Former Provosts
1592—present
Today, Provosts serve for a period of ten years without the possibility of re-election. Until the retirement of Provost A.J. McConnell in 1974, there was no limit on the term of tenure and many Provosts remained in office until they died. From 1592 to 1692 Provosts were exclusively graduates of Cambridge or Oxford. From 1692 to 1991 all Provosts were graduates of Trinity. The training of churchmen was an important function of universities around the time Trinity was founded and until 1927 many of the College’s Provosts were clergymen.
Patrick Prendergast
2011 – 2021
John Hegarty
2001-2011
Thomas Noel Mitchell
1991-2001
William Arthur Watts
1981 – 1991 (1930 - 2010)2
Francis Stewart Leland Lyons
1974 – 1981 (1923-1983)
Albert Joseph McConnell
1952 – 1974 (1903-1993)
Ernest Henry Alton
1942 – 1952 (c. 1873-1952)
William Edward Thrift
1937 – 1942 (c. 1870-1942)
Edward John Gwynn
1927 – 1937 (c. 1868 -1941)
John Henry Bernard
1919 – 1927 (c. 1860 -1927)
John Pentland Mahaffy
1914 – 1919 (c. 1839-1919)
Anthony Traill
1904 – 1914 (c. 1838-1914)
George Salmon
1888 – 1904 (c. 1819-1904)
John Hewitt Jellett
1881 – 1888 (c. 1817-1888)
Humphrey Lloyd
1867 – 1881 (c. 1800-1881)
Richard MacDonnell
1851 – 1867 (c. 1787-1867)
Franc Sadleir
1837 – 1851 (c. 1774 - 1851)
Bartholomew Lloyd
1831 – 1837 (c. 1772-1837) 3
Samuel Kyle
1820 – 1831 (c. 1771-1848)
Thomas Elrington
1811 – 1820 (c. 1760-1835)
George Hall
1806 – 1811 (c. 1753-1811)4
John Kearney
1799 – 1806 (c. 1742-1813)
Richard Murray
1795 – 1799 (c. 1726 - 1799)
John Hely-Hutchinson
1774 – 1794 (c. 1724 - 1794)
Francis Andrews
1758 – 1774(c. 1718-74)
Richard Baldwin
1717 – 1758 (c. 1668 - 1758)
Benjamin Pratt
1710 – 1717 (c. 1669- 1721)
Peter Browne
1699 – 1710 (c. 1665 - 1735)
George Browne
1695 – 1699 (c. 1649-1699)
St George Ashe
1692 – 1695 (c. 1658-1718)
Robert Huntington
1683 – 1692 (c. 1636-1701)
Narcissus Marsh
1679 – 1683 (c. 1638-1713)
Michael Ward
1674 – 1678 (c. 1643-1681)
Thomas Seele
1661 – 1675 (c. 1611-1675)
Samuel Winter
1652 – 1660 (c. 1603-1666)
Anthony Martin
1645 – 1650
Richard Washington
1640 – 1641
William Chappell
1634 – 1640 (c. 1582 – 1649)
Robert Ussher
1629 – 1634
William Bedell
1627 – 1629 (c. 1571-1642)
Sir William Temple
1609 – 1627 (c. 1555 – 1627)
Henry Alvey
1601 – 1609
Walter Travers
1594 – 1598 (c. 1548 – 1634)
Adam Loftus
1592 – 1594 (c. 1533-1605)
- [1] Anne Crookshank and David Webb, Paintings and Sculptures in Trinity College Dublin (c.Dublin, 1990), p. 64.
- [2] J.V. Luce, Trinity College Dublin, The First 400 Years (c.Dublin, 1992), pp 81-5.
- [3] J.V. Luce, Trinity College Dublin, The First 400 Years (c.Dublin, 1992), pp 216-7.
- [4] J.V. Luce, Trinity College Dublin, The First 400 Years (c.Dublin, 1992), p. 218.