Politicians like Lowry think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. In the Dáil Chambers he even thinks its ok to give us all the two fingers. This government is bending the rules because of some secret deal with Michael Lowry and his group of independents. Together we need to speak up for politics we can trust and have respect for.

Domestic abuse ruins lives, and in the worst cases, it ends them. Right now, people in Ireland can unknowingly enter relationships with repeat domestic abusers, because there is no way to check their history.  Jennie’s story is just one example of this devastating reality. She believed she had met a kind and loving partner. What she didn’t know was that he had a history of domestic violence and had served time in prison. By the time she found out, she was trapped in a cycle of control, violence, and fear—a cycle that could have been prevented.  In other countries, domestic abuse registers and the "Right to Ask" & "Right to Know" policies save lives by giving people access to vital, life-protecting information. But in Ireland, abusers are free to hide their past, moving from victim to victim with no accountability.  Jennie’s Law would change that. It would: ✅ Empower people to make informed choices about their safety. ✅ Allow Gardaí to proactively warn those at risk. ✅ Hold abusers accountable for hiding their violent past. ✅ Protect victims before it’s too late.  We cannot allow more people to suffer in silence, unknowingly trapped in abusive relationships. Sign this petition to demand urgent action from the Irish Government—because knowledge is power, and lives depend on it. 

If it’s not safe for kids in cinemas, it shouldn’t be safe for them online. We do our best as Parents to police our kids social media but its not always possible. If netflix has ratings, why not social media! Sign now to demand real protections for young people — and stop toxic content from shaping their future

I urge you to join this campaign because eating disorders don't discriminate but access to treatment does. Men continue to face stigma, misdiagnosis and lack of accessible care.   • Boys and men now make up about one-third of those diagnosed with an eating disorder (Mitchison, D., et al., Psychological Medicine, Vol. 50, No. 6, 2019).  • 25% of children with anorexia are male. (Broadwater, 2018).  • 50% of people with binge eating disorder are men. (Jackson & Jackson, 2024) "I want to be a minor chink in the armour of stigma, that often still portrays eating disorders as more of a female distress. I want to show how easy it is to be romanced into the trap, regardless of age, gender, sexuality or ethnicity- as eating disorders don't discriminate but infiltrate your heart and begin to destroy"(1 in 4 Men: Christopher’s Eating Disorder Story, 2023) Christopher urges men to speak out, to not suffer in silence and to challenge this gendered stereotype. 

We don’t have any power to stop him, but we can show how we feel and maybe he will actually think about what he’s doing if reasonable people around the world let him know. The political opposition in the USA, whose job this really is, are virtually silent 

Equality for Children, Irish Gay Dads and LGBT Ireland are calling on the Irish Government to immediately amend  and commence the AHR Act, as was promised by their predecessors, and to immediately commence the CFRA (2015) section of the AHR Act, to ensure that all children born through Assisted and Donor Reproduction to LGBTQ+ families in Ireland, have a pathway to a legal connection with both of their parents. “We urge you to sign our petition in order to push the Irish government to take the actions our children so desperately need.” Ranae von Meding, CEO of Equality for Children says, “Thousands of children in Ireland, including my youngest child, are denied legal parent-child relationship with both of their parents. This includes children born to gay dads through surrogacy, children conceived outside of clinical settings and children conceived or born outside of Ireland. As we celebrate 10 years of Marriage Equality, we cannot help but reflect on the fact that we have not truly achieved equality until children born into same-sex marriages in Ireland are afforded the same protections as children born into all other marriages in Ireland." “This must change. It’s not equal and it’s not what we voted for.” Seamus Kearney Martone, Chairperson of Irish Gay Dads says, "As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the marriage equality referendum, we celebrate how far Ireland has come—but we also recognize the work that remains. For gay dads in Ireland, the journey to parenthood is still filled with legal and practical barriers. We urge the government to amend and commence the Assisted Human Reproduction legislation without further delay. We’ve had positive discussions with the Departments of Health, Justice, and Children, and now that a new government has been formed we are committed to continuing these conversations to ensure that the voices of gay dads are heard and included in shaping this legislation. " "Equality must extend to all families, and now is the time to make that a reality."

