DkIT- JEWELOF THENORTHEAST
THE title says it all. ‘ The Jewel of the North East - documenting the story of DkIT’ traces the history of Dundalk Institute of Technology from its humble origins as one of five Regional Technical Colleges opened around the country in the early 1970s to its present status as a leading centre of education with students from 25 countries around the world.
The book, which is due to be launched on Tuesday November 27, was a labour of love for former lecturers Dr Deirdre McArdle Clinton and her husband Pat Clinton.
The idea came from a comment by then DkIT President Denis Cummins to Deirdre that she should follow up on her book ‘ The Consumer Experience of Higher Education’ by writing the history of the college.
Deirdre, with the help of husband Pat, then embarked on researching the history of DkIT, little knowing that it would grow into a massive project which saw them interviewing former staff and students as well as trawling through minutes of meetings going back to the 1930s.
The result is a book which not only documents the history of the college but also reflects the social history of Dundalk.
The Regional Technical Colleges were founded at a time of immense change in Irish society with free education and free school transport opening the doors of learning to more people than ever before.
With Ireland joining the European Common Market came the realisation that our young people needed training in technical subjects which weren’t covered in the universities.
‘ The first mention of the college was in 1963,’ says Deirdre, who was given access to the minutes of the Co Louth Vocational and Educational Commmittee meetings.
Planning for the college began in the early ‘sixties, with eleven different sites being considered at one time, one of which included the former Louth Infirmary.
Luckily, the Dublin Road site was chosen as it allowed for the college to expand over the years, including the purchase of the iconic PJ Carroll factory building and the construction of new buildings to house departments and schools for subjects never dreamt off in the early days.
Dundalk Regional Technical College opened its doors in September 1969 although the official opening didn’t come until 1971.
Through interviews with former staff and students, Deirdre and Pat have stitched together a fascinating account which captures the idealism and zeal of those pioneers of education.
‘It seems that the early years of the college have been forgotten,’ says Pat, adding that they felt it was important to record that era for future generations.
They spoke with the first principal Dr Seán McDonagh who was adamant that Dundalk RTC would be a centre of excellence, providing a different type of third level education to what was available at the time.
‘He had a great interest in the arts and organised a Music, Arts and Drama Festival in the college for a number of years,’ recalls Deirdre.
Frank Carney remembered builders letting teachers and students into the classrooms before the college was completed - something which wouldn’t happen in these days of Health and Safety legislation.
‘ They had a real missionary spirit about what they were doing,’ says Deirdre.
The authors also found that The Troubles in Northern Ireland cast a shadow over Dundalk.
‘ There was a real problem in recruiting staff at the college, as people didn’t want to move their families so close to the border, so there was a very high turnover of staff,’ says Deirdre.
As part of the Vocational Education system, students were able to sit the Leaving Certificate examination in the college as the VEC schools only offered education up to the Group or Inter cert examination.
With the changing economic climate and jobs market, the range of courses on offer has expanded over the years, with students now able to do Masters and Doctorates across a range of subjects. The RTCs split from the VEC system in 1993 with the establishment of the Institutes of Technology with their own governing bodies and Boards of Management.
With over 600 academic staff and a student population of 5,000 across a number of schools on the 90 acre campus on the Dublin Road, DkIT makes a major contribution to the local economy in Dundalk. With its distinctive wind turbine, the first on a college campus in Ireland, it is an impressive landmark on the town’s skyline and a symbol of innovation and technology.
In interviewing former students, Deirdre and Pat found that the majority had ‘ the fondest memories of their time spent in Dundalk.’