ST Mary’s University College has celebrated the opening of its new state-of-art three-storey library and dining facilities at the Falls Road campus – and announced plans for a new 400-seater auditorium.
The opening of the new Cardinal Newman Library/Tobar Mhuire was performed jointly by Archbishop Noel Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union and Sir Ian Greer, Vice Chancellor Queen’s University Belfast. The College’s Foundation Day event entitled Investing in our Future Through Campus Transformation was selected as it was on that date in 1899 that Bishop Henry, the then Bishop of Down and Connor, laid the foundation stone of what was to become St Mary’s Training College. One hundred and twenty-four years later to the day the College celebrate the building of new foundations for the future of what is now St Mary’s University College: A College of Queen’s University.
Guests from across the education sector also had an opportunity to take part in a tour of the new facilities, finishing with refreshments in the new Beechmount Dining Hall/ Aonach na bhFeá.
St Mary's traditional musicians played during the celebration
St Mary’s Principal, Prof. Peter Finn KSG speaking at the Foundation Day event told those gathered: “Our vision for campus modernisation is to provide students, staff, and visitors with top class facilities to enable excellence and dialogue to flourish and to facilitate educational, social, and economic progress.
"The student body is at the very heart of St Mary’s and all that we do. We therefore aim to have the best possible campus facilities to attract students, retain them and provide high-quality certification that will facilitate personal fulfilment in both life and work, and prepare them well for contributing to the common good.
"Today we unveil our high-profile developments on campus at the Cardinal Newman Library, Tobar Mhuire, and the Beechmount Hall, Aonach na bhFeá. You will also see our plans to transform the College Hall into a four-hundred-seater auditorium. In addition, there are many other campus developments which are equally important including a new Student Services Centre, refurbished teaching spaces, new IT labs and infrastructure upgrades."
