For decades in Ireland, young women were taken into Mother and Baby Homes and stripped of everything. They lost their identity, their dignity and their basic human rights. The maternity care they received was often harsh, dangerous and deeply traumatic. Many laboured alone, frightened and without proper medical support. The lifelong physical injuries and emotional scars these women still suffer today are a direct result of the conditions described in the Mother and Baby Homes Commission Report. At Sean Ross Abbey, where I was born, public records show that around one thousand and ninety babies and children died along with twenty three young girls and young women. Their deaths were recorded, but their resting places are unknown. Their families have no answers. Their names survive only on paper and the truth of what happened to them has been hidden for generations. These children deserve to be found and their mothers deserve answers before time runs out. When babies were born in these institutions many were taken from their mothers without consent. The Commission confirmed that large payments or donations were made for many of these adoptions, often directly to the religious orders. Mothers were never told, never asked and never given a choice. Some babies were sent abroad. Some had incomplete or altered documents. Many mothers left these homes having no idea where their children were taken. This was not informed adoption. It was forced separation. Inside these institutions thousands of infants died from conditions linked to neglect, malnutrition, infection and a complete lack of adequate care. The Commission also confirmed that vaccine trials were carried out on children without their mothers knowledge or permission. Who allowed pharmaceutical companies into these institutions. Who authorised these trials. Was it the State, the religious orders or both. The answers to these questions are in the records the Government has sealed for thirty years. We are told that inspections took place, but if inspections happened then how did thousands of children die. How were these conditions allowed to continue for decades. Again, the truth lies in the records the State has locked away for thirty years. This was not one home or one county. It happened across Ireland and touched every parish, every family and every generation. The Government claims it wants to learn from the past, yet it refuses to find the missing children, refuses to open the sealed records and excludes many survivors from redress. That is not learning. It is continuing the harm. These babies were not shame and they were not secrets. They were children. They were sons and daughters who deserve dignity, truth and the chance to be brought home. Their mothers deserve answers before they die. And the people of Ireland deserve honesty about what happened in these institutions run by both the State and the religious orders. This is why this petition matters. This is not only a survivor issue. This is a national issue, a moral issue and a human issue. Signing this petition is how every Irish citizen can stand with these mothers, stand with these children and demand truth, dignity and justice from our Government. I am doing this for the babies of Sean Ross Abbey and every mother who still waits for answers.

