Dundalk Institute of Technology

Dundalk Institute of Technology began as Dundalk Regional Technical College. An institute in Dundalk was first envisioned in the Steering Committee on Technical Education Report in 1966, speaking on Dundalk in particular they stated:[2]

We consider that the Regional Colleges fall into three groups … (iii) the other five centres where it has been decided to establish Regional Technical Colleges. We anticipated that the last group would probably not grow industrially as rapidly as group (ii) [Waterford and Galway] although Dundalk and Carlow appeared to us to have greater immediate potential than the other centres in the same group.

The building programme for the regional colleges commenced in 1968, with Dundalk Regional Technical College opening their doors in September 1969, officially opening in 1971.[3] In the late 1990s, all of the technical colleges in the country were redefined as institutes of technology.[4][5] Dundalk Regional Technical College adopted the name Dundalk Institute of Technology on 28 January 1998.[6]

DkIT's PJ Carroll Building was a building acquired by the Department of Education in 2002 for €16.8m, the building was previously owned by PJ Carroll Tobacco Factory. The architecture firm Scott Tallon Walker were tasked with renovating the building for the college, they were chosen as they originally helped design the building in 1967.[7][8] Refurbishment and development began in 2005, after partial development, plumbing and electrical trades workshops were relocated into the PJ Carroll Building within a year, along with a digital media editing suite.[9]

By 2010, their refurbishment was completed and the School of Informatics and Creative Arts were also relocated into the PJ Carroll Building. The building officially opened on the 11 February 2011 by the Taoiseach at the time, Brian Cowen. Cowen then stated that:[10]

"For Ireland to achieve its full potential we need a strong skills pool and institutes such as Dundalk (Institute of Technology) are of central importance in equipping people with the skills needed to create and seize emerging opportunities."

Despite being officially opened, the building retains large sections from the original building untouched since the acquisition from PJ Carroll's Tobacco Factory. These areas are not open to students, this encompasses a large section of the former factory and a mezzanine room.[9] The PJ Carroll building is on the Louth County Council's Record of Protected Structures.[11][12]

In 2005, DkIT opened their new Nursing Building, the glass-fronted building cost €15.5 million and covers 4,000 square meters. This building is the hub for Nursing and Health studies for the college and accommodates over 400 students on a four-year course. The building's facilities include; three clinical labs with a six-bedded ward, a sensory garden, laboratories and an intensive care ward, equipped with dummies.[13]

On 2 October 2020, DkIT established a steering committee aimed to meet the criteria of meeting "Technological University" (TU) status.[14] In May 2021, DkIT announced plans to join an existing TU.[15] The proposal, while not yet formal, has been supported by the Higher Education Authority.[16] By May 2022, DkIT was looking at a merger with an existing TU.[17][18]

DkIT's Nursing Building in the late evening. There is a wind turbine to the right of the building

Nursing Building during the day

The institute has four schools, with each one consisting of a number of departments with a wide range of programmes on offer. Additionally, the Lifelong Learning Centre offers many part-time study options and there are also many apprenticeship options on offer, through the School of Engineering.

The four schools at DkIT are:

• School of Business and Humanities
  • Department of Business Studies
  • Department of Humanities
  • Department of Management and Financial Studies
  • Section of Hospitality Studies
• School of Engineering
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Department of Construction and Surveying
  • Department of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
• School of Informatics and Creative Arts
  • Department of Computing and Mathematics
  • Department of Visual and Human Centred Computing
  • Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music
• School of Health and Science
  • Department of Applied Sciences
  • Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Studies
  • Section of Midwifery

The previous presidents/directors/principals have been Dr Seán McDonagh (1971-2001), Denis Murphy (acting 1997–1999), Gerry Carroll (acting 2000–2001), Dr Tom Collins (2001-2005), Denis Cummins (2005–2016) and Ann Campell (acting 2016–2017) and Dr Michael Mulvey (2017-2022) [19] The chairman of the Board of Governors as of 2020 is Patrick W. Malone, he succeeded Andrew Griffith and Joanna Gardiner.[20]

The Lifelong Learning Centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology is a "resource for the whole community of the Northeast". It offers services to help people with career and skills development. The range of academic and other learning opportunities includes a number of courses.

With the recent economic climate, the Lifelong Learning Centre has had a huge increase in applications for night classes.[21]

Established in 1989 by DkIT, the Regional Development Centre acts as the institute's Innovation Support and Technology Transfer organisation. The centre acts as a commercially oriented interface between DkIT and the industrial, commercial and business life of the region, and makes available the expertise, facilities and resources of the institute for the wider benefit of the regional economy.

Through the Research and Developmental endeavours of its Academic Staff, DkIT has developed an applied R&D reputation in Software Development, Electronics and Engineering Design, Applied Humanities, Cultural Studies and Enterprise Development & Innovation with a new and emerging area in the field of Renewable Energy and Digital Media.

The DkIT Regional Development Centre has been awarded the ISO 9001-2000 Quality Standard.