placenamesRathkea
Ráth Cae
A future Canadian engineer’s account of learning arithmetic places Rathkea within the network of local teaching before the national schools.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ráth Cae · Irish · main form · validated name
- Rathkea · English · main form
Place & story
Thomas Guerin’s Rathkea teacher
Thomas Guerin attended a teacher named John Dannaher at Rathkea in 1828–29, according to the educational chronology published by historian Denis G. Marnane. Guerin later lectured in mathematics at McGill University and worked as a civil engineer in Canada. His connection with Rathkea was schooling, rather than birth. [2]
Arithmetic and evening lessons
Guerin’s retrospective account recalls learning arithmetic from Dannaher, a neighbouring farmer’s son. His father also employed the teacher for evening instruction at home. Marnane treats this memoir as valuable evidence of education before the national-school system, while cautioning that it was written long afterwards and concentrates on Guerin’s own achievements. [2]
The mound in Rathkea townland
The archaeological survey records a grass-covered mound in Rathkea townland, with a circular top about 12.7 metres across. Steep scarps rise more than two metres on its sides. The record describes erosion by livestock; it does not establish a date or a particular historical occupant. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Tipperary
- Barony
- Clanwilliam
- Civil parish
- Bruis
- Coordinates
- 52.43934, -8.23530 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1414536 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rathkea. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- An Hedge School Education: How Thomas Guerin of Aherlow Learned Maths, pages 72–78 · Denis G. Marnane, Tipperary Historical Journal, 2013
- Rathkea mound, SMR TS066-114----, original field description, 26 August 2011 · Jean Farrelly / Archaeological Survey of Ireland
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-05-05. How this page was prepared.