A 24-hour study hall has been opened in Trinity College Dublin following a significant financial donation to the institution.
The study hall was set up following a donation to the college by chief executive of the Jones Engineering Group Eric Kinsella and his wife Barbara.
The facility will be known as Kinsella Hall and will provide 600 extra study spaces for both undergraduates and researchers in the college. The hall is to be named after Mr Kinsella’s parents.
The hall is located on three floors of the existing Ussher Library and will be open all year with the exception of Christmas Day. The library currently facilitates for 17,000 students in the college.
A study hall had been on the Student’s Union radar for a long time and was a priority.
Education Officer for Trinity College, Katie Byrne, said that it was a “facility that students have campaigned for quite some time and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Eric Kinsella and is family for the kind donation that made it possible.”
Student opinion has also been positive to the opening of a new study area. Barry Neenan, a first year student said that he believes the hall is “a great asset to the student body. The fact of the matter is that in college, you work at strange times so being able to safely and effectively get things done, no matter the time of the day would be hugely helpful to a lot of people.”
Kinsella Hall will be opened on a phased basis for the time being with a view to being opened full time later on this year.
Mr Kinsella’s donation also went towards the set-up of a scholarship programme at the college to aid six students wishing to take engineering in Trinity with their studies.
Aidan Delaney
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