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Schoolhouse ruins are a common sight in the Irish countryside, wherever populations are in decline and the fabric of what was once a vibrant community is slowly perishing. Within their collapsing walls, friends were made and lessons were learned.

Belief systems, traditions and moral codes were imprinted on young minds. These schoolhouses had a significant impact on generations of pupils, whether they still live nearby or have emigrated to faraway lands. However, little or no research has been undertaken into the social and cultural significance of these institutions. Only some are recorded in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, and they are afforded varying degrees of protection on architectural merit only. Once pivotal to their communities, they now lie abandoned.

Enda O’Flaherty’s work as an archaeologist has brought him to the most isolated parts of Ireland, where he noticed and grew ever more intrigued by these ubiquitous features of the landscape. He began actively seeking them out, photographing over 240 in total, researching their histories and interviewing those who attended them. In exploring the buildings, he was also collecting a treasury of childhood memories.

More Information
ISBN/EAN 9781848893511
Author Enda O'Flaherty
Publisher Gill Books
Imprint Collins Press
Publication date 17 Sep 2018
Format Hardback
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Deserted Schoolhouses of Ireland (Hardback)

Each empty building has a story to tell, and gathered in this thoughtful collection, they whisper a poignant narrative of a disappearing Ireland – of changing needs, desires and ways of life.

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