ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã

The ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã Archives’ collections contain records from 1845 onwards, charting the development of the ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã to the present day. Further information on collections, access, and outreach activities involving collections may be found above.

The Queen’s Colleges in Cork, Galway, and Belfast were created on the granting of royal assent to the Colleges (Ireland) Act, 1845, on 31 July of that year. Queen’s College Cork (QCC) formally came into existence under a royal charter of 30 December 1845. The university body, the Queen’s ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã in Ireland (QUI), was incorporated on 3 September 1850.

Construction of QCC’s main quadrangle building began in 1847, and first lectures to students took place on 7 November 1849. 115 students were enrolled in that first session. QCC’s first president was Sir Robert Kane, and its original teaching staff included George Boole, professor of Mathematics.

In 1882, the QUI was dissolved and a new ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã body, the Royal ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Ireland (RUI), was created. This led the way to the first admission of woman students, which took place in QCC in 1886-87.

The Irish Universities Act, 1908, created two universities – the National ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Ireland (NUI) and Queen’s ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã Belfast - and a new charter was issued on 2 December 1908, changing the name of QCC to ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã College Cork. Under the Universities Act, 1997, UCC became a university, within the NUI structure.