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Edmund Rice's Birth
Edmund rice was born in Callan, Kilkenny, he was born in June 1, 1762. -
Childhood
Edmund's childhood was not as bright as it could have been, his family was poor, they lived in a small home that had to shelter eight children, six brothers and two step brothers. Edmund rice attended a school called hedge school, it is an illegal school held in run down homes, huts or at the parents homes, he was forced t attend the school becaseu of the penal laws. Edmund's religious belifes were taught to him by his mother and father and a local Augustinian Friar, Patrick Grace. -
After school
After Edmund finished school he went to a academy in Kilkenny city to prepare him for his future and his job. Edmund was very interested in the buisness world and work. When Edmund turned 17 he started an aprentiship with his uncle Michael Rice, the job was at a very busy and popular shipping port, with all of Edmunds hard work he eventually became the manager of the buisness. -
Buisness and Love
Edmund was signed to his uncles buisness when he was 24. At the age of 25 he found his true love Mary Elliott, they soon became husband and wife. Mary Elliott was the daughter of a local buisnessman. -
Mary's Death
In 1789 Mary Elliot tradgically passed away in an horse riding accident, at the time Mary was pregnate with a daughter. The daughter was born handicapped, Edmund was not able to care for the daughter, so his step sister Joan took her in. -
Nano Nagle
A women called Nano Nagle opened a school for young deprived girls, Edmund Rice wanted to try something along the same lines, in 1800 Edmund helped deprived boys, he taught them religion at his workplace with a few volunteers. -
Better Schools
When Edmunds schools on New Street failed, two men came to him, Patrick Grosvenor and Patrick Finn, these men wanted to help him, they were deeply into the catholic religion, they said they would help him build the school. They all lived together in a stable waiting for a monastery to be built. In 1803 they moved into the new monastery, a bakehouse was built along side the school to provide food for the children. -
Popular School
Edmund's new school opened with a bakery along side the school, to provide food for the children, the tailors made clothes for the student that atteneded school there. Each brother had to teach at least 150 student themselves. The school got more popular and more popular untill they built them all around the world. -
First School
Edmund rice had renevated old stables into makeshift school, the school were for boys, edmund had hired assistants to help the boys in the schools. This did not go well for Edmund rice because the assistants could not handle the children and the residents on new street did not appricitate the school either, his colleagues thought of it as an act of "mad folly." Edmund always thought that everyone had a choice of education. -
New Schools
In 1808 there were two new school established in Dungarvan and Carrick. Edmund and his trainees were not professional priests but they taught the children form the bible.
