IRELAND IN 1916
IRELAND IN 1916
DISCOVER
A PROCLAMATION FOR
A NEW GENERATION
A
Students
from St
John The
Evangelist
National School in Adamstown,
Dublin working on a new
Proclamation based on the 1916
Proclamation. From left:
Jakub Robertson, Aoife
O’Driscoll, Gozie
Chukwudi, teacher
Aoife Rice, Ayo
Fatola and Cahill Wan.
Watch more online at
independent.ie/1916
STEVE HUMPHREYS
CENTURY on from its first
reading on the steps of the
GPO, the Proclamation of
Independence, its visions, aspirations
and sentiments, are as relevant
today as they were in 1916. But for the
teachers and pupils at one Dublin
school a particular passage stands
out.
“For us here in St John’s, a multicultural school with pupils from a
range of different ethnic, social and
religious backgrounds, the fourth
paragraph has particular meaning,”
explained Tony McGinley, school
principal at St John the Evangelist
National School in Adamstown, Co
Dublin.
It reads: ‘The Republic guarantees
religious and civil liberty, equal
rights and equal opportunities to all
its citizens, and declares its resolve to
pursue the happiness and prosperity
of the whole nation… cherishing all
the children of the nation equally.’
As the sixth class students at
the school prepare to write their
own proclamations as part of the
‘Proclamation for a New Generation’
project, the issue of how we treat
others is to the forefront of their
young minds.
“In the proclamation I intend to
write I would like to focus on the issue
of equality. We must look after the
poor and the hungry and try to get rid
of all violence in Irish society,” said
sixth class student Basil Wadood (10).
And 12-year-old Aoife O’Driscoll
plans to incorporate into her
proclamation the importance of
helping refugees fleeing from war
and persecution. She said: “We
should try to give everyone a house,
somewhere safe and dry, be that the
refugees or the homeless. I think the
1916 visionaries would have wanted
us to welcome those less fortunate
than ourselves and that’s what I’ll be
writing about.”
Also Aoife believes that every
person in the state should have equal
access to education and plans to
include this in her draft also.
The students at St John’s are
relishing the opportunity to write
their own proclamation and Tony
McGinley feels it’s a hugely important
project for them to work on.
He said: “Our plan is that each of
the 6th class students will make their
own 600-word proclamation as part of
the programme. It means the children
must stop and think of the Ireland
they would like to have, while at the
same time trying to understand what
the signatories of the Proclamation
actually envisaged.
“They, and us as their teachers,
must ask ourselves have we met the
expectations of the visionaries or
not. So in essence we want them to
look back at 1916 and the importance
of this historical document for our
country — but also to look forward to
Ireland’s future too.”
THE PROCLAIMERS
Schoolchildren are being asked to
write a new version of the 1916
Proclamation, writes Graham Clifford
W
ITH the GPO behind him
and the ‘Irish Republic’
flag flying from the roof of
the building on Sackville
Street, Patrick Pearse cleared his throat,
straightened the parchment in his hand
and loudly and clearly addressed those
gathered.
“IRISHMAN AND IRISHWOMEN:
In the name of God and of the dead
generations from which she receives her
old tradition of nationhood, Ireland,
through us, summons her children to
her flag and strikes for her freedom,” he
started.
The Proclamation, signed by seven
signatories, became the blueprint for
our emerging State. Soon copies of the
document were reproduced and dispersed
throughout the country. The Rising had
a script; the country a plan for postindependence.
The Irish Independent reported that on
the day, “at about 1pm a Proclamation in
huge poster form was handed out to the
crowd in O’Connell Street declaring an
Irish Republic”.
And next year, 100 years on
from the Rising, as part of the 1916
commemorations, school children are
being offered the opportunity to step into
the shoes of Patrick Pearse and write their
own version — the initiative known as ‘the
Proclamation for a New Generation’.
While many of the visions and ideals
so eloquently proposed by Pearse and his
fellow rebels are as relevant now as they
were a century ago, school children will
look at what challenges face us as a nation
today. They will ask if we are living up to
the expectations of the visionaries and
incorporate into their 600-word pieces
what they believe are priorities for future
Irish generations.
A multi-cultural state, the Ireland of
today differs from that of 1916. Indeed on
the website of the Taoiseach’s office the
Proclamation is translated into both Polish
and Chinese.
Equality and liberty are likely to be overarching principles in the students’
proclamations as they try to reflect a
modern Ireland in their work.
