'Even though my family would support Fine Gael, this doesn't have an impact on my views. I'm not a puppet' Age: 16 Happiest When: I'm playing rugger nd messin wit mi friends nd in Lansdowne Road wen Ireland r playin nd wen I am eatin Coco Pops A lot of my family are involved in politics . . .they've been involved in the Dundalk County Council for the past 100 years. My uncle Brendan McGahon was a TD. I only became politically aware during the 2004 local elections when I was helping my Dad . . . so I had the introduction from my family but I only became especially interested that year. Surprisingly, politics has never really been mentioned in my house. My Dad wanted me to develop my own views about things. At the moment I would support Fine Gael. I think that they're a really honest party.

From my experience they keep their word and they have a lot of integrity, more so than the other parties. I met Enda Kenny and I think he is a really friendly man. But I wouldn't particularly tie myself to the party because I think that's foolish as I'm only a teenager. Even though my family would support Fine Gael, this doesn't have an impact on my views. I'm not a puppet. I'm not going to have an opinion about something just because my family does. I'm my own person. [Going into politics] has been mentioned to me but I honestly don't know.

I don't really know what I want to do. In six months I might want to be an astronaut! I'm only 16. The next major thing in my life is the Leaving Cert, then it's college and after that who knows? A lot of my weekends are taken up with sport. During the summer I hang out with my friends doing normal things. Being a teenager is expensive!

Because I'm 16, I get charged adult prices.

There is peer pressure too but I would't give in to it. My friends wouldn't pressure me and I wouldn't be the type to go along with people to fit in. I'm a confident person and I'm sociable. I'm able to talk to people. It [Bebo] is a great way to keep in contact with friemds especially during the summer holidays. I wouldn't be talking to random people on it.

I can understand why parents are afraid but I think it's only dangerous if a child doesn't know how to use it properly.

THE GAY ACTIVIST
Jamie Kenny
'When you look at civil partnerships, gay marriage and gay adoption, I think the young people are going 'For God's sake it's almost 2008!''

Age: 19 Sport: " That's the thing with the running and the jumping isn't it? I've seen it a few times not to be trusted in my opinion!"

I'm finished school but no college yet.

I've been involved with Belong 2 [an organisation supporting Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender young people based in Outhouse on Capel Street] for a few years now. I'm the youth representative on their management committee and I volunteer as a facilitator. It can make a life-changing difference being involved in a group like this.

I think my generation has a positive outlook and what young people can achieve when they put their heart and minds behind something is impressive. Younger people aren't as worried about speaking up. I keep going back to the gay thing but when you look at civil partnerships, gay marriage and adoption and why we don't have these things, I think the young people are going "for God's sake it's almost 2008 . . . we're meant to be a modern country!"

I like reading and writing but my biggest hobby would be activism. I've worked with people who have mental and physical difficulties and people who have problems with homelessness. Being openly gay I have had a few problems locally but it would have been a lot more difficult without Belong 2. Although the internet can be a dangerous tool for bullying I think the presence of websites such as Bebo and Myspace can be very positive for young people.

Homophobia is still out there but I think Ireland is growing up. Clearly the appearance of gay clubs and bars, and gay characters in the media has had an impact. It's good in many ways because society becomes fond of the idea of 'a gay best friend'. But at the same time, not every man wants people thinking he's like Jack fromWill & Grace. There's the danger of being pigeon-holed and that some straight people will only like you if you are a stereotype they can go shopping with.

THE SPORTS NUT
Ronan Cunningham

'I started playing sports when I was five or six and I really got into it when I was seven when I started playing soccer. I wouldn't mind being some kind of PE teacher but I couldn't definitely be sure about it yet. I still have a few years to go in secondary school'
Age: 16
Films: Anchorman, Old School, Pulp Fiction

I'm having a busy summer working at a GAA camp and I'm playing Gaelic for under 16 and minor football and the same with hurling. The camp is for children between four and 12 years of age. The four-year-olds' attention span isn't massive and they don't really know what they're into yet so you kind of have to try and get them interested in sport. It's a mixture of boys and girls and it's even enough.