Why Keeping the Lights Matters 1. Pedestrian Safety Must Come Before Traffic Flow Roundabouts are designed primarily for vehicle efficiency—not pedestrian protection. At this junction, children walk daily to local schools and to the Little Harvard crèche. Signal-controlled crossings give them a guaranteed safe moment to cross, something a roundabout cannot provide without significant additional infrastructure. Traffic lights create clear, predictable stopping points, while roundabouts rely on driver judgement—something that is far less reliable when young children are crossing. 2. A Roundabout Increases Risk for Children and Vulnerable Users At busy multi-directional roundabouts: Cars are constantly moving. Gaps in traffic can be hard to judge, especially for children. Drivers often fail to yield to pedestrians at informal crossings. Replacing traffic lights with a roundabout would remove the only guaranteed safe crossing facility at this location and expose young pedestrians to unnecessary risk. 3. Controlled Signals Reduce Speed—Roundabouts Do Not The current lights naturally slow traffic and force vehicles to stop. A roundabout, even when designed well, encourages continuous movement and can lead to vehicles entering too quickly. With houses, schools, bus stops, and footpaths all nearby, lower speeds mean fewer and less severe accidents. Preserving the lights keeps speeds predictable and manageable. 4. Minor Traffic Delays Are Not Worth a Potential Injury or Fatality While some motorists are frustrated by waiting a few extra minutes at peak times, this inconvenience is insignificant compared to the safety provided by controlled pedestrian crossings. A slightly quicker commute cannot be valued above a child’s life. Traffic lights provide structure, clarity, and protection. Roundabouts prioritise flow—not safety. --- Why This Approach Serves the Community Best This area is expanding rapidly, with more families, more young children, and more pedestrian activity than ever before. Keeping and upgrading the traffic lights ensures: A safer route to school. Clear protection for pedestrians. Better accessibility for all residents. A transport layout that prioritises people, not just vehicles. We should expect a road system that safeguards our children—not one that encourages faster driving simply to reduce delays.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas can play a positive role in Ireland’s renewable energy transition — but only when properly regulated. Unfortunately, Ireland currently lacks the basic national standards that other EU countries already require. As a result, AD plants are being proposed far too close to homes, private wells, schools, farms, rivers, Natura sites, and even busy motorways. Local authorities have no consistent guidance, and communities are left exposed to unnecessary health, safety and environmental risks. The Problem 1. No minimum setback distances Ireland has no national separation distances between AD plants and: • homes • drinking-water wells • schools • roads and motorways • protected habitats Other countries use 300–500m as standard — Ireland uses none. 2. No national odour standards Odour from digesters, waste reception, and digestate tanks can travel long distances depending on wind and elevation. Ireland has: • no odour regulations • no odour-modelling requirement • no mandatory odour-abatement technology Communities near existing plants frequently report persistent nuisance. 3. Risks to private wells and groundwater Many homes rely on private wells. AD sites store large quantities of slurry, digestate, industrial food waste, and fats/oils/grease. A spill or leak can contaminate groundwater. Ireland has no minimum distance from wells and no hydrological protection rules. 4. Proximity to motorways and road-safety concerns AD plants store methane, biogas and large waste volumes. Without national TII guidance, sites can be placed only metres from national roads and motorways — raising concerns about: • tanker traffic • vehicle fires • collision risks • gas leaks • spill containment This is a major planning gap. 5. Industrial waste accepted with little oversight Many AD plants take: • offal • dairy processing waste • food-industry by-products • fats, oils, grease (FOG) • expired packaged food These greatly increase odour, emissions, and risk. Ireland has no national limits, no composition standards, and weak monitoring. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR We call on the Minister for the Environment, the EPA, TII, and the Department of Housing to create national AD biogas regulations, including: ✔️ Minimum 500m setback distance From homes, schools, and private wells, unless independent scientific assessment proves otherwise. ✔️ National odour limits With mandatory odour-modelling, abatement systems, and compliance monitoring. ✔️ Groundwater and well protection Hydrological assessments, protected zones, and strict containment standards. ✔️ Rules for industrial waste Clear permitted-waste lists, composition limits, and independent monitoring. ✔️ Road-safety guidelines National TII rules for AD plants near major roads and motorways. ✔️ A full national AD planning framework Like those already existing for windfarms, quarries, and intensive agriculture — ensuring safety, consistency, and transparency. ⸻ WHY THIS MATTERS Ireland needs renewable energy — but we also need safe, responsible, and properly regulated development. Right now, communities across Ireland are being forced to fight these issues one planning application at a time, without the protection of national rules. A clear regulatory framework would protect: • public health • groundwater and private wells • road safety • rural communities • local wildlife and habitats • quality of life We urgently need the Government to act. CALL TO ACTION Sign now to demand strong national regulations for biogas AD plants — to keep our homes, water, and communities safe.

Why Change Is Needed 1. Ongoing Safety Hazards & Frequent Accidents The existing layout and road markings create confusion around right-of-way and turning paths. Many drivers approach the junction unsure of how to move safely through it, leading to numerous collisions and near-misses. Residents regularly witness dangerous situations that could be prevented with a clearer, more intuitive layout—such as a modern roundabout. 2. Regular and Prolonged Power Outages The traffic lights at this junction are well-known for frequent power failures, sometimes lasting several days. During these outages, the junction becomes extremely dangerous for motorists, cyclists, schoolchildren, and pedestrians. Without working signals or clear priority markings, the risk of serious accidents increases dramatically. A roundabout—safe, self-regulating, and functional during power loss—would eliminate this hazard entirely. We have a significant number of children walking independently to school as well as parents walking their children to our designated crèche, Little Harvard. Without pedestrian lights, crossing the road becomes an extremely high risk of serious accidents/death for all, which could be avoided with a roundabout and either a zebra crossing or pedestrian lights, like they have at the tennis club beside House Savers. 3. Unnecessary Traffic Delays The current signal-controlled junction contributes to significant traffic build-up, especially during peak school and commuting times. A roundabout would allow traffic to flow continuously and far more efficiently, reducing congestion and improving travel times for everyone in Rathnew and Wicklow town.

