130-396: Mary Patricia McAleese ( / ˌ m æ k ə ˈ l iː s / MAK -ə- LEESS ; Irish : Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa ; née Leneghan ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997 , having received
260-645: A Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) degree. She was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1974, and was later called to the Irish Bar . In 1976, she married Martin McAleese , an accountant and dentist. He assisted his wife with some of her initiatives as president. They have three children: Emma, born in 1982, who graduated as an engineer from University College Dublin and graduated as a dentist from Trinity College Dublin; and twins born in 1985, Justin, an accountant with
390-594: A Church of Ireland cathedral in Dublin , for which she incurred some criticism from some of the Irish Catholic hierarchy. Though a Catholic , McAleese holds liberal views on homosexuality and women priests . She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and was ranked the 64th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes . In spite of some minor controversies, McAleese remained popular, and her presidency
520-546: A Fianna Fáil candidate in the Dublin South-East constituency at the 1987 general election , receiving 2,243 votes (5.9%). McAleese has a long-standing involvement in ecumenism and anti-sectarianism. She co-chaired the working party on sectarianism set up by the Irish Inter-Church Meeting in 1991 and its report (1993) was described by Professor Marianne Elliot as "the most notable" work of
650-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
780-487: A Euro Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, opened. In 2004, Hugh Brady was appointed president. In 2006, UCD Horizons begins. In 2009, Trinity and UCD announce the Innovation Alliance. In 2010, NCAD and UCD form an academic alliance. In 2012 the expanded Student and Sports Centre opened. In 2012, the college closed the athletics track and field facilities and students demanded an apology. In 2013,
910-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
1040-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
1170-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
1300-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
1430-576: A doctorate in Catholic canon law . McAleese used her time in office to address issues concerning justice , social equality , social inclusion , anti- sectarianism and reconciliation. She described her presidency's theme as "Building Bridges". This bridge-building materialised in her attempts to reach out to the unionist community in Northern Ireland. These steps included celebrating the Twelfth of July at Áras an Uachtaráin and taking Communion in
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#17327934227081560-522: A following opinion poll. While Cardinal Desmond Connell called her action a "sham" and a "deception", Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said it was ironic that "the Church was condemning an act of reconciliation and bridge-building between the denominations". In 1998, she met Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston on an official visit to the United States . In an interview in 2012, she said that Law told her he
1690-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
1820-520: A hostel for homeless men in Dublin in the morning and spent the afternoon moving out of Áras an Uachtaráin. First term Second term In May 2012, the Irish Times reported that she had voluntarily returned more than €500,000 in unused Presidential Allowance funds, accrued over the 14 years of her term of office as well as gifting the overwhelming majority of the gifts received during her term to
1950-575: A joint appointment between the university's College of Arts and College of Social Sciences. On 1 November 2019, McAleese was elected as Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin. McAleese is an executive fellow of the Notre Dame School of Global Affairs and Chair of the Institute for Global Religions. In 2024, McAleese joined forces with broadcaster Mary Kennedy to host the " Changing Times - The Allenwood Conversations " podcast. The podcast
2080-571: A journalist and presenter, during one period as a reporter and presenter for their Frontline replaced by Today Tonight in 1980 programme. However, in RTÉ, she and Alex White (then a TV producer and later a Labour Party TD) were attacked and criticised by a group led by Eoghan Harris , associated with the Workers' Party , over what they perceived as her bias towards republican groups in the North. McAleese
2210-773: A master's degree from University College Dublin, and SaraMai, who obtained a master's degree in biochemistry at the University of Oxford . Ahead of the 2015 marriage equality referendum , Justin spoke publicly about growing up gay. Every year she spends some time with the Poor Clares . In 1975, having spent a year as a practising barrister in Belfast, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology in Trinity College Dublin, succeeding Mary Robinson . Also in 1975, McAleese chaired
2340-577: A meeting at Liberty Hall that advocated a woman's right to choose and was quoted as saying that "I would see the failure to provide abortion as a human rights issue". She later claimed that she was given to understand that the nature of the meeting was to be a discussion among all sides and opinions. During the same decade, she was a legal advisor to and a founding member of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform . She left this position in 1979, to join RTÉ as
2470-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
2600-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
