Award Winners 2023

Transition Year students uncover the History on their Doorstep

The 2023 Young Historian awards were presented recently to Transition Year students in three Leitrim schools: Ballinamore Community School (BCS), Carrigallen Vocational School (CVS) and Lough Allen College (LAC) in Drumkeerin. When presenting the awards at the three schools, Fiona Slevin stressed the value of studying history. ‘It is not just that it is important to have knowledge of our past’, she said, ‘it is the skills of history that are critical: asking good questions, researching, differentiating fact from fiction, and being able to tell a story’. ‘These skills’, she added, ‘are necessary for any work, job or career’.

The judges lauded all the award-winning students for their ability to engage emotionally with their history while being dispassionate about the facts; these students also structured their submissions well, had confidence in their own voice, incorporated good images, and drew on a previously unused source. The winners stood out generally for their ability to document and critique the value of various sources and offer a personal observation on what their findings might mean.

Matthew McVeigh, history teacher in CVS, said ‘the Young Historian competition is a great way for students to learn about something or someone in their locality that they might not have previously known about before, and the added competitive element gives the students a bit of excitement to ensure full engagement’.

Personal connection

This year, the judges were pleased to see more students explore their personal connection to a person, place or event in history. Lauren Maguire investigated Conall Cearnach, reputed to be buried in a cairn close to her home, while Ríona Redican wove her own family’s connection to Fenagh Abbey into the history of the physical building. As Brian Flannery, LAC history teacher said, the programme ‘offers students the opportunity to make personal connections with the past, and in doing so brings history alive’.

Riain MacManus’ told the story of his grand-uncle Terence Hugh Keegan based on an interview with his great-aunt Kathleen; Enda Reynolds had an image-rich submission on Jim Doherty’s role in WWII, while Aislinn Murphy documented her grand-uncle’s involvement in the 1981 hunger strikes. Other entries demonstrated how the programme’s theme of ‘history on your doorstep’ can mean different things to different students, with Teodora Usatii’s account of the harrowing lives of her Romanian grand-parents, Sandra Kanstantsinava’s story of her father’s life as a Soviet solder, and Felicity Watt’s comparison of her and her father’s primary education in New Zealand. Leitrim history is well recorded in Lucy Murphy’s History of Seán O’Heslin’s GAA Club, Kealan Gannon’s Kiltubrid Schools Past and Present, and Aisling Quinn’s history of the origins of Ballinamore Community Centre and the Island Theatre. Seamus Mullen, BCS history teacher remarked that ‘the Young Historian programme brought TY students on a journey of exploration and appreciation of the many ways the study of history has influenced and moulded our present lives’. The projects will be lodged in the Leitrim County Library Archives for future researchers.

All entrants received certificates, and all category winners received cash vouchers. The overall and school winners were presented with engraved Leitrim Crystal plaques – all sponsored by Leitrim County Library.

Dr Natalie Fryde says she hopes that the programme will continue, with more schools joining and experiencing the clear value it has for both students and the development of local history. The Young Historian programme was initiated by Fiona Slevin and Natalie Fryde in 2021, and supported by Leitrim County Library.

The www.younghistorian.ie website includes guidance on archives and online research sources, and is a useful resource for anyone interested in researching family and Leitrim history. It also contains some of the programme entries from this and previous years.

2023 Young Historian Winners

• Riain McManus, A Hometown Hero: Terence Hugh Keegan, BCS: Overall winner, Best in school, Best Family history.
• Sandra Kanstantsinava, My father as a Soviet Soldier in the USSR, CVS: Best in school, Best World history.
• Felicity Watt, Comparison of New Zealand Primary School - 50 years apart, LAC: Best in school, Best Social history.
• Aisling Quinn, Ballinamore Island Theatre, CVS: Best Cultural history.
• Aislinn Murphy, How my grand-uncle was involved in the 1981 Hunger Strike, LAC: Best 20th Century history.
• Enda Reynolds, WW2 American Pilot, BCS: Best Military history.
• Kealan Gannon, primary schools past and present in my area, BCS: Best Education history.
• Lauren Maguire, Conall Cearnach and Queen Maebh in Ballyconnell, CVS: Best Folklore.
• Lucy Murphy, History of Seán O'Heslin's GAA club, BCS: Best Sport history.
• Ríona Redican, Fenagh Abbey and its Connection with my Family, LAC: Best Built heritage.
• Teodora Usatii, My Romanian Grandad and Grandmother, BCS: Best Contemporary history.