New book about famous man who 'knew Tipperary well' is said to inspire Leaving Cert students

A new book will soon be published by the grand-daughter of an esteemed Irish Professor who was well known in Tipperary in his time. 

Author Neasa MacErlean uses her grandfather's story to inspire students to be more confident in their abilities. 

Students finishing their Senior Cycle (Leaving Cert exams) might be worrying about their ability to make a success of university life — but the author of this new book suggests that most underrate their talents.

‘Most students doubt themselves, and feel that they are probably rather ordinary,’ says Neasa MacErlean. ‘In fact, the vast majority already have built up areas of expertise. If they can develop these, they are likely to have a much better time at college, and afterwards.’ While the book, Telling the Truth is Dangerous, is about the emergence of History as a flagship subject in Irish universities in the last century, it has relevance for all kinds of third tier study today.

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As well as teaching History, Professor Robert Dudley Edwards of University College Dublin, the main subject of the book, tried to instil self-confidence in his students. He revolutionised university teaching, training generations of graduates who improved their own prospects and those of the country.

Ireland sends more of its school leavers to university than any other country in Europe, according to EU statistics. A 62 per cent graduate rate in 2023 is one of the reasons why so many multi-nationals now operate from the country.

‘We are in a time when the US and other major powers are under-performing, and the smaller states are over-performing,’ says MacErlean. ‘And Ireland is clearly near the top of this league.’

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But all individuals have to overcome the natural doubts they are likely to have, she says. ’Achieving self-confidence is just as important today as it has ever been. Self-assurance is a type of microphone for every individual. Without it, we struggle to communicate with ourselves, let alone to project our ideas out to other people.’

A quarter of Irish teenagers describe their mental health as bad or very bad, according to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

MacErlean, granddaughter of the professor, has built up a set of tips based on his pioneering teaching methods and on her own experience carrying out interviews with over 12,000 people when she worked on the Business and Work pages of the Observer newspaper.

‘To my surprise, I discovered that nearly everyone is an expert on a handful of subjects. When encouraged, we can express the insights we have accumulated but we need to be relaxed in order to do that.’

The professor was also very well known across Ireland, and particularly in Tipperary.

When he was awarded his chair, the Nationalist (on 8 March 1944) said: ‘We tender our warm congratulations to our esteemed and learned friend, Professor Dudley Edwards on his recent appointment as Professor of Irish History at UCD. The appointment was a just and gratifying recognition of sound scholarship and valuable historical work.’

Another professor, Nicholas Mansergh (born in Grenade House, near Tipperary Town), is mentioned in the book — for his collaboration with Dudley Edwards and expertise on Éamon de Valera.

How to get the best out of university studies

1. MAKE it a priority to be self-confident. Even walking at your full height sends a message to your brain that you mean business. Recognise that even the cleverest people doubt their ability to operate at the top level across all the subjects they study.
2. WORK out the precise factors and circumstances which undermine your self-assurance — and address them. Fear usually relates to specific situations (such as speaking in public or sitting exams), and can be reduced with practice. Anxiety is broader-based but can also be minimised by focusing on the present, and resisting the temptation to create negative scenarios about the future. University students have to motivate themselves, as they no longer have teachers who will chase up missing essays. Creating a work plan each day counteracts a tendency to feel overwhelmed.
3. FIND students on your course with whom you can discuss the subjects you are studying. If you can make the topics come alive, especially through developing opinions and debate, you will naturally acquire the facts and interesting arguments instead of learning them off by heart.
4. TAKE opportunities to ask questions — at the end of lectures or in tutorials. Broad questions work well, such as ‘Can you explain the relevance of Shakespeare to us today?’ or ‘What are the reasons that neuroscience has become so popular recently?’. You will probably feel very nervous the first time you do this but you will improve, and will develop a permanent ability to stand up for yourself and help set the agenda.
5. LOOK for inspiration especially when you feel backed into a corner. Undergrad Pat Hourican was given top place in her tutorial group by Professor Dudley Edwards when she recited her entry in verse to the ‘Marathon’ (an exam in debate form) as a way of compensating for being unwell and not having conducted enough research. ‘He liked imagination,’ she said. ‘And he felt my poetry gave some kind of life to a historical piece.’https://notonlywords.co.uk/tellingthetruth
6. RECOGNISE on any down days that the skills you have already acquired, like Pat Hourican’s, are proof of your ability to learn others. Her bravado and capability in finding rhymes turned her into a charming and persuasive communicator. Intelligence is something we all possess in different areas — whether a footballer’s natural understanding of the physics of a ball’s trajectory through the air or an individual’s intuitions about complex family dynamics.
7. ALWAYS avoid becoming arrogant — a state of being which, as modelled by Donald Trump or Elon Musk, assumes other people have less to contribute than oneself.
8. ONCE you are more confident in your ability to persuade others, begin to demonstrate the originality of your mind. (We all possess this.) Academics rate undergraduate students in two ways — as undergrads; and as potential writers of theses. And a thesis requires originality to obtain much more than a simple pass.

Telling the Truth is Dangerous —How Robert Dudley Edwards changed Irish History forever by Neasa MacErlean is published on 23 June by Tartaruga Books/ Not Only Words. £11.99.

It is being launched in Galway at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop, Middle Street, on Friday, 27 June at 6pm. All are welcome. Refreshments will follow the launch. More information on on the book can be found here.