Dr. Caitriona NI Cassaithe

Dr Caitríona Ní Cassaithe specialises in the teaching and learning of primary history education and regularly contributes to curriculum development, public history and policy discourse at both national and international levels. Her work sits at the intersection of research, pedagogy and public engagement in shaping how the past is understood and taught across both educational and cultural spaces.

Caitriona's expertiselies in the development of children's historical thinking and historical enquiry. Her approach to history education also includes heritage and place-based education, controversial issues, outdoor education with a focus on sustainability, and disciplinary literacy. She also has a strong interest in promoting Irish Traveller and Roma history. A committed and innovative educator, her teaching philosophy values transformative learning experiences where she combines disciplinary knowledge, active learning and digital technology with historical enquiry to create real-world relevance for her students (and their students). As a member of DCU’s Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education and the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Caitríona’s work speaks to her commitment to inclusion, equality and public good.

In 2024, her first co-edited book (with Dr Benjamin Mallon and Prof Fionnuala Waldron) 'Pushing the boundaries of human rights education: Concepts, challenges and contexts.' was published by Routledge. Aimed at educators, researchers and practitioners, this book offers new insights into HRE, particularly in the context of issues relating to children’s rights education and participation. Her co-edited book (with Dr Amy Allen and Dr Anne Marie Kavanagh) ‘Beyond Single Stories: Changing Narratives for a Changing World’ was also published in 2024 by Information Age Publishing. This volume engages with marginalised and silenced stories and perspectives to provoke, support and inspire educators to incorporate alternative stories or counter-narratives into their teaching. More recently, she co-edited the LETHE Teacher's Manual which sets out guidelines, guides, materials and infographics to allow teachers and students to give voice to various groups traditionally silenced and excluded from European historical narratives.

Nationally, Caitriona has played a role in educational reform as a member of the Social and Environmental Education Development Group (NCCA) and she was also the DCU PI for the report “Social and Environmental Education: A Review of Research and Scholarship in Geography, History and Education about Religion and Beliefs in the Context of the Redeveloped Irish Primary School Curriculum”. She is a member of the committee on international best practice and international models for heritage in education as part of the Heritage Council's Multi-stakeholder Advisory and Information Group for Heritage in Education (MAIGHNE) and her ongoing collaborations with the National Museum of Ireland and other cultural institutions and archives highlight her commitment to creating meaningful links between formal education and the wider cultural landscape. She is also a founding member of the very active East Wall History Group and has published numerous publications under this name.

Internationally, Caitriona is Co-Chair of the History Educators International Research Network (HEIRNET). She is an Executive Board Member of Public History Weekly and is the Irish representative in the History Teachers Education Network (HTEN). Caitríona has also worked with the Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) where she has contributed to high-level discussions on the role of history education in promoting democratic values, intercultural understanding and social cohesion. She also played a key role in producing the report “Pandemics and natural disasters reflected in history teaching” published by the Council of Europe. Caitriona also serves as Irish Principal Investigator on theLETHE Erasmus+ project which explores marginalised European histories through object-based learning. She has served as an external examiner and doctoralcommittee member in several institutions, including Trinity College, the University of Cambridge, McGill University and the University of Reading and is also a reviewer for three international journals.

Caitriona lectures across undergraduate, postgraduate andMaster’s programmes at DCU, designing modules that reflect her commitment to digital innovation, civic engagement and reflective practice in education. Some of the courses she has developed include digital literacy in history, teaching controversial issues, active outdoor learning in history with a focus on sustainability and traditional practices (including ethnobotany), and using story in history. Her Historical Enquiry Framework (developed as part of her PhD) is now used across all history education modules in DCU IOE.