Opinion - News & Events | Trinity College Dublin

Why rural Ireland holds the key to transport decarbonisation

Recent research conducted through a collaboration between the Schools of Physics and Engineering, and published in the journal Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, explores decarbonisation of transport, and the particular challenges that exist in Ireland due to our population density and geography.

31 Mar 2026

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

How the Greeks mapped the mythical places of their heroes and legends

Lisa Doyle, School of Histories and Humanities, writes in The Conversation about how the Greeks mapped the mythical places of their heroes and legends.

10 Mar 2026

Six female film directors celebrating Spain’s linguistic diversity on screen

Catherine Barbour, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, writes in The Conversation about the Spanish film industry and a new generation of female film-makers.

10 Mar 2026

Culture|Research|Society

We are in a digital version of the enclosures – like the landowners, big tech has power without responsibility

Nana Nwachukwu, PhD Candidate based in Trinity's AI Accountability Lab, writes for The Conversation, saying the recent Grok controversy represents the endpoint of a longer withdrawal from the responsibilities that once accompanied control of digital infrastructure.

9 Mar 2026

Business|Culture|Research|Science|Society

Endangered marine life is being caught in fishing nets, but it doesn’t need to be

Dr Nicholas Payne from Trinity's School of Natural Sciences co-authored this piece for The Conversation, following a new four-year study from Ireland’s national Marine Institute which highlights the particular problem tangle nets are causing in Ireland.

19 Feb 2026

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

The five best films of 2025 – according to experts

Ruth Barton, School of Creative Arts, contributes to this article in The Conversation about the best films of 2025.

23 Dec 2025

Culture|Research

Growing a mix of plants in fields can save farmers money and help the environment

Prof. Caroline Brophy, writing for The Conversation, outlines the positive implications of landmark research conducted across geographical scales.

15 Dec 2025

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

Zambia’s factories burn too much coal – how reusing hot water can cut energy use

Trinity researchers write about a research project investigating how food and beverage manufacturers in Zambia could become more energy efficient through a process called wastewater heat recovery.

4 Dec 2025

Business|Community|Research|Science

New documentary shows a stark reckoning with Ireland’s Magdalene past – and the long fight for justice

The new documentary 'Testimony' is an essential reminder of a society’s efforts to contain female sexuality, writes Ruth Barton, School of Creative Arts, in a piece for The Conversation.

27 Nov 2025

Culture|Research

Irish presidency has evolved significantly in recent years

Once considered largely ceremonial and “above politics,” the presidency has evolved significantly in recent years, writes Gail McElroy, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy in a piece for The Conversation.

22 Oct 2025

Research|Society

Grokipedia: Elon Musk is right that Wikipedia is biased, but his AI alternative will be the same at best

Taha Yasseri, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, writes for The Conversation about Grokipedia – a new project to rival Wikipedia being developed by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.

16 Oct 2025

Research

Imagine if Ireland could lay rail tracks as quickly as it builds roads

Now Metrolink is going ahead, what’s the next rail project for Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway?

9 Oct 2025

Community|Environment

Book of Kells: exploring the evidence that points to Pictish origins

Whether based in Pictland, Iona or Ireland, the makers of the Book of Kells may have come together from a variety of locations, and they certainly had an international outlook, writes Rachel Moss, School of Histories and Humanities in The Conversation.

7 Oct 2025

Culture|Research

Exploration matters more than perfection in STEM learning

Dr Paul Irving, STEM Community Manager at Trinity Walton Club, argues that science doesn’t want perfection but curiosity instead. And that's what we should be nurturing in young learners.

29 Sep 2025

Science|Students

One Battle After Another – this movie is a powerful exploration of US today

The new film, One Battle After Another, suggests that there is still a place for challenging filmmaking in today’s culture, writes Ruth Barton, School of Creative Arts, in a piece for The Conversation.

25 Sep 2025

Culture|Research

Why the Norman conquest still has a powerful hold over British culture and politics

Britain appears to be a nation on the verge of Norman-conquest mania, writes Millie Horton-Insch, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, History of Art Department, in a piece for The Conversation.

