The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the ''University Education (Ireland) Act 1879'' as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. A

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

was issued on 27 April 1880 and examinations were open to candidates irrespective of attendance at college lectures. The first chancellor was the Irish chemist Robert Kane. The university became the first university in Ireland that could grant degrees to women on a par with those granted to men. The first nine women students graduated in 1884. It granted its first degree to a woman on 22 October 1884 to Charlotte M. Taylor (

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

). In 1888

Letitia Alice Walkington Letitia Alice Walkington ( – 28 May 1918) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer who was the first woman to graduate with a degree of Bachelor of Laws in Great Britain or Ireland, which she received from the Royal University of Ireland. Biography Walkingto ...

had the distinction of becoming the first woman in Great Britain or Ireland to receive a degree of

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

. Among the honorary degree recipients of the university was

Douglas Hyde Douglas Ross Hyde ( ga, Dubhghlas de hÍde; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician and diplomat who served as the first President of Ireland from June 1938 t ...

, founder of the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

and later

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

, who was awarded a DLitt in 1906.

Establishment

The Royal University of Ireland was the successor to the

Queen's University of Ireland The Queen's University of Ireland was established formally by Royal Charter on 3 September 1850, as the degree-awarding university of the ''Queen's Colleges'' of Belfast, Cork, and Galway that were established in 1845 "to afford a university e ...

, dissolved in 1882, and the graduates, professors, students and colleges of that predecessor were transferred to the new university. In addition to the Queen's Colleges,

Magee College The Ulster University Magee campus is one of the four campuses of Ulster University. It is located in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland and opened in 1865 as a Presbyterian Christian arts and Seminary, theological college. Since 1953, i ...

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

, Cecillia St. Medical School, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth and

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary secondary school, voluntary day school, day and boarding school, boarding Catholicism, Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, Dublin, Bl ...

presented students for examinations as well, and no special status was accorded to the colleges of the former Queen's University. After the 1880 reforms Catholic Colleges such as Carlow College, Holy Cross College and

("The French College") came under the Catholic University, and with a number of other seminaries presented students for examination by the RUI. External students at colleges that were not approved could sit examinations of the Royal University (and many did so) although they were considered at a disadvantage to those from designated colleges whose professors were part of the university. In fact, many schools, including convent schools (such as Dominican College, Eccles St, Dublin;

Alexandra College Alexandra College ( ir, Coláiste Alexandra) is a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its ...

, Dublin; Loreto College, St Stephen's Green, Dublin;

Methodist College, Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

; High School for Girls, Derry;

St Columb's College St Columb's College ( ga, Coláiste Naomh Colum Cille) is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland and, since 2008, a specialist school in mathematics. It is named after Saint Columba, the missionary monk from County Don ...

, Derry;

Mungret College Mungret College was a Jesuit apostolic school and a lay secondary school near Limerick, Ireland. Located on the western outskirts of the modern-day suburban town of Raheen, it was operational from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school f ...

, Limerick; Rutland School, Mountjoy Square, Dublin; Dominican College, Sion Hill, Dublin; St. Angela's College, Cork; St Louis's, Monaghan; Presentation College, Cork; Christian Brothers College, Cork; Rochelle College, Cork) prepared students for the examinations (including degree examinations) of the Royal University. Like the Queen's University, the Royal University was entitled to grant any degree, similar to that of any other university in the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...

, except in theology. The colleges themselves would award degrees in theology and divinity. The professorships and Senate of the Royal University were shared equally between

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 lette ...

s and

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

s. However, colleges of the university maintained full independence except in the awarding of degrees, and the compilation and enforcement of academic regulations and standards. The members of the Senate of the Royal University included

Gerald Molloy Gerald Molloy (born at Mount Tallant House, near Dublin, 10 September 1834; died at Aberdeen, 1 October 1906) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, theologian and scientist. Life He was educated at Castleknock College, and subsequently went to ...

William Joseph Walsh William Joseph Walsh (30 January 1841 – 9 April 1921) served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 3 July 1885 until his death in 1921. Early life and priestly ministry He was born at 11 Essex Quay in Dublin, the only child of Ralp ...

, John Healy, the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, George Arthur Hastings Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard,

Anthony Nugent, 11th Earl of Westmeath Anthony Francis Nugent, 11th Earl of Westmeath, (11 January 1870 – 12 December 1933), styled Lord Delvin from 1879 to 1883, was an Irish peer. He was elected a Representative Peer in 1901. Lord Westmeath occupied properties at Pallas and Spring ...

Daniel Mannix Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 – 6 November 1963) was an Irish-born Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th-century Australia. Early years and Maynoo ...

and George Johnston Allman.

Chancellors

* Robert Kane, Chemist, appointed 1880 *

William Monsell, 1st Baron Emly William Monsell, 1st Baron Emly, PC (21 September 1812 – 20 April 1894) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and Liberal politician. He held a number of ministerial positions between 1852 and 1873, notably as President of the Board of Health in 185 ...

(1885–1894 ) *

Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath, (31 July 1841 – 11 October 1929) was an Irish politician and philanthropist. The Honourable Reginald Brabazon was born into an old Anglo-Irish family in London, the second son of William Brabazon, 11t ...

