Ollscoil na Gaillimhe | |
| Latin: Universitas Galviam | |
Former names | Queen's College Galway University College Galway |
|---|---|
| Motto | Deo Favente |
Motto in English | With the favour of God |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1845 |
| President | Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh |
| Deputy-President & Registrar | Pól Ó Dochartaigh |
Academic staff | 2,078 |
Administrative staff | 2,015 |
| Students | 17,318[1] |
| Undergraduates | 12,464[1] |
| Postgraduates | 3,623[1] |
Other students | 278 |
| Address | University Road , , Galway H91 TK33 Ireland 53°16′44″N 9°03′36″W / 53.279°N 9.060°WCoordinates: 53°16′44″N 9°03′36″W / 53.279°N 9.060°W |
| Colours | |
| Affiliations | AUA Coimbra Group EUA NUI IUA UI ENLIGHT |
| Website | www |
The University of Galway (UoG; Irish: Ollscoil na Gaillimh) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university has been awarded the full five QS stars for excellence,[2] and is ranked among the top 1 percent of universities according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings.[3][4] It is one of the most prestigious universities in Ireland.
The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College Galway". It was known as "University College Galway" (UCG) (Irish: Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh) until 1997 and as "National University of Ireland Galway" (NUIG) (Irish: Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh; OÉ Gaillimh) until 2022.
University of Galway is a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of 40 long-established European universities.
In late April 2022, it was announced that NUI Galway would be renamed "Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway" in summer 2022, amid confusion over its proper title.[5]
The university opened for teaching in 1849 as "Queen's College Galway" with 68 students.[6] One year later it became part of the Queen's University of Ireland. The Irish Universities Act 1908 made this college a constituent college of the new National University of Ireland, and under a new charter the name of the university changed to "University College Galway".[6] It 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. It retained the title of University College Galway until the Universities Act 1997 changed it to the "National University of Ireland, Galway".[6]
Located close to the city centre, it stretches along the River Corrib. The oldest part of the university, the Quadrangle with its Aula Maxima was designed by John Benjamin Keane; it is a replica of Christ Church, one of the colleges at the University of Oxford. The stone from which it is built was supplied locally.[citation needed]
More modern parts of the university sprang up 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, NUI Galway announced details of plans to make the university a "campus of the future" at a cost of around €400 million.[7] Ó Muircheartaigh's successor James J. Browne continued and implemented that plan.[8]
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 NUI Chancellor Garret FitzGerald.[9][10]
The university launched its Strategic Plan "Shared Vision, Shaped By Values" (for the period 2020–2025) in 2020. 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. A new Human Biology Building was completed in summer 2017.[11]
In March 2020, NUI Galway was awarded €4 million from the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme to support its Solar2chem project.[12]
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".[13][14] In 2015 with "widespread concern" among staff, mandatory unconscious bias training was introduced for senior staff, including heads of school and interview boards.[15] In 2017 Dr Elizabeth Tilley was deemed to have exceeded qualifications for senior lectureship following a Labour Court hearing and promoted.[16] In 2018 a further four female lecturers who had also applied for promotion in 2009 were promoted having settled their cases "amicably".[17][18]
In 2017, the gender ratio of senior NUI Galway lecturers was 60:40 in favour of men. The ratio of professorships, the most senior academic grade, was 87:13 in favor of men.[19] In 2018 the university achieved bronze status[20] in the Athena SWAN[21] recognizes a commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education and research careers.
The four Colleges of the university are:[22]
Since January 2006, St. Angela's College, Sligo, has been a college of Galway; it was previously a recognised college of the National University of Ireland. As a result, those admitted to St. Angela's College are registered as students at Galway.[23][24]
Since 2015 the Shannon College of Hotel Management is 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 Galway and all students of Shannon College of Hotel Management became students at Galway.[25][26]
There are a number of large Research Institutes (and Research Centres) at NUI Galway. Designated Research Institutes at NUI Galway are characterised by significant interdisciplinary (generally cross-College) and high-quality research activity, including extensive collaboration nationally and internationally. There are six designated Research Institutes in NUI Galway.
