About 70 years ago a teacher named Mr. Phillips lived in what is now Damastown school. The building was a dwelling house then. It was divided into two apartments. Mr. Phillips taught in one and his wife had a shop in the other room. Mr. Phillips taught day and night. He taught three hours at night and charged one shilling per week for each pupils. The lessons he taught were all in English. There were no desks. The pupils sat on stools and boxes. They had to write on slates with slate pencils. There was another hedge school on the hill of Knockbrack. A man named Mr O'Brien from the city taught there. It was in a henhouse the school was held. There was no place for hats. The boys and girls left their hats in the hen's nests. They were taught English. Mr. O'Brien put down