The first University of Ireland is Trinity College Dublin
Once we were amazed by the Cambridge University. We remembered that visit in connection with our story about the best University in Ireland, Trinity College. Link between these events is the most direct because Cambridge and Oxford Universities have Trinity colleges too.
At the end of the XVI century, the English Queen Elisabeth I wanted to have a real trinity of the best universities in the British Empire. That is why, having given way to Irish people wish to create the first university in the country, she not only agreed to establish this university, but even more, she gave it the name of Trinity.
The Irish part was glad to receive such name for the university as the land for the Dublin Trinity College used to belong to the “Holy Trinity” monastery. As a result, in 1592, the first university in Ireland – the Trinity College Dublin opened its doors.
But the Irish Trinity College did not repeat the structure of its British brother-universities, as they include a few score of colleges, but the Irish Trinity College is the only college in the Dublin University, that is why it is both university and college.
Nevertheless, there are some differences in their summary responsibilities. So, the academic program is provided by Trinity College, but certification and creation are given from the name of the Dublin University. Anyway, at present, the Trinity College Dublin is one of the five best universities in the British Isles and on the 100 best universities of the world.
For its more than 420-years history, the Trinity College experienced different times, but it always managed to preserve its scientific potential determining the quality of University education. There's nobody who would not know its famous graduates, giving lustre not only to the university, but Ireland.
These are such writers as Jonathan Swift, who wrote “Gulliver's Travels”, the Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett, Nobel laureate, Physicist Ernest Walton, Oscar Wilde, Mathematician William Rowan Hamilton, the philosopher, George Berkley. The former and the current Presidents of Ireland studied in Trinity College too.
On of the education quality attributes of any university is its library stock. Well, the library stock of the Trinity College counts 4 millions volumes and is among five best library stocks in the world. There are very rare books, such as The New Testament manuscript, “The Book of Kells”.
The modern Trinity College represents a combination of academic and professional education where around 15 thousand students and subjects at the junction of different scientific fields are taught. For example, there are natural sciences and computer technology, information and foreign languages.
To the great joy of tourists, the Trinity College is open for public. One can freely wander along the cobbly “Parliament Square”, to visit a student cafe and even the famous library. But you will have to pay for the visit of the library. There are also centrally-controlled excursions with a guide. Anyway, we strongly recommend you to visit the Dublin University – Trinity College.
After that, you can go to a pub, maybe this one or you could have seen the film "Education Rita" were Trinity College Dublin was passed as an English University.