Our October talk took place on Wednesday 24th and showcased the Local History Projects done by the students in Loreto Secondary School on the theme of the Sack of Balbriggan.
Then our own Anne Collins shared some of the jewels of information to be found in The Schools’ Collection 1937-39 by looking at 3 local schools.
Thanks to the Loreto Secondary School students who shared their research into the Sack of Balbriggan with us on Wednesday, including a model of the town at the time.
Well done to Anne Collins on her first talk for the Society. Her facinating talk introduced us to some of the entries from three local schools in The Schools Collection 1937 to 1939. Remember you can access this treasure trove of information here https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4498200
Approximately 740,000 pages (288,000 pages in the pupils’ original exercise books; 451,000 pages in bound volumes) of folklore and local tradition were compiled by pupils from 5,000 primary schools in the Irish Free State between 1937 and 1939.
This collecting scheme was initiated by the Irish Folklore Commission, under the direction of Séamus Ó Duilearga and Séan Ó Súilleabháin, Honorary Director and Registrar of the Commission respecgtively, and was heavily dependent on the cooperation of the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation.
