Free University of Ireland is an independent university in Prussia Street, Dublin, Ireland established in 1986 by a small group of educationalists including Daragh Smyth, Paul John Cannon, Kevin O'Byrne, Padraig O'Fiannachta, and Mairéad Ní Chíosóig. The university is a free and independent institute not in receipt of state funding. It is run by a board of governors, is a charitable trust, and has research college status. Lecturers and administrators are not paid; students are charged only a fee to cover administrative expenses.