Timothy Corcoran was born on 17th January 1871, at Honeymount, the eldest of five children of Thomas and Alice (nee Gleeson) Corcoran. He was baptised the following day in Dunkerrin Parish Church by Fr J. Kennedy, C.C., and the sponsors were Rody Duane and Honora Corcoran. He attended Lisduff N.S. which was less than a mile from his home. He passed to the 6th standard in 1883 getting top marks in reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and geography. Having left Lisduff in June 1883 he went to Roscrea N.S. where he won a 1st class exhibition in the Junior Grade. In 1885 he went to the Jesuit House of Studies in Tullabeg, Rahan, Co. Offaly and the following year he went on to Clongowes Wood College where he won first place and the gold medal in the Intermediate grade as the best scholar of his age in Ireland.

In 1890 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Tullabeg and began a University course. He won the gold medal of the Royal University for English verse and he scored a notable double when he was awarded the gold medal for Latin verse. He graduated in Arts with a first class honours degree in 1903. In between times he spent some years studying philosophy and education in Louvain, the famous Irish College where many Irish students had been educated for the priesthood in penal days.

He spent some years studying the theory and practice of education and he won the gold medal for first class honours in the examination for the Diploma in Teaching. After a long campaign in which his father Thomas Corcoran had taken an active part the National University of Ireland was established by Act of Parliament in 1908. Dr Corcoran was appointed its first Professor of Education and he held the post until he retired in 1942.

He set up the course for the Higher Diploma in Education in the College and he also founded the Education Society to direct students towards research in the history of education in Ireland and on the continent. During his long term as Professor of Education he had a profound influence on the direction of teaching practice in the schools. As a leading Irish educationalist his forthright views carried much weight with the commissions set up to advise on a National Programme of Education in the schools.

He was a firm advocate for the teaching of Irish to children at an early age basing his reasoning on the successful teaching of a new language to young immigrant children in New York. It can be said that he was to a large extent responsible for the introduction of the Irish language at an early age in the Primary Schools.

In 1912 he founded Studies, a quarterly review which published work of a scholarly type and it has endured down the years. As well as contributing articles to Studies he wrote numerous articles for The Irish Monthly and The Catholic Bulletin. The bulk of his writings deal with education, its history, first principles, methods and sociology, particularly from a Catholic viewpoint. His two great publications were the result of his researches into the history of education in Ireland during the penal times.

Education Systems in Ireland from the close of the Middle Ages is a selection of texts from contemporary sources with an introduction by Dr Corcoran. Some Lists of Catholic Lay Teachers and their illegal schools in the later penal times has an introduction, a commentary on the penal laws against Catholic education and the policies of the officially supported agencies such as the Charter Schools and the Kildare Place Society. These books are a valuable source of material for students of the history of education in Ireland.

Dr Corcoran encouraged the study of local history which should be part of the programme in the primary schools. He researched the life of Count Walter Butler from neighbouring Ballinakill and he brought to light the story of the Charter School in Franckfort, Dunkerrin. He emphasised the importance of making maps to illustrate the history lesson. He traced the march of Red Hugh O'Donnell from Ballymote, through Monaincha and Holycross, and the forced march in the depths of winter through the Sliabh Felim mountains on the way to Kinsale. He followed O'Sullivan Beara from Gleann Gairbh through Latteragh, Toomevara and Baumgarry to Redwood and the crossing of the Shannon and on to O'Rourke's country. He researched Sarsfield's Ride through Killaloe and Keeper to Ballyneety and back by Banagher to Limerick. The maps he made of these historic events are included in The Spirit of Tipperary edited by two Toomevara men, Tomas Mac Domhnaill and Padraig O'Meadhra.

Dr Corcoran was a member of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and he influenced the members to direct their attention to the documentation of Irish history. He represented Ireland at many international conferences on education and he received international standing as an educationalist. He was proud of his father's role as a public representative and particularly of the part he had played in promoting the Gaelic Athletic Association in its early days. Following that tradition he was President of the University College hurling club for many years.

Dr Corcoran devoted his life and his great talents to the cause of educational advance in Ireland. He died at St Vincent's Nursing home in Dublin on 23rd March 1943

Sources

  1. Lisduff N.S. Registrars.
  2. Dunkerrin Parish Registers.
  3. The Tipperaryman: Obituary tribute by D. F. Gleeson: in Studies, June 1943
  4. An Assessment of the contribution of Rev. Professor T. Corcoran, S.J., to the development of education in Ireland; unpublished thesis for the degree of Master of Education at University College, Cork by James G. Deegan.