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Tag Archives: UL

Clare influence at Limerick Literary Festival

East Clare writer, Edna O’Brien and Kilmihil-based Man Booker Prize nominee, Niall Williams are among the line up for the 2015 Limerick Literary Festival. Taking place from February 20 to 22, at 69 O’Connell St (formerly The Belltable) and The Lime Tree Theatre at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick City, the festival honours Limcerick-born novelist and playwright, Kate O’Brien. Meanwhile, this year’s festival has been extended to include an all-day conference in Mary Immaculate College on the theme of “Loss in Irish writing”, which is open and free to the public. The inaugural Kate O’Brien Award will also be presented to the most popular Irish author. “The Festival began in 1984 to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Kate O’Brien. The event continues to celebrate the life and works of the Limerick writer, while attracting prominent participants from all over the world,” commented Sheila Deegan, Limerick arts officer and festival committee member. The festival will be opened on Friday …

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UL has highest percentage of female professors

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has confirmed that the University of Limerick continues to have the highest percentage of women at professorial level in the country. Thirty-one percent, or almost one third of professors at UL, are female. This compares to a national average of only 19%. Speaking on the HEA report, UL president, Professor Don Barry said, “A university is about more than just buildings and facilities; it is the people who give universities life; they create a sense of energy and they provide the power to achieve great things. As you will be aware, in UL we are committed to ensuring that all faculty and staff are enabled to achieve their full potential through valuing diversity and equality of opportunity.” UL was last year selected as the only Irish university to participate in FESTA – Female Empowerment in Science and Technology in Academia. A European Commission FP7 funded cross national initiative, FESTA is a five year collaborative project …

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Major research investment at UL

The Mid-West’s reputation as a leading technology hub will be enhanced by the inclusion of UL’s Lero research centre in a €245m funding plan up to 2020, according to Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan. The fund, which is backed by €155m in government investment and €90m from industry sources, is focused on five world class research centres in Limerick, Galway and Dublin. “I am delighted that Lero will benefit from this funding. The investment will ensure that Lero can continue its cutting edge research in software development. This is good news for UL and good news for Limerick. Our growing reputation as a technology hub will be enhanced as Lero goes from strength to strength. “I would like to acknowledge the role that staff at the Lero centre have played in securing this major investment. Professor Mike Hinchey and his colleagues at Lero have created a co-ordinated, ambitious programme of research that involves other third level institutions and …

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UL international students bring €19m to Mid-West

More than 2,500 international students, representing over 100 countries, are attending the University of Limerick this year, providing a €19 million boost to the Mid-West. This figure figure is based on student spending estimates of between €7,000 and €12,000 in one year and does not include tuition fees paid to the university. Undergraduates at UL this year include 150 Brazilian students taking part in the Science without Borders programme. Josephine Page, director, International Education Division said, “International students make a very significance impact to our region in terms of our economy and tourism but also in the cultural links built which will continue for years to come.” University president, Professor Don Barry, said, “We have one of the largest Erasmus exchange programmes in Ireland; we have been welcoming study abroad students for the past 20 years and have made many academic links and partnerships with universities right across the globe.” Among the international students visiting UL this year are those taking …

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Houston, we’ve landed at Shannon

Al Worden, who landed at Shannon Airport this Tuesday evening, was one of 19 astronauts selected by NASA in 1966 and served as a command module pilot for the historic Apollo 15 (July 26 – August 7, 1971). His arrival at Shannon for a number of public engagements, including a lecture at LIT tomorrow evening and a dinner at the Pavilion UL on the 17th, is all down to a self-confessed space fanatic, Paul Ryan from Ballybricken, Limerick reaching for his own stars to fulfil a bucket-list he drew up after two cardiac incidents at the age of 37. “I have had a fascination with space since I was a young boy and dreamed then of becoming an astronaut but that never happened, of course. I did get to live in the States later on and went to the NASA locations so they were huge moments. “The real trigger for doing this, however, was I had two cardiac incidents four years ago and our second child was born …

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Clare pupils to shine at UL concert

CLARE will be well represented in a choir of over 450 secondary school students from the Killaloe and Limerick dioceses that will give great voice to the Limerick National City of Culture’s programme next Thursday with a first concert of its kind at University Concert Hall. The students from counties Clare, Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary will form the largest choir ever to perform at the University Concert Hall when they deliver their Seinn 2014 performance on  April 3. The event is unique, not just because of the massive size of the choir but because most of its members will be coming together for the first time ever that morning after rehearsing remotely in recent weeks. Lead vocalists and instrumentalists have, however, met up several times in the run-up to the performance. The show, which will feature contemporary music as well as a number of classic hymns, is part of Limerick Diocese’s programme of events to mark Limerick National City of …

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TDs to Face GPs

SEVEN TDs are to attend a special meeting with Mid-West GPs in Limerick this evening to discuss the crisis in general practice. The meeting is scheduled for 7.30pm at the Strand Hotel. At a previous meeting in Cork over 250 GPs attended to pass on their message to members of the Oireachtas. Though the meeting is not open to the media, there will be a briefing beforehand on the concerns GPs have about the lack of resources being devoted to primary care and the impact this is having on patients. The meeting will be chaired by Dr Conor McGee, and speakers at the event include Dr Edward Walsh, founding president, Limerick University; along with GPs Mary Gray, Miriam Callanan, Emmet Kerin and Michael Harty.  

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Bursary for music and drama

CLARE County Council Arts Office ‘s 2014 bursary is now open to applicants. One young person is being offered the chance to attend the Meitheal Traditional Summer School and another the opportunity to participate in the Irish Youth Choir Summer School. The aim of the Meitheal bursary is to assist a young Clare musician to attend the summer school to develop their music skills through an intensive programme of master classes and workshops with noted traditional musicians. The bursary covers course fees, accommodation and meals. The bursary for the Irish Youth Choir will enable one young person from Clare to attend the school free of charge and covers all tuition fees and accommodation costs. For both bursaries, they applicants must have successfully auditioned and been accepted by Meitheal and the Irish Youth Choir. Members of amateur drama groups in the county can apply for assistance to attend the 2014 Drama League of Ireland Summer School taking place in UL during the …

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