For the first time, 433 years after Queen Elizabeth I established the university, Ireland's oldest university has named a campus building after a woman.

Originally named for a slave owner, Trinity College Dublin's main library is now known as the Eavan Boland Library in honor of one of the most influential women writers in Irish history.

Trinity's chancellor, Mary McAleese, said in Dublin on Monday at the unveiling of a monument commemorating the name change, "It's taken us since 1592, but after 400 years and a bit, thank God we have kind of got it right now."

Previously, the library was named after George Berkeley, an Irish scholar from the 18th century who purchased slaves for his American plantation.

However, following worldwide demonstrations for Black Lives Matter, the institution took Berkeley's name off its name in 2023.

According to the university at the time, using Berkeley's name went against its basic principles of equality, freedom, human decency, and inclusivity.

It went on to say that the library would be renamed in honor of Boland, who taught and gave lectures in both Ireland and the US in addition to publishing numerous notable poetry volumes.

In addition to examining women's roles in Irish history and society, Boland, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 75, used her poems to capture women's lives.

"It's happening all over the world," former Irish President McAleese later told AFP.

"Institutions are gaining the confidence and voice to examine what is ingrained in their history and needs to be reexamined and presented in a different manner," she said.

Meabh Scahill, a Trinity student who initially suggested renaming the library after Boland, told AFP that the change is a fantastic chance to honor women on campus.

The 22-year-old student of architecture, art history, and history told AFP outside the building that it's also an opportunity to consider our university's colonial past.