2730-530: A plan to merge UCD and Trinity. Between 1969 and 1970, the Faculties of Commerce, Arts and Law moved to Belfield. In 1972, Thomas Murphy was appointed president. In 1973, the library opened. In 1980, the college purchased Richview and 17.4 acres and the architecture faculty moved there. In 1981, the Sports Complex opened. In 1986, Patrick Masterson was appointed president. During the 1990s, some of
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#17327934227082860-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
2990-547: A result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within
3120-417: A second term in the 2004 presidential election . Following the failure of any other candidate to secure the necessary support for nomination, the incumbent president stood unopposed, with no political party affiliation, and was declared elected on 1 October 2004. She was re-inaugurated at the commencement of her second seven-year term on 11 November 2004. McAleese's very high approval ratings were widely seen as
3250-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
3380-603: Is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as
3510-591: Is a major holder of archives of national and international significance relating to the Irish War of Independence . In 1913, in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers , Eóin MacNeill , professor of early Irish history, called for the formation of an Irish nationalist force to counteract it. The Irish Volunteers were formed later that year and MacNeill was elected its Chief-of-staff. At
3640-625: Is a public research university in Dublin , Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland . With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest university and among Europe's most prestigious. UCD originates in a body founded in 1854, which opened as the Catholic University of Ireland on the feast of St. Malachy with John Henry Newman as its first rector; it re-formed in 1880 and chartered in its own right in 1908. The Universities Act, 1997 renamed
3770-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
3900-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
4030-762: Is made up of the Quinn School of Business, the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School , and UCD Business International Campus. The former constituent school, the UCD Quinn School of Business (commonly The Quinn School), is the building in which the UCD College of Business's undergraduate programme is based. It is located in a three-story building on the Belfield campus and is named after Lochlann Quinn , one of
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4160-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
4290-554: Is part of the UCD Environmental Research Station. O'Reilly Hall, opened in 1994, was designed by the Irish architecture firm Scott Tallon Walker . In 1964, Jeremiah Hogan was appointed president and Thomas E. Nevin led the science faculty to move to a new campus at Belfield . Also that year, UCD became the first university in Europe to launch an MBA programme. In 1967, Donogh O'Malley proposed
4420-617: Is produced by Enda Grace at Dundara Television and Media in Allenwood, County Kildare . McAleese is an alumna of the Pontifical Gregorian University where she obtained her licentiate of canon law in 2014 and a doctorate of canon law in 2018. On 22 September 2018, McAleese publicly defended her thesis on "Children's Rights and Obligations in Canon Law" at the Pontifical Gregorian University . The defence
4550-657: Is regarded as successful. Born Mary Patricia Leneghan ( Irish : Máire Pádraigín Ní Lionnacháin ), in Ardoyne , north Belfast to Paddy Leneghan from Croghan, County Roscommon and Claire McManus from County Antrim. She is a Catholic but grew up in a largely Protestant neighbourhood. Loyalists forced her family to leave the area when the Troubles broke out. She was educated at St Dominic's High School , an all-girls Catholic grammar school in Belfast. She studied law at Queen's University Belfast , graduating in 1973 with
4680-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
4810-472: Is where parts of the suburb of Ballymun are located. The new campus was largely designed by A&D Wejchert & Partners Architects and includes several notable structures, including the UCD Water Tower which was built in 1972 by John Paul Construction. The Tower won the 1979 Irish Concrete Society Award. It stands 60 metres high with a dodecahedron tank atop a pentagonal pillar. The Tower
4940-666: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
5070-448: The .ie domain in the late 1980s. The NovaUCD initiative is UCD's innovation and technology transfer centre, funded through a public-private partnership. In 2004, Duolog relocated its Dublin headquarters to NovaUCD. The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 , or EIRSAT-1, is a 2U CubeSat under development at UCD and will be Ireland's first satellite. The students' union in the college has been an active part of campaigns run by
5200-670: The Easter Rising . Several UCD staff and students participated in the rising, including Pádraig Pearse , Thomas MacDonagh , Michael Hayes and James Ryan , and a smaller number, including Tom Kettle and Willie Redmond , fought for the British in World War I . Many UCD staff, students and alumni fought in the Irish War of Independence . Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty , four UCD graduates joined
5330-587: The Fianna Fáil nomination for the Irish presidency. Her opponents in the 1997 presidential election were Mary Banotti , nominated by Fine Gael , Adi Roche nominated by the Labour Party , Democratic Left and the Green Party , and two candidates standing as Independents nominated by local authorities: Dana Rosemary Scallon and Derek Nally . McAleese won 45.2% of first preference votes. In
