Mapping the terrain of female education in Ireland, 1830–1910

Raftery, Deirdre; Harford, Judith; Parkes, Susan M.

doi:10.1080/09540250903446895

Cited by 41 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…However, several years would still have to elapse before women would begin to formally graduate with degrees from Irish universities (e.g. Harford 2005Harford , 2008aRaftery et al 2010;Kelly 2013; for specific reference to geological training in Irish universities see Higgs and Wyse Jackson 2007). During this interval the system of education in Ireland was reorganised and the Queen's University in Ireland formally dissolved by the University Education (Ireland) Act of 1879, to be replaced by its successor, the Royal University of Ireland (Moody 1958).…”

Section: 'Late Curator Of the Newcastle Museum And Lecturer On Geolog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The awarding of the first honorary Doctor of Science by the Queen's University in Ireland to William King – a journey of scientific curiosity

Murray¹,

Dingsdale²,

Nasheuer³

et al. 2020

Irish Journal of Earth Sciences

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William King (1809-86) was the founding Professor of Mineralogy and Geology at Queen's College Galway (QCG), one of three regional colleges opened in 1849 to provide secular university-level education in Ireland. King came from a modest background and despite lacking third-level qualifications, began publishing on palaeontological and geological matters in the 1840s. These early contributions aided his application for the professorship in Galway, particularly his seminal 1850 monograph on the Permian fossils of England, which was in preparation at the time. During his first two decades at QCG, King maintained an up-to-date teaching programme in geology and palaeontology, played a key role in establishing the natural history museum and further developed his research portfolio. He investigated several topics of international interest, including the supposed earliest fossils of living organisms and the emerging evidence for fossil humans. King's achievements were impressive, particularly as he was essentially self-taught and also considering the isolated and poor economic standing of Galway at the time. The Queen's University in Ireland (QUI) bestowed its first ever honorary Doctor of Science on William King in 1870 in recognition of his distinguished geological research, and also to mark a refocussing of the university curriculum to better reflect the importance of science. King's award came at a time when the education system was coming under increasing scrutiny in Ireland, and as part of these reforms QUI was dissolved in 1882 and replaced by the Royal University of Ireland. One of the final acts of QUI was to award a large number of former graduates with master's degrees. A select few were conferred with honorary doctorates, including King's eldest son, William Jr., who had been amongst the first students to enter QCG in 1849 and, after graduating, enjoyed a distinguished career with the Geological Survey of India. Father and son thus achieved the unique honour of being the first and last recipients of a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from QUI for their geological endeavours.

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Section: 'Late Curator Of the Newcastle Museum And Lecturer On Geolog...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The awarding of the first honorary Doctor of Science by the Queen's University in Ireland to William King – a journey of scientific curiosity

Murray¹,

Dingsdale²,

Nasheuer³

et al. 2020

Irish Journal of Earth Sciences

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show abstract

“…The creation of the lecture series was part of a wider environment of the availability of education for the Irish population. A system of national schools, providing free primary education for all, was established in Ireland in 1831 and began to roll out across the island during the following years (Coolahan 1981, Raftery et al 2010. The increase in printed press at this time added to the rise in the level of general education of the Irish public (Kelly 2017).…”

Section: Background To Lecture Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This, in turn, increased the level of literacy across the population -the level of female illiteracy reduced from 35.9% in 1871 to 26.5% in 1881 (Jordan 2000), and the preceding two decades saw the beginning of this trend. While primary education was accessible, it was more difficult for females to access education beyond the primary level until intermediate schools for girls opened in the 1860s, generally under the patronage of either a Catholic religious order or an Anglican society (Raftery et al 2010).…”

Section: Background To Lecture Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female students of geology in Victorian Dublin

Hegarty¹

2020

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The science of geology began to thrive during the middle of the nineteenth century, with the expansion and consolidation of geological mapping of the Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, and the foundation of geological societies across the islands of Britain and Ireland. As the desire for geological knowledge and understanding among the general public grew, so did the provision of lectures and courses open to the public. These public lecture series proved popular with a wide cross-section of men and women of Victorian Britain and Ireland.This paper explores the provision of geological lectures by officers of the Geological Survey of Ireland through the Museum of Irish Industry in Dublin, and the women who took these courses during the 1850s and 1860s, and completed geological examinations for London's Science and Art Department in Dublin as a result of these lectures. It provides a glimpse into the scientific and, specifically, geological interests and activities of these women at a time when it was not possible for them to become members of the geological societies in the cities in which they lived.

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The Cambridge History of Ireland

2018

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Mapping the terrain of female education in Ireland, 1830–1910

Cited by 41 publications

References 4 publications

The awarding of the first honorary Doctor of Science by the Queen's University in Ireland to William King – a journey of scientific curiosity

The awarding of the first honorary Doctor of Science by the Queen's University in Ireland to William King – a journey of scientific curiosity

Female students of geology in Victorian Dublin

The Cambridge History of Ireland

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