In Pictures: Hundreds march in procession to mark University of Limerick’s 50th anniversary

TO MARK UL’s 50th anniversary, hundreds of staff and invited guests marched in procession through the campus this Friday.

To formally mark the anniversary of the foundation of the university’s predecessor, the National Institute of Higher Education (NIHE) in 1972, 500 UL faculty, staff, and guests convened at the University Concert Hall (UCH).

As one of the key events taking place over a year-long anniversary programme, numerous faculty, governing authority and executive committee processed behind the UL ceremonial mace from the institute’s original single building at Plassey House to the UCH.

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Speaking at the Convocation, UL President Professor Kerstin Mey talked about the growth of the institution over the past 50 years and outlined future plans, including a commitment to anchor sustainability in all future development activity at the University.

"This public university, the first one founded after the independence of Ireland, came into being through the determination of the people of Limerick to serve as a catalyst for the economic and social transformation of the Mid-West by developing graduates with much-needed skills and an outlooking mindset."

"Building on and developing the talent of staff and students has been a key ingredient for the innovation of education brought about by UL since its inception: Cooperative Education, modularisation, continuous assessment, semesterisation and a strong commitment to student and staff exchanges in Europe and worldwide," she added. 

The Convocation kicked off UL’s Gala Week which includes UL’s Alumni Awards, a reception for the original class of 1972, several on events on campus, as well as the key event ‘Sounding Sionna: A Celebration of Music at UL’, which will take place on November 24 in the UCH.

During the gala week, UL’s 50forFifty Scholarships will also be launched.

The week running up to the Convocation also saw an honorary doctoral award to Limerick hurling manager, John Kiely, and an inaugural lecture by Professor Kerstin Mey.

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A full schedule of events is taking place to mark UL’s fifty years: seminars, conferences, concerts, exhibitions, publications, lectures, and cultural and sporting projects.

The exhibition ‘A University of Our Time: University of Limerick, 1972–2022’ in the Millstream Building is open to the public and explores the origins and development of the University and the institutions that went before it.

In the Glucksman Library, another exhibition, ‘50 Years of Pioneering Women at the University of Limerick Past and Present’, displays how women advocated for equality within the University and society.