Letter from the Archbishop of Dublin outlining the reasons Catholics were not allowed to attend Trinity College Dublin

In his letter to Chief Justice Hugh Kennedy, Archbishop of Dublin Edward Byrne reaffirms the Catholic Church’s prohibition on Catholics entering Trinity College Dublin. The Archbishop explains: “How the authorities of any Catholic school can, in the face of their conscientious obligations, encourage their pupils to risk their soul’s salvation in Trinity College is to me an absolutely insoluble puzzle.”

To which the people of Dublin responded with a limerick:
Young men may loot, perjure and shoot,
And even have carnal knowledge,
But however depraved,
Their souls will be saved,
If they don’t go to Trinity College.

Permanent Collection