Sir, The currently proposed Universities Bill promises "greater autonomy" for individual institutions, but I for one fail to see how the bland designation "National University of Ireland, Dublin" will improve the status of University College Dublin. The latter designation (UCD) is charged with a historical resonance which the proposed term will surely eclipse.
Given the standing precedent which Trinity College, for example, enjoys, i.e., "Trinity College, University of Dublin," might not "University College Dublin" be retained as the official title of this institution, with "the National University of Ireland at Dublin" as a vital amplification of its status? This solution would recognise the Bill's objectives without doing damage to the identity of UCD. - Yours, etc.
Professor of Music,
University College, Dublin.