Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) is an institution of higher education in Limerick, Ireland and is one of 13 institutes that are members of the Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI).
Located on the banks of the River Shannon, Ireland's largest river and 15 minutes from Shannon International Airport, Limerick is Ireland's third largest city and the capital of the mid-west region.
The Limerick City Vocational Education Committee (VEC) independently planned to build Limerick Technical College and acquired land at Moylish Park to do this. The college was opened in 1975 and has since developed into the main campus of Limerick Institute of Technology. In 1980 the VEC established Limerick College of Art, Commerce and Technology (Limerick CoACT) to include the newly established Limerick School of Art and Design, the School of Professional Studies, located on O'Connell Avenue and the Limerick Technical College at Moylish Park. Â
CoACT finally became a Regional Technical College in 1993 and was finally upgraded to Institute of Technology status in 1997, along with the rest of the RTCs. In 1999 LIT was awarded delegated authority by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, which allows the Institute to award its own bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees. In 2009 following a government decision, the former Tipperary Institute was integrated into LIT. It has been renamed LIT Tipperary and became the fifth school in September 2011.
Location & Facilities
The Institute has five campuses and a learning centre across Limerick City, Tipperary and Clare. The main campus is located at Moylish Park on the north of the city and houses the School of the Built Environment, the School of Business and Humanities and the School of Science, Engineering and Information Technology. The School of Art & Design is located at the Clare Street and George's Quay campuses. The LIT Tipperary School is based in the two Tipperary Campuses, in Thurles and Clonmel. The LIT Ennis Learning Centre is based in the Museum in Ennis Town Centre.
LIT has a very strong focus on sport with hurling and rugby being the most dominant. This is hardly surprising as the main campus is located next to the world famous Thomond Park, home of Munster Rugby and only a few hundred yards from the Gaelic Grounds, home of Limerick GAA.
One of the largest sports club in the Institute is the Outdoor Club. This was founded in 2002 and runs on the philosophy "activity for all". It caters for all students/staff, past and present interested in non-competitive activities such as Hillwalking, Orienteering, Mountaineering, Canoeing/Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Windsurfing, Surfing, Caving, Sailing and Mountain Biking.
The Millennium Theatre is located at Moylish Park and is host to a variety of live entertainment, concerts, recitals, drama, comedy and dance, with a capacity of 350. It also doubles as the largest lecture theatre on the Moylish Park campus.
The Accommodation Office of L.I.T is an independent department within the Limerick Institute of Technology, on a par with L.I.T Students Union, and financed by the student body of L.I.T. The Accommodation Office operates on a part-time basis throughout the academic year, with the exception of 6 weeks beginning in August, whereby the office is operated on a full-time basis under the supervision of the Accommodation Officer.
The Accommodation Office offers its service on a referral basis, whereby students receive a screened list of housing, from which the required housing is selected at the discretion of the students involved. The Accommodation Office has no further dealings with the students, unless they have problems with a particular landlord.