As we come to the latter stage of the period known as the decade of commemorations, Monaghan County Council through the Office of the Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council and the it’s Library and Museum services, invites children and young people to research and write about this period in time for County Monaghan. This competition intends to compliment the history curriculum in primary and secondary schools. We hope it can promote the learning of our history by students particularly in the context of County Monaghan.

We invite students in the Junior Cycle years (1st – 3rd Year) to write a short story exploring an event(s) or person(s) related the decade centenaries in Monaghan 1912 – 1925.
• Short story – maximum of 3 A4 pages and no more than 1500 words
• Must be typed on A4 page or submitted as a Word or PDF document
• Must be original and include a bibliographical listing of the sources used for the story
• Must submit cover sheet with all contact details
• One entry per student
• Closing date is Friday 8th April 2022
• Submissions can be by email to creative@monaghancoco.ie or by post to Monaghan County Library, 98 Avenue, Clones, County Monaghan.
• Prizes will be awarded during May 2022
• Judges decision is final
• Prize of a tablet for 1st, Vouchers of €100 for 2nd and €50 for 3rd. School prize of a collection of books relating to this period.
• Permission will be sought for all submissions to be digitised and produced into a booklet which will available to view on www.monaghan.ie or as hard copy

Access to Information and information and Sources Sources

Information can be sourced through Monaghan County Libraries and Monaghan County Museum to help you in chosen project through our websites or via email
Monaghan County Museum website www.monaghan.ie/museum
Email comuseum@monaghancoco.ie
Monaghan County Library website www.monaghan.ie/library/
Email moncolib@monaghancoco.ie

Other online sources include:
Decade of Centenaries Site www.decadeofcentenaries.com/
The Decade of Centenaries has a website dedicated to the programme of commemorations relating to the significant events in Irish history that took place between 1912 and 1923.

National Archives www.nationalarchives.ie
This website provides several digitised resources relating to the history of modern Ireland. There is also an online exhibition relating to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The site also allows free access to the 1911 census. It also hosts the witness statements from the Bureau of Military History for the period 1912 to 1923.

National Library of Ireland www.nli.ie
The website of the National Library of Ireland includes a guide for post primary students on how to use the numerous resources available in the library. There are also online case studies of the 1913 lock out, as well as an online exhibition relating to 1916.

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland offers a range of resources that students may find useful. These include a searchable database of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant.

Letters of 1916 http://letters1916.maynoothuniversity.ie/learn/
The ‘Letters of 1916’ project includes letters held at institutions (in Ireland and abroad), alongside those in private 8 collections. To date, over 1800 letters have been collected that
comment on the Easter Rising, literature and art, the Great War, politics, business, and ordinary life.

MNÁ100 www.mna100.ie
Mná100 is a new online resource highlighting the role women played in the revolutionary period. Curated by Historian Dr Sinéad McCoole, the site offers articles, short films, podcasts and more for you to explore.

National Museums of Northern Ireland www.nmni.com
The home of the National Museums of Northern Ireland, containing links to the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the Ulster American Folk Park, each of which contains large amounts of images, documents and information. The Ulster Museum has several historical sources including a specific section dealing with events in the decade 1912-1923. This includes an excellent selection of images from the period.