Trinity Magee linksto be celebrated

TOMORROW the Spring Meeting of the Trinity College Dublin Association will take place at 7.30pm in Magee College, University of Ulster.
Members of the Student Christian Movement at Magee in 1967.Members of the Student Christian Movement at Magee in 1967.
Members of the Student Christian Movement at Magee in 1967.

Professor Robert Gavin will deliver a lecture on Magee College’s historic connection with Trinity College, University of Dublin.

Current President of the TCD association, Mr John Thompson, commented: “The historic connection between Magee and Trinity is a source of pride for both institutions and our two cities .

“A common heritage to be commemorated in the lecture by Professor Gavin who is currently researching the ‘Trinity Trail’ at Magee.”

All TCD graduates are welcome, but this year the Association especially welcomes graduates who studied at Magee prior to subsequent graduation from Trinity.

After the lecture, there will be refreshments and a chance to reminisce with old friends.

The local institution was named in memory of Martha Magee, the widow of a Presbyterian minister, who, in 1845, bequeathed £20,000 to the Presbyterian Church of Ireland to found a college for theology and the arts .

It first opened its doors to students in 1865.

Magee accepted students from all denominations to study a variety of subjects and in 1880 became an associate college of the new Royal University of Ireland

Following the dissolution of the Royal University of Ireland , Magee became an autonomous university college linked to TCD whereby students could undertake undergraduate courses in Londonderry and graduate in Dublin.

In 1953, the Theological College separated from the remainder of the college, eventually moving to Belfast in a 1978 merger that formed Union Theological College.

Also in 1953, Magee College broke its links with Dublin and became Magee University College in the hope that it would become Northern Ireland’s second university.