Tag Archives: LIT

LIT has confirmed its plans to open a new campus in Ennis on foot of a proposed capital investment of €0.75 million by Clare County Council. Located on Bindon Street in the town’s historic core, the new facility will enable a substantial increase in higher education activity in the town. Reflecting LIT’s regional development remit, the LIT Ennis campus will join LIT’s existing campuses at Clonmel and Thurles in County Tipperary; Moylish and Clare Street in Limerick City; and a new engineering-focused campus currently under development at Coonagh in Limerick. A total of six degree programmes in Social Care, Early Childhood Care and Education, and Marketing and Management are now available through the CAO at LIT in Ennis for September commencement. Possibilities for evening and professional learning will also be opened up. Commenting on the news, LIT President, Professor Vincent Cunnane said, “We are delighted to be able to progress our plans in Ennis. We intend to provide an expanded …

ENNIS is pulling out all the stops when it comes to reaping the benefits of coach tourism, including job creation and increased visitor numbers. The county capital will shortly be the first in the country to offer an accredited course for tour guides. It is expected that the Certificate in Arts in Local Heritage Tour Guiding, run through Limerick Institute of Technology, will be up and running in the coming months. Details of the initiative were unveiled at this week’s meeting of members of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Johnny Flynn, a member of the Ennis Coach-Friendly Committee, called for financial support to be given for its delivery. The course will be run as a joint tourism initiative between the local authority, local businesses, Ennis Chamber and LIT. The venture is the result of efforts being made to capitalise on Ennis’ achievement of Coach-Friendly Destination accreditation last year. Brian McCarthy, acting director of services, explained, “A working group/committee was formed …

PLANTS cultivated by a local biochemist and her team at the LIT CELLS research group look set for life on Mars, after a period in Antartica. The plants are scheduled to arrive in Antartica in the coming weeks for tests in extreme temperatures that replicate those of the red planet. A state-of-the-art plant cultivation facility, known as the EDEN-ISS Future Exploration Greenhouse (FEG) – which was also designed and built by the Limerick scientists and their EDEN-ISS partners – will house the growing plants and will be located beside Neumayer-Station III. Dr Tracey Larkin is one of the research scientists working as part of the EDEN-ISS consortium, which has been tasked with developing the technologies that will allow for sustainable food production facilities on the moon and on Mars. A native of Mill Road, Corbally, Dr Larkin moved to Ballina, Killaloe, about 16 years ago. The BSc PhD biochemistry graduate from NUI Galway has completed a post-doctorate with the Life …

A MAJOR political upset could be on the cards in General Election 2016 in Clare should the results of a Clare Champion-commissioned opinion poll be replicated on February 26. Using a sample ballot paper, the poll, undertaken by the marketing department at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), indicates that Independent candidate Dr Michael Harty and Sinn Féin’s Noeleen Moran are poised to take seats, at the expense of sitting TDs, Joe Carey of Fine Gael and Labour’s Michael McNamara. Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley and Fine Gael’s Pat Breen are effectively home and dry. With national polls indicating that the outcome of General Election 2016 is poised delicately in the balance, the Clare result could be a major contributory factor in determining the shape of the next government in the 32nd Dáil. The closeness of the contest at national level has been heightened by the reduction in the number of seats by eight to 158. Conducted last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, …

A major political upset could be on the cards in General Election 2016 in Clare should the results of a Clare Champion-commissioned opinion poll be replicated on February 26. Our General Election poll, carried out by the marketing department of Limerick Institute of Technology, shows that there could be changes if trends remain unchanged between now and polling day. With national polls indicating that the overall outcome of General Election 2016 poised delicately in the balance, the Clare result could be a major contributory factor in determining the shape of the next government in the 32nd Dáil. The closeness of the contest at national level has been heightened by the reduction in the number of seats by eight to 158. Conducted on last Friday, Saturday and Sunday,  the data in The Clare Champion 2016 Clare Constituency General Election Poll is based on the responses of 660 registered electors collected at 14 sample points across the municipal districts of Ennis, Shannon, Killaloe and …

A collaboration between a Limerick college and private hospital marks a milestone in medical training available in the Mid-West. The initiative by Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and Barrington’s Hospital, launched by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan, will see students being educated in specialised medical technology in Limerick for the first time. The partnership between the two Limerick institutions sees a new cutting edge BSc programme being delivered, which will address an emerging skills gap in medical technology. Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the institute and the hospital, core elements of education will be delivered by LIT in Barrington’s, using of state-of-the-art medical technology. Dr Maria Hinfelaar, president of LIT said, “This partnership with Barrington’s Hospital is very exciting for LIT. Students on the new BSc in Medical Technology programme are not only being equipped for careers in an emerging sector that is critical to the delivery of medicine in the …

SHANNON’S Fergal Barry has been appointed president of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. On Tuesday, he said, “I’m delighted with the appointment. It’s very rare that opportunities like this come up to influence the development of an organisation at the heart of so many people’s lives, futures and dreams. It’s an organisation that has an excellent educational history, really passionate staff and it’s playing a central role in the reform of our higher education system, which is part of the reform of our public services as a whole.” Fergal is the son of Tess Barry of Fearnóg and the late Pat Barry. He attended St Senan’s National School and St Patrick’s Comprehensive School and currently lives with his wife, Deirdre in Limerick City. Tess is extremely well known in Shannon, being involved in various local organisations. “The stones on the road would know my Mum,” Fergal jokes. “The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree and I bring with me …

SPACE enthusiasts countrywide and from the UK are set to descend on Limerick to get a rare audience with one of just 24 people to have flown to the moon. Al Worden, who was one of 19 astronauts selected by NASA in 1966, served as a command module pilot for the historic Apollo 15 (July 26 – August 7, 1971), and is seen very much as one of the icons of space travel. His visit to Ireland for a lecture at LIT next Tuesday  and a dinner at the Pavilion UL the following day, is all down to one self-confessed Limerick space fanatic, Paul Ryan from Ballybricken, reaching for his own stars and, completely off his own bat, managing to connect with Worden and secure him for the two special events. And speaking this week, Ryan explained that he had a double motivation for getting Worden to come to Ireland: his life-long fascination with space, combined with it being the …