Science Dress Dance, 1970
Item
Format
JPEG
Title
Science Dress Dance, 1970
Depiction
Four people in evening dress and one member of the clergy, at a table , during a meal.
Description
The people seen here are, from left to right: Mrs Mary O'Driscoll, Lady Superintendent; Frank Imbusch, Lecturer in Physics and later Professor; Mary Imbusch, née O'Donnell; Fr Tom (Pops) Kyne, Dean of Residence; and Daidin Ó hEocha, née Fahy.
The Deans of Residence, all men, were appointed to cater for the needs of students of various religious persuasions. After the Synod of Thurles (1850) forbidding Catholic clergymen to hold office in the Queen's Colleges, all Catholic Deans of Residence resigned. The result was anomalous. In 1899-1900 in Galway, for example, there were deans for members of the Church of Ireland, for Presbyterians and for Wesleyan Methodists, but none for Catholics. In the same year the religious persuasion of the student body was recorded as 15 Church of Ireland, 48 Roman Catholics, 41 Presbyterians, 4 Wesleyan Methodists, and 2 ‘Various’. (President’s Report, p. 9)
In the Irish Universities Act of 1908, the Statute for the university in Galway stipulated that there should be a Lady Superintendent and it set out her duties in detail (Chap. XXIV), as well as her remuneration and pension. It required all women students to 'enter under the Lady Superintendant'. By the time Mrs O'Driscoll was appointed, that rule does not seem to have been stringently enforced. Many graduates of the 60s and 70s recollect her with affection, as has been recorded by Jackie Uí Chionna (Oral History, 2019).
The Deans of Residence, all men, were appointed to cater for the needs of students of various religious persuasions. After the Synod of Thurles (1850) forbidding Catholic clergymen to hold office in the Queen's Colleges, all Catholic Deans of Residence resigned. The result was anomalous. In 1899-1900 in Galway, for example, there were deans for members of the Church of Ireland, for Presbyterians and for Wesleyan Methodists, but none for Catholics. In the same year the religious persuasion of the student body was recorded as 15 Church of Ireland, 48 Roman Catholics, 41 Presbyterians, 4 Wesleyan Methodists, and 2 ‘Various’. (President’s Report, p. 9)
In the Irish Universities Act of 1908, the Statute for the university in Galway stipulated that there should be a Lady Superintendent and it set out her duties in detail (Chap. XXIV), as well as her remuneration and pension. It required all women students to 'enter under the Lady Superintendant'. By the time Mrs O'Driscoll was appointed, that rule does not seem to have been stringently enforced. Many graduates of the 60s and 70s recollect her with affection, as has been recorded by Jackie Uí Chionna (Oral History, 2019).
People
Mary O'Driscoll
Frank Imbusch,
Mary Imbusch
Thomas Kyne
Daidin Ó hEocha
References
Alexander Anderson, Report of the President of Queen’s College, Galway for the Session 1899-1900 (Dublin, for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1900).
Irish Universities Act 1908, Statute XVII for University College, Galway, 1908.
Jackie Uí Chionna, An Oral History of University College Galway, 1930-80 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2019).
Contributor
Bibliographic Citation
F. Imbusch, J. Conroy, ‘Science Dress Dance, 1970’, Visual History Retired Staff Collection, University of Galway Digital Collections, Asset Id 14896, Archival Record Id VHRS
Temporal Coverage
Period
1970s
Category
b&w
group
off-campus
indoors
Language
English
Publisher
University of Galway Library
Rights
This image may be used for non-commercial purposes under CC BY-NC-SA see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/