Brother Matthew Feheney

Born near Askeaton, County Limerick, Brother Matthew Feheney’s interest in local history was fostered there during his early years and he has written much about the area. This recording focuses initially on tracing his own family roots. He recalls joining the Presentation Brothers, having completed his studies at Irish College. His first appointment was to Mardyke House, where he remained from 1954 to 1959. The following 16 years he spent in Trinidad, where he did a Masters degree in Education. He describes how the small school in which he worked competed with the larger colleges and proved successful in competitions and examinations. He speaks at length about the evolvement of the educational system in Ireland. He describes working for a doctorate on the history of the education of Irish children in London at the end of the nineteenth century, while he was staying at the Presentation Brothers’ house in London. This is indeed a most informative recording.