Throughout the world Ireland is known for its education excellence. The people of Ireland are a curious breed.  Everywhere you go in Ireland, you will find a genuine and deep-seated love of learning!

The history behind the phrase begins with the Roman Empire’s collapse in the 5th century, Europe was in a state of serious intellectual and social decay as its institutions crumbled. Insulated on the western shores of Europe, Ireland’s institutions could continue to prosper and evolve without interruption leading to a period of intellectual, religious, and artistic superiority that has been called ‘Ireland’s Golden Age’. It is during this period Ireland earned the title ‘Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum – The Island of Saints and Scholars’.

In this modern world Ireland is still leading the way in many research areas, as our modern day scholars innovate and discover new solutions to the worlds problems. All of Ireland’s Universities are ranked in the top 5% globally with the Irish education system ranked in the Top 20 internationally.

In International rankings, Ireland is:

• 1st Immunology
• 1st Animal and Dairy
• 2nd Nanotechnology
• 2nd Agricultural Sciences
• 4th Molecular Biology and Genetics
• 5th Materials Sciences
• 6th Basic Medical Research
• 6th Neuroscience & Behaviour
• 7th Mathematics
• 8th Chemistry
• 8th Microbiology

Ireland is also currently ranked 11^th in the 2018 Global Innovation Index. Some of the most influential products of the world were invented by Irish inventors. One of Ireland’s most prolific inventors, John Joly is most known for the invention of the photometer that measures light intensity and use of radiation for cancer treatment. In 1894, this Irish genius from County Offaly, also found a successful way of producing color photographs.

It was also an Irish man – Vincent Barry who accidentally discovered a cure for leprosy while he was looking for an answer to Ireland’s tuberculosis problem. What an accident!

Also From Blackrock, Dublin, in 1911, came the world’s first armored tank.

Technology from the Dublin company Havok allows some the world’s best-known developers to reach new standards of realism and interactivity in games from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony…You get the picture!

We’re an ingenious lot who punch well above our weight internationally when it comes to creativity in art, literature and music and ingenuity in science and technology

So you see, The nickname of ‘The Land of Saints and Scholars’ has a rich history behind it and is still true to this day as Ireland continues to lead and make big headway in global issues.

“From the very first day of 2019 this innovative and dynamic technological sector will be characterised by a smaller number of institutions, but with a greater variety of scale and scope.”

– Dr Joseph Ryan CEO of the Technological Higher Education Association

On January 1st 2019, Dublin Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown Institute of Technology and Tallaght Institute of Technology joined and merged together to become Ireland’s very first Technological University.

Ireland’s newest University has been named ‘Technological University Dublin’ or ‘TU Dublin’ for short. Despite its relative infancy, TU Dublin is actually now Ireland’s largest University with a record 28,500 students and 3,000 staff across their 3 campuses. The University will be located on three campuses at Grangegorman, Blanchardstown and Tallaght.

The move is very welcomed by current students of the Technological Institutions, as they will now become the first graduates of the first Technological University in Ireland. TU Dublin offers their students an inclusive and open learning experience with pathways to graduation, from Apprenticeship to PhD and the ability to learn in a practice-based environment informed by the latest research and enabled by technological advances. The unique learning environment will consist of smaller class sizes that ensure students are able to fully involve themselves in group work and projects. 

“TU Dublin students will be socially responsible, open-minded global thinkers who are ambitious to change the world for the better. As graduates, they will be enterprising and daring in all their endeavours, ready to play their part in transforming the future.”

– TU Dublin

There are a number of Scholarships available to new students hoping to study at TU Dublin:

• Elite Athlete Support Programme
• College of Business Scholarship
• BÚA Scholarship
• The 1916 Bursary Fund
• Elite Athlete Academic Entry Scheme
• Attendee and Postgraduate Scholarships

Here’s our guide to Irish words and phrases that will help you understand what on earth people are saying!

1. Craic – A very popular word used by the Irish is ‘Craic’; pronounced ‘crack’. It’s a direct translation from the Irish language and means fun. It is used to ask how things are going, what is the vibe like, or if something is good fun. For example: ‘What’s the craic? Ah last night was good craic. Are you up for a bit of craic?’.

   

2. Like – This is used in a lot of other countries however the Irish use it a little differently, it’s usually placed at the end of sentences. For example, ‘she is crazy, like’; ‘It was some good craic, like’. It is often like an accentuation to the story.
3. Grand, Delighted or Class – Grand is probably used the most out of all three of those words. Some Irish will go so far as to say ‘Ah it is grand so’ meaning ‘it is nice just like that’. Everything can be grand but it is usually referred to when something is awesome,  great or just OK. Delighted is used when they would ‘love to’, for example ‘I would be delighted’ and Class refers to when something is top-notch, it was class.
4. Gas – When something is hilarious or funny or just fun – it is gas.
5. Wrecked – You will hear Irish people say this when they are referring to how tired they are. Usually this is used after being on a night out and referring to how tired you are now because of it. 
6. Yoke – This is another word for something you don’t know the name of or what to call it, like thingamajig; or that thing, Irish folk will call it a yoke.
7. Your man – This is not related to your actual man, or your husband or boyfriend. But rather refers to ‘some guy’, used in a sentence like this: ‘I was at Tesco and your man behind the counter said they were having a sale’. It is possibly the most bizarre one out of them all. You may also hear a variation of it as ‘Your one’, which means the same thing.
8. No Bother – This saying is similar to the way some countries would say ‘no worries’. It means something is no trouble at all.
9. You might want to – This actually refers to something that you probably should do. Irish are very polite. Irish will say ‘you might want to’ in an effort to be a bit more polite than coming right out and saying ‘just do it my way’. They say it in a way that you might have a choice, but really it is more like a strong suggestion.
10. Look come here to me – This is a sentence that runs off their tongue so quickly, you might think you’ve heard it wrong! But once you hear someone saying it – you just can’t un-hear it. They will usually say it when they are chasing up a request or trying to get information from you. Some countries might say ‘ah ya know what’; the Irish will say ‘ah sure look come here’.

Once you know these key words and sayings you’ll find it much easier to understand your fellow classmates! Don’t be afraid to say one in a conversation, Irish people are very welcoming and will be sure to teach you even more sayings. 

DBS was founded in 1975 and was originally known as Accountancy and Business College.

• During the Employability modules, students will develop transferable skills and undertake projects in ‘real-life’ situations so as to assist in taking ownership of their own career management.
• They can develop realistic career plans and initiate and sustain professional networks and relationships to encourage opportunities for employment and internships.
• Students will develop the necessary skills to compete effectively for a broad range of employment, postgraduate study options and innovative opportunities available to them and further develop lifelong learning and continuous professional development.

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Alternatively, come and visit us. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to DBS.