The University opened for teaching in 1849 as "Queen's College Galway" with 68 students. A year later it became part of the Queen's University of Ireland. The "Irish Universities Act, 1908" made this college a "constituent college" of the new National University of Ireland, and under a new charter the name of the University changed to "University College Galway". It was given special statutory responsibility under the "University College Galway Act, 1929" with respect of the use of the Irish language as a working language of the University. It retained the title of University College Galway until the "Universities Act, 1997" changed it to the "National University of Ireland, Galway".