Should the State officially mark 18th birthdays, as proposed this week in Britain, asks Róisín Ingle.
Politicians don't generally feature on the guest list for 18th birthday celebrations but the British government is about to gatecrash this most significant of parties. Teenagers across Britain may soon be invited to attend "citizenship ceremonies" when they turn 18, swearing allegiance to queen and country and receiving a certificate of citizenship for their trouble.
Critics in Britain have denounced the Home Office's proposal, rejecting what they say is a superficial attempt to integrate ethnic minorities into a divided society.
Here, there are mixed views about a rite of passage being offered to teenagers growing up in an increasingly multi-cultural Ireland.
Integrating Ireland spokesman Jean Pierre Eyanga says citizenship ceremonies put "the horse before the cart" when it comes to creating a cohesive community.
"I am not sure this is a good idea. Being a citizen is not something you decide one day by attending a ceremony. It is a process which should be supported through education in schools and in the family," he says. "There are more pressing priorities in Ireland, including the need for a coherent integration policy which must be led by the Government."
Fine Gael's youth spokesman Damien English welcomes the idea of a citizenship ceremony which, he says, could have positive results.
"It would be a chance for everyone, whether new to the country or born here, to buy into the culture of Ireland," he says. "I'm not sure about swearing allegiance to the country but a ceremony like that would help young people feel part of Irish society. It's a gesture that would bring people together as Irish citizens and that can't be a bad thing."
According to English, introducing a system where 18-year-olds are automatically registered to vote would be an even better birthday present for Irish teenagers.
"The Government are quick enough to send young people their PPS number at 16 so they can tax them. There doesn't seem to be any reason why they couldn't send them a voting card along with a birthday card when they reach 18," he says.
Such a proposal has been mooted before, most notably seven years ago by the National Youth Council of Ireland, which says it received no official government response to its suggestion that 18-year-olds should receive a "citizenship pack" from the State with information on the democratic process and citizenship rights.
"It is a significant time in that you are no longer officially dependent on your parents at that age, you are legally able to drink in pubs and vote," says Donall Geoghegan of the National Youth Council of Ireland. "We have been calling on the Government for some time now to mark the occasion by automatically registering 18-year-olds for the vote to encourage them to be part of our democratic system. We also believe that bringing 18-year-olds together in a group setting for a ceremony would be a valuable exercise. But the wording of any affirmation and the structure of such an event would need to be thought through."
In some countries, such as Belgium, voters are automatically added to the register when they turn 18, and similar pilot schemes have been run in individual American states.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment says comprehensive campaigns to raise awareness about the voting register are run before elections.
"We are trying as hard as we can to make sure people get themselves on the register," she says. "At the moment, an 18-year-old has to get the application form and then make sure they are on the register. There are no direct plans to change that."
With at least 60,000 people expected to turn 18 this year in Ireland, any ceremony to mark the 18th birthday could prove a massive logistical headache. Australia and Japan are two nations that have taken on the challenge, holding non-compulsory coming-of-age events.
Patricia Coner (18) from Galway says she would prefer a voting card from the Government rather than an invitation to a ceremony.
"It would be brilliant if you were automatically put on the voting register when you turned 18 because I know it can be a hassle for people," she says. "It is a significant birthday but not in terms of being able to drink in pubs as most teenagers will have done that already. That part didn't affect me at all because I don't drink."
According to a Government spokeswoman there are no plans to introduce any kind of rite of passage for Irish 18-year-olds but 19-year-old Anthony Doherty from Co Roscommon believes a citizenship ceremony would promote social awareness among young adults.
"We only have to look at voting statistics to see the worrying decrease in young people voting so it could have an impact there," he says. "A citizenship ceremony would also promote ethnic harmony but might be viewed with cynicism among some young people if it's perceived as just a meaningless act of window dressing with no lasting effects."