Minister Foley announces new schools' folklore project at event marking Department centenary

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced that her Department is going to establish a new national schools’ folklore project for the 21st century.

The project will follow in the footsteps of the ground-breaking schools’ folklore project, which was set up by the National Folklore Collection in 1937.

It gathered 500,000 pages of oral history, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, games and pastimes, trades and crafts from more than 50,000 pupils in 5,000 schools across the state between 1937 and 1939.

The new schools’ folklore project will be carried out with the National Folklore Collection and UCD Library and will be open to all of the country’s 4,000 primary, post-primary and special schools.

It is aimed at empowering students to create a rich and diverse picture of their communities as part of a national schools’ folklore collection for the 21st century.

Minister Foley made the announcement at an event hosted by the Department of Education on its Marlborough Street campus to mark 100 years since the establishment of the Department in 1924, under the Ministers and Secretaries Act.

Minister Foley said:

“On my visits to schools across the country over the past four years as Minister for Education, I have been delighted to meet with so many students who are wonderful ambassadors for their local areas. I am looking forward to working with colleagues in UCD Library and the National Folklore Commission to begin a new folklore project which will showcase the voices of children today. The aim of the project will be to give children, the opportunity to play an active and leading role in capturing and preserving the rich stories, traditions and histories of their communities for generations to come. In so doing, they will follow in the footsteps of previous generations in building on the work of the ground-breaking Dúchas project undertaken by more than 50,000 children across the state in the 1930s.

“Following consultation with schools and teachers, it is intended that the project would see students in every part of the country gather stories and insights into local traditions from their areas for hosting in a national archive which will allow us as a society to continue sharing cultural values, knowledge and collective memory from one generation to another.”

Schools are expected to be contacted in the new year to advance the project. This represents a change from the original schools’ collection by the National Folklore Project between 1937-1939. It focused exclusively on primary schools because most students at that time did not go to post-primary schools, which were not part of the free education system. It will be optional for schools and students to take part. The schools’ folklore project will gather its information in a variety of formats, including handwritten accounts and digital options for students as well. The records will form a national archive and will be published after a substantial length of time,

Minister Foley also announced the department would be recruiting an archivist to preserve a comprehensive record of its business and decision-making for future generations.

“In the spirit of recognising and building on what is important, a well-managed records repository and archivist are essential tools for a reflective and transparent Department, both now and into the future. For this reason, I am pleased to today be announcing the hiring of an archivist within the Department.

“Today we reflect on a century of the Department of Education in Ireland. While we acknowledge the many successes and milestone moments, I am acutely mindful also of the need for us to reflect on the many failings which have occurred and, in many cases, the lifelong consequences these have had. In recent weeks, we have read and heard courageous testimonies about the harrowing experiences many in this country endured in their time at school. They behove us to ensure we don’t forget.

“The governance of education in Ireland dates back to the Stanley letter of 1831and Tyrone House here on Marlborough Street has been the seat of Governance for education in Ireland since the 19th century. This year, 2024, however, marks the centenary of the formal establishment of the Department of Education in Ireland, under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924.

“Starting from a low base in 1924, education in Ireland has made significant strides over the past 100 years. Barely 40,000 students attended any form of second-level school in that year – compared with a figure of more than 400,000 today. Measures to enhance equality of access to education remain as important now as they were in 1967 when Minister Donogh O’Malley introduced the Free Education Scheme. Despite the challenges that have come our way, whether through emigration, recession or the Covid-19 pandemic, our belief in the power and importance of education has held firm.

“I would like to thank all those who are part of our education community, the staff of the Department of Education, including the inspectorate and our national educational psychological service, our support services and aegis bodies, all our teachers, principals, special needs assistants, school staff, boards of management and other members of our school communities across the country who work every day to nurture, support, safeguard and empower children and young people to enjoy their time at school, learn, make friends and realise the full extent of their unique potential.”

The occasion reflected on a century of change and progress and also heard addresses from journalist and writer Olivia O’Leary, as well as Department Secretary General Bernie McNally.