In the 1981 issue of Geogrphical Viewpoint Michael Hallinan provided a review of geography in Irish second level schools over the preceding 20 years. He noted that during these years obvious change had taken place in both the junior and senior cycle programmes compared to with the 'non-changing, static syllabuses of the preceding decades' (Hallinan, 1981: 56). At the time that he was writing a syllabus committee was meeting to consider developments at both junior and senior cycle. Meetings of a syllabus committee began in 1978 and by 1980 the group had laid the groundwork for the development of new junior and senior cycle syllabi. However, change for both programmes did not happen for a considerable period, until 1989 for the junior cycle and 2004 for the senior one. The two syllabi remain in force in 2011. This paper will review events during the period from 1981 up to 2011, including the syllabus developments and other aspects of second level geography.