Mater Dei Institute of Education

Mater Dei Institute of Education was a linked college of Dublin City University from 1999 until its closure in 2016, located in Drumcondra, Dublin City, Ireland, near Croke Park, on the site of what was formerly Clonliffe College, the Roman Catholic Seminary for the Archdiocese of Dublin. The college was founded by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid in 1966 as an institute for the training and formation for teachers of religion in secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Clonliffe was also affiliated to the Angelicum in Rome that offered a three-year course leading to a diploma and a four-year course leading to a Masters; Fr. Joseph Carroll was its first president. Other Presidents of the College included Msgr. Michael Nolan, Dr. Dermot Lane and Sr. Eileen Randles IBVN(1986-1995). The foundation of the college was a response to the challenges posed by the Second Vatican Council. It had a Roman Catholic ethos and had approximately 800 students. The college closed on 30 November 2016 when it was fully incorporated into the DCU Institute of Education, within which is The Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education (MDCCE) continuing its mission. The college offered several undergraduate courses, primarily in secondary religious education and specialized its postgraduate courses (including Doctorates) in religion, the humanities and education, and faith and culture as well as theology and philosophy in dialogue. The BA and MA in Religious Science were accredited by Maynooth(Pontifical University) which Mater Dei was affiliated to. In 1999 Mater Dei Institute of Education became a College of Dublin City University.