# Library named after major benefactor

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/04/22/library-named-after-major-benefactor/
- Published: 2007-04-22T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Queen’s University has announced that its new library will be named after Sir Anthony
O’Reilly, one of Ireland’s richest men and a major figure in philanthrophy. O’Reilly
has also supported educational establishments in the Republic over the last ten 
years.

The £40m state-of-the-art library is due to be completed by 2009 and will be named
The Sir Anthony O’Reilly Library. It is one of the most ambitious building projects
in Northern Ireland and also the most significant fundraising initiative in the 
university’s history. Funding for the library includes a £4m donation from Sir Anthony
and the Ireland Funds.

The decision was taken to name the library after Sir Anthony to mark his role as
a benefactor to Queen’s and his commitment to higher education.

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The library is the centrepiece of Queen’s ambitious £200m building programme which
aims to create a campus that will be the envy of the world.

The funding gift, which was announced in 2004, involves a large personal donation
from Sir Anthony of £3m in the form of a direct donation of £2m and a guarantee 
through the Ireland Funds of £1m over the next five years. Independent News & Media(
Northern Ireland), publishers of the Belfast Telegraph, agreed to donate £1m over
the same period.

The library fundraising campaign has been spearheaded by the Queen’s University 
Foundation and all the money has come from private sources.

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