Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is welcome to the House. I was delighted to learn that the launch of the initiative took place in Westland Row last week because my father, who lived a mere two blocks from Leinster House, went to school there and, as a young boy, I remember listening to many stories of Pádraig Pearse. I also recall the events of 49 years ago on the 50th anniversary and all the wonderful ceremonies that took place, as well as the pageantry in Croke Park. My father provided the sound system for those particular ceremonies and all the wonderful events that took place and now, 50 years later, we are ready to celebrate the centenary of the 1916 Rising. I also was delighted by the initiative taken with the flags in schools, which was launched by the Taoiseach a week or two ago, because ever since I was nominated to the Seanad four years ago, I have been visiting schools to promote physical education and at times in such schools, I have been asked to raise the green flag for the environment. I also have been asked to raise the active schools flag, which is awarded when schools participate in physical education to a high standard. Now that the tricolour is to be presented to all the schools in Ireland, it will be a great occasion in which to instil pride in the young children of Ireland as to the meaning of the tricolour. As a sportsman, I was fortunate to have the talent and health to be able to win a gold medal for Ireland, to be handed a tricolour, to carry it around the stadium in Helsinki in 1983 and to hear the national anthem being played. An opportunity of success like that enables one to understand what the anthem and flag are all about.

The Ireland 2016 Schools Programme is part of the youth and imagination strand of Ireland 2016. The programme is a year of activities to commemorate the events of the 1916 Rising, and the 2016 schools programme is a wonderful way to involve children by educating them in a fun and interactive way. The focus on children and young adults in the centenary programme via the schools programme is hugely important. I cannot emphasise that enough. It will enhance their understanding of the events that took place and will enrich their sense of Irish identity in the future. The programme involves a huge array of activities, research projects and competitions and awards are being rolled out in primary and post-primary schools throughout the country commencing this month. The schools programme has been developed by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills, which is wonderful. Both Departments have worked to develop an interactive programme of activities that place children and youths at the heart of the commemoration and assist them to examine what happened in the past while also enhancing their hopes and dreams for the future.

It is fantastic that the national cultural institutions such as, for example, the National Library and the National Museum are also involved in the schools programme with tours planned to help boost the understanding of young people of the events that took place 100 years ago. A special exhibition featuring work by students on the theme of Ireland 2116 will be hosted by the National Gallery of Ireland in September 2016. In addition, there will be an all-Ireland song competition through a partnership with the National Concert Hall. Primary and secondary students will be invited to write a song inspired by the modern, multicultural Ireland of the present and the finalists will perform at the National Concert Hall in May 2016, where two overall winners will be selected, with one from a primary school and the other from a secondary school. In addition, there will be a transition year module facilitated by the Military Archives and NUI Maynooth based on material from 1916.

Some other examples of the Ireland 2016 Schools Programme include the Proclamation for a New Generation project, which will see students being asked to write a new proclamation for their own school to reflect the values and hopes of the 2016 generation, starting with an analysis of the ideals, principles and aspirations of the 1916 Proclamation. A special so-called Proclamation Day will take place in all educational institutions next March. This is the moment when each school in the country will showcase the results of its Proclamation for a New Generation and all other creative projects relating to 1916 that its student body has developed.

In addition, the 1916 ancestry project will invite all primary and post-primary pupils to trace their family or another family tree back to 1916. Students will be encouraged to find out what was happening in their local community in 1916 and embark on a trail of discovery using the resources of the national cultural institutions. A range of arts awards and competitions, based on themes relating to 1916 or Ireland in 2116, has been developed by the Department of Education and Skills in partnership with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, which will be open to all primary and post-primary schools on the island of Ireland.

All the national cultural institutions are creating exciting and diverse programmes of events and activities specifically to engage young people and children both with the events of 1916 and to explore and express their vision as young artists for the Ireland they want in the future. There will be a great deal going on for teachers and students to explore the events of 1916. Students will be invited to write a short drama, for example, based on any aspect of the events of 1916, to film the performance and submit the short video to RTE. A public vote will be launched to select the best plays and the winning schools will be invited to perform them on the stage of the Abbey Theatre in the spring of next year. The topic for the libraries and post-primary schools' special 1916 poetry competition is "Your Ireland". The Poetry Aloud all-island poetry speaking competition is encouraging poems on 1916 themes.

From my point of view, the best advantage to the 2016 schools programme is there are many families and people, even of my generation, who may not participate in the centenary commemorations. However, by having so many activities and educational programmes delivered through the school system, one is guaranteed the children will become involved in a fun and interactive way and they can encourage their parents, families, extended families and communities also to get involved in this wonderful celebration of Ireland 2016.