Proclamation for a New Generation
by the children of St. Patrick’s N.S. Lurgybrack
March, 2016
People of Ireland,
We give thanks to the soldiers who fought for our freedom in 1916, and we proudly present our Proclamation for a new Generation.
We want an end to animal cruelty. Pounds should be closed, rescue centres opened, and pets should be microchipped. We pledge to foster Irish language and culture so that they will be passed onto future generations.
Schools should have more teachers and smaller classes. Educational facilities should be improved throughout the country, especially for children with special needs. School books should be provided by the government and university fees lowered.
Irish citizens deserve the opportunity to work in their own country instead of having to emigrate. Everyone should be paid a fair wage. We aspire to having an eco-friendly country and to protect our environment. We want criminals and drug dealers sent to prison for longer periods of time.
We demand an affordable health care system. Everyone should have access to free medicine. We require more nurses, doctors and beds for patients. Hospitals need extensions. We want funding for scientists trying to find a cure for cancer.
Each Irish citizen is entitled to a home with running water, electricity and heating. The government should provide accommodation for homeless people, and charities could give them food and clothing.
The people who live in Northern Ireland should be allowed to vote on the issue of a 32-county Ireland. We proclaim our right to Irish land and water, and we want to make our own decisions regarding fishing. We want to protect farming communities so that farming will remain a way of life in the future. Ireland’s natural resources should be kept in control of the government and not sold to private companies.
We want to live in a safe and peaceful country, a neutral country in times of war, while maintaining our peace-enforcement roles in other nations.
We demand a government that is fair and honest. We want property tax and household charges abolished. We believe it is a human right, not a privilege, to have water, and therefore seek to abolish water charges. We look for improved recreational services for all. As children, we want youth clubs, green spaces, parks and lollipop ladies.
We agree that migrant workers and refugees coming into Ireland should be treated fairly. We want to be a nation that promises equal opportunities for all citizens, regardless of wealth, colour, age, religion, physical ability, appearance or sexual orientation. Elderly people deserve a better pension. Good care should be provided for the elderly, for people with mental health issues and for children with disabilities.
We need roads of a better quality and more speed vans. Cyclists and pedestrians should be treated with respect. We think there should be better public transport in Donegal. We’d like to see more frequent bus services and a new train or tram service to link Donegal with other parts of the country. We want rural Ireland to be accessible.
As children, we want to make our own choices and express our own opinions, while at the same time respecting our parents’ wishes.
In closing, we want to live in a country that is filled with love and peace, where everyone shares their balloons and everyone goes to the circus. We believe that every person in Ireland has the right to have a bounce on a bouncy castle and the right to chase the bossy people away. Everyone should have a happy family, a birthday, a garden, a friend and lots of little babies.
We ask for God’s blessing as we try to make Ireland a better place.