Constituent schools found in the relevant colleges include:
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Galway University Foundation (GUF) was established in 1998 with the intention of generating financial support from private individuals and institutions for NUI Galway. It nurtures relationships with donors for whom NUI Galway's approach to education appeals. The Foundation has many 'Priority Projects' in development.[27]
The National University of Ireland, Galway (formerly Queen's College Galway) library is now named the James Hardiman Library (after James Hardiman).[citation needed]
NUI Galway has about 150 active student societies, ranging from the academic (such as archaeology, astronomy, botany, chemistry, classics, engineering, French, geography, German, Italian, law, marine, maths, medicine, microbiology, philosophy, physics, Russian and Spanish) to artistic and performing (such as choral, circus, orchestra, and the new Swiftie Soc (photography)). Religious societies (such as Christianity, Catholicism and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul) are represented, as are other lifestyles (such as veganism and organic horticulture). In addition, many of Ireland's political parties have active societies at NUI Galway, including Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green, Labour, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats.[28]
The oldest society on the campus is the Literary and Debating Society, founded in 1846.[29]
"Dramsoc" (NUI Galway's The Drama Society) was founded in 1914.[30]
Another of NUI Galway's oldest societies is Cumann Staire. One of Europe's oldest history societies, it is a member of the Comhaltas na gCumann Staire - Irish History Students' Association and the International Students of History Association.[31]
The university's Fianna Fáil branch, Cumann de Barra, was founded in 1954, making it the oldest university political party branch in Ireland.[32] Fine Gael's youth wing was founded in the university in 1973 during the Liam Cosgrave-led Fine Gael/Labour Coalition government, with Enda Kenny and Madeleine Taylor-Quinn among those behind its establishment there.[33] Official Sinn Féin were also influential in campus politics in the 1970s, and Students Union Presidents Eamon Gilmore and Johnny Curran were party members.[34][35]
NUI Galway's Computer Society (CompSoc) is the oldest of its kind in the country, formerly established in 1977.[36][37][38][39]
Sphearheaded by the Radio Society, Flirt FM is a community radio station located on campus.
GUMS, the university musical society, hosts annual musicals in the Dubhlann/Black Box Theatre.[40]
Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív and a student became involved in an altercation on the grounds of the university in 2008.[41] The following year, 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.[42] The Christian and LGBT societies were involved in a showdown over same-sex marriage in 2014.[43] The incident was provoked by the auditor of the Christian Society, running for the position of Equality Officer in that year's student union election.[44] Earlier, in the late part of 2013, the university suspended the Legion of Mary Society after it failed to satisfactorily explain its connection to posters containing information on a Christian support group for homosexual persons.[45]
An Cumann Gaelach and An Cumann Drámaíochta are the university's main Irish language societies, following the demise of the Cumann Craic. One of the main events of the university's Cumann Gaelach, is the yearly celebration of Seachtain na Gaeilge. The society was awarded the Best New Entry Award at the Glór na nGael awards in 2011.[citation needed]
NUI Galway has more than 40 sports clubs based on campus, ranging from indoor sports (such as archery, badminton, fencing, weightlifting, table tennis, and squash), to water sports (such as rowing, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, and scuba diving), as well as martial arts (such as judo, karate, aikido, Muay Thai, kendo, and taekwondo), plus equestrian, triathlon, athletics, and snow sports.[46]
NUI Galway also competes in the most popular Irish field sports of association football, Gaelic football, hurling, and rugby union, as well as cricket, hockey, and lacrosse.[46]
NUI Galway GAA compete in the Sigerson Cup (Gaelic football) and the Fitzgibbon Cup (hurling). They are the second most prolific winners of the Sigerson Cup.[47]
NUI Galway RFC compete in the Connacht Senior Cup, and are the competition's most successful side with 34 wins.
NUI Galway F.C. compete in the Galway & District League.
