page_title: Maynooth University
section_title: 20th and 21st centuries
hierarchical_section_title: Maynooth University / History / 20th and 21st centuries
caption_attribution_description: English: A photograph of the Eolas ("information" in Irish) Building at Maynooth University. Eolas opened in October, 2015.
context_page_description: The National University of Ireland, Maynooth, commonly known as Maynooth University, is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It was Ireland's youngest university until Technological University Dublin was established in 2019, as it was founded by the Universities Act, 1997 from the secular faculties of the now separate St Patrick's College, Maynooth, which was founded in 1795. Maynooth is also the only university town in Ireland, all other universities being based within cities.
  The university consists of two connected campuses: an older southern campus, with 19th-century buildings, shared with St Patrick's College, and, across a public road, a modern northern campus, occupying circa 100 acres.
  With over 13,000 students enrolled, and over 900 staff from over 20 different countries, it is Ireland's smallest, yet fastest growing, university. In 2009, Maynooth University was listed as a Top500 university in the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings.
context_section_description: The college became a recognised constituent college of the National University of Ireland in 1910. From this time, arts and science degrees were awarded by the National University of Ireland, while the Pontifical University of Maynooth continued to confer its own theology degrees, as these had been prohibited in the Royal University of Ireland, and continued to the National University of Ireland (its successor) until 1997.
  In 1966 the college allowed again the entry of lay students; this greatly expanded the college and essentially set the foundation stone for Maynooth University. In 1997 the Universities Act resulted in the transfer of the faculties of arts, Celtic studies, philosophy and science of the recognised college of St Patrick's College to the new university. The university has also expanded into finance and engineering since its creation in 1997. In 2007 the university added business studies, followed by law in 2008.
  Any person who was a student at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was conferred with a National University of Ireland degree prior to the creation of the university, is legally considered a graduate of Maynooth University.
  In 1994, W. J. Smyth was appointed to the position of Master of St. Patrick's College Maynooth (NUI). In 1997 this position became President of MU. In 2004 W. J. Smyth was succeeded by John Hughes as president of Maynooth University.
caption: Newly developed Eolas Building on North Campus.
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