17 September 2010

Photo Hunt - School

The theme for the week's Photo Hunt is school so what am I doing showing a photo of a big rock in a field?


Actually I am not stretching the theme one little bit. The rock, which is located in the Millstreet County Park in Ireland, was the site of a hedge school.

A hedge school was a rural school in Ireland that existed mainly in the 18th century when catholic schools were forbidden under what were known as the Penal Laws, which placed severe restrictions on the rights of Catholics and "dissenters" (protestants who were not part of the Anglican church).

In the absence of a formal education system the hedge schools continued well into the 19th century. They did decline after the introduction of National Schools (primary/elementary schools) in 1831.

In reality most hedge schools were located in barns or in other places out of the elements. This one is relatively unusual


33 comments:

Annie said...

Wow. I can't imagine anyone coming up with a more unusual school than this. It's a cool looking rock!

Happy weekend.

jams o donnell said...

Haha did you expect a conventional school from me!

jmb said...

I think you get the prize this week Jams.

Happy weekend to you.

Anonymous said...

pretty cool - i thought this was where you often went when you skipped SCHOOL :D

peace!

Unknown said...

Wow. Interesting take on the theme this week, Jams!

My Photo Hunt Post

Anonymous said...

what a great photograph and a very interesting post for SCHOOL! Happy weekend.

James Higham said...

So did they sit on the rock?

Susan Demeter said...

Love your take on the theme and thank you for the history lesson. I can only imagine what it must have been like being a Catholic child and going to a hedge school in those turbulent times.

CherryPie said...

I hadn't heard of a hedge school before, I learned something new today. A brilliant idea for the theme :-)

Carver said...

Very interesting history and a fantastic shot. What a great job you did with the theme. Happy weekend.

Sean Jeating said...

Why would I not be surprised?

Brilliant, Jams. Absolutely brilliant!

ian said...

they that school's a hard place to be in- and this picture just puts that in the correct context and perspective =]

YTSL said...

What an amazing location for a school! And thanks for the interesting accompanying info, Jams. :)

Colin Campbell said...

How interesting. Not so pleasant in the winter.

Anneke (Mudhooks) said...

Very interesting! I had never heard of hedge schools!

http://mudpuddle.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/photohunt-school/

LifeRamblings said...

very unusual yet interesting. thanks for the history lesson. :)

Claude said...

Very interesting story, Jams.

Lilian said...

Very interesting. I'd never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing!

jams o donnell said...

Thanks everyone.

Jams I am not sure . Perhaps they did

magiceye said...

that is so interesting!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Really fascinating! I have never heard of this before! And the rock itself is intriguing too!

Anonymous said...

It would eb a challenge to concentrate on one's studies in such a beautiful spot!

Maya said...

What a beautiful place and an informative post. I also went with a less than conventional take on the theme.

upto6only said...

very interesting and informative. i like your take :)

Traveling Bells said...

Interesting photo AND history lesson...

Unknown said...

quite fascinating. the students in hedge schools must have real passion for learning.:p

ipanema said...

nice post for the theme. love it.


happy weekend.:)

Liz said...

Great shot. It's an interesting story, thank you for sharing it with us.

Have a great weekend.

Liz @ MLC

Alice Audrey said...

I thought that rock was familiar. Great take on the theme.

A. @ A Changing Life said...

Might have been good in the summer, but just think of the winter!

TorAa said...

Hi, my Irish blog friend, your post is not at all stretching the theme.
Far away from. My wife is a Teacher, and very often she needs to bring her students out in the real world to really study and understand...
To combine theory with real world

Hve a great Sunday

jams o donnell said...

Thanks everyone

Anonymous said...

That was interesting,.. I didn't know that. Great pic!