New resource helps Junior Cycle students uncover history and heritage of their local area
A NEW educational resource designed to help Junior Cycle students research, explore and write about the history and heritage of their local area is being launched by the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN) in collaboration with The Heritage Council.
The publication will be officially launched today at the History Teachers' Association of Ireland annual conference in the Hillgrove Hotel, Co. Monaghan.
Developed to support students completing The Past in My Place strand of Junior Cycle History Classroom-Based Assessment 1 (CBA1), the guide offers practical tools and guidance for undertaking local and family history research.
The resource provides step-by-step support for students to identify a topic of interest, conduct research, carry out oral history interviews, access historical records and present their findings in a clear and engaging project.
Designed to support both teachers and students, the publication is based on the acclaimed iCAN guide, ‘The Possession of His Every Neighbour’: A Guide to Researching and Writing Local History by award-winning historian Tomás Mac Conmara. It has been adapted by Dr. Eoin Ó Donnchadha, education, skills and training officer with The Heritage Council, to apply proven research methods for use in the Junior Cycle classroom.
iCAN is an initiative of the National Museum of Ireland delivered in partnership with The Heritage Council and local authority heritage officers nationwide. It supports community groups in digitising, preserving and sharing their local history through online archives.
Welcoming the launch, Lorna Elms, development officer with iCAN, said: "We are delighted to launch this new resource in collaboration with The Heritage Council. It provides practical guidance that will help students and teachers engage more deeply with local history and make valuable connections between classroom learning and the communities around them.
"Every townland, village and neighbourhood has its own unique stories. Through this guide, students can become active historians, discovering the people, places, traditions and events that have shaped their locality while developing a greater appreciation of Ireland's rich heritage."
The publication is available in both English and Irish and can be accessed free of charge here.