1845 The Colleges (Ireland) Act

"in or near the City of Cork in our province of Munster in Ireland there shall be and may be erected and established one perpetual College for students in Arts Law Physic and other useful learning which College shall be called by the name of 'Queen's College Cork' and shall consist of one president, one vice-president and such number of professors in Arts Law and Physic not exceeding Twelve in number..."

1862 West Wing Fire

The fire inspired a number of conspiracy theories with the finger pointed, for a time, at President Kane’s steward William Williams. The College offered a reward of £150 relating to any information to the fire, described by Kane as ‘malicious and contrived with elaborate ingenuity’. While the West Wing fire marks an important event in the history of the university, no conclusive evidence has ever been uncovered which points to the true culprit.

To this day, the £150 reward remains unclaimed.

1864 Death of George Boole

1880 Crawford Observatory completed

The university acquired the observatory through the generosity of several benefactors. One of them, William Crawford, contributed £1,000 towards the construction and the purchase of astronomical instruments. The instruments in the Observatory were designed by Sir Howard Grubb.

Grubb was an optical designer from Dublin. He was the head of a family firm that made large optical telescopes, telescope drive controls, and other optical instruments. He is also noted for his work to perfect the periscope and inventing the reflector sight.

The Equatorial Telescope, designed by Grubb, located on the top floor of the observatory won the gold medal at the Paris Science Exhibition in 1878.

1889 College Coat of Arms

The crest comprises the Royal Lion; the three ancient sub-divisions of Munster (the Desmond, the Ormond and Thomond); the arms of the City of Cork; and the open book of learning.

1908 Irish Universities Act 1908

The act abolishes the Royal University and establishes the National University of Ireland and Queen’s University Belfast.

Queen's College Cork becomes University College Cork (UCC).

1910 Commissioning of the College Mace

The commissioning of the Mace by President Windle represented the creation of the first piece of silver in the City for over 100 years. The proceeds are used to set up scholarships to train in new Silversmiths many of whom worked on some of the Honan Treasures created post 1916.

1911 Mardyke Athletic Grounds

for ‘the purpose of all kinds of sports that would greatly enhance the credit and popularity of the College in the city and district’. The grounds were purchased outright in 1922.

1916 Honan Chapel is built

Modelled on such templates as Cormac’s Chapel on the Rock of Cashel and St Cronan’s Church at Roscrea, the Honan Chapel brilliantly reflects the best skills of the Arts-and-Crafts Movement of the early Twentieth Century, a time of conscious Celtic Revival. This is evident in the beautiful features of the interior – 19 radiant stained-glass windows (11 of which were designed by renowned artist Harry Clarke with the remaining eight designed by the studio of Sarah Pursor), the exotic mosaics of the tiled floor designed by the Oppenheiner family, the beautiful enamelled tabernacle and the various liturgical and rubrical furnishings.

1930 Appointment of Daniel Corkery as Professor of English

The Hidden Ireland, Corkery has been central to the national debate about history and culture and he has been a seminal ideological and literary influence on Modern Ireland.

1934 St Finbarr's Statue

While Ireland obtained its independence from Britain in 1921 the statue of Queen Victoria remained on top of the Aula Maxima until 1934 when the atmosphere in Ireland had become one of fervent nationalism. It was removed and replaced by a statue of St Finbarr designed by celebrated Cork Sculptor Seamus Murphy. There had also been a general feeling for years that the symbol of an ‘alien’ institution should be replaced by the Patron Saint of the Diocese and the College.

Victoria’s statue was then stored in an office in the East Wing for over a decade and then buried – in 1946 - in the President’s Garden. The statue was recovered and displayed during the 150th anniversary of the establishment of UCC.

It is now housed in the Graduates Room.

1972 Development Plan for UCC launched

This was a twenty-year plan of physical development around the original buildings, with an extended campus. The plan provided for a student population expanding from its 1972 base of about 4,000 students to 7,000 twenty years ahead. Whilst the plan was modified in subsequent years its broad focus remains valid to this day.

