List of industrial schools in Ireland
Between 1868 and 1995,[1][2] industrial schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland housed children whose parents neglected or were unable to care for them, children deemed to be living in dangerous circumstances, orphans and children convicted of criminal offences.[3] The number of industrial schools in Ireland was at its highest, of 71, in 1898; of those, 61 were in the present-day Republic of Ireland. In the same year, industrial schools across Ireland were housing a total of 7,998 children.[4]
Republic of Ireland
The following schools were run by religious orders and funded by the public:[5][6][7]
| Institution | Location | Operated by | Sex admitted | Year established | Year disestablished | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artane Industrial School | Artane, Dublin | Christian Brothers | M | 1870 | 1969 | |
| Carriglea Park Industrial School[8] | Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin | Christian Brothers | M | 1894 | 1954 | |
| Meath Protestant Industrial School | Blackrock, Dublin | M | ||||
| Our Lady of Succour | Newtownforbes | |||||
| Summerhill Industrial School | Summerhill, Dublin | |||||
| Stillorgan Industrial School | 1917 | |||||
| St Aidan's Industrial School for Girls | New Ross County Wexford | Good Shepherd Order | F | |||
| St Ann's Industrial School for Girls | Killarney, County Kerry | F | ||||
| St. Anne's Industrial School for Girls | Booterstown, County Dublin | F | ||||
| St. Anne's Reformatory School for Girls | Kilmacud, County Dublin | F | ||||
| St. Ann's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys | Renmore, Lenaboy, County Galway | M/F | ||||
| St. Augustine's Industrial School for Girls | Templemore, County Tipperary | F | ||||
| St. Bernard's Industrial School for Girls | Fethard, Dundrum, County Tipperary | F | ||||
| St. Bridgid's Industrial School for Girls | Loughrea, County Galway | F | ||||
| St. Coleman's Industrial School for Girls | Cobh/Rushbrooke, County Cork | F | ||||
| St. Columba's Industrial School for Girls | Westport, County Mayo | F | ||||
| St Columba's Industrial School for Boys | Killybegs, County Donegal | M | ||||
| St. Conleth's Reformatory School for Boys | Daingean, County Offaly | M | ||||
| St. Dominick's Industrial School for Girls | Waterford | F | ||||
| St. Finbarr's Industrial School for Girls | Sundays Well, Marymount, Cork | F | ||||
| St. Francis Xavier's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys | Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon | M/F | ||||
| St. Francis' Industrial School for Girls | Cashel, County Tipperary | F | ||||
| St. George's Industrial School for Girls | Limerick | F | ||||
| St. John's Industrial School for Girls | Birr, County Offaly | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School | Letterfrack | Christian Brothers | M | |||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School | Whitehall, Dublin | |||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School | Kilkenny, Ireland | |||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Boys | Passage West, County Cork | M | ||||
| St Joseph's Industrial School, Tralee | Tralee, County Kerry | |||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys | Ballinasloe, County Galway | M/F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys | Clifden, County Galway | M/F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls and Junior Boys | Liosomoine, Killarney, County Kerry | M/F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls | Cavan | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Dundalk | Dundalk, County Louth | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls, Kilkenny[9] | Kilkenny | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls | Mallow, County Cork | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls | Summerhill, Athlone, County Westmeath | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls | Whitehall, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 | F | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys, Ferryhouse | Clonmel, County Tipperary | M | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys | Glin, County Limerick | M | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys | Greenmount, Cork | M | ||||
| St. Joseph's Industrial School for Senior Boys[10] | Salthill, County Galway | Christian Brothers | M | 1871 | 1995 | It was the last industrial school left in the Republic of Ireland.[11] |
| St. Joseph's Reformatory School for Girls | Limerick | F | ||||
| St. Kyran's Industrial School for Junior Boys | Rathdrum, County Wicklow | M | ||||
| St. Laurence's Industrial School for Girls | Sligo | F | ||||
| St. Laurence's Industrial School | Finglas, Dublin 11 | |||||
| St. Martha's Industrial School for Girls | Bundoran, County Donegal | F | ||||
| St. Mary's Industrial School | Lakelands, Sandymount, Dublin 4 | |||||
| St. Michael's Industrial School for Girls | Wexford | |||||
| St. Michael's Industrial School for Junior boys | Cappoquin, County Waterford | M | ||||
| St. Patrick's Industrial School | Kilkenny | |||||
| St. Patrick's Industrial School, Upton | County Cork | |||||
| St. Vincent's (House of Charity) Industrial School for Junior Boys | Drogheda, County Louth | M | ||||
| St. Vincent's Industrial School for Girls, Limerick | Limerick | F | ||||
| St. Vincent's Industrial School, Goldenbridge | Inchicore, Dublin 8 | |||||
| Fisheries School[12] | Baltimore, West Cork | Local parish priest and board of management | M | 1950 | After the school's closure its records were (allegedly deliberately) destroyed. |
Northern Ireland
The industrial schools in Northern Ireland were gradually closed and emptied in the 1920s and 1930s, and were effectively gone by 1950.[13]
| Institution | Location | Operated by | Sex admitted | Year established | Year disestablished | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmoral Industrial School for Protestant Boys | Belfast, County Antrim | M | ||||
| Hampton House Industrial School for Protestant Girls | Belfast | F[14] | ||||
| Lisnevin Training School | Millisle, County Down. | |||||
| The Malone Reformatory (Training School) Belfast | County Antrim | M | ||||
| Shamrock Lodge Industrial School | Belfast, County Antrim | F | ||||
| St. Patrick's Training School | Belfast, County Antrim |
References
- ↑ Reformatory and Industrial Schools – Ireland Archived 26 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ O'Reilly, Rita (May 3, 2025). "The Christian Brothers: assets, abuse and accountability". RTÉ.
- ↑ Raftery, Mary; O'Sullivan, Eoin (2001). Suffer the little children: the inside story of Ireland's industrial schools. New York: Continuum. pp. 20, 22. ISBN 978-0-8264-1337-6.
- ↑ The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009). "2". History of industrial schools and reformatories. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Report (Report). Vol. 1.
- ↑ "Institutions in Census 1926 plotted on the map". National Archives. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
- ↑ The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009). Volume 1 Contents. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Report (Report). Vol. 1.
- ↑ The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009). Volume 2 Contents. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Report (Report). Vol. 2.
- ↑ The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009). "10". Carriglea Park Industrial School, Dun Laoghaire ('Carriglea'), 1894–1954. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Report (Report). Vol. 1.
- ↑ "St Joseph's industrial school: A potted history". The Irish Times.
- ↑ The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009). "12". St Joseph's Industrial School, Salthill ('Salthill'), 1870-1995. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Report (Report). Vol. 1.
- ↑ O'Reilly, Rita (May 3, 2025). "The Christian Brothers: assets, abuse and accountability". RTÉ.
- ↑ Reid, Liam (2004-01-31). "Extent of abuse and neglect at Cork school laid bare". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ↑ Two Paths, One Purpose: Voluntary Action in Ireland, North and South Archived 19 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine A Report to the Royal Irish Academy Third Sector Research Programme, Royal Irish Academy.
- ↑ Hampton House Industrial School www.childrenshomes.org.uk