Representations within Irish national school readers in the 19th century: Ireland, British Empire and the wider world

Purpose Establishing a suitable programme of studies through a series of readers was a key objective of the national system of education in Ireland from the 1830s. The purpose of this paper is to analyse representations within these readers across three domains: Ireland, the British Empire and the wider world. Design/methodology/approach The article employs a process of document analysis on the five core readers produced by the National Board in Ireland, exploring both deliberate and inadvertent references to representations of Ireland, the British Empire and the wider world. Findings The readers developed by the National Board were imbued with both overt and covert messages with a view to shaping and moulding individual and collective social conduct and identity. The differential representations within the readers were underpinned by a hierarchy of idealisation, identity and ideology supported by broad stereotypes, with the civilisation and superiority of the British Empire symbolising the pinnacle of aspiration. While the readers achieved a virtual monopoly in Irish schools, they were ultimately unsuccessful in their core aim of imbuing Irish children with an imperial identity. Originality/value Original insights are revealed by simultaneously exploring these three domains of representation, whereby the child is provided with a mirror for the self in terms of role, standing, station and ambition in light of wider characterisations of Britain and the wider world. The import of the readers is accentuated given their widespread use and adaptation across the British Empire in the mid-19th century.