Image: Luke Fallon.
The building on the corner of Lord Edward Street and Fishamble Street, today a budget hostel, is an interesting building architecturally, dating back to 1891. Archiseek tells us it was designed by Albert E. Murray, and purpose-built as a hotel for young boys. I’d passed the building often without inspecting it closely, but a few months back a reader (Thanks Steven!) suggested taken a closer look. The magnificent stone engraving of the youngster shown below remains to this day, giving a clue to the buildings former life.
Building stonework today (Luke Fallon)
A history of the Dublin Working Boys Club and Harding Technical School appears on the Irish Deaf History page, where it is noted that a society formed to “afford comfortable and healthy lodgings at cheap rates for boys who were earning their bread” had acquired the building in 1888 for the purpose of establishing a hostel there. That hostel was opened by the Lord Lieutenant in February 1892, providing lodgings to boys below the maximum age of 19. The hostel was open to Protestant boys, and boasted a Gymnasium Club, cricket team and some residents even formed a “bell-ringing club” with Christ Church Cathedral next door! The linked article notes that “in Mount Jerome Cemetery, the Dublin Working Boys’ Home had a plot for the residents, purchased by one of the Governors, Thomas Spunner, in 1885.”
Newspaper reports from the time of the opening note that initially 41 boys were on the books, and that most of these boys were from outside the capital, employed in trades including gun making, printing and coach building. The Irish Times noted that the buildings interior was impressive, with a lecture hall capable of holding 150 boys, a spacious dining hall as well a library containing a piano and reading tables.
I found an advertisement from 1914 for the Home within The Irish Times, and it notes:
The object of the home is to provide a safe and comfortable residence for orphans and other boys (being Protestants, and of good character) who are earning small wages in junior positions, in trades, business and offices, etc., and who have no suitable home in the city. The age of admission is 13 to 16 years, but under special circumstances the limit of age may be extended.
The club closed in 1987, and today the building is home to budget accommodation for tourists, as well as the Copper Alley Bistro.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
Fantastic lads – doing a bit of research myself on St. Joseph’s Boys Club set up in 1923 in Waterford at the mo – for poor boys to go after school with gym, billiards and basic tech and woodwork skills and so on. Great stuff from ye as ever!
Brian thompson some fantastic memories of residing here in 1971.Love to make contact with Digby Hamilton, David Adair,Billy Doherty, Cedric Hall, Chris Tobias, Chris Fitzgerald, George Young, Ivan Chadwick,or any others that were resident at that time in Lord Edward Street Dublin.
Hi lived at Harding from 1965 to 1970 rembember people like Benny Pearson ,Willie Harper most of others i have forgotten Ivan Chadwick was familar
[…] sex shops in Dublin, the Behan family and Siberia, the infamous ‘Pinking Dindies’, the Dublin Working Boys Home, Wood Quay vandalism, the first man to parachute over the capital, the Marian statues of Dublin, a […]
I’m trying to find a roll book for Harding boys home can anyone help?
Did you find the Roll book? I would like to study it for research purposes
I have harding register with me here as I write history of harding in our book . Contact me ok
Could you look up a Herbert Murphy. Please. He was possibly in the harding boys school in 1935 /1940. That is if you still have the register.
Slaing60@gmail.com
Please could you look for William Porter? He lived there in the 1940s (I think). He said his brother was there with him as well – David Porter…
As per my entry above. Are you able to confirm the dates when my father Frederick Martin lived at Harding. It was during the 1930s. Many thanks – Andrew Martin
Could you look up a J. Hall please? He was in the Harding from about 1937. Thank you, Jack
Hi is there a roll book for the period aroun 1901.
I’m tracing a family member.
I was there in 1987 few month. Thanks to report. I wonder if still work bull dog fish and chips shop. And harding house library had
Encyclopedia issued 1930.
A very interesting article ….thank you
During my time in the ‘Harding’ it was a young mens hostel that gave excellent accomodation in those austere times.! At the time there were around 65 residents of all walks of life , apprentices to various occupations, office employees and students attending various colleges and vocational .schools. At that time the Harding had gymn, badminton club ( with lady members).. It also had a soccer & rugby teams . There was great recreation facilitiy. Limited discipline was good so you knew the boundaries ! There is still a Harding OBU – On 18/4/2013 a Quiz night was held – an opportunity to keep in touch. OBU have annual dimmer for Old Boys and guests usually in November. When the Harding closed (fin 1987 -) a Trust Fund was set up which gave small grants to applicants to assist with their education/apprenticeships . The Trust needs funding – like all funds of this nature there is need fot to up in these austere times.
The ‘Harding’ was a home/hostel and not a ‘club’ as such. The ‘Harding ‘ featured in on TG4 -‘Cé a Chonaigh i mo Theachsa’ .directed by Tile Films The episode may be shown again soon.
Thank you for the photos and information about this institution. I found my maternal grandfather living here on the 1911 Irish census, working as a clerk for the The Irish Times. His father had left for the United States and his mother was at home in Sligo. Things worked out, he got married, had lots of children and moved to California and that’s were I am today.
I am trying to find my half brother who was in the harding boys home in about 1955, he would have been about 14, his birth name was brendan ryan ,but he might have been adopted he was as far as i no born in 1941-1944 in a nursing home on mount street dublin his mothers name was edna jones but he never met her,
his fathers name was james ryan and he lived in england,if anyone can help give me an e-mail
Hi. I was there around 1960. There was a Michael Rose at that time, he was an orphan I heard later he was killed in an accident.
Great article lads, just to let you know that the football club that was part of the Harding contiues to this day. Harding Interfirms FC have two 11 a side teams in the United Churches Football League and one 7 a side team also. The figure on the stone engraving features on our badge!!
I think my uncle Stanley Atkinson played there in the 50’s. I would love to know if that was the case. Sue Cooke
Or maybe 40’s
According to someone I interviewed the Harding Home took in Protestant orphans, and apprenticed them to trades in Protestant owned businesses in Dublin. Department stores were mentioned in this regard. Anyone got any information on that side of the work of the home?
I am trying to trace my half brother who was in the harding home in about 1960
his name is Brenden Roland Ryan,we have contacted the salvation army tracing
persons branch by they could not find him, if any one noes of Brenden could they please get back to me
Kind Regards Terry Rose: e-mail terry.rose57@gmail.com
I spent some very happy times there in the early 60s the Warden at the time was called NOBBY CLARKE,he was in the British Army in Malaysia her had a touch of Malaria a dreat man for a drop of WHISKEY.
My 4 other Brothers stayed there as well,a far as i can recall a lot of the Firms where the Boys were employed Subsidize the HARDING
FREDERICK STEWART
That was actually my grandfather! James Frederick Clark (aka Nobby Clark) married to Nancy Clark who together were wardens of the Harding for quite a number of years in the 50’s and 60’s
I have recently been on the joe duffy live line
Show asking for information regarding my half brother brendan, who I have never met,and thought that he might have been there between 1955-1965.we had a great insight into the harding boys home with people ringing in with there memory’s of the
Place,all good I must add, if anyone knows of him-Brendan Roland Ryan-born 2/04/1944
Could they please contact me. email
terry. rose57@gmail.com
I stayed in the Harding from 1965 for a few years when I was studying Accountancy and working in Robert G McHugh. Great place to stay. Was in a small room at the top of the building with George Furney, Alan Ardill, Robert Rainsbury, Alan Flynn. Played soccer for the Harding also.
Ronnie Fitzell.
Peter Challoner
I stayed in the Harding for a few years starting 1970. I worked in a drawing office in Macnaughtons Twisteel, East Road, and walked there and back each day. I left to live in a bedsitter with Leslie Colton. Good memories of the time.
Does anyone know how I could get more information about my father and his brother (William and David Porter) who lived here in the 1940s?
