Patrick Weston Joyce (1827-1914) was a native Irish speaker educated at a hedge school. Joyce started work in 1845 with the Board of National Education. He produced many works on the history of Ireland and other works such as On the Old Celtic Romances, Irish Grammar, and the English Language in Ireland. His most enduring work is the pioneering The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places. He was President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland from 1906 to 1908. Joyce was a key cultural figure of his time. His wide interests included the Irish language, Hiberno-English, music, education, Irish literature and folklore, Irish history and antiquities, place-names and much else. Amongst his other works are A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland (1906).