University of Galway

The university was established in 1845 as Queen's College, Galway, together with Queen's College, Cork, and Queen's College, Belfast. It opened for teaching on 30 October 1849 with 68 students.[4] In 1850, it became part of the Queen's University of Ireland, and its degrees were conferred in the name of that university.[5]

The Quadrangle Building

Located close to the city centre, the university campus stretches along the River Corrib. The oldest part of the university, the Quadrangle with its Aula Maxima, was designed by John Benjamin Keane in a Tudor Gothic architectural style and was constructed from local limestone; it is a replica of Christ Church, one of the colleges at the University of Oxford.[6]

After the passing of the University Education (Ireland) Act 1879, the Queen's University was dissolved on 3 February 1882, and was replaced by the Royal University of Ireland (RUI), which had been established on 27 April 1880.[7][8]

With the passing of the Irish Universities Act 1908, the RUI was dissolved and was replaced by the National University of Ireland (NUI) and The Queen's University of Belfast (QUB). The name of Queen's College, Galway, was changed to University College, Galway (UCG), and it became a constituent college of the new National University of Ireland, together with University College, Dublin (UCD), and University College, Cork (UCC). Queen's College, Belfast, became an independent university, called The Queen's University of Belfast.[9][4] University College, Galway (UCG), was given special statutory responsibility under the University College Galway Act 1929 with respect of the use of the Irish language as a working language of the university.

Members of the Franciscan Order from St. Anthony's College would have studied for degrees in UCG,[10] similarly members of the Society of African Missions at their House of Philosophy, at Cloughballymore, Kilcolgan, Co Galway, studied for degrees in UCG. St. Anthony's is now used by the Economics dept.

Several new buildings were constructed on the university campus in the 1970s and were designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker. The 1990s also saw considerable development, including the conversion of an old munitions factory into a student centre. Under the early 21st-century Presidency of Iognáid G. Ó Muircheartaigh, the university announced details of plans to make the university a "campus of the future" at a cost of around €400 million.[11] Ó Muircheartaigh's successor James J. Browne continued and implemented that plan.[12]

With the passing of the Universities Act, 1997, the name of University College, Galway, was changed to National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway), and it became a university in its own right, as a constituent university of the National University of Ireland (NUI).[13][4] The university had hoped to change its name to University of Galway, but had received legal advice that this was not possible under the provisions of the Act.[14][15]

Visiting the university in 2003, on what was to be his last visit to Ireland, Nelson Mandela condemned U.S. foreign policy and received an honorary doctorate from the NUI Chancellor, Garret FitzGerald.[16][17]

In 2008, the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, and a student became involved in an altercation on the grounds of the university.[18] In 2009, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was forced to flee from a public discussion at the university after being jostled by students opposed to the planned reintroduction of college fees.[19]

21st-century developments include a state-of-the-art University Sports Centre (Ionad Spóirt), Áras Moyola, J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, the Alice Perry Engineering Building, the BioSciences Research Building, the Life Course Institute, the Lambe Institute and the O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, and the Human Biology Building.[20]

In 2014, the Equality Tribunal ruled in favor of Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, granddaughter of the famous Irish feminist couple Hannah Sheehy Skeffington and Francis Sheehy Skeffington, who claimed she had been discriminated against on the grounds of gender during 2009. The university "unreservedly" accepted the decision that the "hiring process was flawed".[21][22] In 2015 with "widespread concern" among staff, mandatory unconscious bias training was introduced for senior staff, including heads of school and interview boards.[23] In 2017 Dr Elizabeth Tilley was deemed to have exceeded qualifications for senior lectureship following a Labour Court hearing and promoted.[24] In 2017, the gender ratio of senior lecturers in the university was 60:40 in favour of men. The ratio of professorships, the most senior academic grade, was 87:13 in favor of men.[25] In 2018 the university achieved bronze status[26] in the Athena SWAN[27] recognises a commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education and research careers. In 2018 a further four female lecturers who had also applied for promotion in 2009 were promoted having settled their cases "amicably".[28][29]

