Irish education records join TheGenealogist database

TheGenealogist, the database of the London-based Society of Genealogists, has uploaded more College and University registers into its expanding Educational Records collection, and among the two additions of relevance to Irish family historians is the Alumni Dublinenses, 1593–1846, which was published in 1924.

It describes itself as 'A Register of Students, Graduates, Professors and Provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin'.

Perhaps of more general appeal to those whose ancestors were neither wealthy nor privileged, is the second record set. It holds a number of late-19th-century lists from the Irish Intermediate Education Board, specifically:

• Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Exhibition and Prize Lists, 1889
• Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Exhibition and Prize Lists, 1890
• Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Examinations Held in 1889 Pass Lists, Boys
• Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Examinations Held in 1892 Pass Lists, Boys
• Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Examinations Held in 1891 Pass Lists, Boys

These reveal the candidates’ names, addresses and grades in all their subjects, which include (according to the Grade of Exam) some or many of Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian and Celtic, plus English, Arithmatic, Algebra, Euclid (geometry), Triganometry, Elementary Mechanics, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and Drawing.

Only those who passed their exams are identified. Those who failed were able to hide behind their alphabetically assigned student number.

I wasn't expecting any of my Santrys to be included in these lists, so it was a nice surprise to find one: Denis Santry sat and passed the Preparatory Grade exam in 1892 when he'd have been 13 years old. He was the son of a Cork City-based carpenter called Denis Santry (his two grandfathers bore the same name), and after leaving Ireland in the early 1900s, he went on to become a famous political cartoonist and architect.

He and his Cork-born wife, who he met, so the family tale goes, at the City's Crawford School of Art, lived most of their lives abroad, especially in South Africa, New York, Malaysia and Singapore. His most famous architectural design was the Singapore Cenotaph.

Back in his school days, his Latin wasn't up to much, and he seems to have scrapped a pass in most other subjects, but at least he passed the 'Drawing' paper of his Prep Exam! (see image below)

From the Preparatory Examination Results 1892. Click for larger view.