The results of the general election are in. We might not have a new government yet, but the electorate – and in particular young people – has given a clear mandate for change.

Dublin Live’s student columnist Amy Donohoe hit the campus tarmac to find out why students voted the way they did, what issues concern them the most and what are their hopes for the future.

Ireland’s general election for the 33rd Dáil took place on Saturday, February 8th. And many young people braved the journey home to their constituency during Storm Ciara to vote for the people and the parties they thought could make a difference.

“Change is coming at last”

Cailin McGuirk from County Monaghan claimed to be “over the moon” with the result.

“I think it’s great that young people’s voices are being heard and that change is coming at last.

“Ireland has had the same government for the past 90 years, and it’s time to move on. The people are finally standing up to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.”

Like many others, Cailin doesn’t feel students are being represented in the Dáil.

“The current Taoiseach previously stated that he thought college fees were pretty cheap. Student housing is an aspect that hasn't been focused on enough, considering the amount of students that are being ripped off by landlords across the country.”

She also said she thought young people are being discriminated against in terms of insurance prices and the new learner driver laws.

She has high hopes for Sinn Féin and reckons “they will attempt to solve the housing crisis, invest in the healthcare system and build a more worker-friendly Ireland.”

Cailin wants the next government to put workers and the average person first and to stop defending the banks and big corporations: “The housing crisis needs to be treated as an emergency, immediate action needs to be taken.”

“Irish people have shown in recent years that they are progressive”

Cormac Nugent is undertaking an MSc in Climate Change at DCU. He believes that the climate problem has been tackled “quite poorly” by the former government, and that they have achieved very little on this issue.

 “Their plan aims for 2 per cent emissions reduction per year which is way off the 7.6% the United Nations said is absolutely necessary to avoid catastrophic impacts. We need real leadership not just lip service.”

He hopes that a potential new Dáil, with a higher proportion of left-leaning TDs and led by Sinn Féin, will push for binding targets to ensure we hit the minimum 7.6 per cent emissions reduction per year while ensuring that there is a just transition for all parts of society.

“This can all be done while easing the housing, homelessness and health crisis and the benefits of taking ambitious climate action now will have benefits for decades to come,” he added.

“Irish people have shown in recent years, with both referendums and the recent elections, that they are progressive, that they want a just and fair society for all and that needs to be met by our representatives.”

“I'm 24 and our generation has grown up with austerity, with a housing, homeless and health crisis and, on top of this, there is a climate crisis.”

He hopes that the new government does “what is right and just for the people of Ireland and the planet that we all live on.”

“Student issues are often pushed to the side”

Liam Cosgrove, a politics and sociology student, said: “I am happy with the outcome as it stands, as I believe it shows a clear and undeniable desire for change and I hope this sends a message to politicians of all parties.”

“I don’t feel students are represented at all in the Dáil. We have the highest fees in the European Union and yet we see increased student numbers year on year and a lack of services to be able to cope with the increase.”

“Student issues in my opinion are often pushed to the side, and we are said to be 'lucky enough to be able to go to college' and that we are just 'complaining or whining'. Many politicians throughout the campaign agreed to listen to students and agreed to fund higher education but yet did not provide any substantive policy to back up how they planned to do it.

“I think the new understanding among politicians that we are watching and that we are capable of voting for incredible change should be a warning and motivation to do what's right.”

“The homelessness crisis and climate change need to be tackled immediately”

Roisin Cullen from the Carlow Kilkenny region has “always placed great value on my right to vote. My family would have always highlighted the importance of using your vote, as it was not always something our ancestors had – or people in other parts of the world.”

Roisin is currently on an Erasmus programme in France and says she “felt it was important to come home to use come home to vote, so that I can have a realistic future in my own country.”

“During my time in France, I have seen citizens exercise their right to protest when they feel that something is not just.

“As a nation, we instead exercised our right to vote, which can sometimes be far more effective than marching on the streets.

“As a democracy, it is the voices of a country’s citizens that matter – not the opinions of any one particular political party.”

Roisin says she is happy with the outcome as she “felt change was necessary”.

“The voice of the young people that know they may never own a house in their native country was not heard in the most recent Dáil,” she adds.

She believes that the election results have given all political parties a wake-up call and that “the homelessness crisis and climate change need to be tackled immediately.”

“I'm not 100 per cent sold on Sinn Féin"

Meanwhile, Peter Wakely claims that he is “quite happy to see a surge in votes for the left, especially among students”.

“I'm not 100 per cent sold on Sinn Féin, but I'm just glad Fine Gael and Fine Fáil don't have as [much] dominance as they used to,” he explains.

Wakely comes from the region where 21-year-old Tate Donnelly was running for the Green Party.

“I think a lot of voters don't have any confidence in younger candidates, and unfortunately I think that means that students' voices are less likely to be heard.”

“I think we'll see a more representative Dáil. The dominance of both FF and FG, both right-wing parties, doesn't represent the current state of the country.”

The two most urgent issues for him are the climate and the housing crises and he hopes that “pressing issues won't have to be campaigned for so hard [in future] by the people”.