History Department in Finn Valley College
History is a compulsory subject in junior Cycle and an optional subject in senior cycle.
“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Junior Cycle History
Three Strands:
- Strand 1 – The Nature of History
- Strand 2 – The History of Ireland
- Strand 3 – The History of Europe and the Wider World
Key Skills Developed in the history classroom:
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Research and evidence-based reasoning
- Understanding cause and consequence
- Communication and argumentation skills
Topics covered in JC history:
- Early societies in Ireland (Stone Age, Bronze Age, Celts)
- Early Christian Ireland (Monasteries, influence of Christianity)
- The Plantations in Ireland
- The 1798 Rebellion
- The Act of Union and Daniel O’Connell
- The Great Famine
- The 1916 Rising and War of Independence
- World War 1 & 2
- The Cold War
- The Civil War and partition of Ireland
Assessment:
Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs):
- CBA 1 (Year 2): The Past in My Place (Local history project)
- CBA 2 (Year 3): A Life in Time (Historical biography or event study)
Final Exam in 3rd year: Duration is 2 Hours
Senior Cycle History
Course Structure:
- Focuses on working with evidence and historical documents
- Divided into four topics from different time periods
- Includes a Research Study Report (RSR)
Assessment:
- 80% Written Exam (Essay-style and document-based questions) 2 Hours 50 Mins
- 20% Research Study Report (RSR) (Independent research project)
- 2027 will see a brand new leaving cert history paper. This work is ongoing currently by the history redevelopment group.
Link to more information on senior cycle reform: