RT Generic
T1 Schools’ Manuscript Collection - My Home District / Bailiúchán na Scol - Mo Cheantar Féin
A1 Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA)
NO Scope and Content: The Irish Folklore Commission, under the direction of Séamus Ó Duilearga (Honorary Director) and Seán Ó Súilleabháin (Archivist), was the driving force behind what is possibly the largest single folklore collecting scheme ever undertaken. Termed the Schools’ Folklore Scheme, it was conducted in 1937-38 in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. Over a period of eighteen months some 100,000 children in 5,000 primary schools in the twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State were encouraged to collect material in their home districts on a wide range of subjects dealing with local tradition and history. The topics about which the children were instructed to research and write included local history and monuments, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, songs, customs and beliefs, games and pastimes, traditional work practices and crafts, etc. The children collected this
        material mainly from their parents and grandparents and other older members of the local community or school district. Now known as the Schools' Manuscript Collection, the scheme resulted in more than half a million manuscript pages of valuable material. Schoolchildren from participating schools in Munster and Connacht were encouraged to write topographical descriptions of their own locality. This sub-collection consists of some 2,700 essays, selected by archive staff of the National Folklore Collection, on the subject “My Home District”. Five entire volumes from the Carna and Ballinasloe districts in County Galway, consisting of approximately 700 essays dealing with a variety of topics, are presented in a different sub-collection entitled Schools’ Manuscript Collection - Carna & Ballinasloe / Bailiúchán na Scol - Carna agus Bhéal Átha na Sluaighe.
NO Ábhar agus Acmhainn: Ba é Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann, faoi stiúir Shéamuis Uí Dhuilearga (Stiúrthóir Oinigh) agus Sheáin Uí Shúilleabháin (Cláraitheoir), a chuir an scéim seo – a bhí ar cheann de na scéimeanna bailithe béaloidis ba mhó ar domhan ag an am, ná ó shin – sa tsiúl. Bhí an togra seo, ar baisteadh Scéim na Scol air, ag brath go mór ar chomhoibriú na Roinne Oideachais agus Chumann Múinteoirí Éireann. Thar thréimhse ocht mhí dhéag iarradh ar bheagnach 10,000 páiste scoile agus 5,000 scoil i ngach ceann de na 26 contae sa Stáit (Saorstát Éireann) ábhar a bhain le béaloideas agus stair áitiúil a bhailiú ina gceantair féin. I measc an ábhair a bhailíodar tá stairsheanchas, eolas ar sheaniarsmaí, seanscéalta agus finscéalta, tomhaiseanna agus seanfhocail, cluichí agus caithimh aimsire, modhanna oibre agus ceirdeanna. Óna dtuismitheoirí, a dtuismitheoirí siúd, agus óna gcomharsana a bhailigh na páistí an t-ábhar. Os cionn leath mhilliún
        leathanach lámhscríbhinne a bhí mar thoradh ar an scéim, a bhfuil Bailiúchán na Scol mar theideal ar anois.. Iarradh ar dhaltaí scoile sna scoileanna sin i gcúige Mumhan agus Connachta a ghlac páirt sa Scéim aistí a scríobh ar a dtimpeallacht féin. Sa bhfo-chnuasach seo tá tuairim is 2,700 aiste, atá roghnaithe ag foireann Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, dar teideal “Mo Cheantar Féin”. I dtaca leis seo tá cúig imleabhar ina n-iomláine ar fáil ó cheantair Charna agus Bhéal Átha na Sluaighe, Co. na Gaillimhe, ina bhfuil thart ar 700 aiste ag plé le hábhair éagsúla. Tá an fo-chnuasach áirithe seo le fáil sa rannóg Schools’ Manuscript Collection - Carna & Ballinasloe / Bailiúchán na Scol - Carna agus Bhéal Átha na Sluaighe.
AN uri:info:fedora/ivrla:22770
UL http://hdl.handle.net/:10151/EAD_0000030_IF
LK //digital.ucd.ie/?getObject=ivrla:22770
SL UCD Library, University College Dublin
LL Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland