Introduction

This book provides an exposition on the professional and cultural life of Patrick Weston Joyce (1827–1914), more popularly known as P. W. Joyce. The focus throughout is very much on how family, locale, and schooling influenced this significant Irish patriot, polymath, and pioneering pedagogue who worked across a range of disciplines, including education, language, history, and music. However, it is important to stress from the outset that much of what he achieved was possible only because of the variety of leading roles he played in the development of the Irish National School System between 1845 and 1893. Thus, these roles positioned Joyce to educate the Irish people regarding their cultural heritage and to become a significant choreographer of a slow revolution in education, in both formal and informal settings.