As part of the National University of Ireland, University College Dublin is a popular seat of learning in Belfield, just 4km south of Dublin city centre. UCD is the largest university in the Republic of Ireland with over 20,000 students attending on an annual basis. Check out our guide to UCD with details on how to get there, main courses on offers and lots more.
History of UCD...
UCD was formed in 1880 by combining two separate institutions and has grown to become one of the top universities in Ireland. And it has had some of the most famous figures in Irish history as its staff and students with James Joyce, Padraig Pearse, Douglas Hyde and it's believed by some that Eamonn De Valera attended too.
UCD Today...
The popularity of UCD continued to grow and by the 1960's the first move was made from various city centre locations to the Belfield Campus in South Dublin in order to accommodate the ever-increasing number of students. Belfield is now a modern campus where most of the university is located and it's also the location of much of the student residence.
Special mention must go to UCD's leisure and sports facilities at Belfield as these are regarded as the best in the country. In general, UCD'S Belfield Campus continues to grow with long-term developments aimed at increasing the level of excellence at the university.
UCD Courses & Student Union...
In total there are five colleges within UCD along with 35 associated schools and 18 research centres. The five main colleges are - College of Arts & Celtic Studies; College of Business & Law College of Engineering, Mathematical & Physical Sciences; College of Human Sciences; College of Life Sciences.
UCD has a vibrant and extremely active Students Union and due to the excellent sporting facilities on offer, the university has numerous clubs that compete at both a regional and national level in all sports including GAA, soccer and rugby.
UCD's Location & How To Get There...
UCD is located at the Belfield Campus which is about 4km south of the city centre. The university is situated just off the N11 so follow signs for the N11 as you approach Dublin whether you're using the M50 Motorway or arriving from the north or south of the country.
Areas of Dublin that surround Belfield include Clonskeagh, Booterstown, Stillorgan and Windy Arbour while the suburbs of Rathmines, Ranelagh Rathfarnham and Dundrum are also close by.
There are very good public transport links out to UCD with Dublin Bus running regular services. You can take a direct bus by catching numbers 3, 10, 11B, and 17 - from O'Connell Street in the city centre, you can catch numbers 3, 10 and 11B.
Apart from Dublin Bus, there are also Bus Eireann services that operate from Bus Aras (Dublin's Central Bus Station) to the suburbs of South Dublin and some of these service the Belfield Campus. In addition, during term time Bus Eireann runs a free shuttle service from UCD to Bus Aras twice a day and is available to anyone who has a valid Bus Eireann ticket.
If you're arriving at Dublin Airport, a handy option would be to take the Aircoach to Leopardstown/Sandyford/Stillorgan as this service runs past the Belfield Campus - just tell the bus driver when you get on that you want to stop at UCD.
About the Author
Mairead Foley writes for the Ireland travel and accommodation website http://www.GoIreland.com
Visit GoIreland for all you need to know before visiting Dublin, like what to see and where to go. View B&Bs, guesthouses and self catering in Dublin as well as Dublin hotels.
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