Junior Cycle History Notes

Free Junior Cycle History revision notes for Common Level. Browse 32 topics and read online without an account.

32 topicsCommon LevelUpdated 25 Oct 2026

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Strand 1: The Nature of History (Unifying Strand)

6 topics

A Historian's WorkA historian investigates the past by gathering surviving evidence, testing how reliable it is and drawing fair, balanced conclusions about human experience.3 min read Historical ConceptsHistorical concepts are the core ideas historians use to investigate evidence, understand why people acted as they did, and trace patterns of change.4 min read The ‘Big Picture’: Chronology and TimelinesChronology is the practice of arranging historical events in date order.3 min read Archaeology and Working with EvidenceThis topic covers how historians and archaeologists find, date, and examine physical and written evidence from the past.3 min read Archives & MuseumsA historical repository is any physical building or online platform where evidence from the past is preserved, stored, and made available for public research.3 min read Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs)Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) in Junior Cycle History let you carry out your own research on local heritage and significant figures from the past.3 min read

Strand 2: The History of Ireland

12 topics

The 1960s in IrelandThe 1960s transformed life on the island of Ireland through economic growth, free second-level schooling, and modern mass media, alongside growing political…3 min read Ireland's Links with EuropeThis topic traces the historical, economic, and political connections between Ireland and mainland Europe from early Christian missionary movements to…3 min read Christianity in IrelandThis topic explores how Christianity arrived in Ireland in the fifth century, which changed how people in Ireland lived and made Irish monasteries famous…3 min read Impact of Sporting, Cultural, or Social Movement on Irish LifeThis topic examines how a sporting, cultural, or social movement shaped daily life, culture, and politics in modern Ireland.3 min read Nationalism & Unionism in Ireland (1911 - 1923)This topic examines how the clash between Irish nationalism and Ulster unionism transformed Ireland between 1911 and 1923.4 min read The Physical Force Tradition: Pre-20th Century RebellionsThe physical force tradition is the belief that Irish independence could only be won through armed rebellion rather than peaceful debate.4 min read Settlement & Plantations - Influence on Identity in IrelandBetween about 1550 and 1660, English rulers confiscated Irish land and granted it to English and Scottish settlers.4 min read The Great Famine: Causes, Course, Consequences and the Irish DiasporaThe Great Famine (1845–1850) was a disaster that changed Irish society, population and language for ever.3 min read The Parliamentary TraditionThe parliamentary tradition was the constitutional campaign to win civil rights and self-government for Ireland using peaceful, legal methods rather than…3 min read The Northern Ireland TroublesThe Northern Ireland Troubles was a violent thirty-year conflict from the late 1960s to 1998 over civil rights and the constitutional status of Northern…4 min read Women in 20th Century IrelandThis topic examines how the legal, social, educational, and working lives of Irish women changed across the twentieth century.3 min read The Impact of World War I or World War II on IrelandThis topic examines how the First World War and the Second World War affected politics, daily life, and society across the island of Ireland.4 min read

Strand 3: The History of Europe and the Wider World

14 topics

The 1960s in Europe and the Wider WorldThis topic explores the political crises, civil rights struggles, and cultural changes that swept Europe and the wider world during the 1960s.3 min read An Ancient or Medieval CivilisationThis topic explores daily life, social organisation, and beliefs in an ancient society, using Ancient Rome as our example.3 min read Contribution of Technological Development & InnovationTechnological developments and innovations are new tools, machines, and methods that changed how people lived, worked, and travelled across history.4 min read Genocide and the HolocaustThis topic covers genocide — the deliberate destruction of a people — and in particular the Nazi persecution of Jewish people from 1933 and the murder of…3 min read Impact of Conquest & ColonisationThis topic examines why Portuguese and Spanish voyages began and how they led to overseas conquest, colonial rule, and global trade.4 min read Life in Communist and Fascist Countries in the 20th CenturyThis topic examines everyday life under two contrasting totalitarian systems in twentieth-century Europe: fascist regimes such as Nazi Germany or Fascist…3 min read Life and Death in Medieval TimesThis topic covers how people lived, worked, and died in Europe during the Middle Ages under the feudal system and in growing towns.4 min read International Organisations and Co-operation (e.g. EU, UN)After the Second World War, countries formed international organisations like the European Union and the United Nations to rebuild their societies and stop…3 min read Patterns of Change Across Time (e.g. Crime & Punishment, Health & Medicine)Patterns of change trace how human daily life transformed across history while revealing habits that stayed the same.3 min read Pre 20th Century Revolutions - Causes, Courses & ConsequencesThis topic examines why people rose in revolt against an established ruler before 1900, using the American Revolution as the core case study.3 min read The Reformation and Religious ChangeThe Reformation was a sixteenth-century religious movement that split the Western Christian Church and led to the rise of Protestantism.3 min read Renaissance - Changes in the Fields of Arts and ScienceThe Renaissance was a cultural revival inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome that transformed European art, literature, and science.3 min read The Cold War & Its Importance in International RelationsThe Cold War (1945–1991) was a long period of hostility between the capitalist USA and the communist USSR that never became a direct war between them.3 min read World War I or World War II: Causes, Course and Long-Term ImpactThis topic covers either World War One or World War Two, following your class choice.3 min read

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