Mater Dei Institute of Education ( ga, Institiúid Oideachais Mater Dei) was a linked college of

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the '' National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its ...

from 1999 until its closure in 2016, located in Drumcondra, Dublin City,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, near

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and h ...

, on the site of what was formerly

Clonliffe College Holy Cross College (also known as Clonliffe College), located in Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra was founded in 1854 as the Catholic diocesan seminary for Dublin by Cardinal Paul Cullen. History The College was founded in 1859 by the then Archbish ...

, the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

for the

Archdiocese of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Ireland ...

. The college was founded by Archbishop

John Charles McQuaid John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. (28 July 1895 – 7 April 1973), was the Catholic Primate of Ireland and Archbishop of Dublin between December 1940 and January 1972. He was known for the unusual amount of influence he had over successive govern ...

in 1966 as an institute for the training and formation for teachers of religion in secondary schools in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

. Clonliffe was also affiliated to the Angelicum in Rome that offered a three-year course leading to a diploma and a four-year course leading to a Masters; Fr. Joseph Carroll was its first president. Other Presidents of the College included Msgr. Michael Nolan, Dr. Dermot Lane and Sr. Eileen Randles IBVN(1986-1995). The foundation of the college was a response to the challenges posed by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. It had a Roman Catholic ethos and had approximately 800 students. The college closed on 30 November 2016 when it was fully incorporated into the DCU Institute of Education, within which is ''The Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education (MDCCE)'' continuing its mission. The college offered several

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

courses, primarily in secondary religious education and specialized its

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

courses (including Doctorates) in religion, the humanities and education, and faith and culture as well as theology and philosophy in dialogue. The BA and MA in Religious Science were accredited by Maynooth(Pontifical University) which Mater Dei was affiliated to. In 1999 Mater Dei Institute of Education became a College of

. In 2002 it established an Irish Studies Department and offered a BA programme in Religious Studies and Irish Studies. The Institute saw this as a contribution to the understanding what was engendered by the

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

. The Institute also had links with colleges in Northern Ireland, France, Italy and the USA. Mater Dei partners with the Methodist

Edgehill Theological College Edgehill Theological College is the training institution for ministry in the Methodist Church in Ireland. It was founded in 1926 (ratified by Northern Ireland Parliament Act 1928) out of the Theology Department of Methodist College Belfast. Edg ...

(Belfast) co-offering such programmes as a BTh exploring faith together. In 2008 the relationship linking Dublin City University with All Hallows,

St. Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra St Patrick's College ( ga, Coláiste Phádraig), often known as St Pat's, was a third level institution in Ireland, the leading function of which was as the country's largest primary teacher training college, which had at one time up to 2,000 s ...

and Mater Dei Institute of Education was revised. The Institute was engaged in the

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

student exchange programme with other colleges in Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. Mater Dei Dublin

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mater Dei Institute Of Education Dublin City University Former universities and colleges in the Republic of Ireland Former education schools in Ireland Catholic universities and colleges in the Republic of Ireland Educational institutions established in 1966 1966 establishments in Ireland Educational institutions disestablished in 2016 2016 disestablishments in Ireland