The Bridge: Alumni Newsletter
180 Years of UCC: Explore the Campus and Discover The Great Book of Ireland
This year, UCC celebrates 180 years since its founding as Queen’s College Cork in 1845. Alumni and visitors are invited to rediscover the campus on guided tours that reveal its stunning architecture, vibrant culture, and rich scientific heritage. The journey reaches its highlight with an exclusive encounter at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, where visitors can experience one of Ireland’s most extraordinary cultural treasures, The Great Book of Ireland.
UCC Treasures Tour
Guided tours run seven days a week, beginning in the historic Main Quadrangle and winding through leafy gardens, the elegant President’s Garden, and past the statue of George Boole, whose pioneering work laid the foundations for modern computing. Participants will step inside the atmospheric Honan Chapel, marvel at Harry Clarke’s stained-glass windows, and gaze upwards in the Crawford Observatory, a testament to UCC’s scientific heritage. Along the way, guides share stories of the Ogham Stones, the Aula Maxima, the University Mace, and the enduring presence of the Queen Victoria statue.
From Tuesday to Sunday, the UCC Treasures Tour includes access to the Great Book of Ireland in the Lewis Glucksman Gallery for a guided viewing of this modern masterpiece.
Hailed as a contemporary Book of Kells, The Great Book was created between 1989 and 1991 with original handwritten work of over 140 poets, 120 artists, and nine composers, including Seamus Heaney, Samuel Beckett, President Michael D. Higgins, and UCC alumni Theo Dorgan and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. Each page represents a unique artistic and literary expression, meticulously scribed by Denis Brown and bound using fifteenth-century techniques, connecting the work to Ireland’s cultural and natural heritage.
While the original manuscript remains closed to protect its delicate vellum pages, state-of-the-art digital displays allow visitors to explore its imagery and poetry in exquisite detail, preserving the book for generations while sharing its brilliance with all. Originally conceived as a fundraising project for Poetry Ireland and the Clashganna Mills Trust, The Great Book was secured for the nation in 2012 through a major philanthropic campaign led by UCC, ensuring its preservation and continued public access.
Whether you join a general campus tour or the Great Book experience, this year’s celebrations offer alumni and visitors alike a chance to celebrate UCC’s rich past, vibrant present, and inspiring future.
Find out more
Tours run seven days a week, with the Great Book exhibition available Tuesday to Sunday. Secure your place and learn more at: https://www.ucc.ie/en/visitorservices/treasures-tour/