Industrial school (Ireland) facts for kids

Industrial schools were places in Ireland that looked after children who were neglected, orphaned, or abandoned. They were first set up under a law called the Industrial Schools (Ireland) Act 1868. By 1884, more than 5,000 children lived in these schools across the country. This law was later replaced by the Children Act 1908.

Today, in the Republic of Ireland, children can still be placed in protective care. These places are now called "children detention schools" instead of "industrial schools" or "reformatory schools." There are five such schools in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the similar place is the Juvenile Justice Centre near Bangor.

How Industrial Schools Started

The very first industrial school in Ireland was created by Lady Louisa Conolly in Celbridge, County Kildare. There, young boys learned useful skills like woodworking and shoemaking.

Different Types of Schools

Reformatory schools were set up in 1858 for children who had broken the law. Ten years later, in 1868, industrial schools were introduced. These were for children who were orphaned, neglected, or abandoned. They also took in children who were thought to be in danger of getting involved in crime. Before this, such children often stayed in "Ragged Schools" or Workhouses.

Over the next few decades, many new buildings were built for both types of schools. Private schools that helped people also got special permission to become reformatories or industrial schools. Once they had this permission, they received money from the government based on how many children they looked after.

Even though reformatory schools started first, industrial schools quickly became more common. The 1868 law made sure that Protestant and Catholic children were looked after in separate schools. This was to prevent people from trying to change a child's religion.

Industrial schools reached their highest number in 1898, with 71 schools in total. In what is now the Republic of Ireland, 56 of these schools were run by Catholics and five by Protestants. In Northern Ireland, six were Catholic-run and four were Protestant-run. By 1917, the last industrial school run by the Church of Ireland (Anglican) closed.

Numbers of Children in Schools

The number of children in reformatory schools went down over time. It was nearly 800 after the 1858 law, but fell to 300 by 1882, and then to 150 by 1900.

However, industrial schools grew a lot. By 1875, there were 50 industrial schools. The highest number of industrial schools was 71 in 1898. Of these, 61 were in the 26 counties that now make up the Republic of Ireland.

Records show that about 42,000 children were released from industrial schools and reformatories between 1930 and the 1970s.

Schools in the Republic of Ireland

Many of these schools were run by religious groups and received money from the government. Here are some examples:

• Artane Industrial school, Dublin
• Carriglea Park Industrial School, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin
• Meath Protestant Industrial School for Boys, Blackrock, Dublin
• Our Lady of Succour, Newtownforbes
• Summerhill Industrial School, Dublin (Protestant-run)
• St Aidan's Industrial School for Girls, New Ross, County Wexford
• St. Ann's Industrial School for Girls, Killarney, County Kerry
• St. Anne's Industrial School for Girls, Booterstown, County Dublin
• St. Anne's Reformatory School for Girls, Kilmacud, County Dublin
• St. Ann's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys, Renmore, County Galway
• St. Augustine's Industrial School for Girls, Templemore, County Tipperary
• St. Bernard's Industrial School for Girls, Fethard, County Tipperary
• St. Bridgid's Industrial School for Girls, Loughrea, County Galway
• St. Coleman's Industrial School for Girls, Cobh, County Cork
• St. Columba's Industrial School for Girls, Westport, County Mayo
• St Columba's Industrial School for Boys, Killybegs, County Donegal
• St. Conleth's Reformatory School for Boys, Daingean, County Offaly
• St. Dominick's Industrial School for Girls, Waterford
• St. Finbarr's Industrial School for Girls, Cork
• St. Francis Xavier's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys, Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon
• St. Francis' Industrial School for Girls, Cashel, County Tipperary
• St. George's Industrial School for Girls, Limerick
• St. John's Industrial School for Girls, Birr, County Offaly
• St. Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
• St. Joseph's Industrial School, Whitehall, Dublin
• St. Joseph's Industrial School, Kilkenny
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Boys, Passage West, County Cork
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Boys, Tralee, County Kerry
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys, Ballinasloe, County Galway
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys, Clifden, County Galway
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys, Killarney, County Kerry
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Cavan
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Dundalk, County Louth
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Kilkenny
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Mallow, County Cork
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Athlone, County Westmeath
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Whitehall, Dublin
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys, Ferryhouse, Clonmel, County Tipperary
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys, Glin, County Limerick
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys, Greenmount, Cork
• St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys, Salthill, County Galway
• St. Joseph's Reformatory School for Girls, Limerick
• St. Kyran's Industrial School for Junior Boys, Rathdrum, County Wicklow
• St. Laurence's Industrial School for Girls, Sligo
• St. Laurence's Industrial School, Finglas, Dublin
• St. Martha's Industrial School for Girls, Bundoran, County Donegal
• St. Mary's Industrial School, Lakelands, Sandymount, Dublin
• St. Michael's Industrial School for Girls, Wexford
• St. Michael's Industrial School for Junior boys, Cappoquin, County Waterford
• St. Patrick's Industrial School, Kilkenny
• St. Patrick's Industrial School, Upton, County Cork
• St. Vincent's (House of Charity) Industrial School for Junior Boys, Drogheda, County Louth
• St. Vincent's Industrial School for Girls, Limerick
• St. Vincent's Industrial School, Goldenbridge, Inchicore, Dublin

Schools in Northern Ireland

The industrial schools in Northern Ireland were slowly closed down and emptied during the 1920s and 1930s. Most were gone by 1950.

• Balmoral Industrial School for Protestant Boys, Belfast, Co. Antrim
• Hampton House Industrial School for Protestant Girls, Belfast
• Lisnevin Training School, Millisle, Co. Down
• The Malone Reformatory (Training School) Belfast, Co. Antrim
• Shamrock Lodge Industrial School, Belfast, Co. Antrim
• St. Patrick's Training School, Belfast, Co. Antrim

Images for kids

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  Former St Joseph's Industrial School in Letterfrack

See also

• Magdalen Asylum
• Haut de la Garenne Saint Martin, Jersey.
• List of industrial schools