New Strategic Partnership between Trinity College Dublin and Carlow College

Posted on: 06 November 2007

Trinity College Dublin and Carlow College , the two oldest institutions of higher education in Ireland , have agreed a new strategic collaborative partnership in the humanities and social sciences.  The TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty, and Carlow College President, Fr Caoimhín Ó Néill, together signed the bilateral agreement in Carlow College this week, which will enable their respective institutions to build collaborative and complementary strengths.

The primary focus of this collaboration concerns teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences.  The two institutions recognise the potential for exploiting their strong synergies particularly in the South Leinster region: TCD as a city university renowned for its research, Carlow College as a regional hub engaged in the delivery of flexible programmes in the humanities and social sciences.

Speaking on behalf of Carlow College , its President, Fr Caoimhín Ó Néill stated: ‘The prospect of collaboration with Trinity College is good news for this College, for Carlow town with its rapidly growing population, and for our South Leinster catchment area of Laois, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow, Wicklow and South Kildare .”

“This strategic partnership will facilitate the provision of a wider choice of quality courses in Humanities and Social Studies at graduate and post-graduate level for school leavers and mature students within an immediate catchment area of forty miles of Carlow.”

“The Michael Slattery History Lecture series is an ideal way to begin our partnership since it evokes historic links and celebrates the long and distinguished service which our two institutions have rendered to education in Ireland .”

Commenting on the significance of the agreement, the TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty  said: “ Carlow College has a long distinguished history with which Trinity College has enjoyed some prestigious connections in the past.  This partnership is focused firmly on the future of education in Ireland . It is about harnessing the capacity of two institutions, one at the centre of Dublin and the other in its growing hinterland, in order to make world class education in the humanities and social sciences available to a wider and more diverse population of students of all ages.”

On the basis of this new agreement, Trinity College and Carlow College will work to develop a programme for future cooperation and implementation.

As an initial step, the Michael Slattery History Lectures, a specially commissioned series of talks by Trinity historians, will be delivered early in 2008 in Carlow College .  These will examine four periods of war and revolution in Irish history, providing fresh insight into recent research on these decisive moments in the formation of modern Ireland . Michael Slattery graduated from Trinity College in 1804 and became a student and then a professor at Carlow College . He was later Archbishop of Cashel and Emly.