Hi.. I am going through my recently deceased uncle Stanley Atkinson’s paperwork and have come across a Harding Old Boys Union card dated 1956 to 1957. I think he must have lived there at some point. He was born in 1930. He emigrated to Canada. I would also love to find out more about his life there. Sue Cooke
I spent several years in the 60s great place David Stewart
i
was at the harding boys home in 1962 Would like to hear from someone who was there at that time. Percy Maxwell
Trying to trace a Richard Smith who was at Harding Home for Boys in Dublin in late 1940 – 1950 He then went on to join the R.A.F last I heard of Him He was stationed in Trubruk that was 1961.
Would be so grateful if anyone has any information of his whereabouts, He may of course have passed away, as He would be 80 yrs young.
Thank You.
I
My father, Fred Martin, was admitted to Harding about 1933 when he was orphaned at age 12. I believe he stayed there until travelling to Liverpool and signing up for the British Army in 1940. He married my mother from Hounslow in 1942 soon to leave for N Africa as part of Operation Torch a joint campaign with USA to capture all of French N Africa. He was taken as a POW and spent his time in a little known British Army POW camp at Auschwitz. In 1960 my father took me to Dublin and as an old boy we were allowed to stay at the Working Boys Home!! One morning I dallied on the stairway and then entered the canteen on my own, went to the service hatch and was handed toast and jam. My seated father was tucking into the full monty of a cooked breakfast which I was also able to enjoy courtesy of better informed kitchen staff.
For that brief moment I felt how life must have been for the boys of my father’s time and have not forgotten it.
At the time of losing his parents, fine ladies of the Church of Ireland helped find places for all of my father’s siblings and they were the Misses Ferrar who lived in a fine house in Ballsbrige. My father kept in grateful contact with these ladies and indeed I met one in Dublin with my wife to be in 1975.
i would be pleased to hear from anyone else who may have had relatives who were around at the same time as my father. And have asked to be notified of any replies or new posts.
I stayed in the Harding (also known by all of us as “The Ranch”!) in 1971/72 and 1972/73 during my first and second years studying Engineering at Trinity. I shared a room with about 5 others. It was a corner room on the second floor overlooking Lord Edward Street and Christchurch. Two of those in our room were Charlie Conroy and Roger Bennett who I had been at school with in King’s Hospital. Also Leslie Colton (another KH Alumnus), Bob Tutty and a lad called Blennerhassett were in the Ranch at that time. I have very fond memories of those years – the Ranch made the transition to Dublin life much easier for us country boys on our own in the Big Smoke! And don’t get me started on the fish and chips from Leo Burdock’s original chipper over beside the Lord Edward – many happy evenings were spent enjoying a smoked cod and chips with a big bottle of red lemonade!
Noel Adams
I was in there in the Harding from Jan 1953 to August 1956. I have good memories, but don’t remember too many names now. Tom Pierce, George Walpole, Harry Atkinson, Hughie Carr and Jim Burtenshaw are a few that come to mind. It was compulsory to got to church of Sunday morning. Most went to St Werburg’s and some to St Mark’s in Pearce St.
I lived at the ‘Ranch” from approx 1970-72, after graduating from Mountjoy School. I was an article clerk at Buckley Delaney Accountants, while pursuing accountancy studies. In 1982 I moved to California with Arthur Young (now EY). I lived at the Ranch with Noel Reid, Fred Foster, Leslie Colton and Bruce Copeland; and I am still in touch with them. I remember handing over my pay packet on Friday night Mr McCullough (?) would take their cut of my pay. I have fond memories of Burdock’s and the bar at the Lord Edward.
I have many fond memories of my stay in the home in the ’40s. Ron Watchorn.
Do you remember my grandparents? Fred and Nancy Clark as wardens?
Do you recall my father Frederick (Fred) Martin who was a resident up to the early 1940’s before signing up to join the war effort
My dad was there in the 1940s also – William Porter (known as Bill as an adult). Did you come across him?