Arnold Felix Graves (17 November 1847 – 24 May 1930), was an Irish poet, songwriter and novelist who played a leading role in developing

technical education In the United States, a technical school is a type of two-year college that covers specialized fields such as business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. Associa ...

in Ireland.

Life and work

He was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, the son of The Rt. Rev Charles Graves,

bishop of Limerick The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been uni ...

, by his wife Selina, the daughter of John Cheyne (1777–1836), the Physician-General to the Forces in Ireland. He was a brother of

Alfred Perceval Graves Alfred Perceval Graves (22 July 184627 December 1931), was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves. Early life Graves was born in Dublin and was the son of The Rt Rev. Cha ...

and

Ida Margaret Graves Poore Ida Margaret Graves Poore, Lady Poore (28 December 1859 – 5 February 1941), was an Anglo-Irish autobiographer and poet. Life and work Born Ida Margaret Graves to Rt Rev Charles Graves and Selina Cheyne on 28 December 1859. Her father was De ...

. He was educated at

Windermere College Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

, and

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. After successes with scholarships and sport in Trinity, he studied for the Irish bar from 1872 to 1879. He was appointed Secretary to the Commissioners of Education for Endowed Schools in 1879 and was appointed Secretary to the Commissioners of Charitable Endowments and Bequests in Ireland in 1886. He worked to introduce technical education into Ireland and helped found the Royal Society for the Training and Employment of Women. In 1887 he was instrumental in the opening of Kevin Street Technical College, which became part of the

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological Un ...

, and later the

Technological University Dublin Technological University Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) or TU Dublin is Ireland's first technological university, established on 1 January 2019, and with a history stretching back to 1887 through the amalgamated Dub ...

. He worked to ensure the success of this school and set up others. Ringsend Technical school opened in 1893 and technical schools were also set up in Galway and Limerick. In 1893 Graves formed the Technical Education Association of Ireland, which pushed for the Technical Instruction Act of 1899 to establish a system of schools under local authorities. By 1902 every local authority had adopted the Act and this was the foundation on which the 1930 Vocation Education Act was established. Graves' submissions for practical education to the Belmore Commission of 1898 were adopted by the National Board and this led to a new code, syllabus and regulations for National Schools in Ireland. He can truly be called "the father of technical Education in Ireland" In 1877 he was one of the 10 founding members of the

Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club is a tennis and squash club in south Dublin, Ireland. Established in 1877, Fitzwilliam is one of the oldest tennis clubs in the world. It has held the Irish Open annually since the late 19th century. History In Nov ...

, one of the oldest tennis clubs in the world. His novels included ''Prince Patrick'' (1898) and ''Clytæmnestra: A Tragedy'' (1903).

Private life

Arnold Graves married Constance L Weatherley in London in 1881 and had four sons and one daughter. Two of his sons were killed during the Great War and his daughter died from the "Spanish Flu" epidemic that swept Europe after the War. He moved to England after Partition and settled in London and Wheathampstead, where he died in 1930. He was buried in the churchyard at Wheathampstead but unfortunately his gravestone was removed during a consolidation and tidy up of the churchyard in 1968.

References

1847 births 1930 deaths Irish poets Writers from Dublin (city) Graves family {{Ireland-writer-stub