'Special core status' for History in Junior Cycle

The Department of History at Maynooth University welcomes the decision by the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Joe McHugh TD, to assign History a “special core status” in the Junior Cycle, thereby rejecting the advice given by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Turning History into an optional subject for the Junior Cycle would have had an adverse effect on citizenship, political engagement and participation, and the public’s ability to distinguish between real and false claims about Ireland’s past and its place in the world. We thank all those who made their voice heard in defence of our subject.