Dear friends and colleagues,
This is the end of my first semester as Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub and I would like to share with you some of my highlights.
For me, the Hub is at its very best when it brings together people excited about research and about sharing it with our community of scholars, with the public, and with other audiences. The building is a symbol of the incredible work that goes on across our different areas, and it represents the strength of the Arts and Humanities and our potential. I am grateful to everyone who took part in our various events and for sharing their enthusiasm and their expertise. And I am especially grateful to everyone who has visited the Hub during the semester and has contributed to our sense of community.
Each semester we welcome a new cohort of visiting research fellows to the Hub. This year their projects, ranging from everything from re-examining the sculpture of Christ Church Cathedral to developing an opera which explores themes of youth depression, captured our imagination and provided wonderful inspiration and new ideas.
There are too many events to mention, but a selection of highlights includes the launch of a series of events around Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU. We heard from former Taoiseach Enda Kenny about the last time Ireland held the presidency in 2013, and this was followed by a panel discussion on some of the challenges facing Ireland and Europe today. Denmark’s Ambassador to Ireland, Lars Thuesen, spoke at a separate event alongside the Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, about the Danish Presidency and what is planned here in the second half of 2026, and we were honoured to be joined by so many Ambassadors and representatives from across the 27 member states. We will be continuing these discussions in 2026.
During the semester we launched a new series, Bridging the Gap between policy and research, exploring the connections between academic research and public policy, and this will continue in the new year. William Dalyrmple delivered a masterclass Edmund Burke lecture that was both entertaining and illuminating, and we also hosted two Behind the Headlines discussions, the first on the Irish Presidency in advance of the election, and the second marking forty years of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and exploring its legacy.
I myself was hugely inspired by the energy and enthusiasm on display during the third Trinity Arts and Humanities Research Festival, and I look forward to seeing how we can continue to showcase the brilliant work of our researchers and students.
This has been a significant semester in terms of research achievements more broadly. We were delighted to see three Trinity researchers awarded prestigious ERC Consolidator Grants, including two from our colleagues in the School of Law. The LIFELANGS and ABAIR projects are two exciting new developments from the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences.
Finally, I hope you will join me in thanking the team in the Hub for the brilliant work during the year and for making the Hub what it is. I hope you all have a wonderful break and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Best wishes,
Patrick Geoghegan,
Director