Democratic Citizenship Education in Ireland

The independent Democracy Commission was established in June 2003 as a result of two think-tanks, Action for Social Change (TASC) in Dublin and Democratic Dialogue in Belfast. It was set up to consider the capacity of Irish Democracy to be inclusive, participatory and egalitarian in the twenty first century. Seeking to engage with a broad cross section of audiences, particularly the under 25s and the marginalised, the Commission acts as a channel for dialogue. It has engaged in extensive information gathering processes, namely written public submissions and public consultations. In its inquiries the Commission has been informed by a variety of groups and individuals on a number of occasions of the need for democratic citizenship education. This article addresses this need by defining what is meant by democratic citizenship education, assessing its current status in the Irish education system and arguing for its effective incorporation into adult and community education.