ERASMUS SMITH SCHOOLS
THE GOVERNORS of the SCHOOLS FOUNDED by ERASMUS SMITH Esq
Registered Charity Number (RCN): 20001766
CHY Number 1077
The Charity was established under Royal Charter in 1669 as amended by the Oireachtas under the Erasmus Smith Schools Act, 1938 and its purpose is the advancement of education of boys and girls by managing and supporting schools and awarding scholarships to schools whereby no person of any Protestant denomination shall by reason of their religious beliefs be excluded from the benefits thereof.
2024: The Archive is open again to welcome researchers. Access is still strictly by appointment for researchers and visitors from Monday-Wednesday only.
Please use email for all queries to determine holdings and if a visit is necessary to view original documents.
For information on the Erasmus Smith Schools Archive please go to the Archive page on visit procedures and Archive holdings.
Erasmus Smith Schools Archive open for Culture Night 2024
16:00 – 20:00 Friday 20 September 2024
Offline; No Booking Required; All Ages
Visit this unique archive located on the grounds of The High School to uncover the rich history of this 350 year old education charity. Usually only open by appointment for researchers, the archive invites visitors who want to know more about this charity that has grant-aided over 250 schools and contains a particular and interesting snapshot of Irish history. A new display celebrates the amalgamation anniversary with the Diocesan Secondary School for Girls.
2024: The High and Diocesan School
175th Anniversary
Foundation of the Diocesan Secondary School for Girls
50th Anniversary
Incorporation of The High School with the Diocesan Secondary School for Girls
Diocesan Staff and Past Pupils’ Reception
8 March 2024
2.30-5.00 pm
Events will be taking place during 2024 to celebrate these anniversaries. This first will be held on International Women’s Day and includes a tour of the Archive with displays of Diocesan memorabilia from the Archive collection and kindly loaned or donated by past pupils. All welcome.
DRI News:
The second collection of scanned school plans are now available for viewing from this link at the Digital Repository of Ireland, which now has an additional 110 sets of architectural plans covering the secondary schools established by Erasmus Smith Schools in Drogheda, Dublin, Ennis, Galway, and Tipperary. This includes grammar schools and The High School, Dublin at 40 Harcourt Street as well as Danum in Rathgar.
The first collection of scanned school plans was published earlier in 2022 which has 64 sets of architectural plans with information about the related Archive holdings. Click here or search for Erasmus Smith Schools Archive to find the collection. Some information on this first collection can be found here.
Scans for these DRI deposits were made at the Irish Architectural Archive and we are most grateful for their assistance on this project.
