Trinity College to rename Berkeley Library over slavery links

Ireland's oldest university has decided that its library will no longer be called after the philosopher George Berkeley, due to his links to slavery.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has said it will "dename" the Berkeley Library as it has "been judged inconsistent with the university's core values".

However it will continue to teach Berkeley's works to students.

The decision comes after TCD began a two-year investigation into its links with slavery and the British Empire.

The university said that other paintings and awards associated with Berkeley would also be reviewed.

Some universities in the UK have also undertaken investigations into their historic links with slavery.

George Berkeley was the Anglican Bishop of Cloyne in the 18th Century and a librarian at Trinity, which was established in 1592.

He was the Anglican Dean of Derry in 1724.

Berkeley became one of the world's most renowned philosophers and his work is still widely studied.

The library at TCD was named after him in 1978.

But according to TCD, Berkeley also "bought slaves - named Philip, Anthony, Edward and Agnes Berkeley - to work on his Rhode Island estate in 1730-31 and sought to advance ideology in support of slavery".

As a result the university has decided to "dename" the Berkeley library and the decision takes effect immediately.

TCD has not yet decided what new name it will call its library.

"Portraits depicting Berkeley will be assessed in the future by a new overall college policy on artwork, while the academic gold medals memorialising Berkeley will be reviewed by the relevant academic department," the university said in a statement.

"These decisions represent a nuanced approach and are the result of careful consideration and detailed analysis.

"Trinity decided that the continued use of the Berkeley name on its library is inconsistent with the university's core values of human dignity, freedom, inclusivity and equality.

"The denaming does not deny Berkeley's importance as a writer, philosopher, and towering intellectual figure.

"His philosophical work will still be taught at Trinity and remains of significant contemporary relevance.

"A separate process will determine what the new name for the library should be."

The university's decision was taken after an investigation and consultation by the Trinity Legacies Review Working Group.

Trinity recently returned human remains, including 13 skulls, to the Irish island of Inishbofin following an investigation by the working group.