Four female lecturers at NUI Galway have settled a High Court action over gender discrimination with the university.

In a statement this morning, NUI Galway said an amicable agreement had been recached and that each of the women involved had been promoted to Senior Lecturer positions.

The staff members - Dr Sylvie Lannegrand, Dr Róisín Healy, Dr Margaret Hodgins, and Dr Adrienne Gorman - instigated High Court proceedings in 2015, alleging discrimination in competitions for promotion.

All had been unsuccessful in competitions for Senior Lecturer posts between October 2008 and April 2009. They claimed they were treated less than favourable, on the grounds of gender and / or family status.

The university denied the claims in the High Court and initially said the staff had no cause for taking the action against it.

A fifth staff member was promoted last year, after taking her case to the Labour Court.

The actions followed a ruling by the Equality Authority in 2014 that another lecturer, Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, had been discriminated on the grounds of gender when she was overlooked for promotion during the period in question.

Dr Sheehy Skeffington donated a €70,000 compensation payment to her colleagues, to help fund their legal fees. In a statement today, she said the resolution showed women could not be bullied into backing down.

The controversy over appointments process at the university led to an external review and a number of initiatives to address gender related employment issues at the institution.