appreciate your help in identifying alumni who are deserving of recognition. The Awards celebrate outstanding contributions that Trinity graduates have made in their field. This is an opportunity for alumni to reflect on tremendous achievements of the wider Trinity community and to honour individuals who have continued to support their College and made a substantial mark in their fields both professionally and as citizens of the world. More…

Give back to Trinity - Offer Career Support to Students Online
Following the successful launch of the Career Network on Front Gate Online, there are now hundreds of alumni signed up to support students with their career research and planning. Sign up for Front Gate Online and join the Career Network today to support students and benefit from the thousands of alumni contacts available to you.

Win a Trinity Ball Ticket on Facebook!
So the Trinity Ball may have sold out but we have tickets to give away! Get a fellow Trinity alum to become a fan of TCD Alumni on Facebook before 25 March and post your name to the wall and we'll add you both to the draw, get ‘liking’ today!

 

Events

22nd Trinity Second Hand Book Sale
The 22nd Trinity Second Hand Book Sale will take place from 10-12 March in the Exam Hall, TCD. All proceeds will support research materials for the College libraries. Donations of books, journals, maps, CDs, etc., are gratefully received up to the week before the sale. For more information phone 01 896 2276 or email booksale@tcd.ie. 

Barack Obama and the American Democratic Tradition
James Kloppenberg, the Charles Warren Professor of History at Harvard University, will deliver the Inaugural U.S. History Lecture on “Barack Obama and the American Democratic Tradition” on 28 March at 7p.m. in the Synge Theatre, Arts Building, TCD. This lecture will be the first in a new Annual Lecture Series in U.S. History funded by Trinity alumni and is free to attend. Alumni can reserve a place online.

Watch the Ireland V England Six Nations Clash in the Pav
The Pav Bar invites Trinity alumni and friends to watch Ireland take on England in the six nations rugby match on Saturday, 19 March. To mark the occasion, the Alumni Office is sponsoring a ‘buy one; get one free’ offer on all pizza meals on the day. This offer is exclusive to alumni who are registered members of Front Gate Online, the TCD Alumni Community. Register today or avail of this free offer.

Squash Club 75th Anniversary & Hall of Fame Awards
Join players and supporters, past and present to celebrate 75 years of squash in Trinity where Jonah Barrington and Trinity’s All-Ireland Club Championship winning teams of 1992 will be honoured in the Trinity Sports Hall of Fame on 10 March 2011. More…

Trinity Orchestra Hilary Concert
The Trinity Orchestra will play Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday, 16 March at 8pm. The concert will include Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Mozarts Flute Concerto in G. Tickets can be purchased directly from the Orchestra. Find out more…

Guinness Choir & the Dublin University Choral Society perform Verdi’s Requiem
To mark 300 years of Trinity Medicine, Chemistry and Botany there will be a performance of Verdi’s Requiem in the Grand Canal Theatre on 2 April 2011. Tickets are priced at €25, €30 and €35.  The programme includes Polovtsian Dances by Alexander Borodin and Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi. Find out more or purchase your ticket online, prices start at €25.

Tom Loves a Lord
“Tom Loves a Lord”, Martin Dyar's gripping and hilarious one man show about the later life of Thomas Moore will run in the Samuel Beckett Theatre on 11-12 April for Trinity Week. These special performances will include selections from Moore's Melodies sung by soprano Anna-Louise Costello. Tickets are available directly from the theatre.

Physic Garden Opening and Lecture
To mark 300 years of Trinity Medicine, Chemistry and Botany there will be Physic Garden Opening and Lecture “Why plants have been used as medicines for the past 3,000 years” by Dr Henry Oakeley, Garden Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of London on 14 April 2011. The garden opening will take place at 4:30pm and the lecture begins at 5pm in the Botany Lecture Theatre. To book please contact Sophia Ní Sheoin.

School of Drama, Film & Music Events
The School of Drama will host the Annual Samuel Beckett Lecture on 15 April at 5:30pm, followed by a reception and launch to mark the creation of a digital reconstruction of the "Abbey Theatre, 1904" at 7pm. For more information visit the School of Drama website. 'SHIFT', a 40-minute, mixed-media performance will also take place that evening at 8pm, during which contemporary Irish video and sound artists, actors, and silent cinema band 3epkano, will create a live, improvisatory response to virtual reconstruction and to the "Playboy of the Western World" riots in the old Abbey Theatre in 1907. More...

