Ireland’s farming sector depends on veterinarians, yet for many years aspiring vets have faced intense competition for a limited number of university places. While new veterinary medicine programmes in SETU and ATU means 80 new places in Ireland, many students will still have to look abroad in pursuit of their dream career.

Poland has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for Irish students studying veterinary medicine. Among them are Matthew Ryan from Co Sligo, Chaylee Greene from Co Donegal and Darragh Barlow from Co Tipperary, all of whom are studying at Wroclaw University of Life Sciences.

Like many students from farming backgrounds, their ambition to become vets began at an early age.

Matthew is from Rosses Point in Co Sligo but his family own a beef farm in Carracastle, Co Mayo where he spent his weekends and summers working and learning the inner workings of a farm.

“Farming alongside my grandfather Thomas, my father Fintan and my two brothers was the highlight of growing up,” he says. “Like any family farm, there is information being passed on every minute and you are constantly learning.”

For Darragh, his interest developed on his family’s pedigree Angus farm in the Glen of Aherlow.

“Farming at home alongside my father has shaped my decision to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,” he explains.

For Chaylee, who grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Culdaff, Co Donegal, the influence came from both home and family.

“My brother, sister and I were all very involved from a young age, working alongside my dad on the farm,” she says.

Shared ambition

Despite their shared ambition, all three found themselves looking abroad because of the intense competition for veterinary places in Ireland.

Matthew says he quickly realised how difficult it would be to secure a place through the CAO system.

“The course in UCD took top spot on my list of CAO preferences,” he says. “I needed an almost perfect Leaving Cert to secure a place in Dublin.”

Darragh recalls similar pressure. “There is massive pressure on students like myself who are set on doing veterinary for basically their entire life and at the end of the day it comes down to three weeks of exams in June,” he says.

“The number of places on offer each year in UCD (82) is fractional in comparison to the number of students putting Veterinary Medicine down as their number one choice on the CAO form.” The points for the course in the 2025 round were 589.

Chaylee took a different approach. “I actually never even filled out the CAO,” she says. “Even though veterinary medicine was always my dream, I knew I wasn’t prepared to completely give up my social life, hobbies and other interests just to chase points.”

All three students eventually discovered veterinary programmes in Poland and began researching the possibility of studying abroad. The course in Poland is six years in duration and costs approximately €4,660 per semester.

For Matthew, that meant travelling to Poland with his mother before the Leaving Cert to visit universities and see what life might be like there.

“It was my first time in the country and it really helped in assuring me that this was a feasible option,” he says.

Chaylee also visited Wroclaw before making her final decision.

“I visited in March 2022 before making my final decision, just to see what I was potentially getting myself into,” she says.

The move abroad was not without challenges. Leaving home at 18, adapting to a different culture and studying in a demanding programme can be daunting for any student.

“My biggest fear was, and honestly still is, missing out,” says Chaylee.

“I miss crucial lambing and calving seasons at home, and I miss shows and sales, which are such an important part of life at home for me.”

For many students from farming families, these sacrifices can be particularly difficult. Time spent abroad often means missing important events on the farm and opportunities to work alongside family members during busy periods.

Despite those challenges, all three students say they have adapted well to life in Poland.

Matthew credits the strong Irish community in Wroclaw with helping students settle into their new surroundings.

“There is a great social element to the community over here,” he says. “When we first started, these events allowed us to meet all the Irish people.”

The Irish student community in Wroclaw has grown significantly over the years. Veterinary, dentistry and medicine students have established strong networks, while an Irish-run GAA club now provides a connection to home for many students. The club has become an important social outlet and has helped new arrivals settle into life in a foreign country.

Darragh says support from older students was invaluable when he first arrived.

“They offered guidance and support to us newcomers,” he says. “We try our best to look out for the years below us and help them in any way possible.”

While student life is important, the main reason these students moved abroad was to pursue careers in veterinary medicine.

All three describe the course as demanding, with a heavy workload and continuous assessment throughout the year.

“It is a very intense course,” says Matthew. “Every week we could have small tests in our major subjects. They may only be five to 10 questions, but they ensure we are constantly revising the material.”

Darragh says he favours the practical elements of the course.

“My highlight of college life here would have to have been my first semester of fourth year,” he says. “After three years of theoretical study, we began to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Returning to Ireland

For Chaylee, progressing through the course has been an achievement an itself.

“If I’m being honest, one of my biggest achievements so far is simply getting through second and third year,” she says.

“Those years were tough academically and mentally at times, so I’m genuinely proud to have come through them.”

All three students hope to return to Ireland after graduation and believe there is a continued need to support veterinary education, particularly for those interested in large animal and rural practices.

Ireland’s farming sector relies heavily on vets, from routine herd health planning to emergency call-outs during calving season. The experiences of students abroad highlight both the continued demand for veterinary education and the lengths many aspiring vets are willing to go to pursue it.

For students considering a similar path, the advice from those already studying abroad is straightforward.

“My one piece of advice is to just go for it,” says Darragh.

“Don’t be afraid of the move because we all did it and we got through the initial homesickness.”

For Matthew, Chaylee and Darragh, moving more than 2,000km from home was not part of the original plan. Yet as competition for veterinary places remains intense, it was a step they felt they had to take in order to pursue a lifelong ambition.

“It feels like a massive challenge at the outset,” says Matthew, “but it is an option I could not recommend more.”

See rekrutacja.upwr.edu.pl