is an irish citizen who has not been educated in ireland entitled to a free education?

Question

I am 18 and moved fom Ireland to the US when I was 10, so I got to fifth class. Now, I am looking to return to Ireland for college and I have an Irish passport and social security card. Does this make me entitled to the tuition fees of someone who has been educated in Ireland or will I have to go through the International student office and pay its lofty fees and tuition? The problem is, I have not taken the leaving cert, so would I have to do that in order to apply as an Irish citizen? I'm a little confused and I find the individual college websites to be useless for this type of info so I would appreciate any answers! Thanks!

Answer 1

There must be something comparable to the Department of Education here. They most likely have a website and you can find more info there than at this forum. It seems like the passport and social security card ought to mean you're entitled to the state tuition but that's nothing more than an opinion. It may depend on citizenship - are you still a citizen of Ireland? If so I thinks you're fine.

Try this link: http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=27173&ecategory=27173&language=EN

I clicked on Students and Trainees and got to page that has an FAQ that may help. It might also be a good idea to talk to a school guidance counselor here and see if they can find out info for you.