600 apply for the 16 places on Trinity acting course that launched Paul Mescal's career
16-place
acting programme at
Trinity College Dublin
(TCD) that helped launch the stellar career of Gladiator II star
Paul Mescal
.
The Lir Academy on Thursday confirmed that it has received
600 applications
for its prestigious
Bachelor in Acting
course—a record and a 10% increase on the 545 applications received last year.
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A spokeswoman for The Lir said: 'We did see a surge in numbers after the success of Normal People. This coincided with Brexit and the point at which we became the only English-speaking conservatoire in the EU.
'The continued success of Paul Mescal—along with numerous other graduates—has increased awareness of our programmes and supported the trend of growth in application numbers.'
Paul Mescal, who was nominated for an Oscar, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2017 from The Lir Academy at Trinity College and rose to prominence with the April 2020 lockdown release of Normal People.
Other notable Lir alumni include Alison Oliver, Zara Devlin, Clinton Liberty, Ella Lily Hyland, Éanna Hardwicke, Danielle Galligan, Frank Blake, Kwaku Fortune, Aggie O'Casey and Patrick Martins.
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To select the 16 successful applicants, The Lir conducts auditions in Dublin or via Zoom in the first two rounds for overseas candidates.
Confirmation of the record applicant numbers comes alongside the release of minutes from a TCD Finance Committee meeting, which confirm that Trinity has granted The Lir a two-year loan repayment hiatus.
At the end of September 2023, The Lir (officially Trinity College Dublin Academy of Dramatic Art Company Limited) owed €496,554 to the college. The academy recorded an income of €2.908 million in 2023 and a modest surplus of €16,357.
TCD Provost Dr Linda Doyle chairs the Finance Committee. The minutes record that The Lir CEO, Gemma Bodinetz, highlighted the academy's strong financial performance, including projected fee income for 2024/25 and further expected increases.
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While The Lir is performing well, the committee noted that reinvestment in the academy is limited by the need to prioritise repayment of the working capital loan and to meet significant rises in utility and operational costs.
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In approving the loan hiatus request, the committee acknowledged The Lir's positive repayment history and prudent financial management.
Commenting on the decision, Ms Bodinetz said: 'The Lir Academy has an excellent financial performance record, and we recognise the act of faith that Trinity College Dublin has placed in us by agreeing to our request.
'The decision to request the hiatus was taken to allow for additional financial flexibility so that we can further realise our ambition to achieve significant strategic aims.
'Our intention is to invest the retained surpluses in staff salary increases, programme resources, and new revenue streams. This will leave us in a more robust position to resume payments in 2027.'
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