Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 31 May 2012

Technical Memories (Part 18)

Striving towards the Sun

“Developments are constantly in progress in the world of industry…If our technical schools are to fully meet the need of instruction, they must adapt their curricula and teaching in accordance with these developments. The cost of adequate staffing and equipment makes its impossible for small schools to do this work. In Germany and other Continental countries, monotechnics have been established, and in England the course system appears to have taken root, while in London there is a strong movement in the direction of this specialised teaching (A.F. Sharman Crawford, part of his paper at the Irish Technical Instruction Association Annual Congress, 1913, Bangor, Co. Down).”

With the opening of the Cork Technical Institute in January 1912, the staff worked diligently over the ensuing two years to develop Crawford’s idea of running specialised courses to meet demands of industry. Newspaper clippings on the expansion of courses and calls for new lecturers and students survive in the minute books of the Crawford Municipal Technical Institute in the Cork and County Archives in Blackpool, Cork. Entrusted with heading up the Cork venture was John H. Grindley, D.Sc, who was a Whitworth Scholar.  The Whitworth scheme arose from the work of Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803 –1887) who was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads. A strong believer in the value of technical education, Whitworth backed a new Mechanics’ Institute in Manchester and helped found the Manchester School of Design. In 1868, he founded the Whitworth Scholarship for the advancement of mechanical engineering. John Grindley was one of these scholars and went to become an Honorary Fellow of the Owens College Manchester which later transformed into the Victoria University, of which Grindley was also was a Fellow. He received a great education in mechanical education from one of the United Kingdom’s leading technical universities. Interesting the motto of the University was “Arduus ad solem”, meaning “striving towards the sun”. It is a metaphor for aspiring to enlightenment. It is quoted from Virgil’s Aeneid book VI.

The secretary to the Crawford Institute was Francis B. Giltinan. He had a long career within the organisation being present from the beginning in 1901 and he was still secretary in 1930.  In 1912, his assistant or clerk was R. Sisk and the Librarian was J Wilkinson. In September 1914, an advertisement in the Cork Examiner appeared looking for a female clerk with competence in short hand typing, with £39 per annum as salary.

In the Institute’s botany and gardening section was John Griffin. In the carpentry and joinery department was P. O’Connor, who had a full technological certificate from the City and Guilds of the London Institute. Founded in 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies – the traditional guardians of work-based training – to develop a national system of technical education, City & Guilds has been operating under Royal Charter granted by Queen Victoria, since 1900.

In the department of Building Construction and Builder’s Qualities in the Crawford Institute were John J. O’Sullivan and John Murphy, both with technological certificates from the London Institute as well. In September 1912, a call appeared in the Cork Examiner for a building construction teacher, with a salary of 8s. per evening for the duration of two hours. I’m uncertain if this was an expansion of the course. Certainly in 1916, there was a call for an assistant teacher in building construction.

In the domestic science department covering cookery, laundry work, the Chief Instructress was Miss A. Murphy, B.A. She had a diploma from the Irish Training School of Domestic Economy. In 1912 there twenty-three students in the Department’s training school in Stillorgan, county Dublin. Entrance to this institution was by open competitive examination, but candidates who had passed the Senior Grade Examination of the Intermediate Education Board or who were graduates of a university were given priority without examination. Miss Murphy’s post was advertised in July 1912 with a salary of £80 per annum, rising in increments of £5 to £100. The instructress in January 1912 was Miss O. MacDonagh who also had a diploma from the training school. The instructress in dress-making and millinery was Miss M. O’Donovan whilst the instructress in millinery was Miss B. Gleeson. In October 1913, a new shirt-making class had a course fee of 5s. In October 1914, a teacher in short-making was advertised with a salary of 7s. and 6d. per lesson with two lessons per week.

In electrical engineering, the lecturer was C.E. Greenslade whilst the Laboratory assistant was vacant. In October 1913, a lecturer in machine drawing for electrical engineers was advertised one evening per week at a salary of 10s per evening. In the mechanical engineering section, the lecturer was W. Fearnley, who had a B.Sc from London, and like Grindley was a Whitworth Scholar. He was also a National scholar. J.Lowe, a Ramsbotton Scholar from Manchester University was the assistant lecturer. The workshop assistant was H. Nolan. In late January 1912, a new class in motor car engineering was to be held on Mondays, 4-5.30pm. 

To be continued…

Caption:

643a. John H. Grindley, Principal of Crawford Municipal Technical College, Cork (picture souvenir booklet, 1912)