Trinity College Dublin is the top ranked university in Ireland for the 13th year running.

The Sunday Times "Good University Guide" league table has been published this morning.

UCD and UCC come in second and third respectively, followed by DCU, NUI Galway, UL and Maynooth.

Dublin IT is ranked top Institute of Technology, coming in eighth place overall, while Cork IT and Waterford IT complete the top ten.

Kate Butler, a journalist with the Sunday Times, explains how Trinity manages to maintain its position as the best of Ireland's seven universities: