The opening of a third level college in Daingean Uí Chúis, Co Kerry, has been hailed as a game-changer, for the coastal town - for its economy as well as for opportunities for locals to gain third level qualifications.
US Connecticut's Sacred Heart University first established outreach links with west Kerry 20 years ago.
The initial arts and spirituality programme has now expanded to include a comprehensive scientific programme for US students as well as for locals.
Dr Kevin Flannery, marine biologist associated with Mara Beo an Daingean, said an important milestone was being marked in the small coastal town.
Fishing and agriculture were waning, and tourism was always volatile, but education and research in coastal towns were the way forward.
"For a small town like Dingle to get a third level institution is a massive achievement and it is a step other coastal towns in the west may wish to follow," Dr Flannery said.
Most people had to leave Daingean Uí Chúis to get a third level education, but the new college would provide opportunities for local as well as for foreign students, he said.
The campus, known locally as Ollscoil An Chroí Naofa and as SHU Daingean Uí Chúis, (Sacred Heart University) will welcome students into its new state-of-the-art facilities in what was the old Christian Brothers School following what a spokesman described as "years of sustained growth".
Sacred Heart University has maintained a study abroad presence in Daingean Uí Chúis since 2004, operating out of the Díseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture.
The second-largest Catholic university in New England is one of the fastest-growing private doctoral institutions in the US with 10,000 students across eight campuses, with online as well as in-person courses.
The Daingean Uí Chúis campus offers more than 120 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral courses.
More than 500 US college students now come to Daingean Uí Chúis annually from Sacred Heart as well as from a variety of other US institutions. Students engage in immersive semester-long and short-term study abroad programs taught largely by local instructors.
Course offerings span diverse disciplines, including Celtic religious traditions, Irish folklore, Irish music, filmmaking, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, environmental studies, nursing and more.
"The program’s annual influx of students significantly contributes to the local economy and cultural landscape," a spokesman for the college said.
Additionally, SHU Daingean Uí Chúis serves as a vital source of employment for faculty and staff.
The college is also behind research initiatives such as the Deep Maps Corca Dhuibhne project, the Daingean Uí Chúis Watershed and Weather Tracking Project and the Moriarty Institute, which is dedicated to the teachings and writings of the late Kerry philosopher John Moriarty.
In 2017, Sacred Heart University acquired the former Christian Brothers School in Daingean Uí Chúis, undertaking a comprehensive restoration to transform the site into a premier higher education facility. With the completion of the renovation and expansion project, SHU Daingean Uí Chúis is now poised to welcome even more students to its enhanced campus, representatives aid.
Norma Foley, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, presided over the formal dedication in Daingean Uí Chúis today.
