Trinity Tales: Trinity College Dublin in the Eighties, edited by Katy McGuinness

Trinity in the eighties was a pluralistic island of intellect and swagger in a grim Ireland steeped in recession. In this timeless haven students imbued with possibility show the verve of those on the brink of independence. This third installment of Trinity Tales includes the recollections of novelist Anne Enright, economist and author David McWilliams, politician Ivana Bacik, playwright Michael West, journalist and publisher Michael Doherty, actress Pauline McLynn, rugby international Hugo MacNeill, inner-city GP and disabled rights activist Austin O’Carroll, along with a Foreword by Mary McAleese. Set against a background of anti-apartheid movements, the Troubles and loosening conventions, these former students recount how they came to steer their own course, emboldened not only by inspirational lecturers such as Brendan Kennelly and Mary Robinson, and the aspirations of fellow students, but also by the bittersweet knowledge of the fleeting nature of ‘the best days of your life’.