Come Here To Me!

Robert French collection, NLI.

I had to jot this down recently when I stumbled across it, excellent. The railings of Trinity College Dublin are now fair-game for natives, tourists, large groups of Spanish secondary school backpackers or anyone else to sit on it seems.

Once upon a time, the students of Trinity College were in the habit of spending the fine summer afternoons seated on the railings between the front gates and the archway, sunning themselves and contemplating the world as it passed by. About five years ago the Board issued an edict which made it illegal for any student to sit on the railings ever again. The loungers in the sun withdrew to prepared positions behind the classical facade, the statues of Burke and Goldsmith, and the porters in black velvet jockey-caps.

This rather curious regulation was prompted, apparently, by the Boards constant concern for appearances. As far as one can judge, without inspection of the minutes of that secret conclave, it felt the sight of students lounging on the railings gave the outsider the impression that Trinity students never did any work. And the Board, with some justice, is tired of being misunderstood. As far as the average citizen of the new Ireland is concerned, Trinity College is still the retreat of the sons of the Big House, young men with more money than sense, every Trinity man has imperialism in his blood, and is only waiting his chance to re-establish the British Raj in Dublin Castle; they are the undying West Britons, and they are all snobbishly contemptuous of everything Irish.