Several thousand students gathered in Cork this morning for the global climate change protest – with one eager group of teenagers having travelled from Ballyduff, Co Waterford to show their solidarity for the cause.

Sixth-year student Rachel Kingston and her friends Saidbh Corcoran, Freya Farrar and Fiadh Daly travelled to the city to register their protest at what they perceive as the failure of the Government to take strong action on the environment.

Rachel said she was surprised that some students still do not know a lot about the climate change crisis.

READ MORE: In pictures: Tens of thousands join global climate strike as Ireland gears up for day of protests

“We are from Waterford and most people in our school wouldn’t know about it. It is important to raise awareness. We came here with my mum. It is shocking that there are people who don’t know what is going on. Or people who are saying ‘Who is Greta Thunberg?’ and you think ‘How do people not know that?’

“When we look back on this day we are not going to be thinking about missing a day of school. We are going to thinking that we turned up for a great cause.”

Fiadh said their school has a Greens School Committee and recycling bins in place, but naturally the Leaving Certificate is at the forefront of teachers minds.

Saidbh said she is grateful for the support of her parents, who told her she could take the day off to attend.

Meanwhile, transition-year student Juliusz Milewski from Clonakilty Community School in Co Cork says it is important for students to do more than pay lip service to the cause.

“It is looking like the numbers will be big today because it is an international event. The numbers increase every single time.

“Students themselves need to do things. Some people just eat bags of crisps and don’t even put the bags in the (recycling) bin.

“I would suspect that some people came here today as a doss. I think the more we have these protests the more people will increase their awareness. That said, most of my generation are conscious of the environment. “

Junior Certificate student Anna Keyes from Carrigaline, Co Cork, said it was important not to be complacent about the environment. Her school, Edmund Rice College, encouraged students to attend the protest.

“We have seen the effect of climate change and we have seen that it takes children to take a stand. It is our future. It is everybody’s future.

“People are living in areas that have already been affected by climate change. We have to fight for them as well.”

Fellow Junior Certificate student Charlie McCarthy said climate change can’t be allowed to fall out of the headlines.

“I am here because I want to fight for everyone’s future and to make a difference. It is a big problem, but it doesn’t get the coverage it needs.”

The protest was also attended by families. Sabina Menz from Crosshaven, Co Cork mother of Finbarr and Lyla who are aged two and four, said that it was vital to create a better world for future generations,

“I wish that people would take care of our children’s future. There are many things we can do that we don’t even know about.”

Protestors in Cork held banners and placards bearing messages such as “The Emperor has No Clothes,” “No Planet B” and “System Change not Climate Change.”

The school strike movement started in August of last year when Greta Thunberg, then 15, held a solo protest outside the Swedish Parliament. Now, up to 70,000 school children each week hold protests in 270 towns and cities worldwide.

Meanwhile, Taosieach Leo Varadkar said he is “inspired” by today’s climate protests.

It was put to Mr Varadkar that young people have accused the government of not acting on their concerns. One banner held aloft in Dublin this afternoon read ‘tick-tock Taoiseach’.

He said: “I’m inspired by the fact that millions of young people all over the world have come out to say that they want governments all over the world to take climate action to stop climate change.”

He also defended the government’s record sayiing: “In the past few months the government has produced our climate action plan. We now need to implement that. It means changing our electricity system, changing our transport system, greening our agriculture, insulating our buildings.

“I’m committed to doing that and the fact that so many people, particularly young people want us to do that and are sending us that message really spurs me and the government on.”

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