The purpose of this paper is to look at how universities in Ireland respond to those sectors of the population who are currently under-represented or excluded from third level education. The paper provides an overview of our experience of the education system in the Republic of Ireland, and, in particular, the upsurge of activity in the area of access or equity over the past six to seven years. This paper proposes to examine the developments in access initiatives for the socio-economically disadvantaged from 1994 to 2001 in particular, and will address some of the major developments with regard to mature students. In the course of this exploration we hope to raise larger questions about the nature of the system itself, not only in relation to how it interacts with those on the periphery, but also on the ongoing relevance of the knowledge base that underpins the entire formal education sector.