Art schools in Ireland

[pinkhousesarebest]

Bit of a long shot but I am looking for reviews of NCAD in Dublin . Dad has her heart set on going but Dublin prices are double what they would be in Limerick, for example. Just wondering is the experience worth it, and in general the experience of being in Dublin also worth it.
We have an amazing Art and design school an hour away from us in France but she won’t hear tell of it.

Can't help OP as I can barely draw a line with a ruler, but I think NCAD has a good rep. I'd post in craicnet as you'll attract more Irish posters that way.

Oh yes, will do . Thank you!

I have heard that IADT in Dun Laoghaire (? Not sure on spelling!) is very good and though it’s near Dublin, the rents should be less. What art is she particularly interested in?

Ah. I think I was thinking of IADT. Rents wouldn't be cheap in DL, that's for sure.

She isn’t sure yet- not fine art though.
I know- exactly double what I am paying for m’y ds in Galway. And for the price of his ( mouldy) bedroom, they could have a studio apartment here.
We are going to be so poor.

Dun Laoghaire is in Dublin, it's only a quirk of tradition that it has technically remained Co Dublin rather than one of the Dublin post codes. It's a suburb of Dublin, not even an outer suburb. Accommodation is all not only very expensive, but also very hard to get. One of DH's friend's DD started at UCD last autumn coming from Singapore and they had desperate trouble, lots of attempted scams and one successful scam where they lost their deposit and first month's rent.

I am dreading this. We had a desperate time trying to find accomodation in Galway - one of my other dc ended up in a challenging living situation . We were so worried about her. But I understand Dublin is so much worse. Also reading about gangs of youths roaming the streets in central Dublin and of how unsettling the climate is because of that. Wondering if this is exaggerated or not..

I've never felt particularly unsafe in Dublin, no more than London anyway. I'm a middle-aged woman though so not out and about in central Dublin at night all that much. The accommodation problem is absolutely dire though. I'm glad we moved back here 10 years ago and not in the last couple of years.

Has she looked into the Crawford College of Art in Cork City? I know two people who have attended there and now have exhibitions worldwide. Although renting etc probably will not be any cheaper than Galway or Dublin.

What about somewhere in the north or do tuition fees increase?

There's also TU Dublin to consider (formerly DIT), I know plenty of graduates who have easily found great employment after graduating. Rent is an absolute nightmare in Dublin and Ireland in general at the moment, so it would be worth engaging with the intended college ASAP to check out options. Take a look at transport lines, the train and Luas in particular, as you may find it easier to locate rental options outside the city centre.

As for safety I haven't heard anything about gangs, the only bad things I've actually heard about Dublin city centre recently have been on Mumsnet!

Is this for the year 24/25? There's a portfolio to submit and that's usually early Feb for NCAD. Not sure when for other Art colleges.

Yes she has submitted her portfolio.
Thank you all so much. We are originally from the north but tuition fees are too much as we have been living away too long.
Am going to look at all your suggestions now. Thank you!

Not choosing fine art definitely narrows the choices.. what specialities is she interested in? (Filmmaking.. print.. ceramics.. design etc)

crawford.cit.ie/areas-of-study/

Crawford College of Art & Design is part of the Munster Technological Institute (previously Cork Institute of Technology). The art school is based close to the city centre.

www.mycit.ie/accommodation

Renting in Cork will be significantly cheaper than in Dublin. From this link, you should scroll down to City Centre for accommodation in walking distance, rather than looking at Bishopstown where the main Munster Technological Institute is based. The art school is served directly by bus route 214, but many other buses are in walking distance, 205, 208, 220 opening up more distant accommodation. There is high demand as there is also a University located in this quadrant.

www.corkairport.com/destinations/destinations

Check out flights from Cork Airport to France, there is also a ferry from Cork (Ringaskiddy) to Roscoff running from late March to early November.

It really depends on what she wants to do.
Crawford is fab, and never rule out ballyfermot college of art& design for animation, drawing, illustration. Ncad would be more on the practical side - textiles, sculpture, jewelry.

Getting somewhere to sleep is extremely difficult atm

What about LYIT in Letterkenny? Design is common entry and then she can branch into one of 4 different areas?

How much research have you done?
Crawford and Cork would be what you should be looking at to be honest.

I currently know students in both Dublin and Galway. Dublin rental market is horrible at the moment due to the lack of places to rent and rents have gotten very high. This year UCD had students in dart stations giving out information about the rent a room scheme to try and get more rooms for students. Purpose built student accommodation is expensive as well and even this year UCD had a waiting list for students wanting a room in their accommodation.

Galway has less places to rent and rent has gone up. Any where near either college is popular. I know parents who bought a house for a child or children to stay in. Their child then gets friends to rent out the other rooms to help pay the mortgage.

I don't know what the accommodation situation is like in Cork. However I know that Crawford has a very good name for its art course's. A lot of people in Ireland do a portfolio preparation course for a year and then apply to art college.

Thank you so much for your great insight. She is currently doing the portfolio preparation course in Galway. Pretty nightmarish situation accomodation-wise. She has friends who are paying a lot of money to live in a hostel, 8 in a room.
She doesn’t think she is good enough for fine art. Hopefully year one, which is quite broad, will give her some direction.

Singsong she has applied to Limerick too. She is interested in design - that’s definitely where her strength lies. She loves city life and that is the main motivation at the moment unfortunately.

Sheezus 🙄