The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT; ) was an

institute of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

, located in

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

, Ireland. Established in 1970, the institute's campus was located on University Road. A consortium between itself and the

Limerick Institute of Technology The Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT; ) was an institute of technology, located in Limerick, Ireland. The institute had five campuses that were located in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, as well as a regional learning centre in Ennis Enn ...

was announced with the intention of forming a technological university. On 23 November 2020, the AIT-LIT Consortium announced that the joint Limerick-Athlone IT application for technological university (TU) status had been submitted for approval, which was granted in May 2021. On 16 July 2021, the institute of technology was officially dissolved and succeeded by the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, which began operations on 1 October 2021.

History

The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) was established by the

Irish government The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...

in 1970 as the Athlone Regional Technical College, under control of the local Vocational Education Committee. The college gained more autonomy with the enactment of the ''Regional Technical Colleges Act 1992''. In late 1997, as with the other RTC's, it was renamed as the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). In 1999, AIT became a validation authority with the power to award

HETAC The Higher Education and Training Awards Council () (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland beyond the university system from 2001 to 2012. HETAC was crea ...

degrees. In 2000, Ciarán Ó Catháin was appointed as the institute's president. Dr. David Fenton and James Coyle were previous holders of the post, having been called director and principal. In 2001, a School of Humanities was opened. In 2010, then-president of Ireland

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, ...

spoke at the fortieth anniversary of the college. The AIT had a campus size of 44 acres, and new, purpose-built facilities that included the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies building, built in 2003; the Nursing and Health Science building and the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre, built in 2005; as well as the Engineering and Informatics building and the Postgraduate Research Hub, built in 2010. RTÉ's Midlands studio and office have been located at the institute. The institute had a memorandum of understanding with the

Rio de Janeiro State University Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ; ) is a public research university in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the country. The university's law and medical schools are among the bes ...

, one of the largest universities in the Brazilian city. It also had agreements with the

Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais The Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (, PUC-MG) is a private and non-profit Brazilian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic university in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais. In 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, PUC-MG was chosen the be ...

, one of the largest Brazilian private universities. The institute also founded agreements with two leading Beijing universities, the Capital University of Economics and Business and the

Beijing Union University The Beijing Union University (Abbreviation: ''BUU'', ) is a municipal university administered by the Beijing government of China. In order to facilitate the municipal development, BUU was established in the 1980s, incorporating vocational schools ...

.2010 press releases
. Athlone Institute of Technology. (12 May 2010). The agreements were signed by the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland and university representatives. Other agreements existed between the institute and TVTC, in Saudi Arabia, and a memorandum of understanding existed with the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

. Further agreements existed with the Bharati Vidyapeeth, one of the largest universities in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

College of sanctuary

In 2017, AIT became the first designated college of sanctuary in Ireland.

AIT-LIT Consortium and dissolution

In 2018, the institute had investigated the possibility of becoming a university in its own right. A consortium between itself and the

was announced in October 2019 with the intention of forming a technological university. On 23 November 2020, the AIT-LIT Consortium announced that the joint Limerick-Athlone IT application for technological university (TU) status had been submitted for approval. Approval was announced in May 2021 by minister of Higher Education,

Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has ...

. On 16 July 2021, both itself and the

were officially dissolved through a signed order by the minister. The institute was succeeded by the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, which began operations on 1 October 2021.

Facilities

* The Goldsmith Library, named after

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...

, novelist, playwright and poet * McCormack Hall, performance venue named after John McCormack, tenor * Northgate street, former site of art and design, to be converted in to a digital hub

AIT International Arena

An international athletics arena with an overall building floor area of 9,715 m² was opened in early 2013. The arena can house 2,000 spectators and was constructed at a cost of €10 million.

Notable alumni

References

External links

* {{authority control 1970 establishments in Ireland 2021 disestablishments in Ireland Buildings and structures in Athlone Educational institutions disestablished in 2021 Institute of Technology, Athlone Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland Organisations based in Athlone Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest Universities and colleges established in 1970 Universities and colleges in the Republic of Ireland