There'd be more boys in the older age group but between the four year olds it's even. The girls tend to lose interest . . .

they're not so much there when they're older. I've been impressed by a few; there's a higher standard than I thought there'd be.

This is my second year to do it.

I play golf too . . . my handicap is 28. I was recently accepted in the Bray Golf Club so I go up for lessons and I play a round every week if I can. I'm playing more than I used to at this stage. I watch most sports as well.

It's hard to say what my favourite is because when I play a sport I probably like it the most. Hurling is more intense than the others; it's more skilful as well.

I tend to go through a lot of hurls, they break fairly easy, so you go through four or five of them a year and you need to get a helmet, shin pads and stuff like that. I broke my elbow about three years ago when I was playing hurling. I've torn muscles and ligaments and that sort of thing when running, playing Gaelic and soccer.

Sport takes up a lot of time alright. I've been training everyday since the summer holidays started or I've had a match and I've been at the camp as well. A lot of my friends are into sport and although not all of them play all three sports, all of them would play at least one of them. If I was going to take up a new sport it would possibly be rugby or tennis. I like watching tennis and I've played it before, although not competitively and rugby's good fun but I don't know - it's easy to get injured. I like hanging around, going to the cinema, stuff like that.

I play PlayStation and read books although I was studying for my Junior Cert for the last couple of months. When I'm hanging around I'll go to Dundrum Shopping Centre or Dun Laoghaire or something like that.

I think there are lots of places to go for people my age. I think it's good. Dundrum has most things . . . it is a bit expensive and all but the only problem I'd have with Dundrum is that there's not really much transport going through it other than the Luas so it's quite difficult to get there. Generally, there is enough to do. . . you have golf courses and stuff like that as well so, it's not bad.

I started playing sports when I was five or six and I really got into it when I was seven when I started playing soccer. When I leave school, I wouldn't mind being some kind of PE teacher but I couldn't be definately sure about it yet. I still have a few years to go in secondary school. I do have a Bebo page and I use it two or three times a week.

THE FESTIVAL-GOER
Roisin Hopkins

'Oxegen was mad . . . but nothing you wouldn't have expected'
Age: 17 Happiest When: IM ALWAYS HAPPY! ! ! except 4 wen jenna beats me up, she's a a bully! ! bt i love her anyway! !

I had a brilliant time at Oxegen; it was the first festival I've been to. It was kind of what I expected. You'd think that the weather would turn people off but I don't think it did.

For the first ten minutes it was like "Oh my God, the rain, the blah blah blah" but after that you just get on with it and everyone had a really good time. We didn't camp but we hired a minibus for eight of us. I only booked that the week before and it was grand. We left everything to the last minute. I think it's worth the money because you could pay 70 for a ticket and see only one band compared to the amount of bands you get to see there. I'd say, we were probably the youngest but the crowd is still quite young. We saw Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Daft Punk, the Coronas, Bright Eyes, the Killers, loads and loads . . . we had an idea who we wanted to see but we generally just wandered around and hoped for the best.

We didn't lose anyone, thank God, because it's really hard to use your phone and the signal doesn't work. In the bars a Bacardi was 6 and pints were over a fiver so it was pretty expensive but no more than you'd pay at any concert really. At the start of the day, the bathrooms were grand but by the end of the day they were pretty messy.

I really want to go to Electric Picnic but I don't have tickets yet. It's more indie than Oxegen which is quite rock but Electric Picnic has more of a chilled vibe. I think I'd prefer that but I like them both because I like a bit of everything.

I think next year, I'll camp for definite. It's expensive for the average teenager but I do think it's worth it. You know how much it's going to cost so if you don't want to go, you don't have to. If I had the money I'd go to anything really because I like all kinds of music.