TCD Association & Trust - Annual Dinner
Dr Patrick Geoghegan, TCD’s Associate Dean of Research, will be the guest speaker at the Annual Dinner of the TCD Association & Trust which takes place on Friday, 13 May at 7pm (for 7:30pm). The event is open to all alumni at a cost of €65 for reception, dinner & wine and will take place in The University Club on Kildare St. Book this event online.

Planning a Class Reunion?
Why not make 2011 the year when you reconnect with your classmates? We can help you make contact with old friends and organise class reunions here on campus. Contact the Alumni Office for further information or find out about the TCD Alumni Weekend in August.  

For a full schedule of events in TCD please see www.tcd.ie/alumni/events   

News

Campus News

Sports News

Campus News

Over 300 Alumni attend Trinity Alumni Career Network Lecture Series

Six Candidates Run for Election to be Provost of Trinity College Dublin

Solas Online Community Project Wins Changing Tomorrow Award

TCD Turns the Sod for the Development of New Urban Wetland

New Species of Carnivorous Plants Discovered by TCD Botanist

Trinity signs Partnership Agreement with Top Engineering Schools in Europe and China

Over 8,000 Older People Participate in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

Sports News

Knights of the Campanile Annual Dinner
The Knights of the Campanile will host a dinner on Friday, 18 March at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire for past and present members. To purchase tickets or to find out more contact knights@tcd.ie.

Dublin University Alumni Hockey Ball
Following the undisputable successes of last year’s event, the Hockey Clubs have decided to continue the ball as an annual event. This year, the ball will take place on Saturday, 26 March in The Old Belvedere Rugby Club, Anglesea Road, Donnybrook. There will be dinner and drinks from 8pm followed by a band until late. Book your ticket…

Latest Sports Round Up
A round up of news from the Department of Sport can be found in their latest sports round up.

DU Football Club wins Harding Cup Plate
The DU Football Club won the Harding Cup Plate on 14 February 2011. More…

Calendar of Events
See what’s coming up in the Trinity sporting calendar in 2011. More…

 

Branch Updates

Boston - Social Night - 9 March
Trinity College Dublin Boston Alumni will host a Pub Night from 7:30-10:30pm on Wednesday, 9 March in John Harvard’s Brewhouse, 33 Dunster Street Cambridge, MA 02138 (just off Harvard Square). All alumni in the area are very welcome.

Italy - Branch Events - 11 March
An alumni get together is planned for St. Patrick’s Day in Milan, please contact Deirdre Beecher for further information.

Malaysia & Singapore - Alumni Events - 14/15 March
Trinity College Dublin event in Singapore. The Ambassador of Ireland, Joe Hayes and Professor Dermot Kelleher, Head of Trinity College’s School of Medicine and Vice-Provost of Medical Affairs will host a TCD alumni gathering on Monday 14 March 2011, 6:30-8:30pm at the Ambassador’s Residence, 9A Chatsworth Road, Singapore. This event is open to all TCD alumni in Singapore. For an invite to this event, please email Jennifer Taaffe.

Trinity College Dublin event in Malaysia. The Ambassador of Ireland, Declan Kelly and Professor Dermot Kelleher, Head of Trinity College’s School of Medicine and Vice-Provost of Medical Affairs will host a TCD alumni gathering on Tuesday 15 March 2011, 6:30-8:30pm at the Ambassador’s Residence, 17 Jalan Ampang Hilir, 55000 Kuala Lumpur. This event is open to all TCD alumni in Malaysia. For an invite to this event, please email Jennifer Taaffe.

London - Business Breakfasts – 15 March & 19 April
The London Business Breakfasts continue this March with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 15 March from 7:30am in Mercers Restaurant (usual venue). The April meeting will also take place on Tuesday, 19 April. To book for these events please make contact with Paul Comyn via the TCD Alumni & Friends group on LinkedIn.

