At the heart of the 1916 Easter Rising was the reading of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic by Padraig Pearse at the GPO. One hundred years later and as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, schools all over Ireland were invited by the Department of Education & Skills to write their own version of the Proclamation that is relevant to them now and looking forward for the next hundred years – The Proclamation for a New Generation.
Working with schools close to both Red and Green Lines, Luas is bringing the Proclamation for a New Generation out into the community. They have taken over the Luas Stop Shelters at Ballyogan, Bluebell, Dundrum and Windy Arbour and posted the Proclamations from the local school for everyone in the community to read until 29th March.
In Ballyogan the children of Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua (pictured above) talk about taking care of the environment, investing in education, promoting peace and creating links with the diaspora. Their Proclamation is written as Gaelige.
Stephanie Iwuala on behalf of the children in Our Lady of the Wayside N.S. in Bluebell (pictured above) asserts that we must address the problem of homelessness and access to housing as well as playing our part to reduce global warming.
The pupils of 5th & 6th Class in Holy Cross School, Dundrum (pictured above) resolve to bring about an even fairer country. They recognise the importance of education, preserving our culture, caring for the environment and promoting health and wellbeing as well as acting with integrity in our digital interactions.
Finally the children in Our Lady’s Clonskeagh Parish N.S. (pictured above) near Windy Arbour Luas stop talk about homelessness, access to job opportunities, the need for acceptance and respect for everyone and the importance of reducing pollution and animal cruelty.
While the themes running through each of the school’s Proclamations may vary, all agree that Ireland has come a long way over the last hundred years. Perhaps more importantly, each Proclamation insists that if we work together, we will succeed in making Ireland a better place, just as the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising had envisaged.
Visit the Luas shelters at Ballyogan, Bluebell, Dundrum and Windy Arbour to read the full version of the Proclamation’s by the local schoolchildren.
To read the aforementioned Proclamations online click: www.luas.ie/Proclamation-2016 or check www.scoilnet.ie to see Proclamations from all over the country.