Ireland is often referred to as the Emerald isle and famous for having no snakes. Irish folklore refers to Saint Patrick who famously rid the country of snakes and the world over celebrates St. Patricks’ day on March 17, every year.

The Education system is based much on the British system due to its history, however it has evolved its underpinning quality systems to be a strong contributor to the European Qualifications Framework, which provides mutual recognition with other countries throughout Europe thereby giving a high degree of portability. Higher Education in Ireland is provided mainly by 7 Universities, 14 Institutes of Technology, including the Dublin Institute of Technology and 7 Colleges of Education. In addition, a number of other third level institutions provide specialist education in such fields as art and design, medicine, business studies, rural development, theology, music and law.