Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Edmund Burke was an able parliamentarian and his words are even more relevant for the discussion under way.
I am not sure that history will gain from the new proposals and I am a little concerned, particularly as those involved in the area have expressed their concern. Last June representatives from the History Teachers Association of Ireland told an Oireachtas joint committee that the new syllabus would lead to many schools dropping history and would further reduce numbers taking the subject at leaving certificate level. Professor Diarmuid Ferriter of UCD said that it would be a cruel irony if history, as a subject, was downgraded during the decade of commemorations for events such the 1913 Lock-out and the 1916 Rising. He said that he had concerns that downgrading the subject would lead to a class divide with working class children far less likely to be offered the subject at school. Another historian, Ms Catriona Crowe, said Ireland should not repeat the mistakes of England. She pointed out that England is about to reintroduce history as a compulsory subject having removed it in recent years.

According to Mr. Fintan O'Mahony of the ASTI:

If history is only offered as a short course here and there the numbers will drop and Leaving Cert history will be affected. We've built the numbers back up since the subject was reformed in 2006, and it's now the fifth most popular elective, and one that students really enjoy.

There has been a big fall-off in the number of pupils studying history at leaving certificate level, with 53,000 studying it for the junior certificate and only 11,700 at leaving certificate level in 2012.

Senator van Turnhout mentioned that there is a race for points which is rather unfortunate. All that I would be concerned about is that the new syllabus would lead to history being sidelined, to a degree, and that schools will no longer offer history. That would be a great shame, particularly considering the divided nature of the nation.

I wish to make a final point. When I went to school history stopped at 1916. In fact it stopped around 1914 because the times were so controversial. Education has moved on-----