Researchers
The Trinity Centre for the Book has access to various funding streams to support researchers who need to use Trinity’s collections. Some of these are listed below. We’d be interested to hear why and when you are visiting Trinity, and whether there is anything we can do to facilitate your research.
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Long Room Hub’s Visiting Fellowships
The Long Room Hub is Trinity’s interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities Research Institute. The Visiting Fellowships allow researchers to spend between 1 and 4 months in Trinity carrying out research. Projects with a connection to the Library holdings are particularly welcome, and TCB would welcome inquiries regarding such projects.
Further information about Fellowships
Pollard Fellowship in Irish Bibliography
The Pollard Fellowship, granted to a postgraduate student, ordinarily offers €3,500 annually to support research on Irish bibliography. The fellowship provides this a postgraduate scholar with the opportunity to consult the Research Collections at the Library of Trinity College Dublin, including the Pollard collection, to research, and to write, while building connections with the Library and researchers in the Trinity Centre for the Book at Trinity College Dublin. In return, the Fellow gives a presentation on their research at an appropriate forum at Trinity and also shares their experience via a blog post. The Fellowship may be awarded for a period of up to 4 months.
The Pollard Fellowship is part of a bequest of Mary “Paul” Pollard, former Keeper of Early Printed Books. The bequest also includes the Pollard Collection of Children’s Books, a collection of over 12,000 items, dating from the 17th century to the 20th century, with a special focus on Irish imprints, Irish writers, and books written for girls. As well as extensive holdings of works by Maria Edgeworth, Barbara Hofland, and Mary Sherwood, there are adventure stories, schoolbooks, fables, moral tales, hymns, tracts, chapbooks, picture books, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes. There are also many books of Irish myth and folktale. The Pollard Collection presents exciting opportunities for research on a wide range of themes relating to children’s literature and childhood, and associated disciplines such as education, English, history, sociology, gender studies, and popular culture.
Following on from the 20th anniversary year since the Pollard collection was bequeathed to Trinity, the 2026/7 Fellowship award will be €20,000.
To apply, please submit a CV (maximum two A4 pages) and brief (one A4 page) research project proposal on Irish bibliography to Laura.Shanahan@tcd.ie, Head of Research Collections (on behalf of the Librarian & College Archivist) by 1 December 2026. Accompanying the application should be a suggestion of the duration of research and preferred dates within which to take up the Fellowship. The successful candidate may take up the Fellowship at a suitable time in 2027.
A review panel consisting of academic representatives from the Centre for the Book, the School of English and the Library will assess applications against recorded criteria. Applicants will be notified no later than the end of January 2027 of the outcome.
Huntington Library – Trinity College – Marsh’s Library Exchange
The Huntington Library – Trinity College – Marsh’s Library Exchange allows a staff member, postdoctoral research or PhD student, working in the areas of Irish or British Literature; Irish, British or American History, History of Art or History of Science to spend a funded month at the Huntington Library in California. The award is offered every year, but alternates between the Schools of English and Histories and Humanities. Those interested in applying are invited to contact the Director of Global Relations in the School of English or Director of Research in the School of Histories and Humanities.