Ireland – a land of Saints and Scholars – has a long-standing and rich history of learning and discovery. Ammar, our UCD and Saudi Arabian Ambassador, gives us a run down of the country’s educational past and future, from the establishment of it’s historic universities to the set up of modern, world-class institutes…

Ireland offers several education and research opportunities in diverse fields including innovation, landscape, literature, and internationalisation among many others. Known for their friendliness and hospitality, the Irish people are welcoming, something that has contributed towards making foreign students feel at ease and easily adapt to the way of life in the country; both as nationals and as students.

The history of Ireland has been characterised by a deep respect and appreciation for education with rates of educational attainment in the country being unrivalled in many parts of the world.

Ireland has earned for itself the title ‘Land of Saints and Scholars’, thanks to its long history as the centre of learning in Europe. This history can be traced as far back as 500AD with its monks and monasteries greatly contributing to its current stature. The year 1592 remains historic to Trinity College Dublin as it is the year the college received its charter and officially became a full-fledged university. The year 1975 saw the establishment of National University of Ireland Maynooth (now Maynooth University). About 130 years later, in 1845, universities in Cork and Galway were also established.

The history of Ireland has been characterised by a deep respect and appreciation for education with rates of educational attainment in the country being unrivalled in many parts of the world. Ireland boasts of being a country in which more than 85% of its students complete secondary level education and more than 66% of them transition to higher level education. Even more, the country boasts of being the leading European country in terms of number of graduates per 1,000 nationals.

Globally, Irish research finds a place within the top 1% globally in 18 different fields of study.

In appreciation of its long history and tradition of academic excellence, the government is committed to investing in world class facilities. So far, 14 Institutes of Technology, seven universities, and several other globally recognised education and research centres on different campuses find residence in state-of-the-art facilities.

Globally, Irish research finds a place within the top 1% globally in 18 different fields of study. At the same time, none of the country’s universities falls short of being among the top 3% globally. Foreign students drawn from at least 160 different countries make about 12% of the student population in Ireland.

Visit the Education in Ireland website to find out more about studying abroad in Ireland