The university launched its Strategic Plan "Shared Vision, Shaped By Values" (for the period 2020–2025) in 2020. Also in 2020, the university was awarded €4 million from the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme to support its Solar2chem project.[30]

On 1 September 2022, the university changed its name to University of Galway.[31]

Up until 2007, the university was divided into seven faculties (Arts, Celtic Studies, Commerce, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Science), which were further subdivided into some 69 departments.[32] In 2007–2008, the university transitioned from the faculties and departments structure to a structure of five colleges divided into various schools.[33]

Áras Moyola, which houses the School of Nursing and Midwifery, the School of Political Science and Sociology and the School of Health Sciences

St Anthony's, which houses part of the JE Cairnes School of Business & Economics

Alice Perry Engineering Building, which houses the College of Science and Engineering

The following are the current colleges and schools of the university:[34]

• College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
  • School of Political Science and Sociology
  • School of Psychology
  • School of Education
  • School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies
  • School of English and Creative Arts
  • School of History and Philosophy
  • School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge
• College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
  • School of Health Sciences
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing and Midwifery
• Adult Learning and Professional Development
• College of Business, Public Policy and Law
  • JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics
  • School of Law
  • Shannon College of Hotel Management
• College of Science and Engineering
  • School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
  • School of Computer Science
  • School of Engineering
  • School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
  • School of Natural Sciences
  • School of Physics

Since 2015 the Shannon College of Hotel Management has been fully incorporated into the university — becoming part of the College of Business, Public Policy & Law at Galway — formally marked by the then Minister for Education and Skills Jan O'Sullivan at an event held in Shannon College on 9 November 2015. All staff of Shannon College of Hotel Management became staff of the university and all students of Shannon College of Hotel Management became students of the university.[35][36]

Ryan Institute

There are five designated Research Institutes and a number of Research Centres and Units at the University of Galway. Designated Research Institutes at the university are characterised by significant interdisciplinary (generally cross-College) and high-quality research activity, including extensive collaboration nationally and internationally.[37] Examples of mould-breaking research include sugar coating devices[38] and how spider bites can lead to hospitalisation.[39]

Galway University Foundation (GUF) was established in 1998 with the intention of generating financial support for the university from private individuals and institutions. It nurtures relationships with donors for whom the university's approach to education appeals. The Foundation has many 'Priority Projects' in development.[40]

James Hardiman Library, University of Galway

The main library building of the University of Galway is named the James Hardiman Library after the library's first librarian, James Hardiman.[41][42]

University of Galway is the setting for, and is referred to in, numerous works of fiction.

Breandán Ó hEithir's novel Lig Sinn i gCathú, set in a thinly disguised Galway and telling the story of student life over four days in April 1949, has featured on the secondary school Leaving Certificate syllabus.

Tom Curtin's novel Melting Pot: An Irish Odyssey tells the story of three lads from University College Galway who leave Ireland for New York in 1969.[70]

The university has also faced the legal consequences of gender inequality after a number of female lecturers starting proceedings against the university as gender as a grounds of discrimination is prohibited by Irish law.[71][72]

University of Galway has been awarded the full five QS stars for excellence,[76] and is ranked among the top 1 per cent of universities according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings.[77][78] These rankings marked the sixth consecutive year that the university's ranking improved by these standards.[77]

In 2016 and 2017, the university was ranked ahead of University College Dublin (UCD) and Queen's University Belfast (QUB) in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), placing it second among Irish universities — behind only Trinity College Dublin (TCD).[79][73] Likewise, in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Galway was ranked ahead of UCD and behind only TCD.[80]

The Sunday Times University Guide has named the university as its "University of the Year" on three occasions. It won the Times's inaugural title in 2002–2003. A second title followed in 2009–2010.[81] Galway won its third title in 2018.[82]

• Education in the Republic of Ireland
• List of universities in the Republic of Ireland

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