Dáil na nÓg 2026

So, picture this: six young people from Wicklow Comhairle na nÓg walking into Leinster House, taking our seats in the actual Dáil chamber, and being chaired by the Ceann Comhairle herself. Yeah, that actually happened, and it was incredible.

Dáil na nÓg has been running since 2001 and takes place every two years. It brings together around 200 elected delegates from all 31 local youth councils across Ireland to debate and vote on real issues that actually matter to young people. This wasn't just a day out.  This was the real deal.

Two of our Wicklow delegates got up and spoke in the Dáil chamber on the day's big topics: continuous assessment and Irish language teaching. Each speaker had three minutes to make their case, which honestly sounds like loads until you're standing there! After the speeches, everyone headed into workshops to dig deeper into both topics and hash out the arguments.

Then came the vote. And the winner? Irish language teaching by a clear margin. That topic will now go forward to the Education Convention, where the conversation continues at an even bigger level.

Oh, and we have to give a massive shoutout to one of our own Wicklow young people who was on the steering group for organising the whole event. She did an absolutely brilliant job helping to make the day run smoothly – no small thing when you've got 200 delegates and a national parliament to coordinate!

Days like this are exactly why Comhairle na nÓg exists. Young people have opinions, ideas, and solutions, and Dáil na nÓg proves that those voices deserve to be heard at the highest level. Wicklow showed up, spoke up, and made us all proud. 💚

Watch this space – the conversation around Irish language teaching is only getting started.