University of Galway Students' Union


The University of Galway Students' Union is the representative body of students at the University of Galway in Ireland. Among its former leaders is Michael D. Higgins, the ninth President of Ireland.

Functions and objectives

The University of Galway Students' Union is a representative student body. Every student who registers at the University of Galway automatically becomes a member of the Students' Union on payment of a student levy. The union is separated into two entities - the Students' Union Representative side and the Students' Union Commercial Services Ltd.
As outlined in the Students' Union constitution, the function of the union is to "represent its members and promote, defend and vindicate the rights of its members at all levels of society".
The Students' Union sits on several University committees, including the University Governing Authority. The union's objectives include providing social, recreational and commercial services for members through the College Bar, entertainment events, the SU shop and other commercial services. The union also part funds Sin Newspaper and Flirt FM.
On a national level, the Union pursues "fair and equal access to education for all sectors of the Irish people", and liaises with the Union of Students in Ireland in this goal. Work of the union has included the organising of a grant information evening to help students apply for local authority grants.

Executive committee

While the president, along with the staff, is mainly responsible for the day-to-day running of the union, the Students' Union Executive is the committee that runs the union on an ongoing basis. It consists of fifteen elected members, whose responsibilities cover different student concerns - from educational issues to accommodation and discrimination. Of the fifteen members of the executive, four are paid sabbatical officers, i.e. the president and three vice-presidents, while the other twelve officers work on a part-time, unpaid basis.
Students elect their Students' Union officers. The term of office is from 1 July to 30 June of the following year. To be eligible to run for election, candidates must be a full member of the Students' Union, i.e. a registered student or current executive officer, and receive 20 nominations. Candidates require three nominators who must be full members of the union and club captains or society auditors.

History

The first form of student representation in what is now University of Galway was the foundation of a Student Representation Council in December of 1911, with B.A Cusack elected as their first President. In 1913, the auditor of the College's Literary and Debating Society, Conor O'Malley, noted that the SRC had 'never gone beyond the stage of paper'. O'Malley would go on to call upon the alumni and students to establish a 'Union', which at this stage referred to a student building, rather than an organisation, with this style of Student Union building being pioneered by Queen's on the island of Ireland. The council was firmly established by the mid-1920s, and in the 1960s was formally developed into the university's Students' Union, then known as Comhairle Teachta na Mac Léinn.
Restructured in 1964 into the Students' Union, the function of the union as per the constitution is "to represent its members and promote, defend and vindicate the rights of its members at all levels of society". Key events from the union's past include:
  • 1964 • Led by Michael D. Higgins, 600 students marched to protest about "poor relations generally between the University and the local community" as many hotels refused to take visiting students and landladies discriminated against students in summer.
  • 2008 • Fees campaign begins with thousands marching to Eyre Square
  • 2009 • The Students' Union organised and attended several fees-related protests and ran a campaign encouraging students to "Adopt a TD"
  • 2014 • The union joined the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions policy against the State of Israel after a referendum of members tabled by the NUI Galway Palestine Solidarity Society. Members also voted to retain the union's pro-choice position on abortion after an attempt to repeal the previous year's vote was tabled to students by the NUI Galway Life Society.
  • 2022 • The Students' Union established the role of a full time Irish Language Officer by referendum.

Presidents

PresidentYear
M.D. Ó hUiginn (Michael D. Higgins)1964-65
M.A.G Ó Tuathaigh (Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh)1965-66
Pádraic de Búrca1966-67
Ralph Ó Gormáin1967-68
Liam Morris1968-69
Conor O'Neill1969-70
P.M. Rabbitte1970-71
Tony Diffley1971-72
Seán Mac Aoghain1972-73
Brendan Glynn1973-74
Eamon Gilmore1974-75
John Curran1975-76
Mary Carroll1976-77
Mike Jennings1977-78
Grainne McMorrow1978-79
Cathal Guiomard1979-80
Brendan 'Speedie' Smith1980-81
Aileen O'Meara1981-82
Alan Sheerins1982-83
Seamus Henry1982-83
Peter Conry1983-84
Pat Boyde1984-85
Brendan Wilkins1985-86
Ger Killeen1986-87
Pat O'Flaherty1987-88
Cathy Grieve1988-89
Neil Whoriskey1989-90
Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh1990-91
Rónán Mullen1991-92
Seán Solon1992-93
Eoghan MacCormaic1993-94
Sinead Molloy1994-95
Fiona McCauley1994-95
Fergal O'Flaherty1995-96
Joanne Murphy1996-97
Darren McCallig1997-98
Cormac McCarthy1998-99
Paddy Jordan1999-2001
Pádraig Ó Duinnín2001-02
Leona Byrne2002-03
Tony McDonnell2003-04
Paddy Reilly2004-06
Damien Corridan2006-07
James Hope2007-08
Muireann O'Dwyer2008-09
Donna Cummins2009-10
Peter Mannion2010-11
Emmet Connolly2011-12
Paul Curley2012-13
Sean Kearns2013-14
Declan Higgins2014-15
Phelim Kelly2015-16
Jimmy McGovern2016-17
Lorcán Ó Maoileannaigh2017-18
Megan Reilly2018-19
Clare Austick2019-20
Pádraic Toomey2020-21
Róisín Nic Lochlainn2021-22
Sai Gujulla2022-23
Dean Kenny2023-24
Faye Ní Dhomhnaill2024-25
Maisie Hall2025-26