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5460-564: The Irish Film Board on a mission to promote the Irish film and television industry. A reception held in her honour was attended by Ed Begley, Jr. and Fionnula Flanagan . She later met the Governor of California , Arnold Schwarzenegger . In 2009, Forbes named her among the hundred most powerful women in the world later that year. McAleese undertook an official two-day visit to London on 28–29 February 2010, where she visited
5590-555: The National University of Ireland was founded and the following year the Royal University was dissolved. This new university was brought into existence with three constituent University Colleges – Dublin, Galway and Cork . Following the establishment of the NUI, D. J. Coffey, Professor of Physiology, Catholic University Medical School, became the first president of UCD. The Medical School in Cecilia Street became
5720-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
5850-782: The Royal College of Science on Merrion Street, is now the location of the renovated Irish Government Building, where the Department of the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) is situated. University College Dublin also had a site in Glasnevin for much of the last century, the Albert Agricultural College , the southern part of which is now occupied by Dublin City University , the northern part
5980-626: The VERITAS and INTEGRAL experiments) and Experimental particle physics (participating in the Large Hadron Collider experiments LHCb and CMS ). Amongst the research institutes of the university are: Wide partnerships in which UCD is involved include: The most prominent UCD-related company is the IE Domain Registry ; many UCD academics continue to sit on the board of directors. UCD originally gained control of
6110-701: The government of the Irish Free State . UCD graduates have since participated in Irish political life – three of the nine Presidents of Ireland and six of the fourteen Taoisigh have been either former staff or graduates. In 1926, the University Education (Agriculture and Dairy Science) Act transferred the Royal College of Science in Merrion Street and Albert Agricultural College in Glasnevin to UCD. In 1933, Belfield House
6240-400: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
6370-604: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
6500-527: The 2025 QS World University Rankings , UCD was ranked as 126nd in the world. The 2022 QS World University Rankings for employability and reputation rate UCD as first in Ireland and 87th in the world. The 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed UCD in the range of 201–250. It also ranked it 101–200th in the 2022 Impact Rankings. The QS Subject Ranking: Veterinary Science , 2018 ranked UCD 24th globally and first in Ireland. The 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranked UCD as
6630-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
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#17327934227086760-466: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
6890-419: The Catholic University Medical School was opened on Cecilia Street. As a private university, Catholic University was never given a royal charter, and so was unable to award recognised degrees and suffered from chronic financial difficulties. Newman left the university in 1857. In 1861, Bartholomew Woodlock was appointed Rector and served until he became Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in 1879. Henry Neville
7020-404: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
7150-454: The Inter-Church Meetings. McAleese was the author and presenter of a successful BBC Radio Ulster series called "The Protestant Mind" which encouraged the divided communities in Northern Ireland to try to stand in each other's shoes. McAleese was a member of the Catholic Church Episcopal Delegation to the New Ireland Forum in 1984, and a member of the Catholic Church delegation to the Northern Ireland Commission on Contentious Parades in 1996. She
7280-508: The Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas. McAleese is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders , an international network of current and former women Presidents and Prime Ministers, whose mission is to mobilise the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. In 1997, McAleese defeated former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and former minister Michael O'Kennedy in an internal party election held to determine
7410-685: The Irish State (for EU citizens) and by students themselves under the "Free Fees Initiative". Postgraduate fees vary depending on the student nationality, course and degree type, ranging from 7,000€ to 22,000€ per year. The initial patrons and benefactors of UCD were the Catholic Church. Amongst the most recent patrons include actor Gregory Peck , who was a founding patron of the School of Film. Other benefactors include Lochlann Quinn ( UCD Quinn School of Business ), Michael Smurfit ( Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School ), Peter Sutherland (Sutherland School of Law), Tony O'Reilly (O'Reilly Hall) and Denis O'Brien (O'Brien Science Centre). In
7540-425: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
7670-449: The Modernisation of Higher Education in the European Union. Her work on the Commission earned her the Universitas21 2016 Gilbert Award. In 2013, McAleese was appointed Chair of the Von Hugel Institute at the University of Cambridge . In March 2013, McAleese was named as the Burns Scholar at Boston College , USA. In 2014, McAleese was appointed Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies at St Mary's University, Twickenham In 2015, McAleese
