taken on board because when he returned the fo low ng year he was pleased the report
that
the
school
was
progressing "very nicely" ard if contin ued sat sfactory resu ts cou d be anticipated.
The Inspectors report of 1877 mentions the condition of the School for the first time and described walls and ceilings
covered with cobwebs
and
and the maps not
as
window pane "dim with dust...
tastefully arranqed as miqht
be expected",
January 9, 1BB3 Mr. Connolly decided that the following
children should be rnarked absent; Lizzie Nolan, 14innie Dennihy, Kitty Curun and lvlargaret Brosna n. He also mentioned Mary Horan and [4innie Hickey but it is not clear why. On a visit on March 31, 1886 he observed
that some pupils read badly inaccurate and unintelligible.. Some were better but did not seem to understand
"
what they read".
He
suggested that a large map would be useful and a Leaveof-absence book was needed (to record when pupils left the
The problern with the school early). He also Accounts continued to persist mentioned that "the drainage and in 1B7B Mr. Dowlinq of the Out-Offices ls noted; "Accourts still very unsatisFactory. They are most carelessly kept. It is useless to specify as my
former remarks in this regard have been unheeded. I have therefore marked the defects with blue pencil in register. The recent grants have not
By lBBB the Princ:pal,
Eilen Horan, had married and was now flrs. E en Roche and the new inspector was Mr. Steede
who mentloned that instruction
in
"the the use of the
Sewing Machine
was
been noted. The record of eFFectlye" (The machine had school fees received during been patented in America 40 the past year is altogether or so years ear er, just untrustworthy as according to
the Report Book they were 89.15.6, Teachers Report t10.15.6 and the Sumrnery Book f13.5.6. The Fees have
before the Great Famine).
not been regularly entered in the Report book weekly and monthly as required".
I
along. This guy had no grounds for complaining
about pupils
writing because his own was pretty illegible. Reading between the lines he seemed generally pleased with the progress of
the
pupils.
Prlnc pal in 1882 was Ellen Horan and on a vis t on
The
to Catechism. However the Inspector noted that the r names were not sted in the Leave-oF-absence
nd for
Boo k.
The fo owing year I\4 r Coyne spent a couple of days at the school and noted that the
eight pupi s selected from fifth c ass for exam nation on the sewing machine and
Advanced Dressmakt.,g "did not exhibit sufficient dexterity
in the adjustment af
the
machine or display suffrcient
knowledge of
Advanced Dressmaking to entitle any af them to pass in this subject". He also noted that Han Keane from Second C ass was present but marked absent! Mr. Coyne continued to vist
the schoo up to 1895
and he described his examination of the pupils as
generally
showing deflciencies in most sublects while gra m mar was "almost unknawn"
A
lYr. Bannan,
who
substituted for Mr. Coyne
1896, made the
in
fol ow ng observation; " Judginq by the conduct of some of the seniar girls the teacher has failed to impress upan the pupils the necessity af matntaininq an hanest department when under examination". Heading into the early 1900s the number for exam was 40 on average and the inspector
A Mr. Browne was
the inspector for the next couple of years with little fuss and in 1880 a williarn Connolly came
noon but left to go
Castleisla
reported improved resu tsThe "Alternat ve Programme" Antique Sewing machine 1927 for Sxth Class grs "was taught with success... In May 19, 1892 Inspector being proficiency in the and their Coyne arrived at 2,35pm and found 36 pupils present while the Roll Book recorded 40 as being at school. The four missing pupils were Bridget Connor, Nonie Sullivan, Nano
(?) Broderick and
Ellie
Connor. The teacher said
they were at school up until ,8
Industrial Subjects was highly satisfactary".
W H Welply was the next into the breach and he had good things to say. "I am glad to see shrubs planted in margins of plot, More keys needed in
