Galway
Just 40 students from three second-level schools in Galway turned up for a three-hour protest at Eyre Square, Galway.
Holding their home-made banners aloft in the drizzle, they received considerable support from passing motorists.
"We should be at home studying, but we are not because we feel strongly about this, and we should be thinking of the students who need extra help," said Ms Lucinda Boyle, one of the protest organisers who is a Leaving Cert student at the Dominican College, Taylor's Hill.
"We are so frustrated and the final straw was the postponement of our orals. There should be a union for second-level students."
Her co-organiser, Ms Zita Flatley, said the Galway students decided not to travel to the protest in Dublin because of the foot-and-mouth scare, but they were determined to highlight their grievances.
One of the protesters Ms Lisa Murphy, said she had set up her own website to allow students to air their concerns over the implications of the strike. Students are invited to submit messages to: www.stopthestrike68245. homestead.com/stopstrike.html.
Meanwhile, up to 70 boarders staged an all-day protest at the entrance to the picturesque Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, where they received support from curious tourists and passing motorists.
"We have decided to stay out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. because we feel we are being deprived of our education," said a spokesperson, Ms Orla Farrell.
The regional representative of the ASTI, Mr George Moran, said he appreciated the pain of the Leaving and Junior Cert students, but he believed the longterm future of teaching as a desirable profession had come into question.
Cork
Thousands of students in the south were without classes yesterday as teachers began the first day of this week's two-day action, writes Dick Hogan.
The familiar pickets were seen outside schools throughout the county and at the North Monastery Secondary School in Cork, the principal Mr Tony O'Loughlin, said management at the school was very concerned about the effects of the strike which he said most people wanted to see resolved.
"There is a great deal of anxiety now that the exams are approaching and I think the students feel they are not getting the support they deserve. There has been a lack of consistency in classes since the strike began and some students undoubtedly will be affected by this.
"However, curiously, many students are studying even harder because of the strike and are applying themselves more than they might have if the teachers were available for normal classes. It's very hard to say what might happen, but I am hopeful that despite all the difficulties we might begin to see a resolution this week," Mr O'Loughlin said.
Kilkenny
Student representatives in Kilkenny are to call on fellow pupils not to repeat protest marches through the city during class hours, writes Chris Dooley.
A meeting of student council leaders from four of the city's schools - St Kieran's, the Loreto, the Presentation and the CBS - met yesterday to review Tuesday's demonstration, which drew much negative reaction.
A succession of callers to the local station, Radio Kilkenny, yesterday complained the protest was too boisterous and students had left the city "in a mess". Gardai also expressed concern that the unplanned nature of the protest made it impossible to put safety pre cautions in place.
A member of the Loreto student council, Ms Laura Comerford, said it was decided that future protests about the teachers' strike should be properly organised and take place outside class hours. Pupils were considering joining a march of parents of sixth- and third-year students in Kilkenny city on Saturday.
The council representatives were calling on classmates not to leave schools for further demonstrations tomorrow, she said.
Kerry
There was anger on the ASTI picket lines in Kerry yesterday - and not a great deal of public support, writes Anne Lucey.
Teachers were angry at journalists for "presenting one side of the story" of the strike and for unfairly targeting the ASTI. "The media have not been an impartial player. They have gone overboard in their criticism," a teacher at St Brendan's College, Killarney, said.
The Government was getting off lightly on the issue, teachers at St Brendan's said. They also blamed the Labour Court for "singing the Government's tune".
Teachers in St Brigid's Secondary School, Killarney, maintained they still had public support. But in a spot count of over 70 cars and numerous passers-by over a 20-minute period before approaching the St Brigid's teachers at the end of New Street there was not one supportive bleep or indication of support.
The majority of those who walked by ignored the huddled group with the red placards. At St Brendan's College the support was mainly from passing teachers, the teachers there admitted.
However, Mr Mike Leahy, an ASTI steward at St Brendan's, emphasised the parents' council had "not been totally negative". And he said the strikers had that morning received messages of support from working TUI members directly across the road in the Killarney Community College.
North-West
Students at Colaiste Colmcille in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, staged a day-long protest across the road from striking teachers yesterday.
As teachers again took to the picket lines in the town, a rotation of students demonstrated at the same time, urging a resolution of the dispute, but emphasising they were not taking sides.
A spokesperson for the students said it was not just a case of missing school; the school would have been closed anyhow because of the strike.
In Sligo, ASTI members expressed their anger at the refusal of both the Minister for Education and the Taoiseach to intervene directly in the dispute.
The Sligo-Leitrim union representative, Mr Brendan Duggan, said the language of Mr Woods, had been "intemperate".
He refused to condemn the students' protests, suggesting the protests could help both sides to focus more intently on the dispute, and bring the pressure necessary to get the two sides together to achieve a resolution.
On a bitterly cold day on the picket line, Sligo teacher Ms Kathleen Noonan said teachers were more determined than ever to get their message across. They had never been more united, and were also extremely angry.
Limerick
Teachers manned the pickets at Limerick secondary schools yesterday. One teacher said she was very despondent at what was happening. "We are not enjoying this a bit. We would prefer to be back in our classes."
Another said they needed a Government response.