My Own Investigation!
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The central aspect of my historical investigation was a visit to Navan County Library, where I visited the Local Studies section. This was a new experience for me, as it required strict supervision and there are strict regulations regarding the use of primary sources. While present at the Local Studies, I viewed four minute books from meetings amongst the Board of Guardians in Dunshaughlin. These minute books were from 1947-1950, as I chose to look at the books covering the period of the Great Famine so as to investigate the effect the Famine had on the workhouse. Accompanying this project are some examples of pages from the minute books, reproduced with permission.
Another investigation which took place was an interview with Rachel Barrett, a native of from Dunshaughlin who completed her 2008 thesis on Life in the Workhouses of County Meath, 1838-1850 for Trinity College. I sourced her contact details and arranged an interview, the transcript of which can be viewed on the website. Rachel was very willing to share her knowledge and presented a vivid picture of the workhouse's history.
Linking with the Curriculum
The Great Famine, which took place in Ireland from 1845-1850, was a turning point in Irish history (“Ireland's Great Famine”, 2014). Consequently, it played a vital role in shaping the Dunshaughlin Workhouse and the developments which took place. It was as a result of the Famine that extra space needed to be provided. “The Great Famine” is one of the strand units in the History Curriculum strand of “Eras of change and conflict” (NCCA, 1999). A historical investigation of Dunshaughlin Workhouse could easily link this strand unit with that of “Life in the 19th Century”, part of the strand “Life, society, work and culture in the past” (NCCA, 1999). Through these strand units the children would be provided with the opportunity to explore the facts about the Great Famine in Ireland through sourcing locally produced written material on the workhouse.
The children could investigate the impact of the Great Famine in Dunshaughlin by looking at samples from the minute books and by visiting the Famine Graveyard. Through these investigations, a sense of empathy could be developed in the children as they would be exploring the lives of people and how they were affected. Drama would be a suitable methodology and could be used to continue the investigation in the classroom by re-enacting some of the scenes from the workhouse. Finally, it is important that the children learn to develop communication skills in school (NCCA, 1999). As part of this investigation the children could be responsible for sourcing a local person from the historical society, writing a letter to invite them to the school, and preparing questions for an interview. This would also be beneficial to the children's self efficacy development.
The children could investigate the impact of the Great Famine in Dunshaughlin by looking at samples from the minute books and by visiting the Famine Graveyard. Through these investigations, a sense of empathy could be developed in the children as they would be exploring the lives of people and how they were affected. Drama would be a suitable methodology and could be used to continue the investigation in the classroom by re-enacting some of the scenes from the workhouse. Finally, it is important that the children learn to develop communication skills in school (NCCA, 1999). As part of this investigation the children could be responsible for sourcing a local person from the historical society, writing a letter to invite them to the school, and preparing questions for an interview. This would also be beneficial to the children's self efficacy development.