8 Sep 2025

Culture|Research

AI can democratise higher education if used wisely

Professor Orla Sheils, Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer, writes in The Irish Times about the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence to the higher education sphere, and argues that they should be embraced.

25 Aug 2025

Community|Innovation|Society|Students

Why Ireland’s mild temperatures won’t protect it from the climate crisis

Prof. Graham Dwyer from the Trinity Centre for Social Innovation and Prof. Karen Wilshire, Professor of Climate Sciences at Trinity, write about a topical issue for The Conversation.

22 Aug 2025

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

Kneecap trial spotlights challenges for Irish speakers in British and Irish courts

Many would rather use the language they know best to answer questions on which their liberty or livelihood could depend, writes Dr Róisín Á Costello, School of Law, in an article first published in The Irish Times.

21 Aug 2025

Research|Society

Did the Sun boycott make Liverpool more leftwing? My study indicates it may have shifted views

Lucas da Silva, Department of Political Science, examines how the longstanding boycott of the rightwing tabloid the Sun in Liverpool affected people’s political attitudes up to 2004.

8 Aug 2025

Research|Society

Why the Nazis stole a fragment of the Bayeux tapestry

Millie Horton-Insch, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the History of Art Department, Trinity, tells the tale of how a fragment of the Bayeux tapestry ended up in the Schleswig-Holstein state archives. This piece was first published by The Conversation.

15 Jul 2025

Arts|Culture|Research

Will the Government really put McDonald’s ahead of children in poverty?

The reason child poverty persists is that whenever the opportunity comes to translate words into action there is always some higher priority. This year that higher priority looks to be the hospitality sector, writes economist Barra Roantree

7 Jul 2025

Culture|Health|Society

Trinity hosts Ireland’s first BioBrillouin microscope

Trinity now has Ireland’s first and only BioBrillouin microscope, which will enable researchers to make giant strides in the fields of inflammation, cancer, developmental biology and biomedical materials, among others.

4 Jul 2025

Research|Science

There is no loneliness epidemic – so why do we keep talking as if there is?

Most people experience periods of loneliness, isolation or solitude in their lives, but these are different things, writes Brendan Kelly, School of Medicine, in a piece for The Conversation.

27 Jun 2025

Health|Research|Society

Rent reforms are the sticking plaster on a crisis – only radical change will work

By offering something to landlords and tenants with new rental rules, the Government is taking something from both, writes Sarah Hamill, School of Law, in the Irish Independent.

27 Jun 2025

Research|Society

In a world dominated by loud, divisive politics, the cardinals found an antidote in Pope Leo XIV

Leo XIV was a choice few saw coming, and is a figure of humility, steadiness and introspective strength, writes Bronagh Ann McShane in an opinion article first published by The Irish Times.

12 May 2025

Research|Society

Glitter’s sparkle hides a darker side – it can change the chemistry of our oceans

Drs. Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco and Kristina Petra Zubovic from Trinity's School of Natural Sciences write about some important research of theirs in this piece first published by The Conversation.

2 May 2025

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

Race to succeed Pope Francis begins with his funeral, as informal alliances of cardinals emerge

The ritual of conclave is ancient, but the stakes are unmistakably modern, writes Bronagh Ann McShane, School of Histories and Humanities, in a piece originally published in the Irish Times.

28 Apr 2025

Culture|Research

Pope Francis promoted women to unprecedented heights of power in the church

Dr Bronagh Ann McShane, Research Fellow on the VOICES project in Trinity's School of Histories and Humanities, with a piece first published by The Conversation in the wake of Pope Francis' death.

22 Apr 2025

Society

How mobility assistance dogs can improve quality of life in children with cerebral palsy

Heather Kennedy Curtin, Specialist Physiotherapist in Gait Analysis, Trinity, writes about new research findings from her team in this piece first published by The Conversation.

16 Apr 2025

Research|Science