A Centre of Learning
Education in Galway
Today, Galway is a city known far and
wide for its youthful vigor, thriving nightlife, and
cultural magnetism. Much of this is due, in part, to
the nearly 20,000 students that flood into the city
from all corners of Ireland, and the rest of the world,
every year. With the students comes youth, excitement,
curiosity and energy, and this added dimension makes
Galway the place to be for the seven third level institutions
in the city; ranging from the National University of
Ireland at Galway, to some of the smaller institutions
like the Atlantic Language School, here is a brief description
of education in Galway.
NUI Galway
 The
National University is at the centre of Galway's intellectual
universe. Founded as the Queen's College, Galway. The
University was created by the Queen's College Act of
1845, which called for Universities to be established
at Belfast, Cork and Galway. Under the Irish Universities
act of 1908, the College became a constituent of the
National University of Ireland and assumed the new name
University College, Galway. The institution received
it's most recent name in 1997, when it was reconstituted
as a full-fledged University, known officially in Irish
as Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh.
The name isn't all that has changed about NUI Galway
over the years. In 1849, when the doors were first opened
to students, a sparse company of 68 students matriculated.
As of the 1999/2000 academic year, the current student
population at NUI Galway has risen, astronomically,
to a healthy 12,500 students. There is little mystery
surrounding why so many students are attending the University.
Today, NUI Galway offers a full 7 faculties: Arts, Celtic
Studies, Commerce, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Science.
Arising from these faculties, undergraduate degrees
can be taken in subjects as diverse as International
Commerce and Biotechnology; a full roster of graduate
degrees is also conferred.
Visit NUI Galway on the web at: http://www.nuigalway.ie
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Students of Engineering will appreciate Galway's other
premiere institute of higher learning. The Galway Mayo
Institute of Technology opened for students in 1972,
and offers faculties in Business and Humanities, Engineering,
Hotel and Catering Studies, Nursing and Science. Degrees
are conferred in technical subjects such as software
development, chemical and pharmaceutical science and
psychiatric nursing. This modern centre for learning
now supports over 4,000 fulltime students and a large
number of part timers. Plans for expansion are also
underway at GMIT, and the next few years could see a
nearly 50% increase in the student population, a goal
that will likely be met with enthusiasm, as the institute
is marked for its academic excellence.
Visit GMIT on the web at: http://www.gmit.ie
Language Schools in Galway
Perhaps because of its cosmopolitan nature, Galway
attracts visitors hailing from the world over in their
quest to learn the English language. In recent years,
the demand has been enthusiastically met with a host
of first-rate language schools offering a myriad of
exams, certifications and good old-fashioned practice.
Students may choose to study at the Atlantic
Language School, Galway
Cultural Institute, Westlingua
or Galway
Language Centre. Each school has its own strengths.
For instance, some of the institutions, such as the
Atlantic Language school, reach beyond qualified language
instruction to provide a host family program for students.
Other schools, such as the Galway Language Centre require
teaching candidates to be highly experienced and hold
graduate degrees. Westlingua maintains a language and
video lab for students to use in their free time. Likewise,
each establishment offers a different combination of
programs throughout the year aimed at either adults
or juniors intending to learn language in Ireland. Combined,
these fine schools help maintain the multicultural splendor
of Galway City, and interested candidates would do well
to learn English in the Capital of the West.
As one of the fastest growing cities in all of Europe,
Galway has become an attraction for young people of
all types. With such a burgeoning, vibrant crowd attending
the National University and the many other institutions
within the city, that trend is not likely to reverse
itself. Remarkably, Galway has achieved that singularly
extraordinary feat of gaining just as much from its
students, and the students have gained from Galway:
an achievement that deserves a hardy, 'Bravo'.
Jeremy M. Usher
December 2000
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