Old Roll Books found during Renovations

Valuable records found at East Wall school

Article from Dublin People
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
RENOVATION works at St Joseph’s Mixed National School in East Wall have uncovered an almost complete set of school records dating back to the foundation of the school in 1895. 

The treasure trove of historical documents was removed from the school attic during building work last year and put into storage, but the true value of the archive material has only recently come to light. The entire collection has not yet been fully examined, but a small selection of sample records put on display during the school’s summer Open Day has prompted huge interest among the local community.

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Speaking to Northside People, St Joseph’s Principal Seamus Murphy said word of the information available has spread rapidly, and a number of past pupils from as far afield as the UK have asked to view the documents. “To see the level of interest in these records and the excitement of people finding their own details or even those of their grandparents listed has been terrific,” stated Mr Murphy. “When the full records are catalogued and presented, I expect the attention they receive will be sensational.”

The records are of enormous value not only to the East Wall residents past and present, but also to anyone interested in tracing the changing social history of a close-knit Dublin community over more than a hundred years. They include registration details and daily roll books of pupils from the various schools housed at the site over the years, including the all-girls’ convent school, the all-boys’ Wharf school and the later St Joseph’s co-ed. Each pupil’s address is recorded, along with the principal occupation of the family breadwinner. 

Some fascinating entries include details of Ireland’s first ever schoolboy strike in 1911, when teachers turned up to find a note on the school door saying: ‘No School - Strike On Here’. The names of the striking pupils and their ringleader who presented a list of demands including less homework and cheaper books are all mentioned, along with the principal at the time. 

In 1946, a letter from the Government informs the school that the post-war ‘Emergency Powers’ have been lifted, and that the school is once more allowed to open before 10am. Other miscellaneous details include a note beside the names of four boys who were caught “misbehaving after school at Gallagher’s factory” and “throwing stones in the yard”. 

One ledger records teachers’ daily work times, while another lists details of daily school lunches from the 1940s onward (generally 320 sandwiches and 340 bottles of milk). The weather is another important feature of the school records, particularly during the winter. One entry on January 19, 1948, records a “slight snowfall”, which certainly led to jubilation among the pupils a few days later when the school had to close, the daily records stating: “no heating - dynamo broken”.

Local resident Joe Mooney, a former member of the school’s board of management, is working with the school to preserve the documents. “It’s like opening an Aladdin’s cave of local history,” Mr Mooney told Northside People. “They really are a treasure, and are of great nostalgic and historical value to the community, so we have to make sure they are not damaged in any way.”

As many of the documents are over a century old and some have been slightly water damaged, the school has organised for them to be assessed by a staff member from the National Archives. “A professional archivist is going to come this month to give us advice on how best to store and handle the documents,” added Mr Mooney. “Our aim is to restore them properly, catalogue them on micro film or digital photos and ultimately make them easily available to everyone, as there will be families all over the world with an interest in this.” 

East Wall History Week is scheduled to take place in October, and it’s hoped to use this event to set up a history group to continue the work of cataloguing the documents and possibly writing a book about them. In the meantime, a number of East Wall residents will be following the story of the school records with particular interest. 

Among them is local butcher Paddy Curtis, who has been collecting and copying old communion and confirmation photos from his customers for years, and displaying them in his shop. Another resident keen to delve into the archives is East Wall resident Mandy Kavanagh, who was surprised to find that her name is missing from the St Joseph’s roll book despite attending the school in the 1980s. Mandy has found her starting year and details of all the classmates she remembers, but her own details are mysteriously nowhere to be found.