Ireland’s economy has changed dramatically over the past six years and is changing once again. Since 1990 there have been significant developments in the area of access and equity both at institutional and national policy level. Third level education is strategically positioned to influence the future direction of the formal education system and in so doing to influence the responses of individuals and communities to current development challenges. This paper focuses on how third level education providers exercises this influence with particular reference to the ways in which they engage with those sectors of the population who are currently under represented or excluded from education. The paper explores the responses to access in Ireland and highlights the new initiatives at Third Level and the links at community level. It argues that the nature of this response has far reaching consequences not only for the well-being of those at the periphery but also for the on-going relevance of the knowledge base that underpins the entire formal education system.