In Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, grinds are private tuition; a major industry in Ireland, particularly at secondary school level.

"Grinds" is a Hiberno-English

Hiberno-English

Hiberno-English is the dialect of English written and spoken in Ireland .English was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of the late 12th century. Initially it was mainly spoken in an area known as the Pale around Dublin, with Irish spoken throughout the rest of the country...

 term which is used variously to refer to both the lesson ("I'd a maths grind last night") and the teacher ("My maths grind came over last night"), although the latter usage is less common. It is generally used in the plural ("I do maths grinds").

Origins

Ireland was traditionally an agricultural and farming community so perhaps this is where the word ‘grind’ started. Grinding stones

Grindstone (tool)

A grindstone is a round sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools. They are usually made from sandstone.Grindstone machines usually have pedals in which to speed and slow the stone to sharpen metal to the point of perfection....

 were used to produce flour by hand in ancient agriculture and evolved along with the development of different kinds of mills. From hand quern mills to grist mills powered by water, wind or steam, grinding stones remained an essential tool until the end of the 19th century, when roller mills using metal rolls to grind grain were developed.
The term ‘keep your nose to the grindstone’ was commonly used to mean ‘apply yourself conscientiously to your work’.‘To grind’ in education generally means to ‘instill or teach by persistent repetition’. Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

 referred to Mr Gradgrind in his novel Hard Times

Hard Times

Hard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....

.

Prevalence

Grinds in Ireland, are a major component of educational life. An Irish student will have many of these "grinds" before sitting the two major state exams, the junior cert and the leaving cert. Grinds are a multi million euro industry in Ireland and according to the Irish Times, some 40 per cent of all full-time Leaving Cert students are paying fees averaging more than €5,000 per annum in addition to their normal schooling in 2007. This is considerably down in the last two years due to the economic crisis.

The terms grinds had also became popular at College/University level. The cost of grinds varies per subject area. There is a grinds barometer available on a popular website advertising Grinds www.grinds.ie http://www.grinds.ie

Some schools such as Ashfield College

Ashfield College

Ashfield College is a private secondary school founded in 1977 and located in Templeogue in Dublin, Ireland. The school offers preparation for the Leaving Certificate examination, both as a two year leaving certificate senior cycle, but also as a one year programme...

, Bruce College, Institute of Education

Institute of Education

The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...

, and Yeats College

Yeats College

Yeats College is a private, co-educational day school in the Republic of Ireland with campuses on College Road in Galway City centre and Parnell Street in Waterford city. It was founded in 1992....

 who offer the Leaving Certificate

Leaving Certificate

The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...

as a single year (Repeat) course are called condescendingly Grind Schools.

External links

• Ashfield College Grinds - Evening & Weekend Grinds for Leaving & Junior Cert.
• Bruce College Grinds
• "GrindsCentre.com" - Grinds in Ireland, Leaving Cert and College grinds. Database of students and tutors.
• "24-7tutorials.com" at 24-7tutorials.com
• "Grinds.ie" at Grinds.ie
• "Grinds Ireland" at Grinds-Ireland.com
• Hewwitt College - Grinds in Cork.
• "English Irish Maths Grinds" at Irish-Grinds.com
• "Find Grinds" list of secondary level grinds teachers in Ireland.
• "Private Tuition" at Morehampton Academy in Donnybrook.
• "Dublin Mathematics School" University Maths Grinds.