History · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Saints and Scholars: Early Christian Ireland

Step back in time to an era when Ireland was known as the 'Island of Saints and Scholars'. This topic explores Ireland's Golden Age, a time of great learning, art, and influence.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary School Curriculum, History - Strand: Early people and ancient societies

• 45–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Maker Learning
• 60 min · Individual

Design an Illuminated Letter

After examining examples from the Book of Kells, pupils design and create their own illuminated first letter of their name. They can use Celtic knotwork, animal motifs, and vibrant colours to mimic the style of the monastic scribes.

Explain the role of monasteries as centres of learning and culture in Early Christian Ireland.

Facilitation Tip

Provide templates of Celtic knots and examples of zoomorphic (animal-shaped) designs to scaffold the creative process.

What to look for

Use an exit ticket where pupils must write down two facts they learned about monasteries and one question they still have.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Maker Learning
• 45 min · Small Groups

Map the Missionaries

In small groups, pupils are given a key Irish saint, such as Colmcille (Columba) or Columbanus. They use maps and information cards to trace their missionary journeys from Ireland to Britain and continental Europe, marking the monasteries they founded.

Analyse the ways in which Christianity blended with older Celtic traditions.

Facilitation Tip

Use a large floor map of Europe or an interactive digital map to make the scale of their travels more tangible.

What to look for

Pupils create a project on a chosen Irish saint or monastery. This could be a written report, a poster, a digital presentation, or a model of a monastic site.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Maker Learning
• 50 min · Pairs

A Day in the Life of a Monk

Pupils write a diary entry or create a short comic strip depicting a typical day for a monk at a monastery like Clonmacnoise or Glendalough. They should include different activities like farming, praying, and working in the scriptorium.

Evaluate the impact of Irish missionaries on the rest of Europe during this period.

Facilitation Tip

Create a 'jobs list' for the monastery on the board to give pupils ideas, such as scribe, farmer, stonemason, or cook.

What to look for

Pupils complete a K-W-L (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) chart at the beginning and end of the topic to track their own learning journey.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Bring this period to life using rich visual sources like high-resolution images of the Book of Kells and virtual tours of monastic sites like Glendalough. Use storytelling to introduce the lives of the saints, making them relatable figures. Hands-on activities, like designing an illuminated letter, allow pupils to connect with the craftsmanship of the period.

By the end of this topic, pupils will be able to explain why monasteries were so important and how Irish monks helped to shape the future of Europe.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• St. Patrick was the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland.

  While St. Patrick was hugely important in spreading Christianity, especially in the north and west, there were already small Christian communities in Ireland before his arrival in 432 AD. A bishop named Palladius was sent by the Pope to minister to Irish Christians in 431 AD.

• Monks did nothing but pray all day.

  Prayer was central to a monk's life, but monasteries were busy, self-sufficient communities. Monks were also farmers, builders, artists, scribes, teachers, and craftsmen who had to work hard to support themselves and their monastery.

• Early Irish Christianity was exactly the same as Roman Christianity.

  Irish Christianity had its own unique features, influenced by older Celtic traditions. For example, it was organised around powerful monasteries rather than dioceses ruled by bishops, and it had a different method for calculating the date of Easter, which led to debates with Rome.

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Methods used in this brief

• Maker Learning