IE · Subject guide
History
Leaving Certificate History (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
01 · Overview
History
Leaving Certificate History (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
- Subject guide
- Leaving Certificate
- Topics mapped
- 18
02 · Complete topic map
Complete topic map
Every topic recorded for this subject in the curriculum is reproduced below in its full hierarchy. The descriptions reflect the mapped scope without implying additional exam rules.
- 01
The Nature of History and the Work of the Historian
An introductory framing of how historians construct knowledge from evidence, the concepts of source criticism, perspective and historical judgement that underpin the whole course.
- 02
Working with Evidence: The Documents-Based Study
Skills-based study of documentary and visual sources tied to a prescribed case-study topic, assessed by a compulsory documents question testing comprehension, comparison, criticism and contextualisation.
- 03
The Research Study Report (RSR)
A self-directed investigation of a student-chosen historical question, submitted as a coursework report that develops research, evaluation and writing skills and counts toward the final grade.
- 04
Early Modern Field of Study, 1492-1815 (overview)
One of the two date-bounded fields from which a student's topics are drawn, spanning exploration, reformation, plantation and the early growth of the modern state.
- 05
Early Modern Ireland
Six Irish topics covering Reformation and the Tudor conquest, rebellion in Elizabethan Ireland, plantation and the struggle between kingdom and colony, colonial ascendancy and eighteenth-century tensions up to 1815.
- 06
Early Modern Europe and the Wider World
Six topics on the Renaissance, the Reformations and religious conflict, expansion and exploration, the European response to the wider world, science, and the age of revolutions to 1815.
- 07
Later Modern Field of Study, 1815-1993 (overview)
The second date-bounded field, tracing nationalism, industrialisation, two world wars, ideological conflict and decolonisation across Ireland, Europe and the wider world.
- 08
Ireland and the Union, 1815-1870
A Later Modern Ireland topic examining the working of the Act of Union, Catholic emancipation, the Famine and the politics, economy and society of pre-Home-Rule Ireland.
- 09
Movements for Political and Social Reform, 1870-1914
A Later Modern Ireland topic on land agitation, Home Rule, cultural revival, labour and the social and political mobilisation of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ireland.
- 10
The Pursuit of Sovereignty and the Impact of Partition, 1912-1949
A Later Modern Ireland topic covering the Home Rule crisis, the Rising, War of Independence, Civil War, partition and the consolidation of the Irish state.
- 11
Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, 1949-1993
A Later Modern Ireland topic on the Unionist state, civil rights, the onset of the Troubles, sectarian division and attempts at political settlement in the North.
- 12
Government, Economy and Society in the Republic of Ireland, 1949-1989
A Later Modern Ireland topic analysing economic policy, social and cultural change, governance and Ireland's place in Europe in the decades after the declaration of the Republic.
- 13
The Irish Diaspora, 1840-1966
A Later Modern Ireland topic on emigration, the experience of Irish communities abroad and the cultural and political influence of the diaspora on Ireland and host societies.
- 14
Nationalism and State Formation in Europe, 1815-1871
A Later Modern Europe topic on the rise of nationalism, liberalism and the unification movements that reshaped the European political map after the Congress of Vienna.
- 15
Nation States and International Tensions, 1871-1920
A Later Modern Europe topic on imperial rivalry, alliance systems, the First World War and the post-war reordering of Europe and the wider world.
- 16
Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe, 1920-1945
A Later Modern Europe topic on the inter-war crisis, the rise of fascism and communism, the Second World War and the contest between authoritarian and democratic states (the usual prescribed documents case-study topic).
- 17
Division and Realignment in Europe, 1945-1992
A Later Modern Europe topic on the Cold War, the division of Germany and Europe, European integration and the eventual collapse of the Soviet bloc.
- 18
The United States and the World, 1945-1989 / European Retreat from Empire
Later Modern wider-world topics covering US foreign and domestic affairs in the Cold War era and the decolonisation and aftermath of European overseas empires.
03 · Where this subject applies
Where this subject applies
These pathways and regions are explicitly connected to the subject in the curriculum.
Levels and pathways
Higher Level
Higher Level — the more demanding level, with broader and deeper content and the H1–H8 grade scale.
Ordinary Level
Ordinary Level — the foundational level covering the core of the syllabus, graded O1–O8.
Regions
All registered regions
04 · Official sources
Official sources
The public sources below are referenced directly by this subject or by one of its topics.
This editorial selection points to the relevant official bodies. Always confirm current requirements, dates and exceptional arrangements with your school and the responsible authority.
2
Public references
IE · EuraStudy Guides
Place this subject inside the complete curriculum.
Open the curriculum guide to see every subject and topic, or continue to EuraStudy Summa to begin working with the material.