The Times Higher Education, or the THE, if we must, have released their university rankings for 2019 and it makes for interesting reading - if you find the systematic categorising of Irish universities based on various metrics interesting.
Ireland's top ranked university remains Trinity College Dublin, though it has fallen three places since last year, to 120th in the rankings.
While the rankings represent something of a mix for Irish universities, there has been a general trend of Irish universities slipping down the rankings. This is most pronounced by NUIG slipping from being ranked Ireland's second best university in 2018, somewhere between 201-250, to being the ranked 5th in Ireland and occupying a place in the 301-350 bracket.
UCC has climbed from the 351-400 bracket into 301-350, while Maynooth has climbed from the 401-500 grouping into the 351-400 though DIT has dropped from the 601-800 bracket to the 801-1000 bracket.
The mixed fortunes of Irish universities, particularly those at the upper end of the rankings struggling to maintain their positions has prompted concern among academics over recent years.
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Speaking to Trinity News, Trinity's Dean of Research, Professor Linda Doyle, said that the reduced investment in universities from the Irish government, combined with an increase in the amount of money being put into overseas universities - particularly those in Asia, has resulted in the dip in rankings.
The top two universities in the world remained the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge respectively. Read the full rankings here.
