Generations of Trinity Alumni Many families have connections to the Trinity community that span generations. David Clinch and Hector Deane share their stories and tell of how Trinity shaped their family trees © Alan Byrne David Clinch BA (1987) T he Trinity ancestry of my family stretches back almost 150 years and is a testament to the power of one gift that enabled a university education and transformed the lives of five generations thereafter. Our great-grandfather Andrew (Coo) Clinch was born the son of a shopkeeper in Dublin’s Thomas Street in 1867. Andrew was fortunate that a neighbour who worked in Guinness offered to fund his education and he found himself attending Belvedere College and then Trinity. It was highly unusual for a Catholic shopkeeper’s son to attend Trinity at the time but Andrew justified his neighbour’s generosity by graduating as a medical doctor. He also discovered a love for rugby, playing for Trinity, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. Andrew’s son James (Jammy) Clinch was our grandfather and attended Trinity in the 1920s and, like his father, also went on to become a medical doctor and play rugby for Trinity, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. During the 1950’s Jammy’s son, and our father, Andrew (Coo) Clinch attended Trinity and played rugby for the firsts. His brother James (Jim) Clinch graduated from Trinity in medicine and went on to become Master at The Coombe maternity hospital, not far from Thomas Street where his grandfather grew up. Their sister Mary Clinch and their cousin, the well-known author and journalist, Minty Clinch also attended Trinity in that era. During the 1980’s I attended Trinity, along with two of my brothers, Philip and Tom Clinch, as well as our cousins Paul and Jane Clinch. My cousin Paul Clinch and I both played rugby for Trinity during the 1980’s, Paul at a much higher level than me, he made it four generations in a row of Clinches on DUFC first teams. My brother Tom and I both joined Players and the Musical and Dramatic Society in college and flirted with the idea of a career in theatre before entering the world of finance and journalism respectively. My brother Philip, who works in the aviation industry, and I both now live in Atlanta, and I have been lucky enough to David Clinch - Players at Trinity have a thirty-year career in journalism, from ITN to CNN and then Storyful. Some of our cousins’ children, including Kat Clinch and Harvey Clinch, graduated from Trinity in the 2010’s and there may soon be more Clinch family members from this generation heading to Trinity in the near future. The five generations of our family to attend Trinity have always tried to honour the legacy of our forebears and to give meaning to the original gift that allowed the first member of our family to attend college. The incredible advantages that Trinity has provided for all of us, and the simple gesture of a gift almost 150 years ago, reminds us how important it is to give back to the university because it doesn’t just help one student, it transforms the lives of generations.’
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