School: Drumcoghill

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1. Hedge-Schools (continued)

   

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   P.S. When the slate pencils grew short, they were stuck into a piece of quill, so as to use them to the end almost.

   A hedge-school existed in this locality. The teacher was named Mr Spurray and he afforded much amusement to the "Boys". He taught at Cornafean Cross, and later at a cotter house on John Reilly's lands of "Seancor [?]". This house was very poorly thatched and in the end was nearly without a roof at all. I was talking to a Mr. Wm. Sloane who was a pupil of his for some time. This man was attending Drumcoghill School (Miss Ennis Teacher) but Spurray was always asking old Mr. Sloane to send his son to him. The son says he was a good teacher for what he undertook - Arith, Reading, Writing. He used to call all pupils round at once for reading - small and great - Each one read a small bit from the "Universal". They had another book which he called "Gough" or the Gough. When Sloane first read for him he said:- [?]a favourite saying of his[?] "Upon my soul, I did not think you could read as well as that".
   They used slates - but they had pen and ink for very special work. He now and again asked the scholars to work a sum on slate and then copy it out on paper. Spurray wrote the Headline and the pupils made a copy 2 or 3 lines only at a time.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. schools (~4,094)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mrs A. Montgomery

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Address

   Corr, Co. Cavan