New beginnings: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Universities Act 1997

Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - 11:00

June 16, 2022 marks a special occasion for Maynooth staff and students alike, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Universities Act 1997. Established as the legal basis for the Irish university system, the 1997 Act led to Maynooth acquiring university status as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth for the first time. This important moment in the history of our university is documented in the Niamh Bhreathnach Archive, a fascinating collection of political papers held in Special Collections and Archives, Maynooth University Library. As Minister for Education at the time, Bhreathnach signed the Act, observing in a speech:

‘It is appropriate that I should do so in an institution which is both one of our oldest university institutions and now also the newest. The Universities Act is very much a new beginning for the National University of Ireland, Maynooth’ (13 June 1997).

For further information on the Niamh Bhreathnach Archive please contact: library.specialcollections@mu.ie