San Francisco - Pan Alumni Events - March
Trinity Alumni in San Francisco are invited to attend the many events taking place in San Francisco to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

• The Irish Social Club St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance “Celebrating 50 years of the ISC” in San José on 5 March –info@irishsocialclub.net
• The American-Ireland Fund San Francisco Gala Dinner, Friday, 11 March in the Grand Ballroom, St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco
• The Annual St. Patrick’s Banquet held by the Irish Literary & Historical Society - Sunday, 13 March at the Marine’s Memorial Club Crystal Ballroom in San Francisco -  www.ILHSsf.org 

Spain - Pan Alumni Events - 17 March
A number of pan-alumni events are planned for St. Patrick’s Day. The annual St. Patrick’s Day picnic will be held in Madrid on 17 March, contact Emma Naismith for details. Barcelona will also be organising an event to coincide with the Currach Regatta contact Patrick Bohan  for more information. Meanwhile a full week of celebrations is planned by the Irish/Basque Association or for further information or email Rocco Caira.

London - Branch Events - 27 March & 18 April
The TCD Association London Branch have two events scheduled this spring. The first is an invitation to preview the sale of Irish art at Sotheby’s which takes place on 27 March at 2pm. The second event is a tour of the Mansion House on 18 April at 10:45am. For more details view the London Branch website or contact Moira Gill for more details.

Gloucestershire - Branch Event - 29 March
The Gloucestershire branch will be hosting an event at 6:30pm (for 7pm) on 29 March in the New Club,  Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UD. The guest speaker on the night will be Jennifer Taaffe, Alumni Relations Director with TCD. For further information please contact Jonathan Moffitt.

Cork - Annual Dinner - 15 April
The Annual Dinner of the Cork Alumni Branch will take place in the Rochestown Park Hotel this April. The guest speaker on the night will be Senator Shane Ross. For further information contact Gerry Donovan.

Boston - Branch Dinner - 2 May
The Boston branch will be hosting a dinner for Senator David Norris on 2 May 2011 as part of his Presidential campaign. For more details please contact Tomas Ryan.

North of England - Branch Event - 14 May
The Lancaster Suite of Lancashire County Cricket Club (which is located in Old Trafford just south of Manchester), is the venue for the North of England branch’s next event on Saturday, 14 May 2011. The guest speaker on the night will be Jennifer Taaffe, Alumni Relations Director with TCD. For further information please contact Martin Byrne.

NSW - Pan Alumni Event - 19 May
A pan alumni event for TCD/Oxford/Cambridge will take place from 6:30pm, on Thursday, 19 May 2011, in Baker McKenzie Law Firm, Level 27, AMP Centre, 50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia. Further information or to register interest contact Dylan Carroll.

London Dining Club - Trinity Term Dinner - 26 May
Ambassador for Ireland, Bobby McDonagh will be the guest speaker at the London Dining Club Dinner during Trinity Term. The event takes place in The Saville Club at 7:30pm on Thursday, 26 May 2011. Find out more or purchase your ticket online.

Oxford - Annual Lunch - 11 June
The Oxfordshire Branch will be holding its annual lunch in Trinity College Oxford on Saturday, 11 June. Guided tours of three College chapels are being arranged for later in the afternoon. For more details please contact Martin Gaughan. 

Chinese Alumni - Branch Update

An event was held in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in TCD on 21 January to celebrate the branches 1st Anniversary and the Chinese New Year. Over 80 guests and friends joined with TCD Chinese Alumni members and Alumni Committee staff to enjoy the superb evening of food, drinks and entertainment & share the great memories of 2010. A big raffle in aid of TCD Chinese Alumni was held during the evening; 130 raffle tickets were sold out in an hour and prizes worth €300 were awarded.

Throughout the past year, TCD Chinese Alumni has forged a national reputation in Ireland. I, representing TCD Chinese Alumni Committee, would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for the continuous and generous support from everyone-we are deeply grateful! I look forward to keeping you up to date with our future developments and continued success in the year ahead! Tao Zhang, Chairperson of TCD Chinese Alumni.

Wicklow/South Dublin - Branch Update
2010 started off with a sold out musical evening, wine tasting and fork supper which was so enjoyable that we are going to repeat the event in 2011. Then we had large attendance at our Spring Lunch where Senator David Norris challenged, entertained and amused us in June. We visited Kilruddery House and Gardens in Bray and had a fun Car Treasure Hunt followed by a meal in September. In October, one of our members gave an illustrated talk about an expedition he made to the remote Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, which was enjoyed by a good attendance.  A noteworthy happening was that we were given a bequest of €1000 by a deceased founding member Fred O’Connell. Following consultation with his widow it was decided to top up the bequest with surplus funds from the Branch and give the money to the Trinity Library for their rare book collection.

