Atlantic Philanthropies provides €9 million for sports centre
A state-of-the-art sports centre part funded by American billionaire Chuck Feeney has opended at Trinity College Dublin. The €30m complex, which includes a 25m swimming pool with a floating floor and a dramatic 19m high climbing wall visible from the road, will be open to students, staff and graduates.
Mr Feeney’s Atlantic Philanthropies invested €9m in the facility while Trinity students raised €4m in five years from 1998 through an annual levy.
The local community in the south inner city is also being encouraged to use the facilities and schools in the area are being invited to use the sports hall on a weekly basis.The centre has been open for use for around a year before today’s official launch.
The centre is housed in a modern glass fronted building at the corner of Pearse Street and Westland Row. The 25m pool has a state-of-the-art floating floor allowing depth changes for deep water sports such as scuba diving and water polo while there is also a hydraulic lift for full disabled access.
Atlantic Philanthropies has provided significant support to Trinity and other Irish universities over the last ten years.