Yesterday, Trinity officially confirmed the renaming of the former Berkeley Library by finally installing an Eavan Boland plaque.
In April of 2023, Trinity decided to remove George Berkeley’s name from the library due to the fact that Berkeley both owned slaves and publicly supported slavery. In October of 2024, after a period of public consultation the Trinity Legacies Review Working Group (TLRWG) decided on naming the library after Irish poet and author Eavan Boland. In the period between April 2023 and October 2024, the library was called the “X” Library (having been de-named), with suggested names including Thomas Sankara, Theobald Wolfe Tone, and Oscar Wilde. The TLRWG considered 855 public submissions in total, ultimately recommending Boland.
Naming the library after Boland marked the first building on campus to be named after a woman. In their press statement, Trinity said the new plaque marked a confirmation of the renaming.
The library also features a display on the process of de-naming and renaming the library.
