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Trinity welcomes three new Pro-Chancellors

Posted on: 18 November 2025

Trinity welcomes three new Pro-Chancellors

Speaking of the new pro-Chancellors, Trinity’s Provost Dr Linda Doyle said 'I am delighted that Hugo, Mark, and Gerard will serve as Pro-Chancellors. They have already made a fantastic contribution to the life of the university and in their chosen fields of advocacy, business, sport and academia. I look forward to seeing them continue to inspire our students and staff as they serve in this new role.’

Pro-Chancellors can act in the place of Chancellor Mary McAleese at important university events like commencements. Reserved for those who have made exceptional contributions to the College or to society, appointment to the office of Chancellor or Pro-Chancellor is the highest honour the university can bestow.

Professor Gerard McHugh is a champion of education. Recognised for his excellence in teaching, Gerard served as Trinity’s first Dean of Development and Associate Professor in Trinity Business School, where he taught accounting and financial analysis to generations of students. A member of many national and European advisory boards, Gerard was also instrumental in campaigning for the construction of the new Business School building which has transformed the eastern end of Trinity’s island campus.  

‘I am extremely proud and honoured to be appointed as Pro-Chancellor of Trinity College, the University of Dublin,' said Professor Gerard McHugh. ‘Since joining as a young academic in 1985, Trinity has had immeasurable impact on my life, and I greatly look forward to maintaining contact with the students and alumni of this magnificent university across the world.’

 

Pro-Chancellor Professor Gerard McHugh

Former Ireland rugby player Hugo MacNeill is a Trinity alumnus. Early in his life, he recognised the power of sport in bringing communities together and has, throughout his career, since used sport to deepen British-Irish and North-South relations and advocate for peace on the island of Ireland. Hugo is also a champion for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and has, since 2014, served as Ambassador for the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. 

‘Trinity has always played a big part in my life,’ said Hugo MacNeill. ‘From doing a degree in Economics, to becoming a Foundation Scholar and doing the Diploma in Anglo Irish Literature with the incomparable David Norris and Brendan Kennelly. For more than a decade I have worked with the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. We have built a world class programme and placed our graduates with major Irish and international companies. This has transformed the lives of our young people and the lives of their families.’

 

Pro-Chancellor Hugo MacNeill

Ireland’s longest-serving rugby referee, Mark Orr has been a tireless force for good in public life in Northern Ireland. A Trinity graduate and barrister by training, Mark was appointed director of the Northern Ireland Memorial fund, a charity supported by Irish and British governments to support victims of the Troubles, along with several other public-facing roles. Today, he is King's Counsel and a member of the IRFU’s Executive Committee.

'I came to Trinity as an undergraduate in 1975 to what was then, and still is, an outstanding Law School,' said Mark Orr. 'Lasting friendships were made and I have nothing but happy memories of all aspects of college life, academic, social, and sporting. It is a huge honour to be appointed Pro-Chancellor and to give something back to an institution to which I owe so much and which has contributed so much to life throughout all of Ireland.'

 

Pro-Chancellor Mark Orr