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National University of Ireland, Maynooth

The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) was founded in 1997 by the Universities Act, 1997 as a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. The university is the smallest and second oldest and now the fastest growing university in Ireland; it is located in Maynooth, County Kildare, with approximately 9,000 registered students.

Background

The University and St Patrick's College, Maynooth have a common history from 1795 to 1997. The College in Maynooth was established by the government as a college for Catholic lay and ecclesiastical students in 1795, the lay college was based from 1802 in Riverstown House on the south campus, with the opening of Clongowes Wood, the lay college which had lay trustees was closed in 1817 and it functioned solely as a Catholic seminary for almost 150 years.

In 1876 the college became a constituent college of the Catholic University of Ireland, and later offered Royal University of Ireland degrees in arts and science. Even after the granting of the Pontifical Charter in 1896 the college became a recognised college of the National University of Ireland in 1910, and from this time its arts and science degrees were awarded by the National University of Ireland and the Pontifical University of Maynooth continued to confer its degrees, as theology degrees were prohibited in the Royal University of Ireland, and its successor the National University of Ireland until 1997.

In 1966 the college allowed again the entry of lay students; this greatly expanded the college and essentially set the foundation stone for the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. In 1997 the Universities Act resulted in the transfer of the faculties of arts, Celtic studies, philosophy and science of the recognised college of St Patrick's College to the new university. The university has also expanded into finance and engineering since its creation in 1997. In 2007 the university added business studies, followed by law in 2008.

Any person who was a student of St Patrick's College, Maynooth and was conferred with a National University of Ireland degree as a result prior to the creation of the university is legally considered a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

In 1994, W J Smyth, BA, PhD, LLD, was appointed to the position of Master of St. Patrick's College Maynooth(NUI), in 1997 this position became President of NUIM, after his 10 year term in 2004 he was replaced by Professor John Hughes as president of the national Univeristy of Ireland, Maynooth.

Timeline

1518 - Garret Óg Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, founded the College of St Mary, in Maynooth
1535 - College of St. Mary confiscated as part of Henry VIII's religious reforms
1795 - The Royal College of St Patrick established on the 5th of June 1795 (35 Geo III, cap. 21)
1798 - United Irishmen Rebellion, out of 69 students, 18 were expelled for taking the Oath to the United Irishmen
1800 - Act of Union 1800 transfer of maynooth grant from Dublin to London
1800 - John Butler, 12th Baron Dunboyne died
1801 - First Lay college suppressed
1802 - Lay college opens in Riverstown Lodge
1808 - Dunboyne Establishment case settled between Maynooth Trustees and Butler family
1817 - Lay College Closed
1845 - Maynooth grant increased
1876 - Maynooth becomes a constituent college of the Catholic University of Ireland
1886 - Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland by Gladstone, Maynooth was disendowed, lay trustess left the board.
1880 - Royal University of Ireland founded
1895 - Centenary Celebrations
1896 - Maynooth granted Pontifical University status by Papal Charter
1903 - King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra visited it on 24 July 1903
1908 - National University of Ireland founded
1909 - Royal University of Ireland dissolved
1910 - St. Patricks College. Maynooth offically becomes a recognised college of the National University of Ireland
1921 - Foundation of Irish Free State
1966 - Lay students in religious orders admitted
1968 - All Lay Students admitted
1970 - Dept. of Biology founded as part of the Faculty of Science
1976 - Higher Education Central Applications Office (CAO) founded
1979 - Pope John Paul II visits Maynooth
1987 - Dept. of Computer Science founded as part of the Faculty of Science
1995 - Bi-centenary Celebrations
1996 - Third level fees abolished by the Irish Government
1997 - National University of Ireland, Maynooth founded from the faculties of Science, Arts and Celtic studies.
1997 - Outreach Campus at St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny founded.
2001 - Dept. of Engineering, founded

