Trinity College Herbarium

It is the only herbarium in Ireland to contain significant holdings of non-Irish material; these are based around the huge collections of great historic importance amassed by Coulter, Harvey, Kerr and later workers. The herbarium's holdings are large and significant by international standards. It holds the biggest collection of algae in Ireland and one of the biggest of any University herbarium anywhere in the world. It is a significant resource in Irish terms - it contains an important part of the heritage of the country. Its collections and archives show, the very large contribution Irish-based scientists have made and continue to make to the exploration and study of the floras globally, including in particular Thailand, Honduras, Europe and South Africa. The herbarium contains reference specimens which are essential to the baseline study of the Irish, European and tropical vegetation and flora. It contains the only plant taxonomic teaching and research resource in Ireland and one of the few in Europe (plant taxonomy has, recently, been recognised as a priority research area in many European countries). Because of its international stature, the herbarium attracts students and visitors to it both from Ireland and overseas.

Pictured from left to right are Jennifer McElwain, Professor of Botany in Trinity's School of Natural Sciences, Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage & Electoral Reform, Provost Linda Doyle, and Ciara Carberry, Director of Nature Conservation at the National Parks and Wildlife Service.