While the initial Proclamation
focuses on the fight for national
freedom — ‘In this supreme hour
12 | Irish Independent 1916 Youth and Imagination Programme
the Irish nation must, by its valour and
discipline and by the readiness of its
children to sacrifice themselves for the
common good, prove itself worthy of the
August destiny to which it is called’ — the
2016 proclamations will focus on peace,
unity and the importance for Ireland to
lead co-operation between the nations of
the world.
While school participation in Ireland
2016 initiatives is entirely voluntary the
list of schools gearing up to take part in
the Proclamation programme is growing
by the week. The Department of Education
and Skills, which is running educationrelated commemoration initiatives such as
this one, is encouraging schools to try to
get lots of young people involved.
A spokeswoman for the 1916 centenary
organisers Ireland 2016 said: “Using the
1916 Proclamation as a foundation, primary
and post-primary schools are invited to
write a new proclamation for 2016, to
reflect the values, ideals and aspirations
of the generation of 2016 and be unveiled
in each school on ‘Proclamation Day’, 15th
March 2016.”
A template will be available to
download from Scoilnet (www.scoilnet.ie/
proclamationtemplate) from November.
Additionally the Ireland 2016 team
are inviting schools to record a YouTube
video (pictured inset below) of their
proclamation. These videos can then be
showcased on the Ireland 2016 YouTube
channel and shared online.
Students are asked to reflect on the
principles and aspirations of the original
Proclamation and to write their own
version reflecting their vision and hopes
for Ireland​into the future. Each school
may choose to write one proclamation for
the whole school — or each class can create
their own versions.
Then on Tuesday March 15, 2016 the
country will host ‘Proclamation Day’ when
every school in the country is invited to ​
share the results of their ‘Proclamation for
a New Generation’ and all other creative
projects relating to 1916 that the student
body has developed.
The historic day will begin with a
raising of the Irish flag, followed by a
reading of the Proclamation. Students
will then have an opportunity to read
their own proclamations, share ideas,
showcase their creative work, whether it is
a theatre, dance, visual art or spoken word
piece, and celebrate this unique moment
together, as a nation.
Full details of this and other
initiatives and additional information
will be contained on www.scoilnet.ie/
ireland2016 and similar pages on the
Professional Development Service for
Teachers websites – see www.pdst.ie.
Irish Independent I 15 October 2015
DISCOVER
THE DANGERS OF PRINTING THE PROCLAMATION BEFORE THE RISING
Thomas J Clarke
I
Sean Mac Diarmada
T was a perilous task. Writing,
printing and carrying the
original Proclamation through
the streets of Dublin was
fraught with danger.
Printed secretly prior to the
Rising, problems arose which
affected the design.
A shortage of lettering meant
the document had to be printed
in two halves.
The first edition of the
Proclamation was printed in
Liberty Hall on the Sunday
Thomas McDonagh
before the Easter Rising in
addition to about 1,000 copies.
In all seven rebels were listed
as signatories .
They were Thomas J Clarke,
Sean Mac Diarmada, Thomas
McDonagh, Patrick Pearse,
Eamonn Ceannt, James
Connolly and Joseph Plunkett.
All seven were executed for
their part in the Rising.
Rosie Hackett, who had
previously worked in a print
shop, helped to print the
15 October 2015 I Irish Independent
Patrick Pearse
Eamonn Ceannt
Proclamation of the Irish
Republic and later said she gave
it to James Connolly before it
was read out on the steps of the
GPO.
Intriguingly no copy of the
Proclamation physically signed
by those listed as signatories
has ever been found.
The original may have been
destroyed by British forces in
the wake of the Rising along
with many unfinished and
complete copies.
James Connolly
It’s believed that about 30
original copies still remain
with one to be found in the
National Print Museum,
another in the GPO and one
hanging in Leinster House.
Surviving copies change
hands for large sums of money.
In April 2004, a copy of the
Proclamation was sold at
auction for €390,000 and in
2010 €240,000 was paid for
another.
Three years ago a framed
Joseph Plunkett
copy of the Proclamation sold
for €100,000 at auction at
Adams on St Stephen’s Green.
On March 15 next year
‘Proclamation Day’ will be held
across the country.
The nation will pause to read
and contemplate the words
so carefully put together by
the authors of the country’s
founding document — a
blueprint for the social, moral
and political values of our
Republic.
Irish Independent 1916 Youth and Imagination Programme | 13