7800-407: The National Union, USI , and has played a role in the life of the college since its foundation in 1974. The Union has also taken stances on issues of human rights that have attracted attention in Ireland and around the world; in particular, it implemented a ban of Coca-Cola products in Student Union controlled shops on the basis of alleged human and trade union rights abuses in Colombia . This ban
7930-438: The Pope and embarked on other official duties, including a trip to St. Isidore's College , a talk at the Pontifical Irish College and a Mass said especially for the Irish Embassy at Villa Spada chapel. In August 2007, she spoke out against homophobia at the International Association of Suicide Prevention's 24th Biennial Conference. She paid a seven-day visit to Hollywood in December 2008, alongside Enterprise Ireland and
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#17327934227088060-424: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
8190-497: The Royal University system. In 1883, Fr William Delany SJ was appointed the first president of University College. The college attracted academics from around Ireland, including Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins and James Joyce . Some notable staff and students at the school during this period included Francis Sheehy-Skeffington , Patrick Pearse , Hugh Kennedy , Hannah O'Leary, Eoin MacNeill , Kevin O'Higgins , Tom Kettle , James Ryan , Douglas Hyde and John A. Costello . In 1908,
8320-404: The UCD Medical Faculty and the Faculty of Commerce was established. Under the Universities Act, 1997, University College Dublin was established as a constituent university within the National University of Ireland framework. In 1911, land donated by Lord Iveagh helped the university expand in Earlsfort Terrace /Hatch Street/ St Stephen's Green. Iveagh Gardens was part of this donation. UCD
8450-399: The UCD O'Brien Centre for Science opened and the UCD Sutherland School of Law opened. It is now the largest Common Law law school in the European Union. In 2015, UCD opened a global centre in the US. In 2019, UCD became the first Irish university to launch a Black Studies module, coordinated by Dr Ebun Joseph and Prof Kathleen Lynch . In March 2022 Prof Andrew Deeks resigned to take up
8580-624: The Valedictorian Address at her graduation. In 2012, McAleese published Quo Vadis? Collegiality in the Code of Canon Law (Columba Press). The book was launched in Rome at the Irish Franciscan College of St. Isidore's and in Dublin at the Redemptorists Centre at Marianella by the Former Chief Justice of Ireland , Ronan Keane In 2019, McAleese published Children's Rights & Obligations in Canon Law: The Christening Contracts (Brill Publishers). Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
8710-577: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
8840-428: The building was renamed the Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington Building. In 1990, the UCD purchased Carysfort College, Blackrock, and became the location of the Smurfit Graduate school of business . The first student village, Belgrove, opened that year as well. In 1992, the second student village, Merville, opened and the Centre for Film studies was established. In 1993, Art Cosgrove was appointed president. In 1994, O'Reilly Hall
8970-399: The constituent university as the "National University of Ireland, Dublin", and a ministerial order of 1998 renamed the institution as "University College Dublin – National University of Ireland, Dublin". Originally located at St Stephen's Green and Earlsfort terrace in Dublin's city centre, all faculties later relocated to a 133-hectare (330-acre) campus at Belfield , six kilometres to
9100-458: The day. She began an official visit to New York City for several days, on 16 May 2010. She began by appearing at an Irish Voice event in honour of life science . She then addressed business leaders at the New York Stock Exchange to say Irish people were "as mad as hell" over the Irish banking crisis , and opened the An Gorta Mór ( Great Famine ) exhibition with a speech promising that Ireland's foreign policy focussed on global hunger. She
9230-418: The early 1960s when the faculty of science moved to the new 1.4 square kilometres (350 acres) park campus at Belfield in a suburb on the south side of Dublin. The Belfield campus developed into a complex of modern buildings and inherited Georgian townhouses, accommodating the colleges of the university as well as its student residences and many leisure and sporting facilities. One of UCD's previous locations,
9360-718: The education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
9490-474: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
9620-560: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
9750-512: The first state visit by a British monarch since Ireland had gained independence. McAleese had been eager to have the Queen visit Ireland, and the event was widely welcomed as a historic success. In past media interviews, prior to the Queen's visit, President McAleese had stated on several occasions that the highlight of her presidency to date was the opening ceremony of the 2003 Special Olympics World Games , which she describes as "a time when Ireland
9880-578: The first time in Ireland, higher-level education for followers of the Catholic Church and taught by such people. The Catholic hierarchy demanded a Catholic alternative to the University of Dublin's Trinity College , whose Anglican origins the hierarchy refused to overlook. Since the 1780s, the University of Dublin had admitted Catholics to study; a religious test, however, hindered the efforts of Catholics in their desire to obtain membership in
