Papers of James Meenan – Move of UCD to Belfield

8 U.C.D. and the Future

Indeed, quite close to the College, the whole area south of Harcourt Road stretching to the Canal and extending from Peter's Place to Charlemont Street is essentially an area in poor condition which will have to be cleared and the inhabitants rehoused either elsewhere or in flats on the same site.

Further, the shopping streets within this general area, Merrion Row, Lr. Leeson Street, Charlemont Street, are of relatively low value as compared with principal shopping streets in a capital city -- a consideration, if any such streets had to be acquired for university expansion.

It is not of course suggested that the public squares named above should be built on, but that buildings in their vicinity should gradually be acquired for university and other cultural and educational requirements.

Misleading Comparisons

In its Report (p.34) the Commission says -- 'in the English and Danish universities we visited we found that the authorities were dealing with problems similar to that of Dublin.' The universities visited were Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading, and in Denmark, Copenhagen and Aarhus. The commission also made use of information supplied by the universities in Wales, Edinburgh, Exeter, Liverpool, Sheffield and Southampton. We believe that it is misleading to assert that the problem in Dublin is similar to that in these cities. Only one capital city was visited -- Copenhagen -- where the old university was situated in the densely built-up old part of the city. In this case we are told also (Report p. 34) that 'details of the area of the sites of the University of Copenhagen are not yet available to the Commission.' Aarhus is a provincial University of 1800 students.

The conditions in the British industrial cities bear no comparison with those in Dublin. A description written about those very universities mentioned by the Commission -- 'buildings frequently dingy and cramped and sometimes sordid, set in an environment of smoke and slums' -- could never be applied to Dublin. Overcrowding of incompleted buildings we have -- and that can be relieved on the present sites -- but sordidness and smoke and slums we most decidedly have not in our general university area.

In none of the cities mentioned by the Commission is there a cultural and educational complex such as we have in the university area of Dublin. Those few British universities which are moving out to a campus site in the suburbs are in no case leaving an area which houses a second university with a worldfamous copyright library, a National Library, Gallery and Museum and the headquarters of so many professional institutes.

Dublin's great good fortune in the matter of its centrally situated university area has frequently been the subject of envious comment. We have quoted two such recent comments in our Appendix J.

Further, as the authorities of U.C.D. have frequently pointed out, the College may be regarded as the direct successor of Newman's Catholic University. The present site is associated both with Newman's effort and other Irish aspirations after university education.

Taking the above facts together, a university in any other capital Dublin|city would

Dublin's University Area 9

consider itself very fortunate in having such opportunities for development, nor would powers of compulsory purchase be denied to it, if required.

The Cultural and Educational Complex

The existence of the many institutions in this area must be taken into account:

1. The principal museums, galleries, and the National Library. 2. Trinity College, Dublin. 3. Various other cultural, professional and educational bodies (e.g. Institute for Advanced Studies, Catholic Central Library, Royal Irish Academy, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal Institute of Architects, Royal Society of Antiquries). 4. Several university hostels, under Catholic ecclesiastical control (see Appendix D for a list). 5. A great deal of other property under esslesiastical and/or educational control. Much of this consists of schools inadequately housed in converted dwelling houses and falling below modern standards and requirements for such schools (See Appendix D.) 6. The Houses of the Oireachtas, which are inadequately provided for, and Government offices which are expanding.

This whole complex of Government, university, cultural and educational establishments should be considered as a whole and no one aspect of it (such as the needs of U.C.D.) can be properly studied without taking into consideration all the factors involved in the planning of this area. One can, however, say straight away that to dismember this complex, by removing U.C.D. from it, is the least happy of solutions.

If the removal of U.C.D. from the area presented a final solution to the other conflicting problems that exist within it, then there would be that much extra to recommend the move. But it does not present such a solution. Now is the time to ask what is the final solution to be aimed at in providing adequately for the needs of:

The Houses of the Oireachtas The Government departments The National Museums and Gallery The National Library The National College of Art The Institute for Advanced Studies The many schools in the area Trinity College

Government Offices

One possible solution to many of these problems would be a Government decision to remove the Houses of the Oireachtas and at least some of the Government offices to another site. Kilmainham has often been mentioned, and the site there is large enough to provide for a single solution. The difficulty