Notable Alumni and Faculty Members

Notable graduates of NUI Maynooth include politician and Nobel prize-winner John Hume; Nicholas Callan, the inventor of the induction coil was a student an Professor of Natural Philosophy(Physics) at Maynooth; theologian & physicist Gerald Molloy; Eurovision 1996 winner for Ireland Eimear Quinn and broadcaster Craig Doyle. In addition, golfer Pádraig Harrington is an honourary graduate of the university. The late concert promoter Jim Aiken. In politics, former government minister and Senator Mary O'Rourke(BA, HdipEd), Mary Hanafin(BA, HdipEd) - previously minister for Education, now minister for Social and Family Affairs, Minister Noel Dempsey, Kevin O'Higgins, Fine Geal TDs Joe McHugh (Donegal North East), Brian Hayes(Dublin South West), Labour TD Joe Costello(Dublin Central) and former president of the Irish congress of trade unions(ICTU) and Independent NUI Senator Joe O'Toole(HdipEd) attended the university.

Former president of Maynooth, and later Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia, Daniel Mannix was nominated in his adopted country as one of the 'one-hundred great Australians' of the 20th century. John Blake Dillon the irish nationalist, Young Ireland member, who co -founded the The Nation newspaper spent two years in maynooth.

The Irish Poet Denis Florence MacCarthy(1817-1882) was a student in Maynooth.

Sir Dominic Corrigan Bart., MD, MP, physician, the first Catholic president of the Royal College of Physicians, member of the Queen's Colleges Senate, a Vice-Chancellor of the Queen's University in Ireland, and Liberal MP for Dublin City was student of the lay college in the early 1800's. He was a student of Dr. Cornelius Denvir thought Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in both the lay and ecclesiastical college. Nicholas Callen was also a student of Dr Denvir.

Playwright Frank McGuinness taught english in maynooth, noted Astronomer and Physicist Susan McKenna Lawlor is a professor of the Dept. of Experimental Physics. Irish President Eamon De Valera lectured in Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at Maynooth in October 1912 for a short time. Mathematician and Classical scholar Pádraig de Brún was Professor of Mathematics at maynooth prior to becoming president of UCG(NUIG).

Campus

The University campus straddles the main Maynooth to Kilcock Road in County Kildare. It is divided into the North and South Campii (usually known as the "new" and "old" campii respectively). The campii are connected by means of a footbridge that crosses over the road.

The South Campus houses the facilities of St. Patrick's College, as well as most of administrative offices it shares with NUIM. A small number of NUIM academic departments also have their offices on the South Campus, including, Mathematics(Logic House), Geography, Economics, History and Music. The main buildings, most of which were built in the nineteenth century, are the Aula Maxima, St. Patrick's House (including the college chapel), the John Paul II Library (built in 1984), New, Dunboyne, Humanity and Stoyte Houses which collectively form St. Joseph's Square, Logic House, and Rhetoric House. The first building to go up on the South Campus was designed by, and named after, John Stoyte; Stoyte House, which can still be seen from the entrance to the old campus, is a well-known building to Maynooth students and stands in proximity to the very historic Maynooth Castle. Over the next 15 years, the site at Maynooth underwent rapid construction so as to cater for the influx of new students, and the buildings which now border St. Joseph's Square (to the rear of Stoyte House) were completed by 1824. The spectacular university chapel is located on the south campus, just off St. Joseph's Square; masses and choir services are frequently held in the chapel.

The North Campus was developed far more recently than the South Campus (in the latter half of the twentieth century).Here, the main buildings are the Students' Union, The Canteen/Sports Centre, Biosciences and Engineering Building, Callan Science Building (named after the inventor of the induction coil, Nicholas Callan), the Arts Building, the Science Building and the John Hume Building. The €100m John Hume Building (named after arguably NUIM's most distinguished graduate) was opened in 2004; the most recent addition to the North Campus, it today forms the centrepiece of the campus and houses the biggest lecture theatre in the college with a capacity of more than 400 students. The North Campus also contains the Students Residences (with approximately 1,000 beds), most of the Services for Students Departments, a number of playing fields and sports centre which includes a fully equipped gym which is free to all university students. The remainder of NUIM's academic departments as well as many research institutes such as The Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems, The Hamilton Institute and The Institiute of Immunology are also located on the north campus.

