National University of Ireland, Galway

From Queen's College to National University of Ireland, the University's past is intertwined with the history of Galway and Ireland.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. The University has had three 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 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 €400 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.