Church of Ireland College of Education

History

Origins and changes of control

The history of the Church of Ireland College of Education began in 1811, when a primary teacher training college known as The Kildare Place Training Institution was founded in Dublin by the Society for Promoting Education of the Poor in Ireland. In the 1850s this institution was taken over by the Church Education Society for the purpose of training Anglican teachers for church schools. This in turn was taken over in 1878 by the General Synod of the Church of Ireland and six years later became a recognised denominational college with the Archbishop of Dublin as ex officio manager and chairman of the Board of Governors. In 1884, under the guidance of Archbishop Plunket, it affiliated to the state national school system.

20th century

In 1963 it was decided to sell the Kildare Place site, and Rathmines Castle was purchased for the College and school, to which they moved in 1969. In 1934, the Principal, the Rev. Canon E.C. Hodges in 1934, had commissioned chairs and an altar, and oversaw the conversion of a classroom into a College Chapel, which was moved to St Mary's (Donnybrook parish) when the college moved to Rathmines.

Closure and legacy

In 2011 the college celebrated its bicentenary, with a number of events celebrating the college's contribution to education in Ireland.

In 2012, the Minister of Education, Ruairí Quinn, made comments regarding the reduction in the number of teacher training colleges, with a number of small colleges earmarked for closure or encouraged to merge with other institutions. Following this, the board of governors, including the principal, Anne Lodge and the Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, ended the historic link with Trinity College, and entered into negotiations with Dublin City University where CICE was fully incorporated on 1 October 2016. This proved controversial, and many people including former CICE governors and leading Church of Ireland members believed that the college was closed without adequate consultation from the archbishop and the principal.

The current DCU Institute of Education comprises DCU's own Education Department, CICE, Mater Dei Institute, and St Patrick's College, Dublin (Drumcondra).{{Cite news |last=Flynn |first=Seán |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1207/1224327610266.html |title=Church and TCD in row over teacher training

In 2022, and following the closure of St Mary's in 2020, the altar furniture from the original Church of Ireland Training College at Kildare Place was moved to and rededicated in All Hallows Chapel, All Hallows College Chapel, DCU, where the Church of Ireland Centre is, and reconsecrated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, for use by Church of Ireland Centre and community there.

Academic offering

In the 1970s a Bachelor of Education degree was introduced and subsequently taught jointly by Trinity College (University of Dublin) and the Church of Ireland College of Education. The CICE course had a mandatory religious element preparing teachers to teach in Protestant run primary schools.

Facilities

Student accommodation was also available on campus for both students of the college or of other colleges.

Principals

Principals of the College included:

• Rev. Canon Henry Kingsmill Moore DD (1884-1927) - first Principal
• Rev. Canon Evelyn Hodges (1928 to 1942)
• Rev. Canon R.J. Ross, M.A.
• Dr. Kenneth Milne (1975-1984)
• Mr. Sydney Blain (1984-2009)
• Dr. Anne Lodge (2009-2016) - final Principal

Notable alumni

• Patrick Kennedy - bookseller, writer and folklorist, trained as a teacher in Kildare Place
• Trevor Sargent - former TD and Green Party Leader, subsequently trained as a priest, trained as a teacher

References

References

1. [http://www.episcopalchurch.org/53810_55847_ENG_HTM.htm Church of Ireland College of Education (Ireland)] {{webarchive. link. (13 January 2008 - Colleges of the Anglican Communion)
2. Walsh, John. (2018-11-19). "Higher Education in Ireland, 1922–2016: Politics, Policy and Power—A History of Higher Education in the Irish State". Springer.
3. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/article.jsp?articleid=22416&back= Plunket, William Conyngham] Oxford Dictionary of Biography, Oxford University Press.
4. [https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2019/10/22/kildare-place-school-celebrating-50 Kildare Place School Celebrating 50 years in Rathmines] Irish Anglican, 22 November 2019.
5. [http://dublin.anglican.org/news/events/2011/04/church-of-ireland-college-of-education-bicentenary-celebrations.php Church of Ireland College of Education Bicentenary Celebrations] {{Webarchive. link. (22 April 2012 Dublin & Glendalough Diocese Webpage, April 2011)
6. "Statement On Behalf Of The Board Of Governors Of The Church Of Ireland College Of Education". Church of Ireland.
7. McGarry, Patsy. (26 January 2017). "Staff and students at former Church of Ireland college protest". [[The Irish Times]].
8. [https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2022/11/25/original-kildare-place-altar-furniture Original Kildare Place Altar Furniture Rededicated for use in Church of Ireland Centre], The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, 25 November 2022.
9. [http://www.episcopalchurch.org/53810_55847_ENG_HTM.htm Church of Ireland College of Education (Ireland)] {{webarchive. link. (13 January 2008 - Colleges of the Anglican Communion)
10. Carbery, Genevieve. (30 November 2010). "Do teachers have religious freedom?". The Irish Times.
11. [http://dublin.anglican.org/news/2009/07/announcement_of_new_principal_of_the_church_of_ireland_college_of_education.php New Principal of the Church of Ireland College of Education] {{Webarchive. link. (23 February 2013 dublin.anglican.org, July 2009.)