422 Agricultural Education in Ireland. 
The farmers are generally a very intelligent class, and take- 
readily to improvements in management. The discussions at 
the meetings of the Athy Farmers' Club are quoted in every 
agricultural journal throughout the kingdom. The town of 
Athy is in Kildare, but it just borders on Queen's County, so 
that it may be considered in a great measure as the centre of the 
improved district. 
XVI. — Agricultural Education in Ireland. By R. O. Pringle, 
Editor of ' The Irish Farmers' Gazette.' 
Having in a previous paper* referred to the Agricultural Depart- 
ment of the National Board of Education, as a medium through, 
which much valuable " technical education," relating to the prin- 
ciples and practice of improved systems of agriculture, is being 
disseminated among the peasantry and medium-class farmers of 
Ireland, I shall now give some account of the origin and working 
of that department. 
The utility of affording useful instruction in agriculture to the 
small farmers and peasantry of Ireland has been urged for a 
very long period. Thoughtful Irishmen, who knew the backward 
state of Irish agriculture, could not fail to perceive the great im- 
portance of instructing the people in this branch of industry ;, 
and Parliamentary Committees and Royal Commissioners had 
over and over again reported in favour of it. Thus, the Select 
Committee of the House of Commons, in 1823, in their report^ 
said — " Your Committee cannot but think that this instruction 
in industry might be most advantageous to the public ; " and 
the Select Committee of 1830 reported that — " The advantage 
of combining instruction in the arts of industry with religious 
and literary instruction is much and properly dwelt on by 
many witnesses. This recommendation is also supported by 
the authority of Mr. Locke and Mr. Pitt." 
It was in the year 1831 that a commencement was made with 
the present system of National Education in Ireland. At a very 
early period in the history of the movement, we find the Com- 
missioners acknowledging the utility of diffusing among the 
people correct information on the subject of agriculture, and 
stating their willingness to supply it ; they appear, indeed, to 
have taken it up earnestly as far back as 1838. 
At first they confined their efforts principally to the establish- 
ment of a school of agriculture, at Glasnevin, near Dublin, 
* 'Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural Socityej' 2nd Series, vol. viii., Part I., 
No. 15, p. 28. 
