Trinity College Dublin: A Journey Through Wooden Doors Into Another World
Stephanie and I visited Trinity College Dublin before the pandemic, when tourists could still explore its beautiful grounds. We had an imminent appointment to view The Book of Kells, but we had enough time to enroll at the college, after admiring the 18th-century buildings and the present-day legs of rugby players. (Seriously, they are like sculptures they’re so perfect.)
Why is Edmund Burke immortalized in a statue?
"Edmund Burke, born in Dublin in 1729, enrolled in Trinity College in 1744…Once again, this student who would go on to become a renowned man of letters, seemed to have preferred other activities during his time on campus to those of his studies.Unlike some of his contemporaries however Burke was a popular student and was involved in the founding of the Historical Society, one of the oldest debating societies of any university.
Graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1748 with a B.A. he went on to take an M.A. in 1751 before moving to London to a life in politics. He is best remembered as an early supporter of the American Revolution however he found reason to oppose the French Revolution. Other notable causes he supported included Catholic emancipation, free trade with Ireland and uncovering the injustices perpetrated by the East India Company.
Burke's support for unpopular causes led him to lose his place in parliament in 1780. He died in July 1797 and was buried in Buckinghamshire however his writings have remained relevant to many generations and continue to do so today."
- A Pictorial Guide to Trinity College Dublin By The University of Dublin
Alas, Steph and I will not actually be new students, but if we did matriculate we would have joined the ranks of many famous Irish writers and politicians, from Oscar Wilde, the witty poet and playwright, to Mary Robinson, the seventh President of Ireland. It was amazing to just visit, though, and roam around such a hallowed school, with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face and my camera at the ready. I got a sunburned forehead from looking up at the statues on the Campanile - visual reminders of the university’s faculties of Divinity, Science, Medicine and Law, according to “A Pictorial Guide to Trinity College Dublin,” by The University of Dublin.
From that azure view to the green ground, it felt like we were in a world of enchantment. This is even more true now that the manicured lawns at the front entrance on College Green are being transformed into wildflower meadows (https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0730/1156552-trinity-wildflower-meadow/#) after a February online poll showed 90 percent of voters were in favor of accepting more bees and other insects onto the grounds. The welcoming committee will consist of 25 types of native Irish wildflowers, including cowslip, Oxeye daisy, and wild carrot, which I recognize as Queen Anne's lace. Steph and I hope to gaze upon the wildflower meadow in person someday. As someone who is becoming more aware of the benefits of such a meadow after tending to my own wildflower garden this summer, I think it is a joyful, positive decision to be more earth and animal-friendly.
Still, I love the lush green grass on campus too. However, time did not permit me the freedom to sit and relax on it at Fellows Square with the students, who clearly looked like they belonged there, with their engrossing conversations and confident, casual attitude. I don’t regret that my giddiness may have given me away as a sightseer, though. In the wake of this pandemic, I feel more than ever that I am lucky to have had the chance to cross the threshold into a 400-year-old knowledge-seeker’s paradise.
