Historical book launch to take place in south Kilkenny this month
The book examines a period of key education reform in the county
A historical study by Joseph Doyle, National School Management in County Kilkenny 1831-1870: An Experiment in Cooperation, will be officially launched by Cllr Seán Ó hArgáin in the Concert Hall, Thomas on Friday, November 21 at 7:30pm.
Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night for €20. This meticulously researched work explores the development of the National School System in nineteenth-century County Kilkenny, arguing that the system established in 1831 represented the most significant government-led social reform of the era.
The initiative brought about the decline of the widespread ‘hedge school’, provided regulated education for the masses, and met the shared aspirations of civic and religious leaders alike. It gained broad public support - particularly among Roman Catholic and Presbyterian communities, helped to raise literacy levels dramatically, and became the predominant form of elementary education for Irish children across all social classes.
The book offers a detailed examination of Kilkenny’s schools, highlighting instances of cooperation, especially in schools under landlord patronage. It also situates these local developments within the broader national context - most notably the tensions between the Commissioners of National Education and the Roman Catholic hierarchy under Archbishop Paul Cullen.
The publication makes a valuable contribution to the study of Irish educational history and will be of interest to historians, educators and anyone curious about the evolution of Ireland’s national school system.