My Kerry ancestors arrived in Canada without having had the benefit of an education. This was in large part the result of the
Penal Laws. My Irish ancestors could not read and write when they arrived in North America (which explains the variations in the spelling of our surname Moynahan/Moynihan/Minehan)
In the 1800s, my
great-grandfather John Moynahan became a teacher (with his sister Nellie) in Essex Ontario and education became a very important part of our family history.
This blog post summarizes what I have learned about education in Ireland before our ancestors emigrated.
