Ninth Level Ireland

“The approval of a major student apartment development near the Lough in Cork city has been described as a ‘hammer blow’ to the area. An Bord Pleanála has approved the construction of 57 apartments in four and five storey buildings on a site overlooking the Lough. The development, located on Bandon Road, will have space for 419 students …” (more)

[Kevin O’Neill, Irish Examiner, 2 May]

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was greeted by a silent protest at the University of Limerick this Thursday lunchtime. Students were demonstrating against the continued use of Direct Provision in Ireland, with UL student life welfare officer Lorcan O’Donnell describing it as ‘inhumane’ …” (more, video)

[Nick Rabbitts, Limerick Leader, 2 May]

“Access to Education: If you are a local candidate: Will you support fully publicly funded third level education in Ireland; Will you reject any move towards a student loan scheme system in Ireland; …” (more)

[USI, 2 May]

“Planning permission has been granted for a 57-room student apartment development overlooking The Lough despite opposition from locals in the area. The development will be located at the O’Riordan’s Joinery site on the Bandon Road and on a portion of the lands associated with the Church of the Immaculate Conception …” (more)

[Alan Healy, EchoLive, 2 May]

“Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is launching a worldwide fundraising campaign to help it reach a target of €400m to develop the campus, recruit more academic staff and improve the student experience generally. It is Trinity’s first major philanthropic campaign in its more than 400-year history and the largest ever undertaken in education on the island of Ireland …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 2 May]

“Sir, – Further to Barry O’Callaghan’s article of April 30th (‘The Leaving Cert is failing our children – here’s how to fix it’, Education Opinion, April 30th), could I suggest that the next time a column appears in The Irish Times in which the writer puts forward the proposition that the Leaving Cert is not fit for purpose …” (more)

[Greg Foley, Irish Times, 2 May]

“TU Dublin was established in January and the Munster consortium submitted their application in February. However, the South East grouping has yet to follow suit. Speaking in Waterford, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called on them to act …” (more)

[Liz Reddy, WLR FM, 1 May]

“The head of the Government’s defunct Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) John Concannon has left the civil service to take up a senior appointment with National University of Ireland, Galway. As assistant secretary in the Department of an Taoiseach, Mr Concannon was the head of the short-lived unit which was disbanded after a controversy of its handling of the Project Ireland 2040 campaign …” (more)

[Harry McGee, Irish Times, 2 May]

“Trinity College Dublin will generate €50 million in commercial revenues for the first time this year, its chief operating officer Geraldine Ruane has told The Irish Times. This is almost twice the level of five years ago and reflects a move by the university to build on this stream of income to help eliminate its financial deficit at a time when government funding of the sector has been reduced …” (more)

[Ciarán Hancock, Irish Times, 1 May]