'Out of the sun': The evolution of optical engineering programmes in Carlow and Essex from 1979-2002

This paper analyses the evolution of courses in the Institute of Technology Carlow (formerly the Regional Technical College) in physics, optics, photonics, instrumentation and optoelectronics from 1979. Notably, these course developments culminated in the fist specialist optoelectronic Honours degree in the UK or Ireland, which ran with outstanding success for over a decade under the umbrella of the University of Essex. In the last year, the first specialist degree in Optical Engineering to appear perhaps indeed in Europe has been launched. All these development of Irish optics education have been achieved against unresponsive national and institutional policies framed by a severe reluctantly to accept the need for technical manpower outside of the established disciplines. Other associated optical course innovations of the 'Computer Networking and Optical Communications' National Certificate/Diploma and then subsequently 'Networking' degree course have developed in Carlow exclusively on the basis of the photonics diploma material and contain large element of optical fiber telecommunications/photonics material. The exciting Carlow odyssey is however just beginning as can be seen by the preparation of a further new degree in Optical Engineering Design. This course it is hoped will comprehensively address the issues of training manpower for optical device and system engineering.