Professor Seamus Heaney was admitted as an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene in 1999. His visits to the College were always enriching experiences. Many College Members will recall a memorable evening in November 2008 when, in tandem with Professor Valerie Hall (who was to become Parnell Fellow...), the wider College community was treated to a wonderful evening on ‘bogs and fens’ in the College’s ‘Festival of Landscape’. This was a sparkling conversation, illuminated by forensic science, poems and stories, and full of humour and humane insight.

Magdalene is keen to encourage young people with the academic potential to succeed at Cambridge to apply here, regardless of their background. With this in mind, we run events throughout the year:

College Open Day: All Subjects - 14 March 2014

College Open Day: Mathematics - 26 April 2014

College Open Days: All Subjects - 2,3,4 July 2014

The best known of all the graduates of Magdalene is probably Samuel Pepys, who made his name immortal by his diary. He made a unique contribution to our national history by his work as a naval administrator, and he bequeathed to the College its greatest treasure - his library, a unique collection of 3,000 books and manuscripts, still preserved as he left it.