‘I value the importance of history’
There is so much more to learn from our past, writes Joe McHugh TD, Minister for Education and Skills
I have a simple message when people ask about history. It is about learning the lessons of our past to better prepare for the future.
And it is a great honour for me to be asked to share my thoughts with you on what our tricolour stands for, its place in history and its place today and in the future. Above all, our national flag is a symbol of respect.
That imagery remains as powerful today as it did 171 years ago when Thomas Francis Meagher first raised the flag, on March 7, 1848, at the Wolfe Tone Club, No. 33, The Mall in Waterford.
The flag was inspired by the French tricolour, but the message it carried on these shores was unique. As Thomas F. Meagher himself explained, the white signifies a lasting truce between the two traditions on our island, the Orange and the Green.
He said: “I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood.”
A Young Irelander, Meagher’s message was as pure and dignified as had been voiced by anyone in the pursuit of peace and unity on our island.
And that is a lesson from the past that should be learned and shared far and wide today and for the future.
Our tricolour is also a symbol of inclusion. The commemorations that were marked with such dignity in 2016 epitomised those ideals.
And that message is being carried further today through the Thomas F. Meagher Foundation and particularly by the work of schools ambassador Maria Walsh and the Foundation’s co-founders Reverend Michael Cavanagh and Senator Mark Daly as they help to promote the ideals embodied in the three colours.
The Foundation has been working since 2014 to promote pride in and respect for our flag. It is helping to educate school children in its meaning for peace and to encourage active citizenship.
Those messages are being carried even further as every school in the country is encouraged to host a flag day, in turn allowing pupils to spread the story even further to their families and communities.
This is the fifth supplement that the Thomas F. Meagher Foundation has produced with the Irish Independent and the work is as important now. It is a fitting complement to the work with schools.
It offers lesson plans from the History Teachers’ Association of Ireland alongside much more information on the Thomas F. Meagher Foundation and the role of its partners including Gaisce and Shannon Heritage.
Students are also gaining more awareness with the introduction of Politics and Society at Leaving Cert. It aims to develop active citizenship, to tell them how institutions work at local, national, European and global level.
The new Junior Cycle short course in Civic Social and Political Education is providing a valuable opportunity to inform, inspire, empower and enable young people to participate as active citizens in contemporary society.
The focus on human rights and social responsibilities helps students feel connected to issues of wellbeing.
What better way to focus that intent by remembering the true ideals of our flag?
As Minister I have made it clear how highly I value the importance of History as a school subject. There is so much more to learn from our past.
I announced a review of the place of History in the school curriculum, with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment being asked to lead on that, and the results are expected by the end of the March.
All of that continues in the background as the Foundation goes about its work by supplying schools with free lapel pins – as Gaeilge agus Bearla - to raise money for a project or charity of the school’s choice and to encourage students to take part in the awards and scholarship programmes.
The message is one of encouragement for the young people of Ireland, irrespective of ethnicity, beliefs or gender.
The Thomas F. Meagher Foundation wants you, the young people of today, to work together under our national flag and to understand and live its message of peace and unity. It is an idealism that is much needed today.
And it is visible every day on the roads and in the communities of some troubled countries around the world.
It is through this peacekeeping work that our flag has gained a unique place in a global context. The green, white and orange has a power and symbolism all of its own that has been built up over decades by generation after generation of dedicated members of the Defence Forces.
Our tricolour comes in peace. It creates a bond of trust and a feeling of safety. It is nonthreatening.
In places like South Lebanon, where war still exists despite decades of uneasy truce, the Irish flag brings a sense of protection.
That is the message that we should promote. I urge everyone to listen to it and act on it.
No matter where there is division, our green, white and gold tricolour has the tradition and legacy – ár n-oidhreacht - to offer hope through respect, peace and inclusion.
We need you, the young people learning about your past and your heritage, to see the impact that a small country has on the world.
Use it as your inspiration. Let it be the bedrock of your approach to life.
Táim fíorbhuíoch don seans scríobh faoinár mbratach thrídhathach. Is bratach sainiúil í. Agus tá an teachtaireacht chomh láidir inniu is mar a bhí sí i 1848.