In terms of new stuff, I probably download most of it and just watch music channels . . .

you kind of get it from everywhere, like people asking, "Oh have you heard that band?" My favourite music channels are probably MT2, The Box, MTV Hits, maybe Kerrang!

Although I love music, I don't think I've ever bought anything like NME or Hot Press.

There are no set places that we go out to in town because it depends on the night.

I didn't see much madness at Oxegen . . . it was mad but nothing that you wouldn't have expected. That's part of the fun.

.

THE ROCK CHICK
Eimear O'Donovan

'Usually if you see a girl in a band she's a singer or a keyboard player and there's this assumption that girls don't play music but it doesn't make a difference to us'

Age: 16 Music: (according to her Myspace page), Arctic Monkeys, The Chalets, The Frames, Crowded House, Delorentos, The Beatles and many, many, many more.

She is bass player with Cork fivesome KVX www. myspace. com/kvxuality One day myself, my guitarist friend Ciara and our drummer friend Niamh decided to have a jam because we'd all just started playing our instruments. It worked out pretty well for us and a few months later we got our friend Daire to come in and play violin and our other friend Leah in on guitar. We got really lucky I suppose. The last gig we played was in the Spiegel Tent in Cork and at the moment we're preparing for a gig at the Triskel Arts Centre. We practice once or twice a week or more if we've a gig coming up. Last year was great because four of us were in transition year so we had loads of time to practice.

In 2005 the RTE TV show Jam gave bands of 15 and under a chance of being on TV and learning from mentors. We were on it and had Nick Seymour from Crowded House as a mentor. He was one of the nicest men you could possibly meet.

Our first gig was when two guys came up to us on the street and said: "Weren't you on TV? Aren't you that girl band?" We said "Yeah" and they said: "do you want to play a gig next week?" and we didn't know if we'd ever get asked to play a gig again so we thought we'd better say yes!

There are more and more girls starting bands but you still get people going "girls. . . ye're all girls . . . that's very interesting."

There needs to be more all-ages gigs. It's so annoying when you're getting into music and you expect to be able to see bands play and you can't because there's drink everywhere. There's a lot of drink in the music scene but I wouldn't know about drugs and that's a good thing I suppose. I can see how people might get the idea that our generation just stays home on Bebo all day but there are still loads of really innovative teenagers organising gigs and forming bands and it's inspiring to be around these people and to see what they're doing.

We don't talk about the big issues that much but every now and again worries about global warming and things like that would affect us. But the songs we write are about the things that affect our every day livesf [laughing] lots of them are about boys. We're very lucky we're best friends and the band keeps us close together.

We've all talked about what happens next but music would be our number one priority.

THE RELIGIOUS TEEN
Kareem Muhssin

'There was a poll on Sky News a while back . . . 'are you afraid of Muslims?'
and a very high percentage said yes! That was worrying'
Age: 17

Music: '80s stuff like Foreigner, Hall & Oates My mother is from Galway and my dad is from Iraq. My mother converted and here I am! I went to a Muslim primary school and it was only when I went to secondary school that I started to feel like part of the minority. My father listens to Iraqi music and reads Iraqi newspapers but I've never been there so I don't know that much about it. My religion has always been important to me and I think that going to a Muslim primary school benefited me a lot. The Catholic kids seem to value their religion at a much lower level.

I get on well with the people in my school who are mostly Irish Catholic. But at the same time there's a slight feeling of distance. Underage drinking and partying and clubbing are big and I don't do any of that.

If you're 16 and you don't drink you're considered weird. And I think that that's terrible. It doesn't really affect me but it's a pity when I see it affecting people in my class.

Career wise I'm split between two things . . . either computing or media. I have a great interest in journalism. I think a lot. Sometimes I write down my thoughts.

