History Junior Cert Study Notes

History as a list of dates is now a thing of the past. It is about what happened, why it happened, and to what effect.

We care less about the precise year of the Easter Rising and more about why Padraig Pearse read poetry while others fired bullets. We are interested in finding the facts for ourselves, learning the skills of the historian. We want to know what constitutes good evidence - is the source reliable or biased?

If history is “a set of lies that were agreed upon” then lets find out who made up the lies. What were the real issues surrounding the treaty of Versailles? Why did the Americans do so badly in Vietnam? Why is that place down the road called ‘the well of the dogs’?

History is not about rote learning, one tedious timeline after another. It is about discovering facts, analysing and reviewing information. It is about real people and documentary evidence. From an understanding of history, we will be better able to analyse data and come up with reasoned arguments.

The times our parents lived through are now intriguing to us. That old newspaper in the attic is now a valuable source document.

The breadth of knowledge we gain means we are less likely to be a Weak Link and more likely to be a Millionaire. And best of all - with just a bit of research, anyone can beat the teacher!