There have been changes to our committee: Brian Cox completed his term as President and has been replaced by Neville Whisker who had been Treasurer; Eamonn Darcy is staying on as Secretary and the position of Treasurer is being taken by Rev. Niall Sloane. We are advanced in our planning for 2011. As mentioned earlier, there will be another Musical Evening. This will be followed by a Spring Lunch, and after that a visit to the Tutankhamun Exhibition. We are also in a position to organise a Garden Party in the summer in aid of the Trinity Access Fund and a Student Book Grant. Later, in the autumn, we will have an evening of work by Irish Poets and the year will finish as usual with our AGM. We are going to assess if there is interest among our members for a formal dinner with surprises, and if there is, the function will be organised for the autumn. We are very interested in having more alumni as members and anybody who may be interested in joining can contact our Secretary, Dr. Eamonn Darcy.

Boston - Branch Update
On 27 January Professor Ian Robertson delivered a lecture on "The aging brain: challenge and opportunity". The lecture was delivered under the auspices of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at M.I.T. Ian attracted a significant number of Trinity graduates in the Greater Boston area of all ages and backgrounds, as well as a number of Harvard and M.I.T. neuroscientists. Ian's lecture, which skilfully balanced material aimed both at non-specialists as well as professional researchers, was enthusiastically received by all present.

Spain - Branch Updates
On Thursday, 20 January, Spanish-Irish Business Network members in three cities (Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao) got together with fellow graduates of Irish universities including Trinity. All three events were well attended and good craic was had by all!  In Madrid about 40 graduates met in the James Joyce, in Barcelona over 20 people gathered in the Michael Collins and in Bilbao the Dubliners welcomed 15 graduates. More…

Chicago - Welcomes New Members
The Chicago branch is always keen to welcome new members. If you have recently moved to the Chicago area and you would like more information on this branch, please contact Jennifer Taaffe. 

For a full schedule of TCD events visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/events   

 

Alumni Interview

David O'Donnell LL.B. (1988)

Course Name: Law
Year of Graduation: 1988

What are you doing with yourself these days?
I am Head of the Corporate Department at Mason Hayes+Curran, one of Ireland’s leading business law firms.  My work is mainly focused on Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity investment although I also spend a lot of time with early stage and developing organisations.  It is fascinating to work with growing companies.

Why did you choose your current career?
It was in the blood as I followed in my grandfather’s and father’s footsteps. 

How do you like to spend your free time?
Family and sport of all sorts including touch rugby (used to play the real thing), running, golf. 

What are your strongest memories of Trinity?
A thoroughly enjoyable experience where I had great fun learning about the law and getting involved in many aspects of college life from debating to rugby to meeting lots of new people.  I lived in Botany Bay in my last year which was truly memorable.

Are you still in touch with other alumni?
Yes, I bump into them every day through business, socially and sport.

I am also connected to new graduates as this year I am deeply honoured to be President of the Trinity Business Alumni. I feel very strongly that Trinity graduates have a role to play in ensuring the future success of Ireland Inc. The TBA provides a forum for graduates with a common interest in business to come together to learn, network and contribute to the development of the Irish economy. I would encourage all graduates of Trinity who work in business to join this complimentary community of like-minded graduates.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Enjoying life and being healthy.  In general I am very optimistic about the future for Ireland.  Through the work we do for our international clients at Mason Hayes+Curran we can see great opportunities. Celebrating Ireland winning the rugby world cup in 2015 would be another great achievement.

