A history of Irish education: A study in conflicting loyalties

Patrick J. Dowling, M.A., Ph.D., is Secretary of the Irish Literary Society in London. He has taught in Ireland and England, and lectured in Education at the University of London Institute of Education. He is the author of The Hedge Schools of Ireland.Looking at the history of education in Ireland P. J. Dowling traces the conflict of loyalties implicit in almost every age. From the days of the Bardic Schools, monastic establishments and the schools of Tudor times loyalties were divided between the recognized patrons and those who regarded themselves as successors to a more ancient heritage.Brought to a standstill by the imposition of the Penal Laws, education in Ireland began to take second place to the scholars of Irish learning on the Continent but the underground 'hedge' schools began to root and proved for long to be a force on the Irish scene. From this point the British government saw that education had to be controlled and the story of the intensive negotiations between State and Church is told here with clarity and depth of research.One of the outstanding features of this history is the link that is maintained between the past and each effort to ensure a form of popular education. This background is an essential to an understanding of the tortuous paths followed by both British and native governments in their efforts to weld both 'ancient heritage and modern outlook on to an educational system for a small country.