Marking the birthdate of Edmund Rice

1st of June is tradionally marked as the birth date of Blessed Edmund Rice. He was born in 1762 to Robert Rice and Margaret Rice (nee Tierney) on the farming property of "Westcourt" in Callan, Ireland. Edmund Rice was the fourth of seven sons, although he also had two stepsisters, Joan and Jane Murphy, the offspring of his mother's first marriage.

Callan was a market town where the farmers brought their produce. It was located in a rich agricultural area which had a very agreeable climate. Crops of wheat, potatoes, barley, oats, and flax were sown in the Spring. The crops were harvested in the late Summer and early Autumn. All the farm work was completed by hand. Most of the rural dwellers were manual labourers who lived in mud-walled thatched cabins. These cabins had no beds. The roof was covered with thatch. The floors were made with clay trampled underfoot in order to make it solid. The houses did not have any chimneys or windows – the smoke escaped through the doors. A manure pit usually was positioned outside the door. The labourers usually kept a pig in the house. This animal was fed on the leftovers from the house but it was very important as its sale paid the rent. Many of these houses would have been by Edmund as he grew up in Callan.

The town had only two schools for its 3500 inhabitants. The Catholics attended a "Hedge school" The students paid a small stipend to the master.

Edmund was the son of a rich farmer who farmed 180 acres near Callan. He did not experience the poor social conditions described above. Even though he was a Catholic his family prospered during the economic boom period that benefited the richer classes in Ireland at this time. His family worked very hard and accumulated good profits from their farm enterprises. Their house was very different from the house occupied by the landless labourers. It was a long low cottage with four bedrooms. Each bedroom measured 10 feet by 9. It also had a parlour and a kitchen. The kitchen measured 17 feet by 12. Even though they were wealthy the Rices lived very frugal lives. This enabled them to endure harsh times and prosper in the good times. They could thus afford to educate their children privately and make provision for handsome dowries for their daughters.