ADAIR IN ASHE QUAY
Taken from "Adair through the Ages"( 2004) by Heather Smith
Take a walk past the Grand Hotel along the quays, and the fiery looking building is the site of the first Adair School. Niall Brunicardi presents a drawing of the original school on Ashe Quay, in his book "John Anderson of Fermoy"
The school house, built by John Anderson ESQ, was a slated building, constructed in lime and stone. The dimensions were 36ft by 16ft and it cost £600 to build. It opened as a public, fee paying boys school for poor children shortly after the Act of Union, when Ireland became part of the United Kingdom.
The aim was to "Teach at a reduced price the children of those in inferior station" according to Hall in "Tour through Ireland." It cost one shilling, seven and a half pence per quartere to send a child to the school. This entitled a child to be taught reading and spellings only. Those who wanted to learn writing and accouts paid more! Since the fee was so small, a large number od children had to attend to make the school viable. This led to the Lanacastrian Plan being adopted as a system of education in the new schoolhouse.
In the Lancastrian Plan the school was broken up into classes and there was a monitor in charge of each class. According to Wallace in her thesis, "Aspects of Education in Fermoy in the early C19", the monitor was:-
"responsible for the morals, improvement, good order and cleanliness of the class He had a duty to make a daily, weekly and monthly report of progress, specifying the number of lessons performed, boys present and absent etc"
The books to be used in the school were the Bible, Testament, Turner's Instruction to the Arts and Science, Trimmer's Introduction to the Knowledge of Nature and Reading the Scriptures, Martinet's "Catechism of Nature" and Watt's "Hymns for Children."
At first, a young man called Mr. Upton, who "knew something of the system" was employed to teach in the school. When the numbers increased, Mr. Tweedale was asked to organise the school. He apparently was intimately acquainted with the system as he "lived several years with Mr. Lancaster himself."
In 1809, Mr. Brabazon, the master, taught 150 scholars. Given the large numbers, it is hardly surprising that the education was very elementary.
In 1823, the Adair endowment allowed the school to become a free school as the master's salaries and the children's books were paid from the bequest. It was at this stage that the school became known as the "Fermoy Adair Male School", and "Fermoy Female Free School" took up residence in the same building. They remained separate schools for many years.
Between 1820-23 the school needed repair, and money was received from the Lord Lieutenant Society funds towards maintenance. Shortly afterwards the female school became affiliated to the London Hibernian Society and Adair School became affiliated to Kildare Place Society. A year or two later the female school joined Kildare place Society too. These societies enabled the schools to access grant aided books, a system of inspection and gratuities for teachers.
In 1824 Rev. Francis Jones, (patron of the Adair School and headmaster of Fermoy College), applied to Kildare Place Society for books for a lending library, and a training place for Terence Hanley as teacher in Kildare Place in Dublin. Both were granted, and Adair School got cheap books and stationery for £16.0.0 between 1824 and 1832.
Terence Hanley (after his two month training session) got £30 as a salary from the Adair bequest, which he augmented, with gratuities from the Society. The higher the standard in the school, the more the teacher was awarded. In 1831 there were 115 boys on the roll but on the day the inspector arrived only 32 attended.
In 1831 the National System of Education was set up, but neither the girls school nor the Adair School joined up. The grants from Kildare Place Society dried up, and in 1840 the Church Education Society took over the schools.
Clement Daniel became master in 1855, followed by Mr. Vaughan in 1867( who stayed a year) and Mr. Kinmouth in 1872 (whose salary was £42.00 p.a)
A fascinating record of income and expenditure was discovered recently in an old Adair School Account Book. It commenced in 1823 when the interest money upon £1162-14s was first received from the Board of Charitable bequests, and the record finishes in 1874 when the school came under the National Board of Education.
In 1858 gas fitting were installed for £4-9-6, coal for the year cost £2, ventilators in the roof cost 18s 6d, postage and stamps 1s, two gratuities to the master @ £2 10s each, two salary payments for the master@ £15 each, repairs of glass 5s 6d, repairs, whitewashing and lock £1- 8s-0d. The income arising from the interest from the Adair Endowment realised £18-11s- 1d in two instalments which arrived in April and October…and this was the only income recorded that year!
Sometime later Rev. Hill applied for the schools to come under the National Board of Education. The Fermoy Female School joined in 1871 and Adair Boys School in 1874.
Rev. Hill's application to the Board, for the Adair School, records that the Boys School was housed in a building on Grubbs Quay (no rent). This consisted of two rooms - one for girls and the other for boys. Master James Kinmouth lived upstairs. School was organised between 10.00am and 3.30 pm. There were between eight and ten boys in attendance. The master was paid £39 in salary from the Adair bequest; Solicitor Verling paid the remainder of £5. Rev.Hill stated that the object for coming under the board was to obtain inspection and free stocks of school requisites.
The inspectors' reports of that era are scathing. Neither school followed the rules, and neither kept the roll books accurately. One report brought the want of a "water closet and out offices "to the manager's attention. However, threats to withdraw funds improved the situation.
In 1882 both schools eventually amalgamated. The school became co-educational and it became known as Fermoy Adair School. In the late nineteenth century/early twentieth century, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke ran the school. Mr. Clarke was fondly known as "Nobby Clarke". He apparently taught Greek for additional fees.
Adair School on Ashe Quay stopped being a school at this time . We know it was being used as hall in 1891 as the minutes of the local Readings and Musical Society inform us that the opening entertainment for the winter session was to be held in Adair Hall.
Later the schoolhouse on Ashe Quay was disposed of under a lease arrangement that paid a rental income to the Diocesan Board of Education of £75 per annum. The licensees wanted to buy out the freehold, and the property was eventually sold for £1200.
Take a walk past the Grand Hotel along the quays, and the fiery looking building is the site of the first Adair School. Niall Brunicardi presents a drawing of the original school on Ashe Quay, in his book "John Anderson of Fermoy"
The school house, built by John Anderson ESQ, was a slated building, constructed in lime and stone. The dimensions were 36ft by 16ft and it cost £600 to build. It opened as a public, fee paying boys school for poor children shortly after the Act of Union, when Ireland became part of the United Kingdom.
The aim was to "Teach at a reduced price the children of those in inferior station" according to Hall in "Tour through Ireland." It cost one shilling, seven and a half pence per quartere to send a child to the school. This entitled a child to be taught reading and spellings only. Those who wanted to learn writing and accouts paid more! Since the fee was so small, a large number od children had to attend to make the school viable. This led to the Lanacastrian Plan being adopted as a system of education in the new schoolhouse.
In the Lancastrian Plan the school was broken up into classes and there was a monitor in charge of each class. According to Wallace in her thesis, "Aspects of Education in Fermoy in the early C19", the monitor was:-
"responsible for the morals, improvement, good order and cleanliness of the class He had a duty to make a daily, weekly and monthly report of progress, specifying the number of lessons performed, boys present and absent etc"
The books to be used in the school were the Bible, Testament, Turner's Instruction to the Arts and Science, Trimmer's Introduction to the Knowledge of Nature and Reading the Scriptures, Martinet's "Catechism of Nature" and Watt's "Hymns for Children."
At first, a young man called Mr. Upton, who "knew something of the system" was employed to teach in the school. When the numbers increased, Mr. Tweedale was asked to organise the school. He apparently was intimately acquainted with the system as he "lived several years with Mr. Lancaster himself."
In 1809, Mr. Brabazon, the master, taught 150 scholars. Given the large numbers, it is hardly surprising that the education was very elementary.
In 1823, the Adair endowment allowed the school to become a free school as the master's salaries and the children's books were paid from the bequest. It was at this stage that the school became known as the "Fermoy Adair Male School", and "Fermoy Female Free School" took up residence in the same building. They remained separate schools for many years.
Between 1820-23 the school needed repair, and money was received from the Lord Lieutenant Society funds towards maintenance. Shortly afterwards the female school became affiliated to the London Hibernian Society and Adair School became affiliated to Kildare Place Society. A year or two later the female school joined Kildare place Society too. These societies enabled the schools to access grant aided books, a system of inspection and gratuities for teachers.
In 1824 Rev. Francis Jones, (patron of the Adair School and headmaster of Fermoy College), applied to Kildare Place Society for books for a lending library, and a training place for Terence Hanley as teacher in Kildare Place in Dublin. Both were granted, and Adair School got cheap books and stationery for £16.0.0 between 1824 and 1832.
Terence Hanley (after his two month training session) got £30 as a salary from the Adair bequest, which he augmented, with gratuities from the Society. The higher the standard in the school, the more the teacher was awarded. In 1831 there were 115 boys on the roll but on the day the inspector arrived only 32 attended.
In 1831 the National System of Education was set up, but neither the girls school nor the Adair School joined up. The grants from Kildare Place Society dried up, and in 1840 the Church Education Society took over the schools.
Clement Daniel became master in 1855, followed by Mr. Vaughan in 1867( who stayed a year) and Mr. Kinmouth in 1872 (whose salary was £42.00 p.a)
A fascinating record of income and expenditure was discovered recently in an old Adair School Account Book. It commenced in 1823 when the interest money upon £1162-14s was first received from the Board of Charitable bequests, and the record finishes in 1874 when the school came under the National Board of Education.
In 1858 gas fitting were installed for £4-9-6, coal for the year cost £2, ventilators in the roof cost 18s 6d, postage and stamps 1s, two gratuities to the master @ £2 10s each, two salary payments for the master@ £15 each, repairs of glass 5s 6d, repairs, whitewashing and lock £1- 8s-0d. The income arising from the interest from the Adair Endowment realised £18-11s- 1d in two instalments which arrived in April and October…and this was the only income recorded that year!
Sometime later Rev. Hill applied for the schools to come under the National Board of Education. The Fermoy Female School joined in 1871 and Adair Boys School in 1874.
Rev. Hill's application to the Board, for the Adair School, records that the Boys School was housed in a building on Grubbs Quay (no rent). This consisted of two rooms - one for girls and the other for boys. Master James Kinmouth lived upstairs. School was organised between 10.00am and 3.30 pm. There were between eight and ten boys in attendance. The master was paid £39 in salary from the Adair bequest; Solicitor Verling paid the remainder of £5. Rev.Hill stated that the object for coming under the board was to obtain inspection and free stocks of school requisites.
The inspectors' reports of that era are scathing. Neither school followed the rules, and neither kept the roll books accurately. One report brought the want of a "water closet and out offices "to the manager's attention. However, threats to withdraw funds improved the situation.
In 1882 both schools eventually amalgamated. The school became co-educational and it became known as Fermoy Adair School. In the late nineteenth century/early twentieth century, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke ran the school. Mr. Clarke was fondly known as "Nobby Clarke". He apparently taught Greek for additional fees.
Adair School on Ashe Quay stopped being a school at this time . We know it was being used as hall in 1891 as the minutes of the local Readings and Musical Society inform us that the opening entertainment for the winter session was to be held in Adair Hall.
Later the schoolhouse on Ashe Quay was disposed of under a lease arrangement that paid a rental income to the Diocesan Board of Education of £75 per annum. The licensees wanted to buy out the freehold, and the property was eventually sold for £1200.