Carriglea Park
Encyclopedia
Carriglea Park was an industrial school
in Dún Laoghaire
, Ireland
. The Christian Brothers
purchased the property in 1893. It was first certified as an Industrial School in 1894 and started operating in 1896. It was located in Kill O'The Grange
in south County Dublin
, at the junction of Kill Avenue and Rochestown Avenue.
and 40 acre
s of land, which was increased to 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) by the purchase of a nearby farm. In 1946 purchase of land intended for a secondary school increased the size of the property to 115 acre (0.4653889 km²).
The idea behind establishing Carriglea was that it would be "Artane
on a small scale".
The mansion was used as residence for the Christian Brothers and a separate building was built for the dormitory, dining room, kitchen and classrooms.
When the Congregation decided to close Carriglea Park, it decided that admissions to St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
would be restricted to those boys whose offences would have resulted in a prison sentence for an adult. This was strongly opposed by the Department of Education and Science
, Department of Justice and members of the judiciary, but the Brothers were adamant and went ahead with the plan.
to Carriglea after concerns had been expressed about his friendship with a particular boy in Artane - this was condemned as "ill-judged and dangerous".
Two specific Brothers were noted as having histories of abuse - they were given the pseudonyms Brother Tristan and Brother Lancelin.
Brother Tristan was probably known to be an abuser by the General Council, but was moved on and kept employed in the insdustrial school system. He had committed offences at Carriglea and Marino. The Commission found that the records of the General Council showed that they regarded his offences as being much more serious than the submission to the Commission by the Christian Brothers had indicated.
Brother Lancelins offences were serious enough to be described with language that would be used of criminal offences, contradicting the submission made by the Congregation to the Commission. The Commission described one offence in particular as a "serious case of sexual abuse". Unusually for the 1940s, the boys made written statements about the abuse.
Boys were badly clothed and went barefoot in summer despite adequate funds being available.
The Commission praised the practice of preparing boys for the Postal Office exam, but regretted that the practice of sending brighter boys to the Christian Brothers secondary school in Dun Laoghaire was discontinued.
Trades were for the benefit of the institution, not the boys and only two were offered apart from farming.
Boys in Carriglea were not provided with work skills for after their time in the school.
Chronic mismanagement and a harsh regieme caused abuse.
Discipline was enforced by harsh and violent means to introduce order, with no regard for the boys welfare.
Sexual abuse by two Brothers was noted.
Primary education was good, but trades preparation was poor.
The school was dilapidated and poorly run.
Industrial school
In Ireland the Industrial Schools Act of 1868 established industrial schools to care for "neglected, orphaned and abandoned children". By 1884 there were 5,049 children in such institutions....
in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
purchased the property in 1893. It was first certified as an Industrial School in 1894 and started operating in 1896. It was located in Kill O'The Grange
Deansgrange
Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name Clonkeen . The area further east of Deansgrange is known as "Kill of the Grange" Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name...
in south County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, at the junction of Kill Avenue and Rochestown Avenue.
History
The property originally consisted of the 'Ruby Hall' mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
and 40 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land, which was increased to 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) by the purchase of a nearby farm. In 1946 purchase of land intended for a secondary school increased the size of the property to 115 acre (0.4653889 km²).
The idea behind establishing Carriglea was that it would be "Artane
Artane Industrial school
St. Josephs Industrial School, Artane was an industrial school run by the Christian Brothers in Artane, Dublin from 1870 to 1969.It closed in 1969.-History:The school opened on 28 July 1870, in Artane Castle with fifty-six acres of land added....
on a small scale".
The mansion was used as residence for the Christian Brothers and a separate building was built for the dormitory, dining room, kitchen and classrooms.
Closure
The school officially closed on 30 June 1954.When the Congregation decided to close Carriglea Park, it decided that admissions to St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School was an industrial school for young boys in Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland. The school was opened in 1887, and ran by the Congregation of Christian Brothers....
would be restricted to those boys whose offences would have resulted in a prison sentence for an adult. This was strongly opposed by the Department of Education and Science
Department of Education and Science (Ireland)
The Department of Education and Skills is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Education and Skills who is assisted by two Ministers of State.-Departmental team:...
, Department of Justice and members of the judiciary, but the Brothers were adamant and went ahead with the plan.
Physical abuse
The Commission concluded that when discipline had broken down, the Congregation approved the appointment of a man known to practice excessive corporal punishment and that they considered this an appropriate approach.Sexual abuse
The Commission concluded that there was a problem with abuse of boys by other boys. They noted that a Brother had been transferred from Artane Industrial schoolArtane Industrial school
St. Josephs Industrial School, Artane was an industrial school run by the Christian Brothers in Artane, Dublin from 1870 to 1969.It closed in 1969.-History:The school opened on 28 July 1870, in Artane Castle with fifty-six acres of land added....
to Carriglea after concerns had been expressed about his friendship with a particular boy in Artane - this was condemned as "ill-judged and dangerous".
Two specific Brothers were noted as having histories of abuse - they were given the pseudonyms Brother Tristan and Brother Lancelin.
Brother Tristan was probably known to be an abuser by the General Council, but was moved on and kept employed in the insdustrial school system. He had committed offences at Carriglea and Marino. The Commission found that the records of the General Council showed that they regarded his offences as being much more serious than the submission to the Commission by the Christian Brothers had indicated.
Brother Lancelins offences were serious enough to be described with language that would be used of criminal offences, contradicting the submission made by the Congregation to the Commission. The Commission described one offence in particular as a "serious case of sexual abuse". Unusually for the 1940s, the boys made written statements about the abuse.
Emotional abuse and neglect
Carriglea Park was "dilapidated and run-down" for most of the period of the Commissions remit.Boys were badly clothed and went barefoot in summer despite adequate funds being available.
Education and trades
Primary school education at Carriglea appears to have been of a relatively high standard.The Commission praised the practice of preparing boys for the Postal Office exam, but regretted that the practice of sending brighter boys to the Christian Brothers secondary school in Dun Laoghaire was discontinued.
Trades were for the benefit of the institution, not the boys and only two were offered apart from farming.
Boys in Carriglea were not provided with work skills for after their time in the school.
General conclusions
The Congregation had adequate funds to provide reasonable care for the boys sent to Carriglea, but didn't do so. The Congregation made considerable profit from closing Carriglea Park but did not use it to benefit boys.Chronic mismanagement and a harsh regieme caused abuse.
Discipline was enforced by harsh and violent means to introduce order, with no regard for the boys welfare.
Sexual abuse by two Brothers was noted.
Primary education was good, but trades preparation was poor.
The school was dilapidated and poorly run.