Sacred Heart University has entered the final phase of construction on the new SHU in Dingle campus, with completion expected before the end of 2024. The building will have capacity for 180 students and will include teaching facilities such as a hospital skills lab, simulation room for students of health occupations, and multiple lecturing and seminar rooms fitted with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. The site will also have substantial social, circulatory, and recreational spaces both internally and externally.

Executive Director of SHU in Dingle Gary Delaney highlights that this construction “represents an important step not only for Sacred Heart University in expanding its global influence, but also in engaging with the local community.” Construction of the new campus has included the magnificent restoration with original materials of the old Christian Brothers school that, until recently, had lain derelict while visible to all, overlooking the charming seaside village of Dingle, County Kerry.

The process has included painstaking re-roofing and preservation of the school’s historic windows. The final touches, now in process, involve the addition of a beautiful glass atrium through which the original building will be viewed. Soon, the world – alongside SHU students and the townspeople of Dingle – will be able to appreciate this landmark of Irish history and Catholic tradition in a new light, all while availing of the excellent new facilities on offer.

For almost 20 years, SHU in Dingle has offered transformative study abroad experiences to semester and short-term students, immersing them in the rich cultural and spiritual community that has existed in this part of Ireland since before the early Christian era. Students of SHU in Dingle complete courses across a wide range of disciplines while partaking of the invaluable cultural experiences and unique opportunities that studying abroad in Ireland offers.

In the last year, SHU in Dingle welcomed 411 students into its classrooms, which until now have been largely based in the nearby historic building An Díseart. Going forward, SHU in Dingle will continue to work with the board of An Díseart through collaborations on research projects and community events.

As noted by Executive Director Delaney, ‘SHU is very well-positioned as a landmark study abroad program and provider in Ireland ahead of the Irish government’s recent announcement that it intends to grow the number of international students, researchers, and innovators coming to the country by ten percent by 2030.”

Additionally, SHU in Dingle will be able to expand its capacity for visits from groups such as the Band, Choir, Dance, and more, bringing SHU’s wealth of talent in the arts and performance to increasingly wider global audiences.

SHU’S new campus in Dingle will provide an educational and spiritual home for future study abroad and Irish students, as well as an educational space for local residents of the Dingle Peninsula. It will stand as a beacon of Sacred Heart’s commitment to community outreach, academic excellence, and spiritual enrichment, honoring tradition as we move forward into the future as global pioneers.