The campus is home to a wide range of sport facilities. Facilities include Dangan Sportsground, where the university's GAA teams compete, and the Kingfisher, where Moycullen Basketball Club play their games.
In 2013, NUI Galway announced it would sponsor Connacht Rugby, the nearby professional Pro12 (now URC) rugby union team, for the following three years and would put in place a "High Performance Education Partnership" that would give players from the Connacht Rugby Academy and age-grade teams the chance to educated there. At the time of the announcement 17 members of Connacht's squad were either attending the university as students or were graduates.[48]
Within a few years of the start of NUI Galway's sponsorship of the Connacht Rugby Academy, the team had won, what was then the 2015–16 Pro12 title, for the first time by defeating Leinster in the 2016 Pro12 Grand Final. Seven players from the Connacht Rugby Academy played 55 times for their team during that campaign, with others in that squad also graduates of the Connacht Rugby Academy.[49]
The deal was renewed in 2017, covering the period until 2019.[50]
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Main article: NUI Galway Students' Union |
The Students' Union's primary role is to provide a recognised representative channel between undergraduates and the university and college authorities. The president-elect for the 2022–2023 academic year is Sai Gujulla.
In February 2009, the university announced the Students' Union-run RAG week would "no longer form part of the university calendar". The President of the Students' Union expressed the belief that the decision was unjustified, citing the more than €20,000 raised for charities that year.[51]
International students make up over 12 percent of the student population at NUI Galway.[52]
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Main article: List of NUI Galway people |
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Main article: List of NUI Galway people § Alumni |
| Name of President | Years |
|---|---|
| Joseph W. Kirwan | 1845 - 1849 |
| Edward Berwick | 1849 - 1877 |
| Thomas William Moffett | 1877 - 1897 |
| W. J. M. Starkie | 1897 - 1899 |
| Alexander Anderson | 1899 - 1934 |
| John Hynes | 1934 - 1945 |
| Pádraig de Brún | 1945 - 1959 |
| Martin J. Newell | 1960 - 1975 |
| Colm Ó hEocha | 1975 - 1996 |
| Patrick F. Fottrell | 1996 - 2000 |
| Iognáid G. Ó Muircheartaigh | 2000 - 2008 |
| James J. Browne | 2008 - 2018 |
| Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh | 2018 – present |
The university 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.[57]
NUIG 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.[58]
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World[59] | 301-400 (2016) |
| QS World[60] | 243 (2017) |
| THE World[61] | 201-250 (2017) |
Galway has been awarded the full five QS stars for excellence,[2] and is ranked among the top 1 per cent of universities according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings.[3][4] These rankings marked the sixth consecutive year that the university's ranking improved by these standards.[3]
In recent years Galway has 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).[62][59] Likewise, in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Galway ranks ahead of UCD and behind only TCD.[63]
The Sunday Times University Guide has named Galway as its University of the Year on three occasions. Galway won the Times's inaugural title in 2002–2003. A second title followed in 2009–2010.[64] Galway won its third title in 2018.[65]
| QS World University Rankings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Ranking | Arts & Humanities | Natural Sciences | Engineering & IT | Social Sciences | Life Sciences |
| 2005 | |||||
| 437 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | |||||
| 437 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | |||||
| 484 | 312 | 389 | 427 | 323 | 386 |
| 2008 | |||||
| 368 | — | — | — | — | 260 |
| 2009 | |||||
| 243 | 272 | — | — | — | 250 |
| 2010 | |||||
| 232 | 274 | 301-350 | 301-350 | 351-400 | 301-350 |
| 2011 | |||||
| 298 | 389 | 379 | 367 | — | 357 |
| 2012 | |||||
| 287 | 345 | 388 | — | — | 335 |
| 2013 | |||||
| 284 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | |||||
| 280 | 344 | 352 | 298 | 326 | 258 |
| 2015 | |||||
| 271 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | |||||
| 249 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | |||||
| 243 | — | — | — | — | — |
