By Rachel Pollard

The avenue stretches from the village of Glasnevin, Dublin, to a house called 'Claremont' where over 2,500 deaf children from all over Ireland and abroad received education, shelter and board. The book containing personal memoirs and a range of contemporary illustrations, documents the history of the Claremont Institution (1816-1978), managed by the Church of Ireland. Detailed are the social conditions experienced within and outside the school and personal accounts of some pupils as well as description of daily life in the 19th century. Profiled are some deaf persons who professed in art, missionary work, self-employment and teaching - such as Laurence Fagan, Francis Maginn, R. Ferguson Peacocke and Charlotte Elizabeth. Also covered is the history of the Dublin Working Boy's Home (the 'Harding'), which provided accommodation for the young Protestant men coming up to Dublin for work.

In 1816, the Rev. Dr Charles Orpen, M.D., from Co. Cork and grand-uncle of Sir William Orpen, R.H.A., established the school after his successful demonstration of teaching an orphan, Thomas Collins, at the Rotunda, Dublin. His friend, Joseph Humphreys, a Quaker, was the first headmaster. As well as advocating the translation of the Bible into Irish, Dr Orpen visited thousands of the poor of Dublin City. In 1848, he emigrated to South Africa where he established a church, a dispensary and a public library.

The author, Rachel Pollard, B.Sc. (Hons), born in Dublin and former administrator of a Training Course in Adult Education for Deaf Teachers at Maynooth University, places the education of the deaf in the context of the history of Irish education, having brought back to life the remarkable story of one man's vision and of his pioneer work that brought education and self-esteem to the 'children of silence'

Paperback 326 pages