The university maintains a campus in Kilkenny, the "Kilkenny Campus", since September 1997 and this is based at St. Kieran's College. There are approximately 220 adult part-time students located on the campus and they are on bachelor and postgraduate certificate and diploma courses, primarily with an adult education emphasis.

Departments

Faculty of Social Sciences

The "Faculty of Social Sciences" includes: Adult and Community Education, Anthropology, Applied Social Studies, Economics,Finance and Accounting, Education, Geography, Sociology and Business and Law. The Department of Business and Law was founded in 2007 and offers undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate degrees in a range of business and law subjects. The department is structured in three groups, Business, Law and the research focussed Innovation Value Institute.

Faculty of Science & Engineering

The "Faculty of Science & Engineering" includes the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Experimental Physics, Mathemathics, Mathematical Physics,and Psychology

Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy

This faculty includes the departments of Ancient Classics, English, French, German, History, Media Studies, Music, Philosophy, Spanish, and the Language Centre.

Research Institutes

Hamilton Institute
Institute of Immunology
I.B.A - Institute for Bioengineering and Agroecology
Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems
N.C.G - National Centre for Geocomputation
An Foras Feasa - The Institute for Research in Irish Historical and Cultural Traditions
I.V.I. - Innovation Value Institute
N.I.R.S.A. - National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis

Clubs and societies

Students of Maynooth have participated in a variety of inter-varsity competitions. In 1972 Maynooth entered the Gaelic Football Sigerson Cup for the 1st time and won it in 1976, they also participate in the Hurling competition the Fitzgibbon Cup winning it in 1974 and 1974. The Soccer team similarly compete in the FAI's Collingwood Cup. The College won the inaugural Irish Higher Education Quiz show on RTE, Challenging Times(based on University Challenge winning again in 1992 and as NUIM in 1999.

Swimming

NUI Maynooth's swimming team won the Intervarsity Swimming Championships for the first time in the university's history in March 2008, as well as setting a National University record in the 50m backstroke. The team won 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals in total and had 5 other top 5 points-earning placings.

Rugby

NUIM currently take part in Leinster Division 2. Season 2007/2008 saw the team being knocked out in the All Ireland division 2 semi-final to DIT 15 - 7. DIT went on to win the competition.

Scholarship Programme

Rugby scholarships were introduced to NUI Maynooth in 2006. Scholarship students are obliged to attend the rugby performance centre and to play with the university teams and Barnhall RFC.

Rugby Performance Centre

The NUI Maynooth Rugby Performance Centre is open to all Rugby Club Members who attend the University. The aim of the Centre being to enhance the students prospects within the game of rugby and to continue to achieve success with the university teams. Several topics are covered in 4 week cycles throughout the year. The Rugby Performance Centre has taken 2 years to put the structures in place. As part of the link up with Barnhall RFC, players from the youth's system 16-20's are invited to take part in a summer programme. This is a 6 week programme aimed at introducing the players to the Performance Centre. Players are tutored in the gym and coached general conditioning and speed work on the field.

BICS National Society Awards

In 2008 NUI Maynooth garnered three BICS (Board of Irish College Societies) awards, in the Small College Category (under 6,500 students): Best Society - GLB Society, Best Society Individual - Paul Donnelly, Drama Society and Best Fresher - Lydia Roxanne Farrell, Amnesty Society.

NUI Maynooth In Competition

RoboCup World Championship

NUI Maynooth and University of Newcastle, Australia’s joint robotic soccer team 'Numanoids’ won this year’s soccer Standard Platform League (2-Legged Robot) RoboCup World Championship which was held in Suzhou, China from 14-20 July. 2008 was NUI Maynooth's first year to enter the international robot competition which hosted 440 teams from 35 countries.

Microsoft Corp. Imagine Cup

In 2008, NUI Maynooth students tied for second place the Microsoft Imagine Cup in the category of "Embedded Development". The theme in 2008 was "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment.". A total of 370 students from 124 teams representing 61 countries and regions took part in 2008.