The ancient universities are British and Irish medieval universities and early modern universities founded before the year 1600. Four of these are located in Scotland, two in England, and one in Ireland. The ancient universities in Britain and Ireland are amongst the oldest extant universities in the world.
The National University of Ireland (NUI) is a federal university system of constituent universities and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.
The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast, is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as "Queen's College, Belfast", and opened four years later.
The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), the legal successor to the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland beyond the university system from 2001 to 2012. HETAC was created in 2001, subject to the policies of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, and, specifically, granted qualifications at many Institutes of Technology and other colleges. HETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork.
Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland includes all education after second-level, encompassing higher education in universities and colleges and further education on Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) and other courses. The degree-awarding institutions which can grant awards at all academic levels are the University of Dublin, National University of Ireland, University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Technological University Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Munster Technological University, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Atlantic Technological University and South East Technological University, as well as St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Quality and Qualifications Ireland, a State agency, can grant awards in other institutions directly, or delegate the authority to do so. The King's Inns of Dublin has a limited role in education specialising in the preparation of candidates for the degree of barrister-at-law to practice as barristers. Medical schools in Ireland also have particular regulation. There were seven establishments of higher education within Ireland ranked among the top 500 universities worldwide by the Times Higher Education Supplement in 2023.
St Patrick's, Carlow College, is a liberal arts college located in Carlow, Ireland. The college is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and was founded in 1782 by James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and his co-adjutor bishop Daniel Delany.
Joseph William Kirwan was an Irish clergyman and educationalist, who served as the first president of Queen's College Galway.
The Catholic University of Ireland was a private Catholic university in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1851 following the Synod of Thurles in 1850, and in response to the Queen's University of Ireland and its associated colleges which were nondenominational; Cardinal Cullen had previously forbidden Catholics from attending these "godless colleges".
The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the University Education (Ireland) Act 1879 as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A royal charter was issued on 27 April 1880 and examinations were open to candidates irrespective of attendance at college lectures. The first chancellor was the Irish chemist Robert Kane.
The Fitzgibbon Cup is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions in Ireland.
The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. The Sigerson Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideachais Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (CLG), the GAA's Higher Education Council.
The Irish Universities Rugby Union (IURU) is the representative body for University Rugby Union in Ireland. The Union was established in 1904 and currently consists of the following members; University College Dublin RFC, Dublin University FC, Queen's University RFC, University College Cork RFC, NUI Galway R.F.C., Maynoooth University R.F.C., University of Ulster Coleraine RFC, Dublin City University In addition University of Limerick annually compete in IURU competitions.
The Ashbourne Cup is an Irish camogie tournament played each year to determine the national champion university or third level college. The Ashbourne Cup is the highest division in inter-collegiate camogie. The competition features many of the current stars of the game and is sometimes known as the 'Olympics of Camogie' because of the disproportionate number of All Star and All-Ireland elite level players who participate each year Since 1972 it has been administered by the Higher EducationArchived 31 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine committee of the Camogie Association.
The 2010 Ashbourne Cup inter-collegiate camogie championship was staged at the Cork IT sports complex in Bishopstown, Cork over the weekend of 20–21 February. It was won by Waterford Institute of Technology who defeated University College Cork in the final by two points, a repeat of the pairing and result, though not the margin of victory, of the 1999 final. Player of the tournament was WIT's Katrina Parrock.
The 2011 Ashbourne Cup inter-collegiate camogie championship was staged at the NUIG sports complex in Dangan, Galway over the weekend of February 19–20 with the finals in Pearse Stadium, Salthill. It was won by Waterford Institute of Technology who defeated University College Cork in the final by eight points, a repeat of the pairing and result, though not the margin of victory, of the 1999 final and 2010 final. Player of the tournament was WIT's Katrina Parrock.
The 2012 Ashbourne Cup inter-collegiate camogie championship was staged at the Waterford IT sports complex in Carraiganore over the weekend of 18–19 February. It was won for the fourth time in succession by Waterford Institute of Technology, after defeating University of Limerick in the final by ten points after UL's semi-final victory over Waterford's opponents in the 2010 and 2011 finals. Player of the tournament was WIT's Katrina Parrock.
The Collingwood Cup is an association football cup competition featuring university teams from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Universities Football Union, and is the oldest surviving all Ireland association football competition. University College Dublin were the inaugural winners, and later became the cup's most successful team. The competition has been played almost annually since 1914, taking a break during the First World War/Irish War of Independence era and again in 1932 and 1933 due to a dispute between the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland. In 2014 the Collingwood Cup celebrated its centenary with a dinner that featured Martin O'Neill as a guest speaker. The 2014 final was broadcast live on Setanta Sports and the tournament was sponsored by Eircom.
The 1999 Fitzgibbon Cup was the 86th staging of the Fitzgibbon Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1912. The first-round games were held on 30 January 1999, with Garda Síochána College hosting the latter stages of the cup from 27 to 28 February 1999.
The 2023 Sigerson Cup was the 110th staging of the Sigerson Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1910. It was sponsored by Electric Ireland, and known as the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup for sponsorship purposes. The draw for the group stage fixtures took place on 14 December 2022. The cup ran from 10 January to 16 February 2023.
