Maynooth University’s Department of Adult and Community Education (DACE) is the only specialist academic department for the education of adults in Ireland.  We have been working with adults for 40 years. In that time we have worked with thousands of people who are living proof that one is never too old to learn.  We have a range of courses designed to cater to the needs and wants of people from all walks of life and all educational backgrounds; from people who left school with no formal qualifications and are seeking to re-enter formal education; to those who have completed degrees and post-graduate degrees to doctorate level programmes and who are seeking Continuing Professional Development and Improved Practice.

More than anything else students who have undertaken our courses comment on the transformative nature of the discipline.  Adult Education is a powerful tool for personal, organisational and societal change.  Some of the methods used include small group discussion based learning where students are encouraged to engage with the subject or a problem by bringing the full extent of their own knowledge and experience to deepen the level of critical analysis. Skilled Adult Education facilitators accompany the group learning process and guide the students towards better understanding their own life world through promoting individual personal reflection.  And so Adult Education creates dynamic learning environments in which participation is a key ingredient for exploring  real life issues regarding human relationships, social and political issues in terms of social justice, equality, democracy and diversity.