10010-557: The importance of competence, she launched an unprecedented attack on the Central Bank of Ireland , for their role in the financial crisis which resulted in tens of thousands of people in mortgage arrears. The President turned down an invitation to be Grand Marshal at the 250th St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City planned for 2011. The parade organisers refused to allow gay people to march under their banner, and there
10140-728: The inaugural speaker at the first Conversations Across Walls and Borders event in First Derry Presbyterian Church . She voluntarily donated more than 60 gifts given to her over the 14 years, and worth about €100,000, to the Irish state. McAleese left office on 10 November 2011; she was succeeded by Michael D. Higgins , who had been elected in the presidential election held on 27 October 2011. On 10 November 2011, her last day in office, she thanked Ireland for her two terms in an article in The Irish Times . She performed her last official public engagement at
10270-600: The institution founded in 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland . Renamed University College in 1883 and put under the control of the Jesuits in 1883, it became University College Dublin in 1908, a constituent college of the National University of Ireland under the Universities Act. After the Catholic Emancipation period of Irish history, Archbishop of Armagh attempted to provide, for
10400-716: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
10530-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
10660-476: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
10790-557: The main financial contributors to the school. Other donors included Bank of Ireland , AIB , Irish Life & Permanent , Accenture , KPMG , PwC , Dunnes Stores and Ernst & Young . When first opened in 2002, it claimed to be the only business school in Europe with a specific focus on technology and e-learning . At the beginning of the 2005/2006 academic year, UCD introduced the Horizons curriculum, which completely semesterised and modularised all undergraduate courses. Under
10920-520: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
11050-804: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
11180-414: The new curriculum, students choose ten core modules from their specific subject area and two other modules, which can be chosen from any other programme at the university. UCD is also home to UCD Professional Academy, which offers career development through a range of professional diplomas. Subject areas include Business, IT, Management, Marketing and Design. Undergraduate fees are funded in part by
11310-469: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
11440-646: The nickname the " Fighting Irish ". She attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II on 8 April 2005, and the Papal Inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI on 24 April 2005. McAleese attended the canonisation by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome of Charles of Mount Argus on 3 June 2007. She was accompanied by her husband, Martin , Cardinal Desmond Connell , Mary Hanafin , the Minister for Education and Science , together with bishops and other pilgrims. She later met
11570-494: The nomination of Fianna Fáil . She succeeded Mary Robinson , making her the second female president of Ireland, and the first woman in the world to succeed another woman as president. She nominated herself for re-election in 2004 and was returned unopposed for a second term. Born in Ardoyne , north Belfast , McAleese is the first president of Ireland to have come from either Northern Ireland or Ulster . McAleese graduated in law from Queen's University Belfast . In 1975, she
11700-588: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
11830-503: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
11960-607: The outbreak of World War I , in view of the Home Rule Act 1914 and the political perception that it might not be implemented, the leader of the Home Rule Party, John Redmond , urged the Irish Volunteers to support the British war effort as a way of supporting Irish Home Rule. This effort on behalf of Home Rule included many UCD staff and students. Many of those who opposed this move later participated in
12090-658: The pair spoke for 35 minutes over lunch. She made an official visit to Russia , with Minister of State , Billy Kelleher , for four days in September 2010, and met with President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev . She spoke kindly of Mikhail Gorbachev , officially invited Medvedev to Ireland, and addressed students at a university in Saint Petersburg . She called for warmer relations between the European Union and Russia. On her state tour to Russia, highlighting
12220-557: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
12350-708: The reason for her re-election, with no opposition party willing to bear the cost (financial or political) of competing in an election that would prove difficult to win. On 27 January 2005, following her attendance at the ceremony commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp , she created friction by referring to the way some Protestant children in Northern Ireland had been raised to hate Catholics, just as European children "for generations, for centuries" were encouraged to hate Jews . These remarks provoked outrage among unionist politicians . McAleese later apologised, conceding that her comments had been unbalanced because she had criticised only
12480-492: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
12610-488: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
12740-647: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
12870-491: The role of vice-Chancellor at Murdoch University, in Perth, Western Australia. Prof Mark Rogers was appointed acting president. UCD consists of six colleges, their associated schools (37 in total) and multiple research institutes and centres. Each college also has its own Graduate School , for postgraduates. List of colleges and their respective schools following restructuring in September 2015. The UCD College of Business
13000-420: The second and final count, McAleese was elected having obtained 55.6% of votes against Banotti. On 11 November 1997, she was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland. Within weeks of this, she made her first official overseas trip to Lebanon . McAleese described the theme of her presidency as "building bridges". The first individual born in Northern Ireland to become President of Ireland, President McAleese
13130-642: The second best university in Ireland and 253rd globally. UCD's Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is ranked 22nd in the Financial Times' ranking of leading European Business Schools in 2022 and 1st in Ireland. UCD was The Sunday Times University of the Year 2006 and 2020. UCD had a research income of €155.7 million during 2021/22. The School of Physics hosts research groups in Astrophysics, space science and relativity theory (members of
13260-641: The sectarianism found on one side of the community. She was the Commencement Speaker at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania , on 22 May 2005. The visit prompted protests by conservatives because of the president's professing heterodox Catholic views on homosexuality and women in the priesthood. She was the commencement speaker at the University of Notre Dame on 21 May 2006. In her commencement address, among other topics, she spoke of her pride at Notre Dame's Irish heritage, including
13390-569: The sexual abuse scandal, among other things. When McAleese looked at the scandal, she said "I was struck by what investigators said about canon law and canon lawyers. It was a scathing indictment: In not one single incidence of sexual abuse had canon law been able to do anything on the victim's side, nothing useful or helpful." In 2012, McAleese was announced as the Chair of the European Commission High Level Group on
13520-780: The site of the 2012 Summer Olympics , and was guest of honour at the Madejski Stadium for a rugby union match between London Irish and Harlequin F.C. On 13 May 2010, she attended the Balmoral Show at the Balmoral Showgrounds , which includes the King's Hall, in south Belfast. Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness and Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew gave her breakfast and walked around with her during
13650-653: The south of the city centre. In 1991, it purchased a second site in Blackrock, which currently houses the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School . A report published in May 2015 asserted that the economic output generated by UCD and its students in Ireland amounted to €1.3 billion annually. Five Nobel Laureates are among UCD's alumni and current and former staff. Additionally, four Taoisigh (Prime Ministers) and three Irish Presidents have graduated from UCD, along with one President of India. UCD can trace its history to
13780-535: The state and Gaisce . Mary McAleese along with her husband Martin were awarded the Tipperary Peace Prize in January 2012. In 2018, McAleese was awarded a doctorate in canon law (JCD) from Pontifical Gregorian University . She had previously said that she obtained a master's degree and licentiate in canon law and her interest grew because of her concern about what has been happening in the Church –
13910-403: The students of Women's Studies, led by Niamh Nolan, petitioned to rename their Gender Studies building after Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington to honour her contribution to women's rights and equal access to third-level education. Her husband Francis Sheehy-Skeffington was himself an alumnus of the university and Hanna of the Royal University, a sister university of UCD. Their campaign was successful and
14040-454: The university's governing bodies. Thus, in 1850 at the Synod of Thurles , it was decided to open a university in Dublin for Catholics. As a result of these efforts, a new "Catholic University of Ireland" opened in 1854 on St Stephen's Green , with John Henry Newman appointed as its first rector. The Catholic University opened its doors on the feast of St Malachy, 3 November 1854. In 1855,
14170-671: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
14300-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
14430-523: Was "sorry for Catholic Ireland to have you as President" and went on to insult a Minister of State , who was accompanying McAleese. "His remarks were utterly inappropriate and unwelcome," she said. McAleese told the cardinal that she was the "President of Ireland and not just of Catholic Ireland". At this point, a heated argument ensued between the two, according to McAleese. McAleese's first seven-year term of office ended in November 2004, but she stood for
14560-497: Was Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University of Belfast . In March 1998, President McAleese stated that she would officially celebrate the Twelfth of July as well as Saint Patrick's Day , recognising the day's importance among Ulster Protestants . She also incurred some criticism from some of the Irish Catholic hierarchy by taking communion in a Church of Ireland ( Anglican ) Cathedral, in Dublin, on 7 December 1997, although 78 per cent of Irish people approved of her action in
14690-465: Was a regular visitor to Northern Ireland throughout her presidency, where she was on the whole warmly welcomed by both communities, confounding critics who had believed she would be a divisive figure. People from Northern Ireland, indeed people from right across the nine-county Province of Ulster , were regular and recurring visitors to Áras an Uachtaráin while she was president. She is also an admirer of Queen Elizabeth II , whom she came to know when she
14820-498: Was also a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Trade and Investment in Ireland and to the subsequent Pittsburgh Conference in 1996. She became the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast. Prior to becoming president in 1997, McAleese had also held the following positions: Channel 4 Television , Director, Northern Ireland Electricity , Director, Royal Group of Hospitals Trust and Founding member of
14950-726: Was also present at St. Patrick's Cathedral for a Famine mass and went to the Battery Park City 's Irish Hunger Memorial to see the official New York commemoration of the 19th-century Irish Famine. On 22 May 2010, she delivered the keynote address at Fordham University 's 165th Commencement. She opened the Bloom Festival , Ireland's largest gardening show, on 3 June 2010, acknowledging an improved interest in gardening in Ireland, particularly among younger people. On 13 June 2010, McAleese began an official visit to China . She met with Vice President of China Xi Jinping and
15080-531: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
15210-437: Was appointed Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin , and in 1987 she returned to her alma mater, Queen's, to become director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994, she became the first female pro-vice-chancellor of Queen's University. She worked as a barrister and as a journalist with RTÉ . She is an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge . She has also earned
15340-662: Was appointed Rector to replace Woodlock. In 1880, the Royal University of Ireland was established and allowed students from any college to take examinations for a degree. In 1882, Catholic University reorganised, and the St Stephen's Green institution (the former Arts school of the Catholic University) run by the Irish Jesuits, was renamed University College, and it began participating in
15470-823: Was at its superb best". While opening the National Ploughing Championships in County Kildare in September 2011, she spoke of her sadness that she would soon no longer be president, saying: "I'm going to miss it terribly ... I'll miss the people and the engagement with them". Mary McAleese made her final overseas visit as head of state to Lebanon in October 2011, the location of her very first official overseas visit in 1997. While there she met with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman . Before her trip to Lebanon she visited Derry , on one of her last official engagements to Northern Ireland, becoming
15600-853: Was conducted in Italian. McAleese was questioned by Professor Robert J Geisinger S.J. and Professor Ulrich Rhode S.J. The Archbishop of Dublin , Diarmuid Martin , the Rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome and the Irish Ambassadors to Italy and the Holy See attended the defence. McAleese also holds a Masters in Canon Law (2010) from the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy . McAleese delivered
15730-652: Was critical of the Provisional IRA , but believed it was important to hear their side of the story; she opposed the Harris faction's support for Section 31 , which she believed was an attack on free speech. In 1981, she returned to the Reid Professorship, but continued to work part-time for RTÉ for a further four years. In 1987, she returned to Queen's University, to become Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. She stood, unsuccessfully, as
15860-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
15990-705: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to, in Ireland, as UCD ) ( Irish : Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath )
16120-527: Was media speculation that this was the reason for the refusal. A spokesperson for the President's office stated that, while honoured by the invitation, she could not attend because of "scheduling constraints". In March 2011, President McAleese invited Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom to make a state visit to Ireland . The Queen accepted, and the visit took place from 17 to 20 May 2011,
16250-716: Was opened. In Malaysia , UCD, together with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), owns a branch campus within George Town , the capital city of the State of Penang . Established in 1996, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus (RUMC) offers a twinning programme in Medicine where students spend the first half of their course in either RCSI or UCD, before completing their clinical years at RUMC. In 2003, NovaUCD,
16380-403: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
16510-439: Was purchased for sporting purposes. In 1940, Arthur Conway was appointed president. By the early 1940s, the college had become the largest third-level institution in the state and the college attempted to expand the existing city centre campus. It was later decided that the best solution would be to move the college to a larger greenfield site outside of the city centre and create a modern campus university . This move started in
16640-527: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
16770-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
16900-437: Was visiting fellow at the University of Notre Dame , USA. In 2018 McAleese was awarded a doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In October 2017, McAleese was appointed a Canon of the Church of Ireland 's Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and is a regular homilist at services there. On 1 October 2018, McAleese was appointed Professor of Children, Law and Religion at the University of Glasgow , Scotland,
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