ATU Connemara (Letterfrack) Accommodation 2027

1. At a glance

• Address: ATU Connemara, Letterfrack, Co. Galway, H91 AH5K; +353 (0)91 742650. A little over an hour from Galway City.
• The National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology, with over 200 students on five degree programmes. CAO 2026 courses tagged Letterfrack: Education (Design, Graphics and Construction), Furniture Design and Manufacture, Furniture Making and Architectural Woodworking, and Furniture Design, Making and Technology (common entry).
• No shop on campus; a supermarket, post office and cafe are directly across the road. Wild Goat Cafe on campus; Diamond Hill Community Centre gym under 5 minutes away.
• ATU's accommodation page tells Connemara students to contact the campus directly ([email protected]) for options, and states that ATU and its Students' Unions do not own or manage accommodation on any campus; private operators provide all of it.

2. On-campus / college-owned accommodation

ATU does not run accommodation at Letterfrack. Its guidance is to contact the campus directly ([email protected]) for options; the nearest purpose-built option is Áras Ghuaire, across the road from the college (section 3).

3. Purpose-built student accommodation

Áras Ghuaire (Letterfrack Accommodation). The operator describes it as the only purpose-built student accommodation in the area: 19 three-bedroom apartments with a maximum of three students per unit, a one-minute walk across the road from the college, with Wi-Fi and a secure environment.

2026/27 per-room rates (operator site; rent + non-refundable utility fee + electricity prepayment):

• Booking deposit €400: held for the stay and refundable less deductions. If you accept a room but your ATU application is unsuccessful, or you do not attend, it is returned less a €100 admin fee provided the cancellation policy is followed.
• Payment option 1: an initial payment (first rental payment plus the utility fee and electricity, for example €1,535 for a single) then seven standing-order payments on the 10th of each month from October to April (€485 for a single; €510, €530 and €570 for the other room types). Payment option 2: two semester payments with €200 off the total; for a single, €2,900 at the start and €1,830 by 8 December 2026.
• Included: utilities contribution, prepaid electricity (unused credit refunded, shared among apartment residents), high-speed internet, TV and TV licence, weekly refuse collection, CCTV, maintenance, in-house caretaker. Contents insurance is not included.
• Allocation: first come, first served; the site says booking early helps. Apply through the online form: valid email, PPS number, parent or guarantor phone and email, a photo. Booking is confirmed only when the deposit is paid. Bank transfer with the tenant's name as reference.
• Status for 2026/27: the homepage says the block is fully booked, though cancellations may occur. It asks you not to make advance payments until the team contacts you by phone.
• Contact: 087 705 7753; [email protected]; https://www.letterfrackaccommodation.com/student-accommodation

4. Private renting and digs

• ATU Studentpad has a Connemara campus filter (https://www.atustudentpad.ie); ATU's page says to contact [email protected] for options.
• ATU's Galway-Mayo Students' Union lists rooms and houses in the local area: https://atusugalwaymayo.ie
• RTB Rent Index Q1 2026, Galway county: new tenancies €1,718 a month, existing €1,303 (mix-adjusted per tenancy; the county includes Galway City).

5. Getting around

• Citylink route 923 runs Galway to Letterfrack (direct from Galway City); Bus Éireann route 423 runs Westport to Clifden via Letterfrack (ATU campus page).
• Open access parking on campus, no charge, at the owner's risk; 15 covered bike stands in the central courtyard.

6. Supports: where to get accommodation and who to contact

• Where to get accommodation: Áras Ghuaire (section 3); ATU Studentpad, Connemara filter (https://www.atustudentpad.ie); ATU accommodation page https://www.atu.ie/student-life/accommodation.
• Who to contact: ATU Connemara campus, [email protected], +353 (0)91 742650 (listed by ATU for accommodation options and emergencies). Student Services is upstairs beside the library (https://www.atu.ie/campus/connemara). ATU Galway-Mayo Students' Union, [email protected], +353 (0)91 742264 (https://atusugalwaymayo.ie).
• ATU Student Assistance Fund (Galway-Mayo: [email protected]): means-tested hardship support for registered students on full-time or part-time awards at NFQ levels 6-10. ATU lists rent and utilities among eligible expenses; international/non-EU fee-paying students and incoming Erasmus students are not eligible. Apply through the ATU Student Hub; https://www.atu.ie/student-life/student-support/access-and-widening-participation/financial-support

7. Accessibility

• ATU Disability and Learning Support Service: https://www.atu.ie/student-life/student-support/disability-support

8. International and mature notes

• ATU Global: https://www.atu.ie/study/global
• The operator's form asks for a parent or guarantor's phone and email.

9. Timeline for Sept 2027 entry

Dates shown are from the 2026/27 cycle.

1. Áras Ghuaire is first come, first served and showed as fully booked for 2026/27 on its homepage, so start early and apply before the CAO offers.
2. August 2026: first part-payment for returning students was due by 4 August 2026; first-year payment date was given as August 2026.
3. 8 December 2026: second semester payment date under option 2.
4. Keep a digs back-up: ATU's Studentpad is the recommended search.

10. Check before paying

• Áras Ghuaire is student specific accommodation; RTB rules cap deposit and advance rent at one month's rent each (the site's first payment and deposit structure is its own; compare it against the RTB page before paying) and expect agreements of no more than 41 weeks unless you ask.
• Digs where the landlord lives in the house sit outside RTB remit. https://rtb.ie/renting/types-of-tenancies/student-specific-accommodation/

11. Official sources used

• https://www.atu.ie/campus/connemara
• https://www.atu.ie/student-life/accommodation
• https://www.letterfrackaccommodation.com/student-accommodation and https://www.letterfrackaccommodation.com (homepage status)
• https://www.atustudentpad.ie
• https://atusugalwaymayo.ie
• https://www.atu.ie/student-life/student-support/access-and-widening-participation/financial-support
• https://www.atu.ie/student-life/student-support/disability-support
• https://rtb.ie/renting/types-of-tenancies/student-specific-accommodation/
• https://rtb.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/RTB-Rent-Index-Q1-2026.pdf
• https://www2.cao.ie/points/l8.php