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Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Irish universities rated top by students

Irish universities are ranked right at the top when rated by students.

Foreign students spending time at Irish universities rated their experience so highly they beat the usual favourites from Scandinavia and saw British colleges ranked 10th.

The top score was not all about having the craic but was based on the innovative programmes, support structures for students, and their multicultural mix and vivid student life, according to the Study Portals website that carried out the survey.

Maynooth University received an ‘outstanding’ award with students being particularly happy with the charming and lively campus, the close community of students, friendly teachers and small classes.

University College Cork, Galway, and Limerick universities were all rated excellent, while University College Dublin got a ‘very good’.