Trinity awards posthumous degree to writer Christy Nolan

Posted on: 27 November 2025

Trinity College Dublin has this week awarded a posthumous degree to the poet and author Christy Nolan who studied in Trinity’s School of English for one year, and who died in 2009. 

This unique award comes in the year of the 25th anniversary of Trinity’s disAbility service, and celebrates the fact that Christy, despite immense physical barriers, found a community in Trinity that recognised his potential and his voice. 

His BA degree parchment was accepted by his sister Yvonne Nolan (pictured above) at a ceremony in Trinity on Thursday 27th November 2025. The award followed a nomination by the head of the School of English, the Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Director of the DisAbility Service. 

Christy Nolan (1965-2009 - pictured below with his mother Bernadette) remains a shining example of Irish creativity and literature. At just 15, he published his first poetry collection, Dam-Burst of Dreams, followed by his memoir, Under the Eye of the Clock, and later the critically acclaimed novel The Banyan Tree. During his time at Trinity, Christy found a community of students and lecturers who shared his passion for the heard, spoken, and written word.   

Christy’s archive, donated by his family to the Library at Trinity College Dublin, continues to inspire new generations of artists, writers, and creators. His life, meanwhile, embodies the very principles Trinity now promotes through inclusive education, universal design, and the empowerment of disabled students. 

Declan Treanor, Director of Trinity disAbility Service, Trinity College Dublin, said: “Christy Nolan wrote that 'nobody made him feel different at Trinity' — a powerful reminder of what this university can be at its best: a place where disabled people are not only accepted but celebrated." 

“Awarding a posthumous degree formally recognises the academic path he began here and the unique contribution he made as a Trinity student, writer, and cultural figure.” 

“For current disabled students and staff, Christy’s degree sends a clear message: your presence, your work, and your voice matter here — and always have.” 

Prof. Bernice Murphy, head of the School of English, said: “Christy Nolan was an extraordinary writer, who rightly has received global acclaim for his work. The fact that he produced this brilliant work despite his disability makes his legacy even more remarkable.  

We are delighted to have supported his posthumous recognition which we believe demonstrates that Trinity values disabled achievement, leadership, and creativity — not just in the present, but retrospectively where recognition is overdue.” 

Earlier this year, in recognition of Christy Nolan’s archival works being displayed in the Long Room at Trinity and to celebrate 25 years of the disAbility Service, disabled staff and students at Trinity were invited to share their creative talents in a competition open to all art forms—literary, visual, film, and performance. 

The winning entry formed part of the exhibition titled Zealous mercurial dreams was about to be realised, which included Christy Nolan’s archive along with new additions to the Library collections. The title draws inspiration from Christy Nolan’s Under the Eye of the Clock, reflecting the transformative experience of entering Trinity where new possibilities and dreams come to life. 

ENDS 

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