Angela Ashes

General Information

Name: Leamy’s National School

Location/ Address: Upper Hartstonge Street, Limerick, Munster, Ireland

Historical Importance: a mixture of children from different classes both upper and lower class (mainly lower class) attended this government school from the neighborhood. The school mainly teaches the students about religion.

Social Significance: It is a school for children that live around Upper Hartstange Street. It is known as a place where the children were disciplined harshly by teachers.

Interesting Facts: The school itself only goes up to eighth grade, after the eighth grade, schooling is done for most kids because they can’t afford to go to high school.

Element 1

The Leamy’s National School has a big influence on Frank, because it teaches him the Irish culture and the Catholic religion. Before going to the school, Frank doesn’t know anything about the Irish culture because he was born in New York. He is not used to living in Ireland mainly because of the language barrier. “The boys in Leamy’s want to know why we talk like that. Are ye Yanks or what? And when we tell them we came from America they want to know, Are ye gangsters or cowboys?” (McCourt, 79) As he stayed in school to study religion and the Irish culture, he adapted very quickly. Eventually, Frank becomes a Catholic just like everyone else in the school, although he understands the religion, but it did not inspire to live his life as a devoted Catholic. “That’s right, McCourt. Not bad for a Yank from the sinful shores of Amerikay.” (McCourt, 122).

Element 2

This school is a very religious school, because it has a lot of Catholic teachers. “He tells us we have to know the catechism backwards, forwards and sideways. We have to know the Ten Commandments, the Seven Virtues, Divine and Moral, the Seven Sacraments, the Seven Deadly Sins. We have to know by heart all prayers, the Hail Mary, the Our Father, The Apostles’ Creed, the Art of Contradiction, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (McCourt, 118) This quote shows the harshness of the school. Even though the students are only 10 years old, they must remember all these Catholic terms already. The teachers there are also very harsh on students, “They hit you if you don’t know why God made the world, if you don’t know the patron saint of Limerick, if you can’t recite the Apostles’ Creed.” (McCourt, 80)

General Information

Name: Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

Location/Address: Head office: 91/92 Sean McDermott Street, Dublin

Historical Importance: It was fist found in 1840’s by 8 men who wanted to improve the poor living condition. Because in the 1840’s, The Great Famine happened in Ireland, which over 1 million people died of hunger because of crop failure by the Blight.

Social Significance: It’s a Dispensary that gives supplies such as food, furniture and clothing to the poor families with no income.

Other Interesting