UCD Timeline

The new University Club opened.

MoLI, The Museum of Literature Ireland will open as a landmark cultural institution located in Newman House on St. Stephen’s Green.

The Moore Centre for Business is opened adjacent to the Quinn School of Business.

The Decade of Centenaries programme continued with the commemoration of 1916 with numerous events and public projects that included: Signatories.- Written by some of contemporary Ireland’s most acclaimed writers, the play consists of monologues representing each signatory of the 1916 proclamation of Independence- granting history a new voice and defining what it means to be Irish one-hundred years after the events of 1916.

UCD Irish Independent 1916 supplement series- From 2015-2016, 10 supplements were produced with the Irish Independent . Drawing on the research of over 30 faulty and graduate students, each supplement sought to contextualise the rising in terms of period and world events.

After Empire- Supported by the Department of Foregin Affairs, After Empire was a panel discussion of representations of former British colonies on topics of insurrection, violence, language, partition, independence, and democratic development.

The commissioning of a contemporary work of stained glass, Thaw, by Killian Schurmann, one of Ireland’s most acclaimed glass artists. Commissioned in commemoration of executed UCD medical student, Kevin Barry. It is located in the Newman concourse.

The first UCD Festival takes place.

Ashfield Student Accommodation opened.

UCD Global Engagement Strategy was launched.

Professor Andrew J. Deeks is appointed University President.
UMT Student Experience Group founded.
A new research facility for Systems Biology Ireland opened.

UCD Ad Astra Academy established. The unique opportunities provided by Ad Astra are divided into three streamlines for gifted students: the UCD Ad Astra Academic Scholars, the UCD Ad Astra Elite Athletic Scholars , and the UCD Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholars.

UCD continues to expand its international connections with the establishment of the Beijing-Dublin International College. This was the result of an agreement between UCD and the Beijing University of Technology.

The New Student Centre opened.

UCD partnered with Trinity College, Dublin to establish the Innovation Alliance, intended to assist in the overall financial recovery of Ireland.

Formally opened the Innovation Academy.

UCD hosted Universitas 21 AGM.

UCD joined Universitas 21, a major international network of over 20 research led-universities.
UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland is founded.

Dr Hugh Brady appointed president.
UCD celebrates 150th anniversary.

The Veterinary School and Teaching Hospital and The Quinn School of Business opened. The Humanities Institute of Ireland established under the Higher Education Authority's PRTLI. Urban Institute also established.

The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and the Institute for the Study of Social Change founded, marking a new era with an emphasis on internationally recognized research.

UCD O'Reilly Hall opened.

Second student village (Merville) opened. The Centre for Film Studies was established.

Carysfort College, Blackrock on 19 acres bought. First student village (Belgrove) opened.

The UCD Language Centre is established and commenced its English Language Courses for international students and staff.

Dr Patrick Masterson appointed president. (1986 - 1993)
Work begins on the new engineering building. The Department of Horticulture moved from St. Catherine’s Lucan to Belfield. 1987

The Library continued to grow in size with the completion of phase II that saw the libraries for Science and Agriculture moved to the main building. The UCD Archives Department moved to Belfield from St. Stephen’s Green.

Building Laboratory at Richview is completed.

Richview and 17.4 acres bought. Architecture moves in there.

Minister for Education, Richard Burke, TD announces that there should be three university groupings: UCD, Trinity and the NUI, comprising UCC and UCG. St Patrick's Maynooth was to have the option of becoming a constitutent college of any one of the three universities. The National Institutes of Higher Education in Limerick and Dublin were to be established with the capacity to evolve into constitutent colleges or autonomous degree-awarding institutions. Although UCD was in favour of this development, Trinity was not and the plan fizzled out and disappeared off the Government agenda.

Dr Thomas Murphy appointed president (1972-1985).
Water tower completed

Arts and Law move to Belfield.

15 acres of the Roebuck Castle land bought. Minister for Education, Donogh O'Malley, proposes plan to merge UCD and Trinity.

Sod turned on Science Block at Belfield. In 1962 Lyons Estate, Newcastle, County Dublin, purchased as the field experimental and teaching facility of the Faculty of Agriculture.

