Events have been held to mark the first time a building at Trinity College Dublin has been named after a woman in the university's 433-year history.
Th renaming of the college's main library after poet Eavan Boland has been marked with a special event and exhibitions on campus.
Formerly known as the George Berkeley Library, it was denamed in April 2023 because the renowned Irish philosopher was also a slave owner and what was described as "an apologist for slavery".
At the time, TCD said the use of Mr Berkeley's name on its main library was inconsistent with the university's core values of human dignity, freedom, inclusivity and equality.
Then in October 2024, it was announced the library would be renamed after Ms Boland following a meeting of the University Board.
The renaming of the facility is being marked by a special event on Trinity's campus this evening that will be attended by former president and Trinity's Chancellor Dr Mary McAleese, poet Paula Meehan, Ms Boland's family and friends, representatives from cultural and public life and Trinity's staff and students.
The event includes an outdoor display on Ms Boland and her poetry alongside an indoor multimedia display on the denaming and renaming of the library.
Poets Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Katie Donovan and Victoria Kennefick are also holding a discussion on Ms Boland's "rich legacy" at an event tomorrow to mark the occasion.
Ms Boland, who died in 2020, was known as one of the foremost female voices in Irish literature.
Her work documented women's lives, including their domestic lives, and it also looked at the role of women in Irish history and culture.
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'Very much of Trinity'
"She reflects, very much, the values of Trinity today," a Librarian and College Archivist at Trinity College Dublin said, adding "she's a fantastic poet".
Helen Shenton said the poet is "very much of Trinity".
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, Ms Shenton said the poet had "studied at Trinity, she taught at Trinity, she's known everywhere for being so caring of her students".
She said Ms Boland's work "put poetry from the point of view of the woman, rather than it being about the woman as an object".
Ms Shenton noted Ms Boland's poems talked about domestic life before getting "a lot more into the politics of violence against women and justice".
Trinity's Provost Dr Linda Doyle said the late poet will be "a worthy role model for our students for many years to come".
"Eavan Boland was not only a wonderful poet, renowned at home and overseas, she also studied here in Trinity, she taught here and was a recipient of a Trinity honorary degree," she added.
Ms Boland's daughter said Trinity was "a very special place" for her mother, adding the late poet had spent her "formative years in the 60s" at the institution.
"She would have loved the idea that future generations of Trinity students will now be walking into a building carrying her name," Sarah Casey said.
