Trinity and its Neighbours: An Oral History

Posted on: 02 March 2009

Trinity and its Neighbours: An Oral History, a book which examines the relationship between Trinity College Dublin and its neighbours in Dublin ‘s South East Inner City Area was launched by Senator David Norris on Tuesday, February 24^th last.

The book which was written by Dr Mary Muldowney, a leading oral historian and a graduate of  Trinity’s School of Histories and Humanities, chronicles the experiences of more than 20 residents from the area whom she interviewed  for the book  and based  on which an archive of  transcripts and recordings has now been established.

In it, Dr Muldowney considers the extent to which the University has been an acknowledged presence in Dublin ‘s city centre, where it has been a centre of employment as well as of learning. There has been a long tradition in Trinity of recruiting staff from the surrounding neighbourhood and many of those interviewed also worked for the College.

In carrying out her research, Dr Muldowney, worked closely with the St Andrew’s Resource Centre on Pearse Street in Dublin and especially with community activist and  manager of the Inner City Employment Services at the Centre, Betty Ashe.

Commenting on the significance of the book, Trinity’s Community Liaison Officer, Professor Ciaran Brady said: “The book  sees the realisation of an ambition  long shared between St Andrew’s Resource Centre and Trinity College to collect and preserve a record of Trinity’s relations with its city neighbours which has for too long been neglected  Adopting a warts and all approach, this book is an attempt to discover the experiences, recollections and judgements of a crucially important link between Trinity and its neighbours, that is the many employees of the College who were recruited from the local area whose work was  -and is – essential to the running of the institution As such the book  makes a wholly original contribution to Trinity’s local history programme and to the on-going local  historical projects being conducted through St Andrew’s”.

“In keeping with the spirit of equal partnership under which this project was conceived and executed, the entire archive of the many interviews (of which only a sample can be included in the book) will be held jointly in both the Library of Trinity College Dublin and St Andrew’s Resource Centre. It is my hope that this publication will be only the first of a series of further collaborative projects between Trinity and its neighbours.”

The costs of researching and accumulating the archive and of the publication of Trinity and its Neighbours: An Oral History were met through funding by Trinity College Dublin.