The Duke and Duchess of Sussex receive a warm welcome at Trinity

Posted on: 11 July 2018

Trinity Provost emphasises importance of Irish-UK relations for university sector during Royal couple’s visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Trinity College Dublin today where they received a warm welcome from members of the public, joined by College staff and students gathered in the University’s Front Square. They also visited the Long Room of the Old Library and viewed the Book of Kells, one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex receive a very warm welcome on Front Square.

Welcoming the Royal couple to Trinity, Provost and President, Dr Patrick Prendergast said: “We are delighted to play host to you today. Ireland shares very close relations with the United Kingdom and especially in higher education and all aspects of research and innovation. There are currently 700 British students studying with us in Trinity, both undergraduate and postgraduate students, some of whom are gathered here today.”

The Royal couple take a walk around campus with the Provost & partner, Sheena Brown.

“The UK is Ireland’s largest research partner, and Trinity collaborates with it in 75% of our EU collaborative research projects. From arts to science, our collaborative research covers all areas.  A great of example of this is last month’s announcement of the largest grant (€115 million) ever given for neurodevelopmental conditions. It was awarded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative to an international consortium led by King’s College London which includes Trinity. This international collaboration will help develop new therapies to improve health outcomes and the overall quality of life for autistic people.”

College Librarian Helen Shenton shows the Royal couple the Long Room.

“We work very closely with UK universities, through our membership of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) which includes the five universities, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, UCL and Imperial.  Oxford’s first female vice chancellor, a Trinity graduate, has also introduced a new scheme modelled on our Trinity Access Programmes to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds realise their full potential.”

“These are just some examples of the dynamic collaborations between our two countries and specifically with Trinity which we want to maintain and build on further especially in the context of Brexit and future collaboration.”

 

 

Media Contact:

Caoimhe Ni Lochlainn, Head of Library Communications | nilochlc@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 4710