Trinity’s School of Engineering today commemorated 175 Years of engineering in Trinity with events including the unveiling of the of a plaque in honour of Rev Humphrey Lloyd, the founder of the school, on the Lloyd Building.
The school first began lectures on November 16th 1841 following a pre-election, or discourse, from Lloyd at 1pm this same day 175 years ago. This marked the formal opening of the school.
During this, Lloyd justified bringing the teaching of engineering to Trinity, ending his speech by praising engineering enthusiastically and recommending its study to the assembled students. He also said that studying engineering allows you to dream a lot of dreams, and to bring them forward to reality.
Other events this evening included a lecture on the work of Sir John Macneill in the Macneill Lecture Theatre named “Reflections on an Engineering and Industrial Journey” by Sir Thomas John Parker, followed by a celebratory Gala Dinner in the Dining Hall.
In introducing Parker, Provost Patrick Prendergast, whose own background is in engineering, spoke about how there is no company in the UK that doesn’t want Parker on their board. Prendergast quoted the Guardian, who referred to him as Britain’s own Clark Kent: “Whenever a really big crisis hits, he steps out of the phone booth and darns his cape, swinging into action.”
Parker, who said he was “humbled to be invited to deliver the lecture”, spoke about how Lloyd was right when he said studying that studying engineering means opportunities expand before you. Speaking to young engineers he said: “The unexpected plan can and will happen if you apply your knowledge and remain professional.”
His illustrious career spanned decades and included work with British Coal, Bank of England and Airbus, as well as serving as CEO of Harland and Wolff in Belfast, once the world’s largest shipyard, most noted for making the RMS Titanic.
Parker went on to deliver a lecture on the improvements and challenges facing engineering in recent times. The audience, which was predominantly male, was enraptured and kept laughing throughout.
Parker included many quotes about the prowess and importance of engineering. One quote that stood out was that from the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, in an interview by the BBC: “Engineers have designed and built everything that God hasn’t made.”
Macneill, for whom the lecture theatre is named after, according to Parker “showed bold leadership” along with Lloyd in bringing Trinity’s School of Engineering forward. Macneill was the first holder of of the Chair of the Practice of Engineering, and was a prominent civil engineer and railway consultant. Originally from Dundalk, he first trained as a military engineer for civil engineering.
Lloyd was born in Dublin in 1800, graduated from Trinity in 1819 and was a Junior Fellow by 1824. He succeeded his father by becoming Provost in 1867, serving until his death in 1881.
Lloyd is known for experimentally verifying William Rowan Hamilton’s theoretical prediction on conical refraction, the way light is bent when travelling through a biaxial crystal. This was considered to be one of the most important discoveries of the time, a time that included the discovery of the planet Neptune.
Parker, who is originally from Co Down, currently sits as a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford. He was Chancellor of the University of Southampton from 2006 to 2011, and was Fellow, and recent past President, of the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, just some of his academic achievements and rewards.
In 1991, Parker was knighted for services to defence and shipbuilding, and in 2012 he was made Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE Kt), for services to industry and to the voluntary sector.
