When you’re on holiday, going to an academic institution might not sound like your idea of fun – in fact, escaping from another such institution back home might be one of the prime motivators for the holiday in the first place. However an exception must here be made for Trinity College in Dublin. As soon as you walk in among the cobbled quadrangles, green squares, and austere 18th Century architecture, the busy Dublin streets surrounding its walls will seem altogether outlandish.
One of the seven ancient universities of the English-speaking world, Trinity College is the only one of those to be outside of the United Kingdom and ranks with England’s Oxford and Cambridge universities in terms of academic prestige. Founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, Trinity College is now also one of the city’s most significant tourist attractions.
From mid-April till October, visitors can take student-led tours of the campus starting off from a booth just inside the main entrance. Highlights include the campanile or bell-tower, the neoclassical Examination Hall, and the Venetian-style Museum Building with its domed skylights and multicoloured Irish marble pillars and staircase. The Library of Trinity College contains 4.5 million books and is the largest research library in Ireland. Thousands of rare and ancient volumes can be found in the Old Library which was built between 1712 and 1732. These include the Book of Durrow, the Book of Howth, and the Book of Kells – easily the Library’s most prized possession and Dublin’s most famous attraction. Trinity College has also housed the Brian Boru Harp since it received it in the 18th Century. One of only three surviving Medieval harps, the Brian Boru Harp is a national symbol of Ireland and is depicted on the Irish Euro coins.
.jpg "take a wonder in trinity college (2).jpg")