Notices

Denis Burkitt Symposium The Phil - Honorary Members Dinner Brian Dorgan Prize Calling all Medical Graduates from 1970 & 1976 The John Murray Scholarships School of Medicine Bulletin and Tercentenary Plans

Class Notes Kwabena Adjei-Ntow M.Sc. (1980) Jo Shapcott M.A. (1976) Martin Connolly B.B.S (1972) Iris Crivon B.S.S. (1971) Gillian Freedman B.A. (1971)

“Denis Burkitt: Irish by Birth, Trinity by the Grace of God – a Life Celebrated”
The Denis Burkitt Symposium “Irish by Birth, Trinity by the Grace of God – a Life Celebrated” will take place on 23-24 June 2011. More…  

The Phil - Honorary Members Dinner
The Honorary Members' Dinner of the University Philosophical Society takes place at 6pm, on Thursday, 24 March 2011. This annual event provides a great opportunity for ex-members of the society to come together over a meal and reminisce over their time in the GMB. All those interested in attending should contact the registrar - Howard Helen.

Brian Dorgan Prize

The Brian Dorgan Prize was recently established by the family of Brian Dorgan, a former postgraduate student of the School of Chemistry who sadly passed away. Each year the prize will be awarded to a postgraduate student in the School in memory of Brian. The family would like to thank those who made this prize possible.

Calling all Medical Graduates from 1970 & 1976
To tie in with the School of Medicine Tercentenary Celebrations in August Michael Darling is thinking of planning a class reunion for graduates of the class of 1970 at a city centre location on Saturday, 27 August 2011. If you are interested or have any other suggestions please contact him by email.

Suzanne Chapman is also organising a reunion for the class of 1976 in August to include a pub rendezvous on the Thursday evening; a table at the TCD formal dinner on Friday evening and an informal ‘76 class dinner & drinks on Saturday, 27 August. Contact Suzanne directly for more information.

The John Murray Scholarships
Following the sad passing of Professor John Murray, the members of the MBA Class of 2009 have formed a working group, with the mission of designing and launching a scholarship initiative in John’s memory. The aim of The John Murray Scholarships is to develop a leadership pool of Trinity alumni from developing countries who would over time make a meaningful contribution to both the business community and society at large.

School of Medicine Bulletin and Tercentenary Plans
You may already know that Trinity is celebrating 300 years of the foundation of its School of Medicine this year and to celebrate there is an exciting programme of events to mark the occasion. Find out more in the School of Medicine's latest eBulletin.

Class Notes

Kwabena Adjei-Ntow M.Sc. (1980)
Kwabena is now living in Ghana and would like to hear from the M.Sc Systems Development class of 1980. Email Kwabena.

Jo Shapcott M.A. (1976)

Martin Connolly B.B.S (1972)
Martin recently established a non-profit organization, Will Our World, whose goal is to support extremely poor rural communities in India to become self sustaining.  His project is located in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and generally considered to have the highest number of people in India living in a poverty trap. Martin, who has spent most of the past 30 years working on development projects around the world, would like to hear from classmates from 1972 and other graduates who share a common vision about finding relevant solutions for the extremely poor and disadvantaged. Email Martin.

Iris Crivon B.S.S. (1971)
The B.S.S. class of 1971 are having a mini reunion in Dublin on 14 May 2011. We would welcome any one from either the degree or diploma course. Please email Iris directly for more information.

Gillian Freedman B.A. (1971)
Gillian read English, Fine Art History and French during her General Studies and graduated in 1971. Gillian is interested in getting in touch with classmates who are interested in attending the TCD Alumni Weekend in August. Email Gillian.

 

Obituaries

David Stewart Jenkinson B.A., B.SC., PH.D., F.R.S. (1950)
David Stewart Jenkinson graduated from the School of Chemistry in 1950 a couple of years ahead of me. He worked under Professor Wesley Cocker on a project involving meticulous handling of small quantities of materials. I was a couple of years behind him and as a beginner in research, I benefited enormously from his help and advice. As a student, he was a prominent member of the left-wing College Fabian Society. On obtaining his PhD, he went to Rothamsted Field Station, and began studying soil chemistry. He became an expert in this field, and this was recognized by his election to the Royal Society. He was the only graduate of the Chemistry Department to receive this honour. Written by: Brian McMurry M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D., Fellow Emeritus, M.R.I.A. (1953)


John V Luce M.A., LITT.D., S.F.T.C.D. (1942)

 

Website Watch

Check out our latest videos on the TCD Alumni Channel on YouTube.

Find out more about the International Cancer Conference “State of the Art of Cancer Care” taking place in September 2011.

Professor Dermot Kelleher on the Tercentenary of the School of Medicine and on his Trinity Days.