In Stapolin ETNS, we are having to campaign for 2 additional autism classes to meet the needs of children within our school and local community because the NCSE have informed us that our school is not considered a priority, despite us showing a clear need for these classes.  We currently have 2 autism classes which arre full. We have 8 children with eligibility letters in our mainstream waiting on an autism class space. On top of that we have 50 children on our waiting list, 20 of whom are in our immediate catchment area.  2 more classes is 12 spaces. That would ensure that the 8 children in our mainstream have access to the supports the need to access their education, as well as offering remaining places to some of those on our waiting list.  While we appreciate it’s important that schools without autism classes are encouraged and supported to open them, the need in our own school is urgent and undeniable, and we don't understand why both can't happen at the same time - allow us to open additional classes to support the children currently in our school and in our local catchment area, while also encouraging schools without autism classes to open them aswell.  Every child should have the chance to continue their education in the community where they’ve already built friendships, feel safe, and have strong relationships with staff who know and understand them. Please support our campaign for two additional autism classes in Stapolin and to support the rights of children to an appropriate education that meets their needs. 

Right now, one in 20 schoolchildren in Ireland are being diagnosed with autism, that’s a threefold increase in less than a decade. Yet there are still huge gaps in access to appropriate education, on both primary and secondary school-level. Children like Jamie are not asking for special treatment, only for equal access to education within their own communities. Uprooting autistic children from familiar surroundings, routines, and peers causes unnecessary distress and isolates them from the place they call home. Every child deserves an education where they feel included, supported, and seen, without having to travel miles away just to be accepted. It’s time to make sure that no family has to fight this same battle again.

It makes little sense to remove a teacher now when the school will meet the required pupil numbers in just a few weeks, with at least two confirmed new enrolments in December and January. The loss of this post means larger class sizes, disrupted learning, and increased pressure on already stretched staff. In Cloughduv village 2 years ago, we had approx. 200 houses. Now there are over 450, being occupied by new families. Our school enrolment has grown each year as  new families received keys for new homes. Pupil enrolment in Sept ’23 was 141 and is expected to be 182+ next Sept. Our Special Educational Needs (SEN) team is already operating under significant strain to support a growing number of children who need additional help. This decision will further impact the quality of teaching, inclusion, and pupil well-being across the school. While understanding that the Department must follow clear criteria, we believe there is a strong case for flexibility, understanding, and compassion in this situation. Allowing Cloughduv N.S. to retain this developing post temporarily until the end of the school year would provide stability for pupils and staff and allow time for the Department to see the school’s continued enrolment growth first-hand

Some students don’t need more motivation. They just need a meal. Right now across Ireland, too many students are studying hungry, skipping meals to pay rent or travel to class. Hunger isn’t just physical. It drains focus, energy, and hope. When we feed students, we’re not just helping them survive college. We’re helping them show up fully, to learn, lead, and become who they’re meant to be. This is why we’re building Crave Christi Student Sponsorship, to make sure no student is left behind because of an empty plate. Join us in turning compassion into action. Together, we can make student hunger impossible to ignore. Because hunger shouldn’t be part of the college experience. Not here. Not now.

Who is affected? Across Ireland, thousands of children are struggling with anxiety, trauma, and emotional challenges. Too many are being offered short pilot programmes, which simply cannot meet their needs. Play Therapy gives children the time, space, and safety to express themselves, build trust, and heal — but it requires a minimum of 12–15 weeks to be truly effective. What is at stake? When children don’t receive consistent support, their emotional distress often shows up as difficulties with concentration, behaviour, and learning. This affects not only their mental health but also their confidence and academic progress. Without sustained Play Therapy, many children fall further behind, and families and teachers are left without the help they need. Why now? We are calling on the Irish Government — including the Department of Education, the HSE, and TUSLA — to fund proper school-based contracts employing Play Therapists for 20–25 hours per week. This model reflects safe professional practice and ensures children can receive the minimum 12–15 weeks of support they need. The time to act is now — our children deserve lasting care, not short-term pilots.

This heartfelt appeal from parents, educators, and SNAs across Ireland highlights the urgent need to reconsider new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) guidelines. The proposed changes—rigid staffing limits, narrow definitions of need, and rushed implementation—risk dismantling inclusive education and jeopardizing the well-being of children with Autism and complex needs. Without adequate SNA support, vulnerable children face emotional distress, medical risks, and exclusion from mainstream classrooms. Families are pushed to crisis, teachers are overwhelmed, and the entire school community suffers. The call is clear: listen to lived experiences, and build a fair, responsive, and properly funded system that protects every child’s right to feel safe, supported, and included.

Help keep families together through support .

I live on a Local road. i see all types of pedestrians using this road for their daily walks. these include i see families with young children i see mothers pushing their prams. i see dog walkers. i see elderly friends of the locality going about their daily keep fit walks , some with hi-viz jackets. i myself have had lots of near misses with passing vehicles failing to give an inch when overtaking me.  i have spoken to walkers who will not use certain roads because they are afraid to walk on the roads.