The ultimate history man
Thomas Meagher’s life is an adventure rich in learning and lessons in citizenship says Conor Reale, Oireachtas Education Officer
Taking up arms to repudiate slavery or attempting to unite all Irish people through a flag representative of both political and religious traditions on our island, were not onerous tasks
One of the key elements of the new junior cycle history specification is the need for history students to develop a historical consciousness and regard for the motivations and actions of people in the past in the context of their time.
The Junior Certificate syllabus likewise encourages students to develop an interest and enthusiasm for history and a value of their heritage from the past’ while also ‘recognising the importance of education for citizenship’.
The life of Thomas Francis Meagher provides ample opportunity for teachers and students alike to appreciate the efforts of Meagher to shape the political landscape not just in Ireland but across the Atlantic in the United States of America, when civil war erupted over one of the most basic of human rights: freedom from slavery.
Meagher believed that ‘a strong people can alone build up a great nation’ so for him taking up arms to repudiate slavery or attempting to unite all Irish people through a flag representative of both political and religious traditions on our island were not onerous tasks but were what he considered to be his duty.
Students who are studying the Junior Certificate course should acquire information and develop understanding of the way in which individuals and institutions influence and are influenced by the sequence of events in time.
Meagher’s early career as a member of the Repeal Association was marked by orations which drew large crowds and excerpts of these speeches would be a useful primary source in attempting to understand the feelings of those in Ireland who sought to overturn the Act of Union.
Accessing, understanding and appreciating these speeches is a key historical skill.
His association with the Young Ireland movement and attempted rebellion in 1848 should also be looked at in its historical context as this incident is often overlooked.
But it should be viewed as developing the procedural values of the historian as they ensure that the narrative is consistent with the evidence: why did this event happen? How did it impact not just on Meagher but on the nature of political discourse and direction in mid 19th century Ireland?
From September 2018, the new junior cycle history specification will be rolled out to first years’ and again the life and work of TF Meagher provides rich opportunities for teachers and students to engage with history as a discipline.
Work could be divided into four units each of which addresses specific learning outcomes from the history specification.
For example a unit looking at the role of the national flag throughout Irish history and the influence of the diaspora covers many of the learning outcomes from strand one of the specification: the Nature of History. Looking at the events of 1848 addresses outcomes 2.3 and 2.7 where students recognise key changes and explore people, culture and ideas in relation to the history of Ireland.
An examination of the contribution Meagher made to the fledgling state of Montana covers aspects of active citizenship while also encouraging students to investigate a repository of historical evidence such as the legislature in Montana through a virtual fieldtrip and compare the political structures of Montana and Ireland.
The life of Thomas Francis Meagher reads like an adventure from the annals of a modern day story teller.
The threads of this rich tapestry bind disparate locations from Ballingarry in Tipperary to Montana in the United States of America via Van Diemens Land, set against a backdrop coloured by the bloody Civil war battlefields of Antietam and Fredericksburg.
For anyone with even a passing interest in history this supplement provides an insight into the life and legacy of TF Meagher but for students and teachers of history it will illuminate and inspire as the scale of Meagher’s impact is uncovered.