History · 5th Year

Active learning ideas

Local Heroes and Stories

Take your pupils back in time to a pivotal moment in Irish history when a new faith arrived and forever changed the island's culture and identity.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA History: Local Studies - People, events and developments in my locality

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Museum Exhibit
• 45 min · Individual

Design a Celtic Cross

Pupils learn about the symbols on Celtic high crosses, such as the cross (Christianity) and the circle (pagan sun wheel or eternity). They then design their own cross on paper, incorporating both Christian symbols and Celtic patterns like spirals and knotwork to represent the blending of two cultures.

Identify a significant person or event from the history of our locality.

Facilitation Tip

Provide templates of Celtic knotwork and a gallery of real high cross images for inspiration.

What to look for

Use a 'Think-Pair-Share' activity where pupils discuss the question: 'What would be the hardest thing about being a missionary in Celtic Ireland?' This reveals their understanding of the challenges involved.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Museum Exhibit
• 30 min · Individual

A Missionary's Diary

After learning about the challenges faced by St. Patrick, pupils write a short diary entry from the perspective of an early missionary arriving in Ireland. They should describe the landscape, the people they met, and their hopes or fears about their mission.

Explain why this person or event is considered important to the community.

Facilitation Tip

Brainstorm a list of sensory details and potential challenges as a whole class before pupils begin writing.

What to look for

Pupils create a storyboard with four to six panels illustrating a key event in the arrival of Christianity, such as St. Patrick's return to Ireland or the building of a monastery.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Museum Exhibit
• 40 min · Small Groups

Monastery Map Investigation

In small groups, pupils are given a map of Ireland and cards showing famous monastic sites like Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, and Kells. They work together to place the sites on the map and match them with information cards describing their key features, such as a round tower or a famous manuscript.

Evaluate the impact this person or event had on the development of our area.

Facilitation Tip

Use a large floor map of Ireland to make the activity more interactive and engaging for the groups.

What to look for

Pupils complete a 'Two Stars and a Wish' reflection. They write down two things they learned about Early Christian Ireland and one question they still have.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by exploring what pupils already know about St. Patrick, separating fact from legend. Use rich visual sources like photos of the Ardagh Chalice or pages from the Book of Kells to bring the era to life. Emphasise the idea of 'blending' rather than 'replacing' when discussing the transition from paganism to Christianity, using the Celtic cross as a perfect physical example of this fusion.

By the end of these activities, pupils will be able to explain how Christianity spread in Ireland and give examples of how it mixed with older Celtic traditions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• St. Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland.

  This is a popular legend, but it's not historically true. Fossil records show Ireland has not had native snakes since the last Ice Age. The story is an allegory, a symbolic tale where the 'snakes' represent the pre-Christian, pagan religions that St. Patrick helped to replace with Christianity.

• Christianity arrived and everyone in Ireland converted overnight.

  The conversion of Ireland was a very slow and gradual process that took centuries. It often involved missionaries first converting a local king or chieftain, whose people would then follow over time. Pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs existed side-by-side for a long period.

• St. Patrick was the very first Christian missionary to Ireland.

  While St. Patrick is the most famous, he was not the first. Historical records show that a bishop named Palladius was sent to the 'Irish believing in Christ' by the Pope in 431 AD, a year before Patrick is traditionally said to have begun his mission. This shows there were already small Christian communities in Ireland before Patrick arrived.

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Methods used in this brief

• Museum Exhibit