Our History & Heritage

Our History

From Queen's College to University of Galway, the University's past is intertwined with the history of Galway and Ireland.

At midday on Tuesday October 30, 1849, the first students walked through the historic Archway into the Quadrangle to begin their studying and learning, four years on from the University being founded in 1845 as Queen’s College Galway.

To mark the anniversary, the University has launched a number of celebrations under the banner “A Legacy of Learning: 1849-2024".

Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

Staff, students and alumni are being invited to “adopt an oak”. Some 68 oak saplings - one to remember each one of our first students – have sprouted from acorns hidden on campus grounds by the local population of jays. One will be planted to the rear of the Quadrangle and the rest are offered to staff, students and alumni to plant in their own gardens, to enhance biodiversity and to symbolise the legacy of 175 years of Galway students. This project is a cross-campus collaboration, led by Dr Caitríona Carlin from the University's Applied Ecology Unit and Diarmaid Mahon, Supervisor of Landscaping and Grounds, with the support of Environmental Science students.

Update: This initiative proved very popular, and we are already oversubscribed. We have now closed the registration form. Thank you for your interest.

Historic Photo Re-enactment

Drawing on a number of heritage collections, the Library team have compiled a selection of evocative photos of students and the campus from the earliest years of the University. To mark the continuing Legacy of Learning, a competition has been launched asking students to recreate or situate one of the historic photos in a contemporary setting.

Click here to see how to Enter the Photo Competition

University Library in 100 Objects

The University Library has launched an exhibition to spotlight 100 objects from its collections, which represent both the working practice of librarians over the decades, as well our unique and rare archives and special collections. The Library’s history and development can be viewed through the prism of these objects, which were drawn together through a project led by Marie Boran, Special Collections Librarian, and include images from books, manuscripts, archival collections, letters, photographs, newspaper issues, library furniture, stationery and artefacts. This exhibition is open to the public in the foyer of the Hardiman Building from 24 October 2024 to 31 December 2024.

Celebrating Graduate Authors

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop in Galway city centre is renowned for its creative window displays. To mark the University’s anniversary of A Legacy of Learning, a display of books written by Galway graduates over the decades has been created to celebrate the impact of students and scholars over 175 years, running for the month of November 2024.

Previous Anniversaries

In 2016, to commemorate 100 years since the Easter Rising, colleagues from the Discipline of History compiled an exhibition relating to the University's role in the events of 1913-19. 'A University in War and Revolution, 1913-19' includes photographs from the time and details how staff and students - both male and female - participated in World War I in Europe and the Irish independence movement at home. It includes a sobering record of those students who lost their lives fighting in the war. 

View the exhibition online here.

Find out more about the people behind the exhibition here.

University College Galway’s Irish Volunteer Company, circa 1918

Early Beginnings

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The Quadrangle first opened its doors to 68 students on 30th October 1849 and the University, then known as Queen's College was born. The University was one of three Queen's Colleges, the others located in Cork and Belfast.

The Quadrangle building, built in local limestone in a Tudor Gothic architectural style, is modelled on Christ Church at the University of Oxford. The 'Quad' still stands proudly at the heart of the University today as a testament to its past. It is now used primarily for administrative purposes and houses the offices of the President and the Vice-Presidents.

In the first academic year, 1849 -1850, the University began with three faculties, Arts, Medicine and Law but there were also schools of Agriculture and Engineering. Female students later joined the student body and in 1906 Alice Perry graduated from the college, believed to be the first female engineering graduate in the world to receive a first class honours degree in civil engineering

There are many historical buildings on campus, such as the James Mitchell Museum, established in 1952. This geological museum contains high quality collections sampling a significant diversity of the planet's geology, with a fine display of fossils, minerals and rocks.

Changing with the Times

The University has had four different names:

• In 1849, it was called Queen's College Galway
• In 1908, it was changed to University College Galway, or UCG for short
• In 1997, it was changed again to National University of Ireland Galway, or NUI Galway for short
• In 2022, it was renamed to University of Galway

Newer parts of the University sprang up in the 1970s, including the iconic Arts/Science Concourse designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker. The 1990s also saw considerable development including the conversion of an old munitions factory into a student centre.

Since 2000, the University has invested over €500 million in new buildings and facilities across campus. The early 2000s saw the addition of the Cairnes Building, Áras Moyola and the award-winning Engineering Building, all located in the north campus.

In the 2010s, we added a new Biomedical Science research centre, the Lifecourse building, the O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, the new Human Biology building, and additional student accommodation in our Goldcrest Village apartments.

In the 2020s, we added 674 additional student beds to our campus residences in the Dunlin Village apartments.

In 2024, we began construction on a new Library and Learning Commons in the Central Campus. 175 years after our first students walked onto campus, this exciting new development promises to deliver new ways to engage students in learning, academic skills, technology and teamwork.