Montrose exchanged for Ardmore.

Woodview on 18 acres bought.

University purchases Montrose on 23 acres and Whiteoaks (University Lodge) on 34 acres.

Dr Michael Tierney appointed president. Tierney conceived the scheme of a new UCD on a suburban site and became intimately involved in UCD's fever of purchasing several hundred acres in the neighbourhood of Belfield over the next 17 years. The plan was to develop an architectural harmony in the grouping of buildings, landscaping and planting of trees, creating a sense of unity to faculties then on different campuses, with sports grounds and residences incorporated into the scheme. The inspiration for the plan came mostly from universities in Stockholm and Goteborg in Sweden as well as some models from the US. The "Tierney Era" was characterized by excitement, driven by the conviction of the man.

Dr Arthur Conway appointed president. During this period various plans were developed but failed to succeed to expand along Iveagh Gardens, Hatch Street and Earlsfort Terrace.

University Education (Agriculture and Dairy Science) Act transferred the Royal College of Science in Merrion Street and Albert Agricultural College in Glasnevin to UCD.

A number of junior staff and students participated in the Easter Rising including: Michael Hayes (French) who was at Jacobs, Liam O Briain (French) who was in St Stephen's Green and the College of Surgeons, Louise Gavan Duffy (Education), who was in the GPO, James Ryan (fifth year med student) in charge of temporary hospital inside the GPO, James Sweeney, (engineering student) who was also in the GPO.

Land donated by Lord Iveagh helps the university expand in Earlsfort Terrace/Hatch Street/ St Stephen's Green.

The number of first class distinctions in Arts awarded by the Royal University to University College was 702 compared with a total of 486 awarded to the combined Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Galway and Cork.

Names associated with University College as students, academics or both during this period included: James Joyce (whose room in Newman House is preserved as it was), Tom Kettle, Francis Skeffington, Francis Cruise O'Brien, Arthur Clery, Fr Tom Finlay SJ, Pádraig Pearse, Hugh Kennedy, Eamon de Valera, Eoin MacNeill, Mary Hayden, Agnes O'Farrelly, and J A Costello. Given such talent and the revolutionary fervour in the contemporary political and cultural life of the country, it is hardly surprising that there was an amount of student unrest during this period, especially during loyalist speeches by the Chancellor, the Earl of Meath and the playing of "God Save the King" at conferring ceremonies.

Fr William Delany SJ appointed first president of University College.

Monsignor Henry Neville, Dean of Cork appointed Rector (while still retaining his role as Parish Priest in a Cork parish). The University Education (Ireland) Act 1879 brought in by Disraeli's government led to the establishment of the Royal University of Ireland (incorporated by charter in 1880) which was a non-teaching, degree-awarding institution.

The beautiful University Church was opened in 1856 beside 86. Apart from religious services it was used also for public university functions and occasions such as the opening of academic sessions and the making of awards.

The years after Catholic Emancipation in Ireland (1829) while pocked with intermittent political upheaval, famine and emigration, saw the majority population gradually gain a foothold on the rungs of education and influence.

In 1854, the movement spearheaded by Cardinal Cullen and led by John Henry Cardinal Newman, succeeded in opening the doors of a new university. This made higher level education accessible to a broad sweep of Irish people, creating a new class of educated Irish who would become the civil servants, the politicians, the lawyers, the architects, the historians and philosophers, the authors and playwrights, the doctors and engineers - the thinkers and doers who were to shape Irish society into the proud nation we are today.

The Catholic University opened its doors on the feast of St Malachy, 3 November 1854. On that day the names of seventeen students were entered on the register; the first name entered was that of Daniel O'Connell, grandson of the Liberator.

The university opened with three houses: 86 St Stephen's Green, with was known as St Patrick's or University House, under the care of Rev. Dr Michael Flannery; 16 Harcourt Street, known as St Lawrence's under the care of Rev. Dr James Quinn, who also had his school there; and Newman's own house, 6 Harcourt Street, known as St Mary's, under Newman's personal supervision.