Dictionary of National Biography, 1927 supplement/Traill, Anthony
TRAILL, ANTHONY (1838–1914), provost of Trinity College, Dublin, was born 1 November 1838 at Ballylough, co. Antrim, the eldest son of William Traill, of Ballylough, by his wife, Louisa, daughter of Robert French, of Monivea Castle, co. Galway. His family, of Scottish origin, descended from Colonel James Traill, a soldier in the Cromwellian army, who settled in Ireland about the year 1660. Anthony Traill entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1856, was first scholar in mathematics in 1858, and graduated B.A. in 1860, winning first place among the moderators in mathematics and in experimental science. In 1865 he was elected to a fellowship, which he held until his appointment to the provostship in 1904.
A man of restless energy, Traill took a share in every department of college life. Although trained principally in applied mathematics, he took degrees both in medicine and in law. He was keenly interested in the fortunes of the school of physic, and in later life prided himself on being the only medicus among the provosts of Trinity. He was equally zealous in fostering the recently founded school of engineering, and for many years was a member of its staff with the title of assistant to the professor of natural philosophy. He was also a member of the university council from its first formation in 1874, sat on innumerable committees, and was an active and somewhat turbulent participator in the college politics of his day. At the same time he was a most successful and hard-working college tutor; the fortunes of his pupils were his personal concern, and he prided himself on their successes. His athletic distinction as captain of cricket, racquets champion, and golfer brought him into close touch with the undergraduates, who regarded him with a mixture of affection and amusement, tempered by fear.
College duties were far from exhausting Traill's energy. He was a keen politician,—a unionist of the Ulster type. Himself the owner of a small estate in Antrim and deputy-lieutenant for that county, he fought the losing battle of the landlords during the 'eighties and 'nineties, and represented them on the royal commission (1897–1898) which inquired into the working of the Land Acts. His appointment as provost of Trinity College was generally ascribed to the influence of the Ulster unionists. It was also, no doubt, in part a reward for his services to the Church of Ireland, to whose material interests he gave a lifelong devotion. He was an original member of its representative body, and for many years was entrusted with the duty of presenting the financial report to the general synod. As a commissioner of national education for Ireland (1901–1914), he watched jealously over the Church's interests, as he conceived them, in educational matters; and as a member of the educational endowments (Ireland) commission (1885–1892), he worked hard to save for the Church as large a residue as possible of her legal inheritance.
To these various activities Traill brought prodigious physical energy and a most tenacious will. Contact with him gave a dominant impression of force, physical and moral. Nothing could less resemble the conventional idea of the college don. His presence was like a perpetual gale of wind; his bearing was aggressive, his gestures unrestrained, his speech uncompromising. He was contemptuous of forms and ceremonies, careless of personal dignity, and indifferent to the amenities of life. Essentially a man of action, he cared only for getting things done. He bore down opposition, or else wore it out by sheer persistence. In his maturer years he lost nothing of his driving power, and gained from experience a shrewd judgement of affairs. Combative and self-confident as ever, he would never own himself beaten or mistaken; but he knew when to make concessions, and was always ready for a fair bargain. If he fought hard, he never lost self-command, and never bore his opponent a grudge. It was his favourite saying that he gave hard knocks, and took them.
During his provostship from 1904 till his death, Traill's rough-hewn and massive figure was familiar to all Dublin. He steered the college successfully through difficult times. He resisted Mr. (afterwards Viscount) Bryce's proposals (1906) for solving the Irish university problem by amalgamating Trinity College with the colleges of the Royal University, and when this danger was averted, he had a principal share in effecting the long-needed reform of the internal constitution of his college, which did so much to renew its vitality. His energetic rule was felt in every department of Trinity College, especially in the science schools, and no detail of administration was too petty for his personal attention.
In character and outlook, Traill was a genuine son of Ulster—in his industry, his self-confidence, his toughness of fibre, his practical view of life, his insistence on material values, his strong prejudices, and his simple and sincere piety. He married in 1867 Catherine Elizabeth (died 1909), daughter of Captain J. Stewart Moore of Ballydivity, co. Antrim, by whom he had five sons and three daughters. He died at the Provost's House, Dublin, 15 October 1914.
[Personal knowledge.]