Trinity Long Room Hub Podcasts

Recorded June 23rd, 2026. What will the future of European Research look like in an era of global changes and challenges? Join us on Tuesday, 23 June at 5.45 p.m. in the Trinity Long Room Hub for a panel discussion on the future of research in Europe, following the presentation of the Trinity European Laureate Award for Research to Professor Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council. Professor Leptin will deliver a Laureate Address on European Research, and the panel will include Professor Luke O’Neill and Government Science Advisor Prof Aoife McLysaght. Dr Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, will also deliver a speech during this event. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded March 21st, 2026. The Irish Renaissance Seminar (IRS) brings together faculty, postdocs and postgrads from across Ireland working in the field of early modern literary studies. IRS meets twice a year for a one day conference. Trinity will be holding the spring meeting in 2026. Keynote session (Chair Jane Grogan, UCD) Emma Smith (Hertford College, Oxford) Imperial Bibliography: The Shakespeare First Folio Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded 17 February 2026. A seminar by Rian Boyle (TCD) as part of the English Staff-Postgraduate Seminar Series. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded March 10th, 2026. This interactive workshop discusses policy - how it is created, and how it can be shaped and influenced - with former Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh, and Mary Doyle, RIA Secretary for Policy and International Relations and former Assistant/Deputy Secretary in the Departments of the Taoiseach, Education and Skills, and Health and Children This is the third instalment of our new series, Bridging the Gap between Policy and Research, which explores how scholarship in the Arts and Humanities can shape and inform public policy for the common good. This event is designed to be of interest to anyone who wishes to explore how academic research can be more effectively integrated into national policymaking processes, with a focus on building sustainable, evidence-based partnerships between higher education and the State. The discussion will look at the current disconnects between research outputs and policy implementation. It will also explore lessons that can be learned from crisis-response models (e.g. COVID-19) where collaboration was immediate and highly effective. The objective is to identify feasible pathways and frameworks that could help us better engage more directly with the policymaking process. In doing so, it will help us better understand who to approach when we have relevant research we wish to share, and how to go about shaping and influencing public policy. Joe McHugh is a former Minister for Education and Skills and previously served as Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs. During his time in public office, he held a number of senior ministerial roles and has been closely involved in European policy and governance at a national level. Mary Doyle is a former Assistant/Deputy Secretary in the Departments of the Taoiseach, Education and Skills, and Health and Children (1992 to 2018). While at the Department of Education and Skills she had responsibility for higher and further education policy, funding and legislation. She is a member of the Board of the Wheel and has been a member of the National Economic and Social Council, the Board of Science Foundation Ireland, the National Statistics Board and a Forum Member of the Economic and Social Research Institute. She holds a degree in European Studies from the University of Limerick and a Master’s in Public Service Management from Trinity College Dublin/Irish Management Institute. She was elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 2022. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded February 2026. In this in-depth conversation, historian and Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, Prof Patrick Geoghegan, talks with Arthur Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh, about his newly published book Guinness: A Family Succession: The True Story of the Struggle to Create the World’s Largest Brewery, co-authored by Dr Antonia Hart. Lord Iveagh shares insights into the history and legacy of the Guinness family – from their humble beginnings in eighteenth-century Ireland to the creation of one of the world’s most iconic brewing dynasties. They discuss family archives, generational stories of ambition and innovation, and how personal history intersects with wider social and cultural change. This conversation traces both the business and human side of the Guinness dynasty and is essential listening for lovers of Irish history, biography and cultural heritage. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded February 11th, 2026 The recent moves on Venezuela and Greenland by US President Donald Trump have left world leaders once more questioning geopolitical norms and a decades-long alliance between the US and the EU. A direct threat to the territorial integrity of the EU has confirmed for many a move away from a rules-based international order, with some questioning its existence in the first place. In our upcoming ‘Behind the Headlines’ discussion, we will bring together experts from history, law, environmental humanities and political science to discuss the implications of this latest political shock. Panellists include: Professor Daniel Geary, Mark Pigott Professor in U.S. History, Trinity College Dublin. Mairéad McGuinness, Former European Commissioner (2020-2024), and Vice-President of the European People's Party (2025-present). Michael A Becker, Assistant Professor of International Human Rights Law, Trinity College Dublin. Poul Holm, Professor of Environmental History, Trinity College Dublin. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded January 27th 2026. A lecture by visiting research fellow Dr Seçil Yılmaz (University of Pennsylvania) organised by the School of Histories and Humanities. Although syphilis had existed in Ottoman society since the sixteenth century, it became a significant public health concern in the latter half of the nineteenth century as a result of increased mobility, particularly among soldiers, Muslim immigrants, and seasonal workers traveling throughout the Ottoman countryside. The disease provoked fear, shame, and secrecy as Ottoman physicians devised socio-medical regulations and prescriptions that reshaped gender roles and sexual norms in the society. This lecture offers an insight into the perspectives of Ottoman physicians and psychiatrists who aspired to bring love, desire, marriage, and family under the aegis of a developing medical expertise and a vernacular form of sexology. Seçil Yılmaz is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She will be based at the Trinity Long Room Hub during her visiting research fellowship in early 2026. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Recorded February 5th, 2026. In this conversation, Prof Patrick Geoghegan (Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub) and Christian Du Pont (Burns Librarian, Boston College) explore the long-standing and evolving collaborations between Trinity College Dublin and Boston College, with a particular focus on the legacy of Cuala Press and the work of the Yeats sisters. They discuss how shared collections, archival partnerships, and transatlantic relationships help preserve and reinterpret Ireland’s literary and artistic heritage, shedding light on the cultural significance of Cuala Press publications, book design, craftsmanship, and the broader networks that continue to shape Irish studies today. A thoughtful exploration of how libraries, archives, and institutions collaborate across borders to keep literary history alive and accessible. Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub