‘Units’ in this database are national-level organisations which perform public functions under public authority. These include government departments, agencies, and commercial state-owned enterprises. For further details on the types of organisations included in the database, see the what we have done and why document.
Units can be searched by name, legal form, function, policy area, or date. On each unit’s page, information is available including dates of activity, alternate names, relevant legislation, related units, related events. and also data on characteristics such as legal form, policy area, function, accountability mechanisms, location, and parent bodies. For further details on the data recorded about each unit, see the Codebook
28 results
Name
| From
| To
| Description
| Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity College Dublin | 1592-03-03 | Founded by royal charter dated 3 March 1592 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.tcd.ie/ | |
| University College Cork | 1908-01-01 | Founded in 1845 under the name of Queen's College, Cork; then renamed as University College Cork by Charter in 1908; and under the Universities Act 1997 is known as National University of Ireland, Cork | McGauran et al. 2005; www.ucc.ie; Universities Act 1997 | |
| University of Galway | 1845-01-01 | Established in 1845 as Queen's College Galway; became University College Galway in 1908; under the Universities Act 1997 was known as National University of Ireland, Galway until 21 February 2024, when it was renamed University of Galway | McGauran et al. 2005; www.nuigalway.ie | |
| University College Dublin | 1881-01-01 | Known as Catholic University of Ireland from 1854 to 1881; in 1881 was renamed as University College Dublin; incorporated into NUI in 1908 | mcgauran et al. 2005; www.ucd.ie; University College Dublin Act 1934; University College Dublin Act 1960; Royal Universities Act 1881; Universities Act 1997 | |
| Higher Education Authority | 1968-08-15 | Placed on a statutory footing in 1972 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.hea.ie/; Higher Education Authority Act 1971; 'Higher Education Authority Formed' Irish Times, 16 August 1968 | |
| University of Limerick | 1989-06-22 | Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989. | McGauran et al. 2005; www.ul.ie; University of Limerick Act 1989; University of Limerick Act 1991; National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick Act 1980 | |
| Dublin City University | 1980-01-01 | Awarded University status in 1989 | http://www.dcu.ie/; National Institute For Higher Education, Dublin, Act, 1980; Dublin City University Act 1989 | |
| Department of Education and Science | 1997-10-01 | 2010-05-02 | http://www.education.ie/; S.I. No. 430/1997; S.I. No. 184/2010 | |
| Fulbright Commission Ireland | 1992-02-03 | An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte, established in 1957 by means of the Scholarship Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1957, was replaced under the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991. | http://www.fulbright.ie/; Scholarship Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1957; the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991; S.I. No. 354/1991. | |
| Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences | 2000-01-01 | 2012-03-29 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://research.ie/; Written answers, Tuesday, 13 May 2014, Department of Education and Skills -Departmental Bodies Data | |
| Irish Universities Quality Board | 2003-02-01 | 2012-11-06 | Universities Act 1997 set up Quality Assurance framework, from which the IUQB was developed; CRO has it registered form 21/02/06 | http://www.iuqb.ie/; Universities Act 1997; Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012; S.I. No. 436/2012; http://www.qualificationsandquality.ie/ |
| Department of Education (I) | 1924-06-01 | 1997-09-30 | Renamed the Department of Education and Science | S.I. 430/1997; Coakley & Gallagher 2005; Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 |
| An Bord Scoláireachtaí Cómalairte | 1957-12-23 | 1992-02-03 | Replaced by the Ireland - United States Commission for Educational Exchange (The Fulbright Commission) | Scholarship Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1957; the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991; http://www.fulbright.ie/ |
| National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick | 1972-01-01 | 1989-06-21 | Opening of National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick | Dáil Éireann - Volume 319 - 17 April, 1980 National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, Bill, 1980: Second Stage. |
| Department of Education and Skills | 2010-05-02 | 2020-10-22 | Succeeded by Department of Education (II) and some functions transferred to new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science | http://www.education.ie/; S.I. No. 184/2010; S.I. No. 450/2020; Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 2020 (No. 10 of 2020; S.I. No. 451/2020 |
| Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland | 2012-11-06 | QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland. | Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012; S.I. No. 436/2012; http://www.qualificationsandquality.ie/ | |
| Student Grants Appeals Board | 2011-09-08 | The Board reviews appeals from applicants, under the 2011 Student Grant Scheme onwards, in relation to the decision on their grant application. | http://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Bodies-and-Committees/Student-Grants-Appeals-Board.html; Student Support Act 2011 | |
| Student Universal Support Ireland | 2012-05-22 | Replaced the sixty-six local awarding authorities that existed previously. | http://www.susi.ie/; Student Support Act 2011; S.I. No. 161/2012 | |
| Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science | 2020-08-02 | Creation of a new Department which assumed a number of responsibilities within the remit of the prior Department of Education & Skills (as it then was) | Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 2020 (No. 10 of 2020); https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-higher-education-innovation-and-science/ | |
| Ministry of Education | 1922-01-11 | 1924-06-02 | Predated Saorstát Éireann.'Departments of State' referred to in general terms under Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922. Subsequently replaced by Department of Education (I) under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924) | Article 56 and the 'Transitory Provisions' of the Schedule to the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922 (No. 1 of 1922); Chubb 1970; https://www.gov.ie/ga/foilsiuchan/99eec5-second-dail/ |
| National College of Art and Design | 1971-12-01 | The origins of the College date from 1746 when Robert West had a private drawing school in George's Lane, Dublin, which was taken over by the Dublin Society (later the RDS). From 1854 the institution was controlled by the Department of Science and Art, London. In 1877 it was renamed The Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. The Department of Education took control in 1924, and twelve years later it became the National College of Art. On 1 May 1972 the National College of Art and Design was established under an Act of the Oireachtas passed on 1 December 1971 | https://www.ncad.ie/about/; National College of Art and Design Act 1971 (No. 28 of 1971); S.I. No. 108/1972 | |
| Royal College of Science for Ireland | 1867-01-01 | 1926-01-01 | An institute for higher education in Dublin which existed from 1867 to 1926, specialising in physical sciences and applied science. It was originally based on St. Stephen's Green, moving in 1911 to a purpose-built "Royal College of Science" building on Merrion Street. In 1926 it was absorbed into University College Dublin (UCD) as the faculty of Science and Engineering. | https://www.ucd.ie/merrionstreet/rcsci.html |
| The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland | 1839-01-01 | The Royal Institute of the Architects was founded by royal charter in 1839. It is the public competent authority and professional body for architects in Ireland | https://www.riai.ie/the-riai/about-the-riai; Building Control Act 2007 (No. 21 of 2007); S.I. No. 50/2008 | |
| Technological University Dublin | 2019-01-01 | Technological University Dublin was an amalgamation of the prior Dublin Institute of Technology with the Institutes of Technology Blanchardstown and Tallaght | Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018); S.I. No 437/2018 | |
| Munster Technological University | 2021-01-01 | Munster Technological University was an amalgamation of the prior Cork and Tralee Institutes of Technology | Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018); S.I. No. 568/2020 | |
| Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest | 2021-10-01 | Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest was an amalgamation of the prior Athlone and Limerick Institutes of Technology | Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018); S.I. No. 360/2021 | |
| Atlantic Technological University | 2022-04-01 | Atlantic Technological University amalgamated the previous institutes of technology of Galway-Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo. St Angela's College, Sligo, was also incorporated later | Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018); S.I. No. 56/2022; S.I. No. 356/2023 | |
| South East Technological University | 2022-05-01 | South East Technological University amalgamated the previous Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology | Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018); S.I. No. 175/2022 |