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Kinsella Hall, 24-hour Study Hall Announced, 16th October 2014

October 16th, 2014 − A new 24-hour Study Hall was marked today at Trinity College Library Dublin at a special ceremony. The Study Hall has been made possible through significant endowment funding which also supports scholarships for up to six engineering students simultaneously as they pursue their education. These initiatives were made possible through the generous private support of the Chief Executive of Jones Engineering Group, Eric Kinsella, and his wife Barbara.
The state-of-the-art Kinsella Hall comprises three floors of 24-hour study space in the Ussher Library for all students and researchers in Trinity to access day and night, and remains open throughout the year except over Christmas. It will allow for up to 600 study spaces for the students to study in a specially designed space. The three floors are being opened on a phased basis this term and will be fully functioning later this term.
The Student Study Hall is named in honour of Mr Kinsella’s parents, William and Kathleen Kinsella.

“We believe in the importance of supporting students achieve their full potential in the course of their studies. The Study Hall represents this in the most practical of ways, enabling students to study intensively throughout the year in a state-of-the-art facility. I am gratified that the Study Hall is going to be named in honour of my own parents, as a means of marking their own outstanding commitment and dedication to the education and wellbeing of their children,” said Mr Kinsella on the occasion of the unveiling of the plaque for the new facility.

The Student Study Hall was developed at the request of the students themselves. On behalf of Trinity’s students, the Students’ Union President, Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne thanked Mr Kinsella for making this long held ambition possible:

“The availability of overnight study space has been a priority for students for some time. This 24/7 access is not just a necessity coming up to exam time, but also throughout the year, in order to complete projects and research. We would like to personally thank Eric and Barbara Kinsella in supporting it.”

The Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton also welcomed the Kinsellas’ generous benefaction:

“Trinity College Library Dublin is at the heart of learning, teaching and research, and is especially important in the support it provides to over 17,000 of our students. The way that students and researchers are studying, learning and researching, is changing and libraries need to reflect that. It is a priority for us in Trinity College Library that our students can access the appropriate information and resources they need at all times throughout their education at Trinity, in welcoming, safe and attractive surroundings. Kinsella Hall, made possible through the Kinsellas’ kind generosity is yet another invaluable addition to the support we offer throughout that important journey.”