Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

A Cheann Comhairle, 100 years ago on this day, in this place, the Members of the First Dáil gathered together to build a new Ireland. This was not merely an act of rebellion but also an act of creation. It was not enough for our forebears to throw off colonial rule. They wanted to build, for the first time on our island, a State that would be governed for and by all of the people. As their final act on that historic day, they passed the Democratic Programme, a social democratic programme, a promise to build a new and fairer nation for their children. We are their children. Our children are their children too. That first Democratic Programme was not a heady, unrealistic statement of a revolutionary Government. It was a visionary blueprint for a progressive new State.

As others have said, the Members of the First Dáil declared that their first duty as elected representatives of the State was to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of all children of this country. They promised to eradicate poverty and, critically, to use the country's wealth and resources for the benefit of all its people. Regrettably, we do not live in that Ireland yet. Over the past 100 years, we have taken bold steps towards achieving it, but there have been many backward steps also. Time and again, we have reneged on our responsibilities to recognise our children as full citizens and to vindicate their rights to achieve their full potential. Here, today, we must commit ourselves to the vision of our founders. Redoubling our efforts to the building of a fair and inclusive Republic is how we can best honour the founders of this State and, more importantly, the people of today's Ireland, whom we serve.

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