Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

You never know.

I agree more than I disagree with what the Minister has said, but I never would have pigeonholed him in any way just because he comes from the jobs portfolio. To be fair to him, he held the position of education spokesperson for Fine Gael for many years when it was in opposition. I have a deep interest in education because I believe it is one of the best ways of getting people out of the poverty trap.

I thank all of my colleagues for their positive contributions, which reflected my view that the importance of history is deeply embedded in this House and that it has a pivotal role to play. I agree with Senator Gavan's observations on different perspectives. Unfortunately, for many years in the education system only one perspective of certain areas of history was given. We need to have a balance of perspectives. Senator Ó Ríordáin spoke about learning about the history of the heroin epidemic. That is critical because local, national and international history are equally important. The three are pillars in their own right. I remember doing a project on the west Clare railway for my leaving certificate. People in Dublin would not have any interest in it, but such projects very much form a part of our understanding of our communities and, as Senator Lombard stated, our parishes. We develop a love of community, place, county and country through understanding what has happened before our time. I often equate this with the GAA. We develop a love of parish by being involved in the GAA, which defines our sense of community more than any other organisation.

Having had the debate, I am more optimistic that the Minister and I are near enough to being on the same page. While I will not say I would have liked the motion to have been a lot more dramatic, I do have a reputation within my party for going outside the box and sailing close to the wind. I wanted the motion to be as consensual as possible. History has not been a compulsory subject and I believe that it should be, but I suppose I tend to promote the carrot rather than the stick.

I salute the hundreds of history teachers who teach it daily to our young people-----