Irish History

Scarcely, if at all, less important than the study and development of the Irish Language is the study and understanding of Irish History. Let not the ready critic accuse us of abandoning the root idea, the single purpose of the Gaelic League. By no means. The preservation of the historical national language as the living language of the country is the one and only object of the League; upon that we base all our ideas of nationhood; to that we look for the motive power in a glorious future.

It is impossible, however, for the possessor of Irish fully to realise its importance or to grasp its significance without a familiarity with the facts and a knowledge of the course of Irish history. No surer means can be imagined for enshrining the new generation with the idea of the language movement than bringing them into touch with their country’s story.

The student who takes up Irish without a knowledge of Irish history loses the true meaning of the language: his study is but a cult; he may cherish the flower but he has torn it from its roots. But the student of Irish history is inevitably and with increasing rapidity carried on to a realisation of the indissoluble bond which unites all our ideas of Ireland as a distinct entity with the existence of a national language.

The objections that are raised against the study of Irish and the obstacles in its way do not exist with regard to Irish History. The same practical difficulties do not exist to impede it. It does not need specially trained and qualified teachers; it does not demand the same arduous labour on the part of its pupils.

The smallest Craobh can form its history reading class, conducted, perhaps, in turn by the members. The most remote school can have Irish history taught by its existing staff without any alteration in the programme. The ideal is, of course, to have Irish history taught through the medium of Irish. But until a generation comes in which that will be possible we must urge on the study of our history in English in such books as present a point of view as much as possible in sympathy with the historic Irish nation to which the Gaelic Leaguer looks.

We admit that from this standpoint our existing histories in English all exhibit deficiencies. Many of them, however, have considerable merits and the sympathy and intelligence of teachers and pupils may easily supply their defects.

In the study of our history whether in Craobhacha or in schools certain points must be carefully attended to. The historic point of view which we mentioned must be consistently maintained: we must never admit a perspective taken from the Pale or the anglicised present.

The human interest must be developed: no matter-of-fact dry-as-dust interpretation of the deeds of our heroes or the romance of our sufferings should be allowed to obscure the fact that history is a record of the doings of personalities and not of names or symbols.

Local history must be made attractive and local associations interwoven with the narrative. Teachers might take their pupils, and craobhacha might bring their members to historic spots or commanding positions and identify their surroundings with incidents in their country’s past. Literary history should not be neglected: as the drama of political history unfolds, the student should become acquainted with the master minds who formed the ideas of their fellow men of the time, and who created the native literature of Ireland.

Pádraig Pearse