History of NUI Galway, the Science Faculty and associated scientists.

The establishment and development of Queen’s College Galway (1845-2003)

Queen’s College Galway (later University College Galway and now National University of Ireland, Galway) was established in 1845 amid a blaze of controversy and a bitter Church-State debate. 

For 250 Years the only university in Ireland had been the predominantly Protestant, Trinity College in Dublin.  St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth (founded in 1795) was specifically for student catholic priests.  For years Roman Catholics and Presbyterians had campaigned for greater access to third level education.  As a compromise three provincial, non-denominational colleges, to be called the Queen’s Colleges, were set up in Galway, Cork and Belfast. 

The government insisted that there would be no State funding for theology.  There was a split in the Repeal Movement with Daniel O’Connell and ’old Ireland’ opposing the colleges and the ’Young Irelanders’ favouring the liberal, non-denominational aspect.  Meanwhile bishops insisted that Catholics could only attend lectures in history, logic, metaphysics, moral philosophy, geology or anatomy if a Roman Catholic Professor was appointed for each of these chairs.  Eventually the bishops founded their own rival Catholic University in Dublin (later part of University College Dublin). 

However Galway’s new university was a great boost to the area, bringing jobs and status to a relatively small and remote city.  The College opened in 1849 but student numbers remained under one hundred for many years.  There were several reasons for this including Catholic opposition, the aftermath of the famine and a lack of second-level education in the region.  At that time several noted academics joined the college, among them George Johnstone Stoney and geologist William King. 

The Mathematics Department was one of the first departments of the original Queen’s College, Galway (QCG) in 1845.  In 1845 many officers were appointed but the first students enrolled in 1849.

When QCG was opened to students in 1849 Natural Philosophy was one of the twenty foundational chairs.  The first holder of the Chair of Natural Philosophy was Morgan William Crofton, who spent three years at QCG before going on to a distinguished academic career abroad.  Professor Crofton was succeeded by George Johnstone Stoney. 

Despite the fact that a Science faculty as such did not exist when QCG originally opened, a Professorship of Chemistry was instituted from the beginning.  Chemistry was available as a subject in second and third year arts courses.  Edward Divers, who later became the first Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo, was both a medical student and an assistant of Chemistry at QCG, where he took an MD degree in 1860.  Divers had previously worked for a year for the great A.W.von Hofmann at the Royal College of Chemistry in London.  Hofmann had a great influence on the development of chemistry in both Great Britain and Ireland.  Around 1891 the effects of the famine and the social deprivation in Connaught were threatening the survival of QCG.  At this time Alfred Senier joined the Department of Chemistry.  Senier had also studied under Hofmann and indeed they became close friends. Through Senier, Hofmann influenced Chemistry at the QCG. 

 Irish Universities had to struggle at times during the nineteenth century.  At that time young men were encouraged to work in the colonies and so universities, in particular QCG had to battle to stay open.  During the second half of the 150-year existence of QCG/University College Galway the struggle between nationalism and unionism had to be contended with.  Furthermore the role of the Irish language became an issue.  It must be said however that for a small badly funded, and geographically peripheral university institution, Galway had many outstanding scholars among its staff and produced many brilliant students who went on to distinguish themselves in later life. 

Sources:

Mary Mulvihill, Ingenious Ireland: A county-by-county exploration of Irish mysteries and marvels, Townhouse Publishers, Dublin 2002.

From Queen’s College to National University, Tadhg Foley (ed), Four Courts Press, Dublin 1999. 

Read about some distinguished people who have a connection with our university:

• Alexander Anderson
• Vincent Barry
• John Elliot Cairnes
• Rosalind Clarke
• Thomas Dillon
• Sir Peter Freyer
• Augustine Henry
• William King
• Richard Kirwan
• Joseph Larmor
• George Johnstone Stoney
• William D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson
• John Tyndall

Read about other distinguished people who have an association with Galway:

• William Mac Nevin
• William Mc Alla
• Ruairi O’Flaherty
• John Sealy Edward Townsend

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