Department of Finance proposed merging AIT with Limerick IT

The Department of Finance has recommended merging Athlone Institute of Technology with Limerick IT, it was revealed last Friday when the Department published submissions it had made to An Bord Snip Nua. As part of its cost saving recommendations to Colm McCarthy's Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes (An Bord Snip Nua) the Department recommended a number of mergers in the IT sector, with the amalgamation of Athlone and Limerick institutes of technology proposed. President of AIT Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin said there was no logic at all in merging the two institutes in terms of their geographic location and said Colm McCarthy had obviously taken no credence of the recommendation. He added that if there was going to be a merger it would make more sense for AIT to merge with GMIT, where links between the two institutes had already been established. However, Prof Ó Catháin pointed out that an independent expert review of the institutes of technology in Ireland had recommended that AIT remain as a stand-alone institute due to its student numbers and the fact that it was the only third level college in the midlands. Mayor of Athlone Cllr Mark Cooney (FG) said he couldn't see how such a proposal would work and said the road network between Athlone and Limerick was poor, while the rail network was non-existent. Mayor Cooney said: "If there were sound reasonings behind it I would consider them, but in the absence of any other information I don't see how it would work."