(1902–1906) *

Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown Bernard Edward Barnaby FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, Order of St Patrick, KP, Order of St Michael and St George, CMG, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (I) (29 July 1848 – 29 May 1937) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Conservative Party (UK), C ...

(1906–1910)

Fellows

* Thomas Preston, scientist * William P Coyne, Economist *

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

, poet

Notable graduates

A high number of graduates of the university for the time were women (the first nine in 1884) because

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

did not accept female students until 1904. *

Thomas Joseph Campbell Thomas Joseph Campbell (14 December 1871 – 3 May 1946), known as T. J. Campbell, was an Irish politician, barrister, journalist, author and judge. Early life and education Campbell was born in Belfast on 14 December 1871. He studied at St Ma ...

- BA (1892), LL.B (1894), MA(1897), BL. *

Arthur W. Conway Arthur William Conway FRS (2 October 1875 – 11 July 1950) was a distinguished Irish mathematician and mathematical physicist who wrote one of the first books on relativity and co-edited two volumes of William Rowan Hamilton's collected works. ...

– BA (1896) – President of University College Dublin (1940–1947). *

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...

– Mathematics (1904),

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

and

* Alexander Ernest Donnelly * William Egan – M.B. Bch. B.A.O. Royal Army Medical Corp. World War I – Major DSO OBE * Eleanora Fleury – MB MD, first woman medical graduate in 1893 later working as psychiatrist *

Mary Hayden Mary Teresa Hayden (1862 – 12 July 1942) was an Irish historian, Irish-language activist and campaigner for women's causes. Biography Mary Hayden was educated initially at the Dominican College, Eccles Street and then at Alexandra College in ...

– BA in 1885, and MA in Modern Languages in 1887 *

John Hooper (Irish statistician) John Hooper (26 January 1878 – 29 December 1930) was an Irish statistician who served as the first director of statistics for the Irish Free State, starting in 1923. Biography John Hooper was born at 1 Anglesea Place, Cork city, son of politici ...

– BA (1898) – first Director of the Statistics Branch of the Department of Industry and Commerce in Ireland *

– Honorary Degree *

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

BA Modern Languages (1902) *

Kathleen Lynn Kathleen Florence Lynn (28 January 1874 – 14 September 1955) was an Irish Sinn Féin politician, activist and medical doctor. Lynn was so greatly affected by the poverty and disease among the poor in the west of Ireland that, at 16, she decid ...

– Medicine (1899) *

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill ( ga, Eoin Mac Néill; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ce ...

- Irish scholar and Sinn Féin politician * Isabella Mulvany BA (1884) – Principal of Alexandra College. * Kathleen O'Callaghan – A founder member of Cumann na mBan, and Sinn Féin TD. *

Agnes O'Farrelly Agnes O'Farrelly (born Agnes Winifred Farrelly; 24 June 1874 – 5 November 1951) ( ga, Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh; nom-de-plume 'Uan Uladh'), was an academic and Professor of Irish at University College Dublin (UCD).Ríona Nic Congáil, ''Úna N� ...

BA (1899), MA (1900) – Professor of modern Irish in UCD (1932–1947) *

James O'Mara page=2, alt=British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, class=notpageimage James O'Mara (6 August 1873 – 21 November 1948) was an Irish businessman and politician who became a nationalist ...

BA (1898) – Irish Parliamentary Party MP, and Sinn Féin MP for Kilkenny South. *

Alice Oldham Alice Oldham (1850–1907) was one of the '' Nine Graces'', the first nine women to graduate from University with a degree in either Great Britain or Ireland. Oldham was a leader of the campaign for higher education of women in Ireland and in p ...

BA, campaigned for women to be admitted to Trinity College Dublin. *

Pádraig Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who w ...

– BA Modern Languages (1901) * Thomas Preston, scientist and discoverer the Anomalous

Zeeman Effect The Zeeman effect (; ) is the effect of splitting of a spectral line into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field. It is named after the Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman, who discovered it in 1896 and received a Nobel prize ...

, among other achievements *

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington Johanna Mary Sheehy Skeffington (née Sheehy; 24 May 1877 – 20 April 1946) was a suffragette and Irish nationalist. Along with her husband Francis Sheehy Skeffington, Margaret Cousins and James Cousins, she founded the Irish Women's Franchis ...

– BA (1899), MA (1902) *

– BA (1885), MA (1886), LLB (1888), LLD (1889) * Cardinal D'Alton – Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1946–1963

Dissolution

Coat of arms, Queen's University, Belfast (2) - geograph

On 31 October 1909 the Royal University was dissolved; the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

and

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

took over its functions under the ''Irish Universities Act 1908'', which provided for the transfer of graduates, staff and students to one or the other of these new universities. The final degree congregation of the Royal University of Ireland in 1909 involving 350 students was accompanied by demonstrations in favour of the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

being compulsory for the new National University.

Arms

References

External links

Education,Higher - Ireland/Royal University of Ireland
index of official documents digitised by Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers On Ireland {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal University Of Ireland 1909 disestablishments in Europe 1882 establishments in Ireland Defunct universities and colleges in Ireland Educational institutions disestablished in 1909 Educational institutions established in 1882 University of Galway