As for hobbies I don't do that much. I'm bored as hell this summer! I would like to join a football team. Apparently I'm a good goalkeeper. I go to Muslim Youth Ireland [a new organisation which meets in the city centre] and we have discussions about life and religion. I guess Muslims can be misrepresented. People don't really know what we believe in. There's a misunderstanding of who we are.

It wouldn't happen too often in school though. They don't fear Islam. They ask me questions. They asked me about the Salman Rushdie thing. It's more difficult for some of the Muslim kids who aren't from Ireland.

They might have a fear of expressing their views because of misinterpretation. Some of them find it hard to mix with the other people in the school but I mix with them good and can act as an in-between. One week I might go to the cinema with people from my primary school and the next week I might be playing football with people from my class. Integration is very important. No one should force their beliefs on anyone else.

THE BOARDER
Daniel Hogan
'I definitely see myself living in Ireland in the future. I'd probably like to live in Donnybrook or Stillorgan'

Age: 16
Music: Akon, 50 Cent, Snoop Dog, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Queen

I go to Rockwell; it's a boarding school in Tipperary. I do like it there . . . the rugby's pretty good. I'm in transition year and I want to do accountancy when I leave school, I love business and maths. But I miss Dublin so I might change schools at the end of the summer.

There's a huge amount of pressure to do well and it is really competitive in school but that's what kind of drives you.

It's good. If there's someone else saying, "Oh, I want to do accountancy" then you know that they want to be good in business class so you try and be as good as them and better Most of my friends are Southsiders although I do have friends on the Northside. I think that whole divide thing is just stupid. Most of my friends also think "Whateverf" They know there are different social classes but there can be the same class of people from the North and the Southside.

I go out a lot. We'd usually go around Stillorgan, mess around Donnybrook, then the odd time we'd just go to someone's house and have fun. I go with my friends to pubs but I don't drink because of the rugby. My friends do . . . but they don't mind that I don't drink. When I am hanging out with the guys we we'll play a game of rugby, but if we are a bunch of girls and guys we will go into town, chill out in Stephen's Green or go for something to eat in Captain America's or Wagamama.

I definitely see myself living in Ireland in the future. I'd probably like to live in Donnybrook or Stillorgan. This summer I am going to a rugby camp in France. I've thought about playing professionally and it is a possibility I hope. My favourite Irish players are O'Driscoll and D'Arcy. I shut my Bebo page down in the last week because I just found I was spending a bit too much time on it and I just wanted to go out instead.

THE SINGLE MUM Amanda Devers 'Being a teenage mother, the good outweighs the bad a million times over' Age: 18 Bad habits: Cursing, getting offended over nothing, being paranoid, jibing ppl, getting picked up da rong way I was 16 when I became pregnant and it wasn't planned . . . it was a bit of shock. Amia is nearly 15-months-old now. My mum looked after Amia when I was in school. I just did my Leaving Cert last month but I don't think I did so great! It was worth a try anyway. Art and English were my two favourite subjects, more so art. I love it. If I could I would love to have a career in art but beautician is an easier choice at the moment because it's easier to get a job in beauty than it is in art. I'm going to do a course but I'm not sure yet . . . there's some in Kerry and some in Sligo.

None of my friends have children. A lot of people would look down their noses at you for being pregnant . . . but then a lot of people will be really supportive about it too. One time when I was pregnant I was walking down the street and some man just randomly came up to me and goes "This is your life" and then he walked off again. I wasn't upset but I was kind of like "Okf" I wouldn't let stuff like that get to me. I just get on with it. I have my own little person to love and care for unconditionally and even though it can get stressful, the good outweighs the bad a million times over.

I'm proud to be a teenage mum because I've done my best and worked hard with my child. There are lots of obstacles to overcome, but nothing that we won't get past.

I plan to move out this summer into town [Ballina]. I wouldn't go too far as I'm a home bird but I can't wait to get my own space as it's fairly crowded here at the moment.

