Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan Monaghan, Brendan Smith, has welcomed the announcement that Dundalk IT and Queen's University have entered into an agreement to advance a Partnership whereby Dundalk IT would become University College of Queens, Belfast.
Deputy Smith described the news as a welcome development for the North East including Cavan and Monaghan.
According to the local TD, the existing linkages between Cavan and Dundalk will prove very beneficial for many students for the future.
Speaking to Shannonside Northern Sound, Deputy Smith says this Partnership is being progressed on the basis of cross-Border and all-Ireland co-operation.
He warmly welcome what has been achieved and it is great to hear the phrase "all-Ireland university".
Deputy Smith continued: "Those of us who come from Ulster are particularly conscious of and proud of that development. I represent two of the counties that are in the broader catchment area of Dundalk Institute of Technology and a huge amount of students from my own constituency attend the Institute.
"I have been a regular visitor to the college over the years and I have seen its benefits for the economy, not just for Louth but for the greater area.
"I wish to give credit to those people in Dundalk IT and Queen's who advocated initially for this development. I will do all I can to support them for the benefit of our communities on both sides of the border," concluded Deputy Brendan Smith.
