Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Trinity

Prime Minister calls for the weaving of “webs of connection, obligation, and trust – across borders and generations” at inaugural De Chastelain Public Lecture.

13 Jun 2026

Linda welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Trinity this week to deliver the inaugural De Chastelain Public Lecture to a packed Public Theatre.

Read Prime Minister Carney’s speech.

Read Provost Linda Doyle’s welcome remarks. (pdf)

Watch the De Chastelain Public Lecture on YouTube.

The event, organised in partnership with the Ireland Canada University Foundation, was attended by General John de Chastelain, former chair of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning along with Mrs De Chastelain.

The audience included Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris. A fireside discussion with Alex White, Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs, followed the lecture.

In his speech, Prime Minister Carney spoke of the enduring relationship between Ireland and Canada and their shared values. He also spoke of the important role Trinity has and continues to play in serving and challenging society.

Trinity is much more than a university. It is a veritable wellspring for ideas, inventions and enduring moral clarity. Some of the western world’s greatest contributions to science, art and literature have their roots here. Trinity alumni invented the steam turbine and the modern stethoscope. They pioneered radiotherapy and linear algebra and coined the term ‘electron’. They introduced the world to Count Dracula and Dorian Gray, Gulliver and Godot (who should be here any minute now). Trinity students are building on this legacy. And Canadians are sharing in this quest.

Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

A gallery of four square images from Mark Carney's visit to Trinity. One features Linda and Mark Carney walking on a gravel path; two images feature Mark Carney speaking in the Public Theatre; and one features Linda presenting Mark Carney and his wife, Diana, of a copy of 'Trinity in 50'.

Reflecting on the event on social media, Linda said: “It meant so much to me to welcome the person who delivered that now-famous speech at Davos which has become a watershed moment in how we talk about geopolitics today. Mark Carney is so much more than one speech but that speech mattered so much.”

“The setting for the address was our Public Theatre which this past week has hosted our commencement ceremonies as students graduate from Trinity. Those students are facing into an uncertain world but I'm glad that there are people like Mark Carney who will stand up and offer a vision for a positive path forward.”

The Prime Minister also visited the Old Library and viewed the Book of Kells and the Book of Armagh.