Trinity Hall (Gaeilge)
Accommodation for incoming students to Trinity College Dublin is offered in Trinity Hall, a residential facility with just over 1,000 places located 4.5km from the main campus.
Prospective applicants are strongly recommended to view the video below and to read the other information on this web site in order to get a good understanding of what Hall is, what it has to offer and what it expects from residents. See also the video produced by the JCR.
Since its founding over four hundred years ago residential life has always been an important part of a Trinity education and for much of its history all students lived on campus. While this is no longer the case Trinity nevertheless continues to treat its student residences not just as a place for students to live while attending college but as an important part of the overall educational experience. Indeed the great educationalist John Henry Newman in his famous address on "The Idea Of A University" put forward the view that more could be learned from living in a community of scholars than from lectures and examinations!
Aerial View Of Hall
It is this spirit of a "community of scholars" which underpins life in Trinity Hall. There is an emphasis on providing a "soft landing" for students who are new to Dublin and/or new to University life. Half of the residents are Junior Freshmen (aka first years) while there is also a sizable community of undergraduate and postgraduate students who come from outside Ireland and in many cases outside the European Union. There are also a small number of staff living in Hall.
Hall is located on Dartry Road, close to Rathmines on the south side of Dublin City. It is within easy commuting distance of the main campus by bicycle, bus or Luas (tram)
The Fish Pond
Life in Hall is suited to those students who while being` serious about their studies are also keen to contribute to a sense of community within Hall and who appreciate that living within a community, particularly an academic one, requires a certain amount of flexibility and consideration to one's neighbours.
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Key aspects of life in Hall are the Wardens and the Junior Common Room committee or JCR. Assistant Wardens are either members of college staff or senior postgraduate researchers and there is one for each house in Hall (70-80 students). Their role is to be available as a first port of call for any difficulties students are experiencing and to help make sure that life in Hall proceeds as smoothly as possible. The JCR take the lead in organising a wide variety of social events during the year of which the orientation weekend for incoming students at start of the academic year is the most important.
There is a sports hall and squash court for the use of residents as well as ample social space with snooker, pool and a TV area. Some images from various Hall events over the past few years can be found here.
In 2008 Trinity Hall celebrated its centenary year.