It appears that James Hoban (circa 1760–1831) was born with a gift for architecture. Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, he grew up on the estate of the Earl of Desart. His family didn’t own the estate, rather, they were tenant farmers or laborers there. His upbringing was very modest, and he seems to have received an equally modest education. His ability as a young apprentice carpenter, however, brought him some local notoriety, ultimately landing him a seat to study at the Dublin Society’s School of Architectural Design in the late 1770s.
The mission of the Dublin Society was “to encourage husbandry, manufactures and other useful arts.” The “useful art” Hoban gravitated toward was architecture. For one of his drawings, he was awarded the Duke of Leinster medal in 1780. Noting Hoban’s talent, Thomas Ivory, the architectural design school’s principal, hired the young artisan as an apprentice.
