Archives at CICE
The records and publications of the Kildare Place Society are held in the college archives.
The Kildare Place Society was founded in 1811 by a group of philanthropic men in Dublin including, Samuel Bewley, of the Quaker merchant family, and, J.D. La Touche of the Huguenot banking family. Its full name was the Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in Ireland but was familiarly known by the location of its offices and model schools in Kildare Place. The Society was non-denominational but its rules required the Bible to be read in schools 'without note or comment'.
The Society aimed to assist the provision of primary education in literary and numeracy throughout Ireland. It established model schools and a teacher training institution in Kildare Place, for both men and women teachers. It also provided grants for school-building, gratuities to teachers and school requisites (such as slates, pens, maps and textbooks). An inspectorate was established to visit and monitor the schools.
The Kildare Place Society was in receipt of a government grant from1815 until the setting up of the National School system in 1831. The organization and structure of the Society served as a basis for the National School system, which established its own model schools, training institution, book publication and inspectorate in Marlborough Street.
Documents relating to the subsequent history of the College are also held in the Archives at CICE. There is also a collection of 19th and 20th century textbooks used in primary schools in Ireland.
Applications to consult material held in the archives should be made to the librarian - library@cice.ie