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Flying the flag

Your photos: Children share their hopes and dreams as Ireland marks its Proclamation Day

From pre-schools to the Garda College – here’s how Ireland has been marking the day.

GardinerStSchool8 Students at Gardiner Street Primary School today. Shane O'Neill Photography Shane O'Neill Photography

WE’RE HEADING INTO a busy few weeks in terms of 1916 centenary celebrations.

The big Easter Sunday State Commemoration Ceremony, of course, takes place on Sunday week – and there are all manner of concerts, exhibitions, talks and other events happening too.

Today, though, it’s been Proclamation Day – and the idea really seems to have caught the imaginations of people, young and old, around the country.

From pre-schools to universities, the day is being marked wherever classes are taught.

At the heart of the idea is the Proclamation for a New Generation project, whereby schools and colleges write and share their own proclamation for the Ireland of 2016.

Students have also been raising the flags that were issued to every school in the country by members of the Defence Forces.

By the looks of it though, it’s not just schools and colleges who have been joining in.

Here’s how we’ve been marking Proclamation Day…

By raising the flag…

flag1 Proclamation Day at Ballincollig Community School, Co Cork: 6th year student Didier Ching accompanied by Lieutenant Pat Coffey and Sergeant Alan O'Brien. Jim Coughlan Jim Coughlan

flag2 A new flag, specially procured for the day and double the size of the traditional tricolour at Shannon, was raised at the airport earlier. Diarmuid Greene Diarmuid Greene

By getting into character…

index Institute of Technology Carlow students Maria Byrne and Ciara Byrne dressed in period costume at today's ceremony.

By working together…

© Ben Ryan Photography Colaiste Bride, Clondalkin, Dublin: Over 850 students lined up in the school car park in 1916 Formation after their flag raising ceremony had finished. Ben Ryan Photography Ben Ryan Photography

By creating new proclamations…

“The biggest problems are homelessness, inequality and environmental issues,” the children of Our Lady’s Clonskeagh said in their version.

Even though we’re young it doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference. For every problem we can find a solution. We all have hopes and dreams of the future.

Up the road in Ballyogan the children of Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua talk about taking care of the environment, investing in education, promoting peace and creating links with the diaspora (as Gaeilge of course).

In Roscommon, the pupils of Kilteevan National School write the following:

We, the children of the twenty first century, want to  proclaim, for another hundred years, that Ireland is a great  and good country. We want a safe, green environment, free from litter and water pollution with clean, fresh air.

Their proclamation ends:

We should try to house our homeless and eliminate homelessness. This is our 2016 proclamation of how we want our country to  be, to secure it for the next generation.

https://www.facebook.com/Kilteevan/posts/899810063451434

Celebrating the original…

Agus Cáca Milis…

Read: There’s going to be a new Roger Casement statue at the Dún Laoghaire baths

Read: Thieves to target crowds at St Patrick’s Day and 1916 events, gardaí warn

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