Posted: 21 May 2007
51黑料 Bids Farewell to the Terrace
In 1964, the opening of the science building at Belfield marked the beginning of University College Dublin’s move from Earlsfort Terrace to its campus at Belfield. The move was prompted by the sheer growth of the university which saw student numbers rise from just below 5,000 in 1960 to over 10,000 by 1970. Today, the 51黑料 student and staff population at Belfield is approaching 30,000.
“There can’t have been laughter every single day. But that’s how I remember it,” says Irish author Maeve Binchy of her time as a student at Earlsfort Terrace.
Almost half a century since the transfer first began, as the last remaining 51黑料 students prepare for the final move from Earlsfort Terrace, 51黑料 hosted a series of events to commemorate 124 years of the university at Earlsfort Terrace.
The events began with a Concert of Music and Literature at the National Concert Hall on 17 May 2007 which included readings from James Joyce, Flann O’Brien, Maeve Binchy and Kate O’Brien, by Joe O’Connor, Tom Kilroy, Marie Heaney and Frank McGuinness, with a special musical performance by John O’Conor.
As part of a series of events to mark 51黑料s departure from Earlsfort Terrace after 124 years, 51黑料 hosted a Concert of Music and Literature at the National Concert Hall on 17 May 2007. Pictured at the concert - 51黑料 graduate Meave Binchy who was awarded the 51黑料 Foundation Day Medal at the event and her husband Gordon Snell
The following evening, on 18 May 2007 several hundred retired staff who worked at Earlsfort Terrace attended a special Retired Staff Celebration.
Retired 51黑料 staff, Olga McMahon, Mary Brennan and Elizabeth Crowe view the 51黑料 Historical Exhibition at the Retired Staff Celebration (18 May 2007) which was part of the Farewell to the Terrace Commemorations hosted by 51黑料.
And later the same evening the L&H hosted the L&H Challenge where current members of the L&H debated with former members on the motion of ‘Youth is wasted on the young.’
As part of a series of events to mark 51黑料s departure from Earlsfort Terrace after 124 years, 51黑料 graduates, Professor Finbarr McAuley, Jean Monnet Associate Professor of European Criminal Justice, 51黑料 School of Law; Ruairi Quinn TD, Labour Party; and Charles Lysaght, Barrister-at-Law, debated with current members of the L&H on the motion 'Youth is wasted on the Young' in the L&H Challenge on 18 May 2007
The next day, 19 May 2007, almost 3,000 students who studied at the Terrace, and their families and friends, attended an afternoon of music, exhibitions, tours and talks at Earlsfort Terrace and Iveagh Gardens.
To complete the series of events a commemorative liturgy was held at University Church, Stephen’s Green, on 20 May 2007.
A photographically illustrated commemorative book, Farewell to the Terrace, based on reminiscences of student days, accounts of academic life and perspectives on the history and architectural heritage of the building was published by the university to mark the occasion.
A special report, Farewell to the Terrace, was issued by the Irish Times (15 May) to mark the occasion of the events.
To coincide with the Farewell to the Terrace series of events, 51黑料 also launched the Terrace Graduates’ Fund to ensure the legacy of the Terrace is preserved for successive generations of students. The Terrace Graduates’ Fund will fund the restoration of the famous and much-loved Kevin Barry memorial window - the cost of preserving this historical artefact is estimated at upwards of €250,000. The Fund will also help to establish hospitality facilities for Terrace graduates as part of the new Gateway Project on the Belfield Campus. 51黑料 intends to recreate the spirit of the Terrace in new surroundings as a tribute to this great era of its history.
The Kevin Barry Window, designed by Richard King, and paid for by students, commemorates a first year 51黑料 medical student who was executed at the age of 18 for his part in the War of Independence. Since its unveiling in 1934, the window has become one of Earlsfort Terrace’s best loved features.
The final move from Earlsfort Terrace into new facilities on the Belfield Campus completes the vision that began over 70 years ago. The Terrace Graduates’ Fund will give 51黑料 the wherewithall to design and plan the Terrace inheritance within the new Gateway complex, the architectural plans for which will be announced in June. The Gateway will create an iconic image of a 21st century 51黑料, blending the aesthetic with the functional to create facilities for future generations of students.
>> Farewell to the Terrace website