Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, reopens Trinity College Dublin Herbarium

Posted on: 17 September 2026

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, formally reopened Trinity College Dublin’s historic Herbarium following a major programme of restoration and transformation supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). 

The reopening was marked by a private event at Trinity, at which Minister O’Sullivan cut a ribbon and digitised a 200-year-old plant specimen from his Cork South-West Constituency. Representatives of the National Parks and Wildlife Service also attended the event.

Minister Christopher O’Sullivan TD cuts the ribbon with Trinity's Prof. Peter Moonlight.

Trinity’s Herbarium contains up to half a million preserved plant specimens, representing three centuries of Irish botanical research. The collections provide an irreplaceable record of plant diversity, including specimens collected in Ireland and around the world, and continue to support research into plant taxonomy, biodiversity, conservation and environmental change.

The restoration project has provided the Herbarium with state-of-the-art facilities for the long-term preservation, management and use of these collections. It will also strengthen the Herbarium’s ability to support researchers, students and the wider botanical and conservation communities.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD said:

“I am delighted to officially re-open Trinity’s Herbarium today here in the Botany Department. This amazing place is a remarkable treasure trove that, for centuries, has collected, catalogued and conserved specimens of plants from all over the world. I’m especially proud that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has been able to support the Herbarium’s transformation project and invest in its protection and modernisation. Today marks an important milestone in ensuring that these priceless records can continue to support scientific discovery and education and deepen public engagement in the natural environment.”        

Curator of Trinity College Dublin Herbarium, Dr Peter Moonlight, from Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, said:

“The reopening of the Herbarium represents an important new chapter for one of Trinity’s most significant scientific collections. These specimens are much more than historical objects: they are the primary scientific evidence of plant diversity and change, and they remain essential to modern botanical research and conservation.

“We are extremely grateful to the National Parks and Wildlife Service for its support of the Transforming Trinity’s Herbarium project. We are already seeing the benefits. Specimens digitised as a part of this project have already been downloaded over 30,000 times from conservation practitioners and scientists worldwide, while just this year we have received research visitors from all continents except Antarctica.”

Minister Christopher O’Sullivan looks at a plant specimen in the Herbarium with Madison Windsor, Herbarium Assistant Curator.

Chair of Botany at Trinity, Prof. Jenny McElwain, said:

“The Herbarium is at the heart of Botany at Trinity. For more than three centuries, our collections have supported the study of plants, algae and their environments and this transformation ensures that they can continue to do so for generations to come.

“This project also strengthens longstanding partnerships between Trinity and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. By bringing together our collections, expertise and research capacity with the conservation priorities of the NPWS, we can ensure that the Herbarium is not simply preserving the botanical record of the past but actively contributing to the conservation of Ireland’s biodiversity and habitat restoration in the future.”

The project is in line with Trinity’s Sustainability Strategy and Biodiversity Plan, which includes aims to enhance and share biodiversity knowledge and engage with public bodies to foster collaboration and partnership. Transformation of the Herbarium maintains one of Trinity’s key biodiversity collections for future researchers, students and the public in Ireland and beyond.

The reopening reflects a shared commitment to preserving Ireland’s botanical heritage while ensuring that historic scientific collections continue to contribute to contemporary research and biodiversity conservation.

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