University Presidents through the Years

Professor Peter McHugh - 2024 

Professor Peter McHugh is Interim President of University of Galway, where his term commenced on 7 September 2024. A native of Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo and a graduate of University of Galway, Professor McHugh joined the University faculty in 1991 as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering. He was appointed as the University’s first Established Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 2007 and he served as Head of Biomedical Engineering within the School of Engineering from 2013 to 2023. He served as Dean of College and Head of School of Engineering and Informatics from 2016 to 2019, and Head of School of Engineering from 2019 to 2021. Under his leadership as Head of School, the School of Engineering developed its gender equality action plan, and building on this groundwork, the school went on to achieve the Athena SWAN Silver Award in 2022, the first School of Engineering in Ireland to achieve the recognition. Professor McHugh is an internationally recognised research leader in biomedical engineering and he was the founding Director of the Biomechanics Research Centre (BioMEC) at University of Galway.

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh - 2018-2024

Professor Ó hÓgartaigh's term of office commenced in January 2018. A native of Galway city and a graduate of University of Galway, Professor Ó hÓgartaigh came to the University from UCD, where he was Professor of Accounting and Dean of Business at UCD. Professor Ó hÓgartaigh introduced a values-based strategy for the University focused on embedding respect, openness, sustainability and excellence across our activities. He led the University through the Covid-19 pandemic, remotely maintaining teaching activities during a very challenging time. His term saw the University awarded its first institutional Athena Swan award. The University also focused on internationalisation through the Global Galway initiative, on sustainability through the establishment of a Sustainability Office, and on the Irish language through the development of our first Irish Language Strategy. Construction projects included the completion of the Dunlin Village student residences and the commencement of the new Library and Learning Commons. The University was also rebranded as 'University of Galway' during his term.

Dr James J. Browne - 2008-2018

An Engineering graduate of NUI Galway, Dr Browne is a former Dean of Engineering and Deputy-President of the University. Under his leadership the university expanded dramatically in terms of student recruitment, capital development, research output and international reputation. The campus was transformed with the addition of new facilities for teaching and research, including a state-of-the-art biomedical science complex, an award-winning Engineering building, a Human Biology building, medical academies in Galway, Castlebar and Letterkenny, an Arts & Humanities research facility to house the University's expanded archives, and a Centre for Drama and Theatre Studies, among others. Two SFI research centres specialising in medical devices and data analytics - CÚRAM and INSIGHT - were established here, our research community achieved over €100 million in EU Horizon 2020 funding and we climbed over 200 places in international rankings to be counted among the Top 1% of universities worldwide. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Dr Iognáid G. Ó Muircheartaigh - 2000-2008

Dr Ó Muircheartaigh's  term co-incided with development of a number of world-class research centres (eg. NCBES, REMEDI, DERI, Huston School of Film & Digital Media) and the construction of major new buildings, such as the Sports Centre, Áras Moyola, the IT Building and the Orbsen Building.  Widely known as 'Iggy', key achievements of his term include a new approach to the promotion of third level education through Irish and the amendment of the 1929 Act. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Dr Patrick F. Fottrell - 1996-2000

Dr Fottrell introduced the first strategic plan for the university in 1997 called Strategic Plan 2006, which resulted in the strengthening of research activities in the university and secured the development of the NUI Galway as a world-class university. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Dr Colm Ó hEocha, 1975-1996

Under Dr Ó hEocha's leadership, student numbers doubled, research flourished and the present modern campus took shape. Discover highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Dr Martin J. Newell, 1960-1975

An esteemed professor of Mathematics in UCG, Dr Newell became President in 1960 and implemented many changes to the University, its campus and particularly to the curriculum by adding many new disciplines. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Monsignor Pádraig de Brún, 1945-1959

Pádraig de Brún, was formerly a professor of Mathematics in Maynooth before he became President of UCG to which he brought his passionate belief in the importance of the Irish language. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Monsignor John Hynes, 1934-1945

John Hynes, a Professor of Archaeology was instrumental in securing funding for UCG at a time of acute financial crisis and ensured the survival of the university. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Alexander Anderson, 1899-1934

Alexander Anderson oversaw the transition from Queen's College Galway, a University of the United Kingdom to UCG, the designated Gaelic University of Saorstát Éireann and an increase in the student body from 100 to 600 people. Discover more highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

William Joseph M. Starkie, 1897-1899

William Starke had a background in Ethics, History, English literature and Classical studies, and during his time as President of UCG, he published many studies on Irish education and the Classics. Discover highlights from his term in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Thomas William Moffett, 1877-1897

Thomas William Moffett was a Professor of Logic and Metaphysics and held the chair of History and English Literature before becoming President of UCG. He wrote and lectured extensively on Economics. Discover highlights from his term in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.

Edward Berwick, 1849-1877

Edward Berwick ,with a background in Law, led the university through very difficult times and defended Queen's College against its many detractors, so ensuring the survival of the college. Discover highlights from this time in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above. 

The Rev. Joseph W. Kirwan, 1845-1849

A thoughtful and eloquent speaker Rev. Kirwan held a Docorate of Divinity was the first President of Queen's College Galway. Discover highlights from his term in the '175 Years of Memorable Moments' video above.