16 U.C.D. and the Future

to the Commission's Report going to press, with St. Laurence's Hospital (c. 350 beds). Each of these hospitals is to have both a Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Surgery. Hence there will be approximately 800 beds and four associated professors on the north side of the city (some five miles from the Stillorgan site by way of the most dense traffic arteries in the city centre) and only 190 beds and their two associated professors on the south side. Even when the new Elm Park Hospital has been built there will be only 450 beds available in it (replacing St. Vincent's with its 190). With regard to this proposed hospital, the Department of Health has already officially indicated that it is not responsible for providing space for clinical teaching and has altered the proposed plans so as to reduce the space that could be devoted to this purpose. Consequently the Board of St. Vincent's Hospital declares that as the plans now stand (and remember that the foundations have been laid) 'the new hospital would be merely a larger edition of a County hospital.' (See Appendix VIII to Chapter I of the Report).

In this regard we consider that the plan to move U.C.D. to Stillorgan Road was unduly influenced by the prior decision to build a new hospital at Elm Park. In the ultimate conditions envisaged by the Report there will still be twice as many affiliated general teaching beds and associated teaching staff on the north side of the city as there will be on the south side. Consequently, only about one-third of the medical students would not be inconvenienced by the new arrangements, whilst about two-thirds would be put to considerably greater inconvenience in regard to their general hospital work.

It must be remembered that not all U.C.D. students take their clinical courses at the above-mentioned three hospitals. A further seven general hospitals are also recognised by the College and are listed in its calendar, viz:

The Meath The Adelaide Mercer's Sir Patrick Dun's Jervis Street Royal City of Dublin Dr. Steevens'

All of these are far nearer to Earlsfort Terrace than to the Stillorgan Road site.

Still further, the College Calendar lists eleven recognised specialist hospitals which students attend for parts of their course, and these hospitals are also nearer to Earlsfort Terrace than to Stillorgan Road.

Grangegorman Mental Hospital The Vergemount Fever Hospital, Clonskeagh The National Children's Hospital, Harcourt Street Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital The Coombe Lying-in Hospital The National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street The Rotunda Hospital The Fever Hospital, Clondalkin The Children's Hospital, Temple Street The Dental Hospital of Ireland (which all dental students must attend).

Problems in the Proposed Move 17

Despite what the Commission says, the inconvenience would obviously be very great. It is abundantly clear that there is a very strong case for retaining the Medical school in the city centre even if the Elm Park Hospital is completed and St. Vincent's closed to students.

It is worthy of mention that by far the largest single concentration of general hospital beds in Dublin lies in St. Kevin's Hospital (approx. 1,600 beds) in the south city. From time to time it has been suggested - and some medical professors in U.C.D. have supported the idea - that this vast hospital be affiliated to the College as a teaching unit. The fact that it has not been so affiliated would appear to be a major instance of what the Commission has called 'lack of co-ordination amongst the several authorities' involved, which is having such a bad effect on clinical teaching facilities. Many years ago a plan was prepared to utilise St. Kevin's as a post-graduate medical education centre, but that plan came to nothing. However, sooner or later we believe some agreement on having this hospital available for the teaching of students is bound to be reached, and it would be a great pity if by then the U.C.D. Medical school were inconveniently far away.

The Commission did not permit itself to discuss the problem raised by the existence in the city of three medical schools and four medical examining bodies (when the Apothecaries Hall is included), nor yet did they comment on the necessity or otherwise of having two further medical schools within the State at Cork and Galway. In all there are six medical schools in this island with its population of 4 1/2 millions and three of these are in Dublin with its population of little over half a million. Could no economies be effected, and medical education improved, by some form of amalgamation or at the very least coordination and sharing of facilities instead of the present wasteful multiplication?

In regard to the Royal College of Surgeons it is to be noted that a suggestion has been made that it would be an ideal centre for the post-graduate study of surgery and related branches of medicine.

C. THE COLLEGE AND THE COMMUNITY

It is generally accepted to-day that universities should serve the community in other ways than merely educating their whole-time students. The universities have a special obligation to disseminate as widely as possible their heritage of learning. Further, the public purse provides most of the income of U.C.D., and will provide the whole of the cost of the proposed extension, and hence the community is entitled to any services the College can provide which do not interfere with its primary function of educating its whole-time students. We deal with some of these services below.

