Secondary school education in Ireland: histories, memories and life stories, 1922–1967 by Tom O’Donoghue and Judith Harford

Howlett, John

Abstract

There is something quite apt about the cover of this book, as the image of a bare wooden classroom adorned with antiquated chalk slates, ink-well and a fading globe indicate something of the nature of Irish secondary education which, until as late as 1967, remained the preserve of less than 20% of the population. As had been the case previously in England, school fees, the cost of textbooks and equipment and, for many, simply getting there in the first place, served to restrict and dissuade many prospective (and able) students from furthering their education beyond the elementary level. The deep and profound impact that (predominantly Catholic) religion had on the experience of many created a unique set of conditions, which, whilst appearing philosophically historic – many countries having opened up free secondary education to all many decades, if not centuries before – is still, in terms of its temporal distance, very much modern and still preserved within living memory.

Citation

Howlett, J. (2017). Secondary school education in Ireland: histories, memories and life stories, 1922–1967 by Tom O’Donoghue and Judith Harford. History of Education, 46(1), 139-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/0046760x.2016.1173241

• Journal Article Type: Book Review
• Online Publication Date: Apr 26, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2023
• Journal: History of Education
• Print ISSN: 0046-760X
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-5130
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 139-141
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0046760x.2016.1173241
• Keywords: History and Philosophy of Science; Education
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=thed20