Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl engaged with secondary school students on a range of topics as part of the Ceann go Ceann series, which affords the opportunity for candid discussion between young people and the Ceann Comhairle.
Ceann go Ceann involves an online discussion between the Ceann Comhairle and CSPE and politics and society students from classrooms around the country. This session involved groups of students and teachers from Holy Child Killiney, Maryfield College in Drumcondra, St. Mary's secondary school in Arklow and Meanscoil Mhuire Gan Smál in Roscommon town.
During the call students had the chance to ask questions on all things political of the Ceann Comhairle, including his role as Chairman of Dáil Éireann. In a frank and free-flowing discussion, the Ceann Comhairle spoke of his duties in chairing parliamentary debate, including how he deals with potentially unruly behaviour and maintaining impartiality; whether politics has changed because of social media and other influences; the merits of lowering the voting age; and the impact of gender quotas and other measures to increase participation in political and public life by groups of people with no or minority representation in Ireland's Parliament. In this respect, the Ceann Comhairle spoke to some of his own initiatives, including the Forum on a Family-Friendly and Inclusive Parliament.
The Ceann Comhairle participating in Ceann go Ceann
Young people offer valuable lived experiences and Ceann go Ceann is part of the work in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service to connect with the people who will shape our country's future. The area of politics is one of fluid and rapid change, and collaborative discussions and engagement in forums like this will provide benefits to everybody involved.
If you are interested in learning or teaching about Ireland’s Parliament, you can find more educational resources, including lesson plans, on our site.
For further information on Ceann go Ceann or if you are interested in registering for the next call, contact the Oireachtas education officer, Conor Reale.