Children Seen and Heard 1916-2016

by G Finan

June 17, 2016

in Latest News, Room 10 News, Room 8 News, Room 9 News

Dino, Christopher, Iris and Niamh attended a special ceremonial event at Áras an Uachtaráin on Wednesday June 15th along with hundreds of other pupils from around the country in remembrance of all the children who died during the Easter Rising 1916 and to share their vision for Ireland in the future.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DAHG) conducted consultations with children aged 8-12 and young people aged 13-18 on the theme ‘Imagining our Future’, as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. The results of the consultations are contained in a special report Children Seen and Heard 1916-2016, which were presented to Minister Heather Humphries and Minister Katherine Zappone.

Hosted by President Michael D. Higgins, the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain had been transformed for the day so that children were able to enjoy playing popular games from 1916. The formal ceremony included a lantern procession, one for each of the 40 children who died in the Rising, a presentation by some of the children including Dino on their vision for the future, the burying of a time capsule and a special tree-planting ceremony.