Major Philanthropic Donation to Support Trinity Students
Posted on: 21 October 2014
A new 24-hour Student Study Hall at Trinity College Dublin was marked at a special ceremony in the college this week. Significant endowment funding was also announced to support scholarships for up to six engineering students simultaneously as they pursue their education. These initiatives were made possible through the generous private support of the Chief Executive of Jones Engineering Group, Eric Kinsella, and his wife Barbara.
The state-of-the-art Student Study Hall comprises three floors of 24-hour study space in the Ussher Library for all students and researchers in Trinity to access day and night, and remain open throughout the year except over Christmas. It will allow for up to 600 study spaces for the students to study in a specially designed space. The three floors are being opened on a phased basis this term and will be fully functioning later this term. The Student Study Hall is named in honour of Mr Kinsella’s parents, William and Kathleen Kinsella.
“We believe in the importance of supporting students achieve their full potential in the course of their studies. The Student Study Hall represents this in the most practical of ways, enabling students to study intensively throughout the year in a state-of-the-art facility. I am gratified that the Student Study Hall is going to be named in honour of my own parents, as a means of marking their own outstanding commitment and dedication to the education and wellbeing of their children,” said Mr Kinsella on the occasion of the unveiling of the plaque for the new facility.
The Student Study Hall was developed at the request of the students themselves. On behalf of Trinity’s students, the Students’ Union President, Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne thanked Mr Kinsella for making this long held ambition possible:
“The availability of overnight study space has been a priority for students for some time. This 24/7 access is not just a necessity coming up to exam time, but also throughout the year, in order to complete projects and research. We would like to personally thank Eric and Barbara Kinsella in supporting it,” said SU President, Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne.
The Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton also welcomed the Kinsellas’ generous benefaction: “Trinity’s Library is at the heart of learning, teaching and research, and is especially important in the support it provides to over 17,000 of our students. The way that students and researchers are studying, learning and researching, is changing and libraries need to reflect that. It is a priority for us in Trinity that our students can access the appropriate information and resources they need at all times throughout their education at Trinity, in welcoming, safe and attractive surroundings. Kinsella Hall, made possible through the Kinsellas’ kind generosity is yet another invaluable addition to the support we offer throughout that important journey.”
A second significant donation was also made by Eric and Barbara Kinsella to support students choosing engineering in Trinity.
“Jones Engineering Group, prides itself in the quality of our employees. Our investment in people has been one of the keys to our success. I know Trinity shares this view, and Barbara and I are delighted to be in a position to support tomorrow’s engineering leaders whom Trinity will be nurturing. As a Trinity engineering alumnus, engineering holds a particular importance for myself and Barbara, and I want to invest in future generations of the profession,” said Mr Kinsella.
Head of the School of Engineering, Professor Brian Foley welcomed the support for Trinity’s engineering students adding: “It is most gratifying to see such a successful alumnus as Eric give back to Trinity. This generosity will provide vital support for future generations of Trinity engineers among whom will be the engineering leaders of tomorrow’s Ireland.”
Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast, a Trinity engineering graduate himself thanked both Eric and Barbara Kinsella for their outstanding generosity: “Mapping a successful future for Ireland will crucially depend on our ability to support our students as they learn the vital skills of problem solving. The support of the Kinsellas in providing funding for our engineering students as well as providing this magnificent Study Hall facility as part of our world-renowned library and for the whole student body are two major investments in that future.”