Evening Degree Students

U.C.D. provides degree courses for evening students, and we believe that such students deserve every facility. If U.C.D. moves to the Stillorgan Road site, and provides its facilities for evening students there, then most of these students will have their already arduous day lengthened still further by the travelling involved.

The Report suggests that this difficulty has been foreseen, for it indicates (p.35) that Newman House, St. Stephen's Green, could be used for evening

64 U.C.D. and the Future

Appendix D

A LIST OF CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND PROFESSIONAL BODIES, SCHOOLS AND HOSTELS IN THE GENERAL UNIVERSITY AREA*

1. Cultural, Educational and Professional Bodies

The National University of Ireland University College, Dublin Trinity College, Dublin The National Gallery The National Library The National Museum Arts Council Building Centre Central Catholic Library An Comchaidreamh Dental Board Foras Eireann Gael-Linn Institute for Advanced Studies School of Celtic Studies School of Cosmic Physics School of Theoretical Physics Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Institute of Chartered Accountants Institute of Professional Civil Servants Institute of Public Administration Institute of Civil Engineers of Ireland Insurance Institute of Ireland Irish Acadamy of Dramatic Art Irish Central Library for Students Irish Conference of Professional and Service Associations Irish Dental Association Irish Folklore Commission Irish Institute of Secretaries Irish Manuscripts Commission Irish Medical Association Medical Research Council Medical Research Council Laboratories National College of Art National Film Institute of Ireland Opticians' Board Royal College of Physicians Royal College of Surgeons Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Royal Irish Academy Royal Irish Academy of Music Royal Sociuety of Antiquaries

2. Schools

Alexandra College Catholic University School Diocesan Secondary School Kildare Place Schools and Church of Ireland Training College Loreto College Sacred Heart Convent Scoil Brigid The High School Wesley College

3. U.C.D. University Hostels

De La Salle Hall Dominican Hall Loreto Hall University Hall

Also within the area, or immediately outside it, lie several important teaching hospitals, and many leading booksellers and commercial firms which provide for the needs of the universities and professions in medical and scientific equipment, optical and surveying instruments, drawing-office supplies, etc.

*Neither this list, nor that in Appendix E, is exhaustive. For example, there are several well-attended private galleries in this area. Many other cultural and educational bodies also meet in the area.

Appendices 65

Appendix E

A LIST OF GOVERNMENT AND SEMI-STATE PROPERTIES IN THE AREA

St. Stephen's Green, E. 45 An Bord Uchtala 46 Dept. of Education Secondary Branch 50-51 Office of Public Works

St. Stephen's Green, S. 78-79 Passport Office 80-81 Dept. of Ext. Affairs

St. Stephen's Green, N. 14 Industrial Development Authority

Earlsfort Terrace 13-14 Office of Public Works A/Cs. Department 25-26 Roinn na Gaeltachta 30 Coras Tractala Teo. Civil Service Dining Club Special Employment Schemes Office

Harcourt Terrace 11a Garda Barracks 12-16 Film Censor's Office 21 Dept. of Agriculture Butter Testing Station

Harcourt Street 6 Dept. of Posts & Telegraphs

Hatch Street, Lower 26 Bord na Mona

Pembroke St., Upr. 28-32 Bord na Mona

Hume Street 1 Dept. of Education 10 Office of Public Works 14 Geological Survey

Ely Place, Lower 5-6 General Valuation & Boundary Survey of Ireland Office 5 Censorship of Publications Board

Merrion St., Upper 1-5 Depts. of the Taoiseach and of Finance 7-13 Dept. of Agriculture 14-16 Land Commission 21-24 Land Commission 25-29 Land Commission 31-38 Office of Comptroller and Auditor General

Merrion Square, N. 2-3 Dept. of Finance 13 Bord Failte 26 Industrial Credit Company

Merrion Square, E. 37 E.S.B. 40-43 E.S.B. 44-45 Dept. of Industry and Commerce 45 Indust. & Commercial Property Regis. Office Patent & Trade Marks Library

Merrion Square, S. 61 Land Commission 70 An Comairle Ealaion 73 Irish Manuscript Commission Department of Lands Ceimici Teo. Statute Law Revision and Consolidation Office 83 Dept. of Lands

Merrion Square, W. 88-89 Dept. of Lands (Forestry) 93 Land Commission