I have it good at home though because my mum has been there to help me whenever she could . . . she's a little star. But I also can't wait to move out and just become more independent. I got Amia's name on the Internet. It means 'delightful'. Her dad takes her every Saturday. We're not going out any more but we are great friends. I'd definitely like to have more children, but not just yet. Next time I hope to be married and more settled down.

THE FASHIONISTA
Siobhan Collins

'You find out so much about people from their Bebo page. It's a way to show off basically'

Age: 18 Scared Of: scary filmz! ! ! (i gt laughed at sooooo BAD! ! ) weird food (reali) nd bats nd Myself in the mornin. . . .

I was born and reared in Newbridge. I just did my leaving cert and at the moment I'm working in Zara part time. I'm planning on travelling next year to Australia. There's a few of us going and it's just a matter of getting money together. So I'm doing a business course and sticking with the part- time job until I go.

My generation is definitely more outgoing than my parents . . . when it comes to our social lives anyway. We go out more at the weekends than they did. We'd do more partying than they did. [laughing] I have gone to one or two parties. When it comes to night clubs me and my friends would go to Time in Naas usually. I'd have friends of both sexes. When my mam was growing up it was all girls . . . it was never a mixed group.

I went to the vocational school in Newbridge and that's mixed.

I'd use text more than Bebo but I do use Bebo as well. 90% of the people I know have a Bebo page. It's the 'in thing' with the young people now. You find out so much about people from their Bebo page . . . what they're up to and what they're into. It's a way to show yourself off basically. And you meet loads of people through it. I met a lad from Galway at Oxegen and he got in touch with me through my page.

Even in work the amount of technological stuff we use is amazing. I'm still figuring it all out. You wouldn't think there'd be so much technology in a clothes stop. At the end of the day you have to network up with the head office and send the day's work back. My parents wouldn't even think of turning on the computer. They wouldn't know how! It's a bit funny really.

I love fashion. I'm big into fashion. I think politics would be something I might get interested in when I'm older but. . . right now my life's about it's listening to Dolly Parton and going to Time!

THE HOME SCHOOL STUDENT
Andrew McClintock

'I wanted to home educate right up to third level but it was very difficult because there are so many things that have to be verified by a teacher in a recognised school'

Age: 17
Loves and hates: White-water kayaking!

We do it near where we live on the beach.

You get 10-foot waves there sometimes. It's thrillingf On the other hand it's hard to think of things I hate. I tend to avoid them I suppose I'm doing my Leaving Cert next year. I set a timetable for myself and I work through it every day. My mum is working with the younger ones (I have six brothers and sisters) but we all help each other. In September I'm going to college for nine months to sit the exams because it's very hard to do the course work from home.

I've no problem meeting other kids. My mum runs youth clubs and there are also lots of home education get-togethers. I run a website for home-educated teenagers.

It's a wiki, so that all of the home-educators, even the ones who don't know much about computers, can contribute to it. When we go to the HEN conferences [Home Education Network] there are loads of teenagers there and I thought it was a shame that we couldn't be together all the time. So I went home halfway through the conference and set up the site.

It never even occurred to the parents that we could just meet online every day. My generation is much more into technology.

They're less scared of it. The very first computer we had was a really old thing that ran Windows 3. Now I want to be a software engineer. My mum hates science so I have study it all by myself.

I built ten computers this year. I go to local dumps, pick out old ones, take the good parts, mix them together and build working computers. I was also trying to learn C programming which was very hard. I wanted to learn C++ but that was a bit too hard.

I adore traditional music. I play guitar and bodhran. My sister plays violin, my other sister plays flute, and my brother plays guitar. We call ourselves the McClintock Clan, and we play music for tourists at a local hotel. I'd like to see myself in ten years with my own family, doing computer engineering and making music with my family. I want to be self-employed so that I can be at home for my kids. Home Education is such a fantastic thing. I haven't met her yet, but hopefully my wife will want to do it too!