University College, Dublin

Established in 1854 and originally known as the Catholic University of Ireland and subsequently as the Royal University, the University became UCD in 1908 and a constituent college of the National University of Ireland, (NUI). In 1997, UCD became an autonomous university within the loose federal structure of the UCD and its students are awarded degrees from the National University of Ireland.

UCD has been a major contributor to the making of modern Ireland. Many alumni and staff participated in the struggle for Irish independence and the university has produced numerous Irish Presidents and Prime Ministers in addition to generations of Irish business, professional, cultural and sporting leaders. Among well-known graduates are authors Maeve Binchy, Roddy Doyle, Flann O’Brien, Colm Tóibín), actors Gabriel Byrne, Brendan Gleeson and artists Graham Knuttel, Conor Fallon, Anne Madden and Patrich Hickey. Perhaps the best known of all its graduates is the writer James Joyce, who completed his Bachelor of Arts at the university in 1902.