By Matthew Mc Coy

Our History – bray.ie

Transition Year is a time when learning can happen both inside and outside of the classroom. During this module, students have the opportunity to go on trips every Thursday during the last three classes of the day for example Bray Head or to other locations that are steeped in history and heritage. Students are taken on a tour of that place and when they return to the classroom they write a report on the history and heritage related to it.

The people who are involved in the TY History and Heritage module are Mr. Ó. Donnell, (who features in an interview below), and TY students. For this article I interviewed, Lex Farrell, Ben Currums, and Lucas Razma (all TY history and heritage students)

Do you think it is useful to go out and look at places instead of reading about them in a book? 

Lex: Yes, because it gives us an insight on what happened in the past. 

Ben: Yes, because you actually experience it instead of reading it out of a book. 

Lucas: Yes, because you learn it better and it is not as boring. 

Where would you like to visit? 

Lex: Dublin Museums.  

Ben: Places that have ancient artefacts in them. 

Lucas: Phoenix park. 

Do you enjoy going on the trips and why? 

Lex: Yes, because it is good to get out and look at the places. 

Ben: Yes, because I get to see what happened in the past. 

Lucas: Yes, because I find it very interesting. 

How do you feel about organizing the trips for the TY history and Heritage? 

Mr. Ó. Donnell : I feel really lucky to be able to organize the TY History & Heritage trips especially in our current climate. We are very fortunate to live in such a historically significant area and being able to remove ourselves from school to learn about our local area is very interesting. 

Do you go on the trips with the TY’s? 

Mr. Ó. Donnell : Yes, I attend the History & Heritage trips with the TY students and we usually discuss the history of the area we are visiting. 

Do you enjoy the trips and why? 

Mr. Ó. Donnell : I do really enjoy going on the trips with the TYs. It is enjoyable to hear about the student’s stories & perceptions from the local area and I usually learn something interesting from the students. 

If you wanted to go to a place that has to do with history and heritage, where would you go to? 

My favorite place to visit with the students on a History & Heritage trip would be the GPO in Dublin City Centre. The area has huge significance in our country’s history and I often find the students are interested to go on a walking tour of famous sites across the city where the 1916 Rising took place. 

So, in conclusion, the TY history and heritage is very useful to the students because it can give a deeper understanding of the history in Ireland instead of reading it out of a book and it is more enjoyable too!