Global trends in the new public management (NPM) of education have manifested themselves differently in different countries. Its manifestation, the significant issue that this paper addresses, is whether it has led to any changes in education in the third level sector in the Republic of Ireland in the last 10 years. This will be achieved through a critical exploration of the expression of higher educational reform worldwide, and a review of its impact on higher education (HE) in Ireland. Within this, there are a number of specific objectives: to discuss the context of HE (including policy issues and stakeholders) in the Republic of Ireland; to summarise the main trends of NPM in HE; to critically evaluate the concept of educational reform, and through an articulation of a theoretical framework, explore this growing global trend and examine whether Irish HE is developing in a similar direction. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)