The High School Dublin
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Note the historic designation placard to the right of the door.
This institution for boys, opened in 1870, was a beneficiary of the Erasmus Smith Trust, created by its wealthy namesake in 1657 to provide Protestant education for Irish children. Though enrollment was open to children of all faiths, few Catholics attended Erasmus Smith Schools. For the four such secondary schools outside of Dublin, Catholics accounted for only 14% of the 244 enrolled students. Dublin High School's inspection report dated 1881, shows that in 1879, of the 130 enrolled students, 122 were Protestant and 8 presumably, were Jewish (tabulated under "Other"). Not one Catholic student was in attendance. School fees were £7 to £15 per year, but 20 needy students, of any faith, attended free of charge. Apparently, the school waived charges for Bloom as it's unlikely his family could have afforded to pay.
The 1880 inspection of the High School revealed the school deficient in terms of discipline, administration, and academics. The inspector found the teaching of mathematics and literature satisfactory, but the teaching of classics, history, and geography was poor. He also believed that class size was excessive (30 to 40 boys) which explained the substandard, academic achievement of so many students. He noted too that the school lacked a much needed library. As for the charity students, he concluded as follows: "The free boys are elected by the Governors without examination, are not submitted to any sufficient periodical test, and are not under the complete control of the Head Master; hence there is a tendency in them to think lightly of their privileges, and these boys were reported to me as among the worst and most troublesome in the school." Bloom was a "free boy" who attended Dublin High School for at least one year; two at most.
n/ Report of the Commissioners for Endowed Schools (Ireland), Vol. 1, 1881, [C. 2831], at 82-83, 240-43, 362-63.
"One of the more amusing accounts of the religious breakdown at the school was given by William Wilkins, Headmaster, in a letter to the Board in 1886 which noted the enrolment of 209 Church of Ireland pupils, 41 Presbyterians, 8 Plymouth Brethren, 5 Methodists, 3 'Separatists', 3 Baptists, 3 Jews, 2 Roman Catholics, 2 Moravians, and 1 Congregationalist. He remarked that 'the Presbyterian boys have always been the intellectual cream of the school'. "
n/ Website of The High School, www.highschooldublin.com.
Location of the High School
Thom's Map, 1898 - University College Dublin, with permission.
Erasmus Smith School Locator
Google Maps prepared by the Erasmus Smith Trust. Identified are both open and closed schools. After the map opens click on a marker for basic information, such as city, name, and dates of operation.
From the website The Erasmus Smith Schools:
"These two Google Maps attempt to locate the former schools established, grant aided or managed by the Trust. Many of the addresses in property documents do not correspond with today's maps or street names. Place markers are only approximate locations and unfortunately the Street View feature is no longer available."
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Links to Other Websites
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The trust currently operates 66 schools which are located in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Dublin's Erasmus Smith High School is still in operation though now located away from the city center on a 23 acre campus in Rathgar.
Article by John Hunt on the secondary school that Leopold Bloom attended. Page on The Joyce Project website.
Documents on Other Websites
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1808 reprint of the original charter for the Erasmus Smith Trust. From the website of the Hathi Trust.
Data on 247 schools of which 66 are currently open. From the website of the Erasmus Smith Trust.
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