{Page 13}

FAGEL COLLECTION

The intellectual wealth and aesthetics of a European statesman's library

The Fagel Collection, purchased in 1802 by Trinity College, represents the intellectual and social interests of a wealthy and distinguished Dutch family over a period of some 200 years. A symposium was held in Trinity College in September 2008 to demonstrate to the wider academic world the wealth of the Fagel holdings.

The Dutch and Belgium embassies were very generous in funding the cost.

Discussions are being held with libraries in Holland and Belgium on a digitisation project with several Foundations expressing interest.

www.tcd.ie/longroomhub


‘MASSACRES, MYTHS AND MEMORY’ – THE 1641 DEPOSITIONS DIGITISATION PROJECT

The most ambitious Irish research project in the humanities commences in Trinity

The cross-institutional initiative between Trinity College Dublin, Aberdeen University and Cambridge University was launched in 2008.

This three-year project aims to transcribe and digitise the manuscript collection comprising 3,400 depositions, examinations and associated materials, in which Protestant men and women of all classes told of their experiences following the outbreak of the rebellion by the Catholic Irish in October, 1641. The digitised documents will be made available online for the benefit of both the academic community and the general public.

The project has received €1M in grant-aid, the largest research grant in the humanities ever to be awarded in Ireland. The money has been granted by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in the UK, as well as Trinity College Library.

www.tcd.ie/longroomhub


THE SOUTH ASIA INITIATIVE

Building on a long history of association with India and South Asia

Drawing upon Trinity’s historical and contemporary connections with South Asia and the growth of large South Asian communities in Ireland, the goal of the Trinity South Asia Initiative is to make Trinity the centre for South Asian Studies in the Irish Republic.

Launched by the Provost in July 2008 and managed through a South Asia Advisory Board, the Initiative aims to promote teaching and research relating to South Asia at Trinity, to develop the library’s South Asia collections, and to forge linkages with institutions of higher education in South Asia.

The Initiative has recently secured funding for a lectureship in Indian Studies, thanks to the support of the Dublin Indian community, as well as for a professorial post in Arts and Humanities, made possible through the help of the Indian Ambassador and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Fundraising has also begun for a lectureship in Islamic Art in South Asia.

www.tcd.ie/longroomhub/projects/south-asia

Pictured: Provost, Dr John Hegarty, Indian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, P.S Raghavan.and Shyam S. Sathyanarayana at the launch of the Trinity’s Indian Society.


"Treasures of the Long Room are a very special part of what Trinity College stands for and is. It has been a privilege of mine to play a small practical part in the active preservation of this unique and invaluable treasure, so that future generations of scholars may continue to enjoy it."
Karl Foster, TCD alumnus