Brexiteers need ‘crash course’ in Irish history, says Ahern
Former taoiseach suggests British children should be taught subject to help combat ignorance
![Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern: ‘The decision to downgrade history in our secondary schools and to make it a non-compulsory subject [at Junior Cert level] was short-sighted and quite frankly ill-considered.’ File photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times](/polopoly_fs/1.3732919.1544895755!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_300_160/image.jpg "Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern: ‘The decision to downgrade history in our secondary schools and to make it a non-compulsory subject [at Junior Cert level] was short-sighted and quite frankly ill-considered.’ File photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times")
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern: ‘The decision to downgrade history in our secondary schools and to make it a non-compulsory subject [at Junior Cert level] was short-sighted and quite frankly ill-considered.’ File photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has suggested British children should be compulsorily taught Irish history to combat the “sheer ignorance” in the UK exposed in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.
In a stinging rebuke of some leading Tory Brexiteers, Mr Ahern said they needed a “crash course” in the events that led to partition on the island of Ireland and the foundation of the Republic.