2010 Green Campus Award

See greencampus.ucc.ie for more details.

2015 Bicentennial of the birth of George Boole

See georgeboole.com for further details.

2017 Launch of Strategic Plan

See: Independent Thinking, Shared Ambition for more information.

2018 The Economic and Societal Impact of University College is launched

The report demonstrates the significant and important impact which UCC contributes to the economy of Cork and the South West and the national economy of Ireland.

2018 UCC's Academic Strategy 2018-2022 is launched

The strategy will allow for student learning and research to be facilitated through a Connected Curriculum that aligns with demand, university priorities and effective assessment practices.

2020 The Hub Opens

Located at the heart of our campus, the former Windle Building will be a key enabler for the UCC Academic Strategy 2018-2022 by providing new places for creativity, innovation, and collaboration across disciplines, in a supportive environment. It will directly contribute to the delivery of Goal One in the UCC 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, by supporting the creation of 'a seamless student-centred administrative, academic and extracurricular experience.' Visit: www.ucc.ie/en/thehub/

2021 UCC 2022 - Delivering a Connected University

This decision is an important step towards ensuring UCC’s long-term sustainability and positioning to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges in the context of geopolitical challenges, the escalating climate crisis and societal and economic pressures associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic. UCC 2022 embraces  five important themes: Learning and Teaching; Research and Innovation; Student Success; People and Organisational Culture; and Infrastructure and Resources, underpinned by our commitment to sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion and external engagement.

2021 Appointment of Professor John O'Halloran as the 16th President of UCC.

Prior to his appointment in August 2021 as President of UCC, Professor O’Halloran served as Deputy President & Registrar

2021 UCC Rainbow Walk

A collaboration between the UCC LGBT+ Staff Network, UCC LGBTQ Society, and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit, the walkway symbolises the progress made at UCC and nationally since the first LGBT+ staff and student groups were established in the 1980s.

2022 UCC honours its first female engineering graduate

Iris Ashley Cummins (centre, holding trophy), born in Glanmire Co. Cork in 1894, graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from UCC in 1915 and would become the first female land surveyor for the Irish Land Commission and the first female Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland. Iris was also a talented hockey player, representing both UCC and Ireland at senior level.

The announcement marks Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on 24 February

2022 Donation of original copy of 1916 Proclamation to UCC

This copy of The Proclamation has an impeccable provenance, known to have been brought directly from the General Post Office (GPO) during Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising. 

2022 The Irish Civil War National Conference

The Conference sought neither a single agreed narrative, nor indeed a sense of ‘closure’. Instead, it gathered together the fruits of on-going academic research into the conflict. In doing so, it sought to accomplish what the government's Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations describes as, ‘meaningful engagements with a difficult and traumatic time’. 

2022 UCC Professor named first Irish winner of prestigious international physics award

In October 2022 Séamus Davis, Professor of Quantum Physics at UCC, is named as the recipient of the Oliver E. Buckley Prize in Condensed Matter Physics – one of the most prestigious awards in world science.  Presented annually since 1953, a total of 18 recipients of the Buckley Prize have also won the Nobel Prize in Physics in the past 69 years.

2022 Richard Harris Archives donated to UCC

The collection spans over 50 years in the life of the world-celebrated Irish actor.

Among the archives are Richard’s personal creative writing manuscripts including poetry, publicity and location photos from his screen and stage performances including Camelot, The Field, Pirandello’s Henry IV and as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films. 

2023 Securing our Future

Securing Our Future: UCC Strategic Plan 2023–2028 positions the University optimally in an environment of rapid change and reflects our commitment to a sustainable future for our people, planet and university.

2024 UCC secures fifth Green Flag

UCC becomes the first university in the world to secure five Green Flags from the Foundation for Environmental Education