Complete Guide: H1 Leaving Cert History 2026

If you are sitting the Leaving Cert in 2025, please refer to History 2025.
This is a distilled set of notes with H1 past paper answers. It is 574 A4 pages (179,000 words) of only the most relevant insights for your H1. We know how hard it can be, and it is our passion to make it easier for the students who come after us. Our team, composed of people who got 625+ points, distilled our own best notes, sample answers and tips, so that you don’t have to fight these battles on your own or reinvent the wheel. Whether you want 625 points, or to simply maximise your points, this will – guaranteed – have useful insights to make your life easier.
 
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Please note that this guide does not cover the document case study in its current edition. We hope to add it in the coming months.
General study and exam tips 
Course layout
Study and revision tips
Exam timing
 
Section 1
Answering Document-based Questions
Assessing the sources
General skills for answering questions
Question 1: Comprehension
Question 2: Comparison
Question 3: Criticism
Question 4: Context
Sections 2 and 3: Essay Writing 
Essay skills
Planning and laying out an essay
Other tips and tricks
Sample plan
What was the impact on Northern Ireland of international developments during the period 1932 – 1945?
 
Section 2: Irish History 
Topic 1: Ireland and the Union, 1815 – 1870
Background
Economy and Society
Politics and Administration
Religion, Culture and Science
Sample essays:
a. What were the responses of Charles Trevelyan and/or Asenath Nicholson to Famine in Ireland? (2017)
b. What were the aims of Daniel O’Connell and to what extent did he achieve them? (2016)
Topic 2: Movements for political and social reform (left in as a reference for 2026)
Politics and Administration
Religion, Culture and Science
Economy and Society
Sample essay:
a. How did Unionism develop during the period 1886 – 1914? (2011)
b. What did one or more of the following contribute to cultural revival during the period 1870- 1914: the GAA; the Gaelic League; the Anglo-Irish Literary Revival? (2012)
Topic 3: The pursuit of sovereignty and the impact of partition.
Politics and Administration
Religion, Culture and Science
Economy and Society
Sample Essay:
What was the significance of the Eucharistic Congress, 1932?
How did the Anglo-Irish relations develop during the years 1922-1945?
How did the threat and the use of physical force affect Ireland during the period 1912-1923?
Why were both the terms and the negotiations of the Anglo-Irish treaty controversial?
What did one of the following contribute to Irish affairs (Michael Collins)?
How successful were the economic and social policies of Fianna Fail under De Valera between 1932 and 1937?
Topic 5: Politics and society in Northern Ireland
Politics and Administration
Religion, Culture and Science
Economy and Society
Section 3: Europe and the Wider World 
Topic 3: Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe
Communism in Russia
Sample essay:
How effective were Stalin’s moves for change during his time as leader of Russia?
The rise of Fascism (Italy and Germany)
Sample essay:
How did dictators use propaganda and/or terror to maintain their power?
What were the main characteristics of Fascist regimes in Europe, 1920 – 1945 (2023)
How did Church-State Relations develop under Hitler?
During the Inter War period, what factors contributed to the rise of the Nazis?
How did Hitler’s foreign policies lead to World War II?
Britain, France and the Twentieth Century
Sample essay:
What were the causes and consequences of The Jarrow March, October 1936?
Topic 4: Division and Realignment in Europe.
The Sovietisation of Eastern Europe
Case Study: The 1956 Hungarian Uprising
The Establishment and Evolution of the EEC
Case Study: The 1973 Oil Crisis
The Soviet Economy
Case Study: The Second Vatican Council
Topic 5: European retreat from Empire and aftermath
The creation of European Empires
European Empires after WWII
The British and Dutch Empires in Asia
French withdrawal from Asia
Case study: British withdrawal from India
British and Portuguese withdrawal from Africa
Case Study: The secession of Katanga, 1960-1965
French decolonisation in Africa and the Algerian war
Post-colonial immigration in Europe
Case study: race relations in France in the 1980s
Sample essay
To what extent did race become a major issue in Britain and/or in France? (2009)
Why did Katanga secede from the Congo and why did the secession bring about international involvement? 
What were the significant developments in U.S. foreign policy from 1973-1987? (2007)
Facts: Religion, Culture and Science
Sample essay:
What was the importance of one or more of the following: McCarthyism; the Moon Landing, 1969; developments in information technology? (2006)
Why did the U.S. lose the Vietnam War and/or what was the significance of the Moon landing? (2011)
Economy and Society
Sample essay:
What were the main developments in race relations in the US, 1945 – 1968? (2013)
Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott take place, how was it carried out, and to what extend was it successful? (2015)
With our guide on History, you will get:
✔access to our informal History FAQ video
✔access to 625Lab: we will give you feedback on one typed up answer corrected. Use the 625Lab submission form and your essay will be moved to the top of the queue
✔priority access for Leaving Cert study advice. Email answer@625points.com with your query

✔notes as detailed below

Does it come in the post? 
It’s a pdf download, so no need to wait for the postman. You automatically get a download link straight into your email inbox. If you run into any problems with the download, we will sort you out – simply reply to the email you get from us. 
 
Can I print it? 
Yes. All notes are printable.
 
Intended to replace a revision course, it is a 574 A4 page (179,000 word) document with only the most relevant material for your History Higher Level H1. You can use it as a reference, or read it start to finish.
Start with these free resources:

History mock and abridged marking scheme 2019
If you are unhappy with the product, contact us within 2 weeks of purchase and we will issue a no qualms refund in full.                      


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  • Post published:August 1, 2021
  • Post category:History