My brother Adam Loughnane passed away last month. His body was found in the Corrib on the afternoon of Tuesday the 11th of February 2025. What has haunted my family every day since his passing is the fact that just two hours before he was found in the river, he was in the A&E waiting room of University Hospital Galway presenting as suicidal.  He'd woken up that morning feeling numb. He'd contacted his mental health support worker and they made the decision to contact UHG. He packed an overnight bag in the belief he was going to be at the hospital for a few days. He believed they'd look after him. They told him to go through A&E. He'd been a patient at the mental health unit of UHG before. This was never referenced.  On arriving at the hospital, he told staff numerous times that he wanted to enter the river. They triaged him and told him to sit and wait. A woman with her own mental health issues saw him crying and in visible distress. She hugged him and they cried together. He approached another nurse but was asked to wait again. He hugged the woman who had been sitting with him, picked up his bag, and left the hospital. He wasn't being monitored. Within half an hour he was in the water.  At 6pm that evening while out putting up posters of my missing cat, I received a call from my mother. She was hysterical, I couldn't understand her. A Guard took the phone and told me that my brother had been found in the river. I lost the ability to speak for a minute. Eventually I told the Guard I'd be over shortly. Half an hour later I was standing next to my mum and youngest brother identifying Adam, who was laid out in the same A&E he'd been in hours earlier. Only this time he was no longer breathing.  Adam did everything right. He reached out to the mental health services and told them exactly how he was feeling. But the broken healthcare system let down yet another person at their most vulnerable.  Tara Coyne. Jamie Costello. Josephine Cloonan. And now Adam Loughnane. These are just the cases where the family went public or where an action for negligence was taken against the hospital. There are undoubtedly many, many more.  How many more people have to die before a decision is made - at the top of the HSE and the Government - to fundamentally change how people who present as suicidal are treated?  This isn't any one staff member's fault. I've lost my brother to a system which is under-staffed, under-paid, and overworked.  We refuse to let his passing be in vain. No family should ever have to experience what we are currently living through. We want Adam to be the change needed to make the Irish healthcare system a safe place for those in their darkest hours. 

The National Animal Rights Association and Animal Rebellion Ireland released a new investigation on pig farms, covering 4 farms based in Cavan. The findings were horrific - watch the investigation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xHFCYxR9pE Sow stalls, farrowing crates, filthy conditions, stereotypical behaviour, no outdoor space, no sunlight, sick and dying pigs. There is no end to the depraved nature of this agricultural sector.  THE FACTS: There are approximately 250 commercial pig farms in Ireland, and annually an average of 3-3.5 million pigs are slaughtered here every year. Though the use of sow stalls has been banned in some countries, it is permitted in Ireland for up to 4 weeks of pregnancy. Usually about a week before giving birth, sows are put in to farrowing crates, where they are kept then until their piglets are about 4 weeks old. The piglets are then taken away from their mothers, and put in to fattening pens, even though naturally they would still be suckling from their mothers up until about 3 months old. Depending on their weight, they are then slaughtered at about 5-6 months of age, though their natural lifespan would be on average about 20 years. Pigs are stunned using CO2 gas, which aims to render them unconscious. Consumers are led to believe that gassing is a humane way to kill pigs, and that they simply drift off to sleep, however undercover footage triggered national outrage in Australia in 2023 when activists exposed the reality of slaughtering using CO2 gas, with video footage revealing pigs thrashing, writhing, gasping and screaming as they slowly lose consciousness, in contradiction to industry claims of a “humane slaughter”. After this frightening and painful experience, they are then bled out to death. The majority of pigs in Ireland spend their entire lives indoors, with no comfortable bedding, fresh air or sunlight. Currently, it is a legal requirement that pigs are provided with 8 hours of artificial light a day. “Enrichment”, a form of mental stimulation, is also a legal requirement. According to Teagasc, the most common form of enrichment used in Ireland is simply a metal chain. Although tail docking is banned within the EU, farmers are allowed to do it if they deem it “necessary” – and as a result, it is still commonly done here. Like fur farming, pig farming can never be legislated into being acceptable. Animals are not ours to use, abuse, kill or eat - it's time to ban pig farming now!

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has faced one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises for decades. Beginning with the First Congo War in 1996 and the devastating Second Congo War in 1998, over 10 million people have lost their lives, with millions more displaced, suffering from hunger, and enduring human rights violations. As a nation committed to peace, democracy, and human rights, Ireland has a moral responsibility to act in solidarity with the people of the DRC.  The DRC is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with: • Over 6 million people displaced due to ongoing violence. • Widespread human rights violations, including massacres and sexual violence. • Severe food insecurity, affecting millions, including children. • The exploitation of minerals (diamond, cassiterite, copper, cobalt, and coltan ) funding armed groups and fuelling conflict. Ireland’s Historic Connection to the DRC Ireland has a long-standing connection with the DRC: • Roger Casement exposed the atrocities of King Leopold II’s colonial rule. • Irish peacekeepers served in the 1960s as part of the UN mission, including the historic Siege of Jadotville. Given this history, Ireland must stand for justice and act now. We Urge the Irish Government to: 1. Publicly condemn human rights abuses and call for accountability. 2. Increase humanitarian aid to support displaced people and communities. 3. Advocate at the EU and UN for stronger sanctions on those funding violence. Ensure ethical trade practices, preventing Irish companies from sourcing conflict minerals. Sign This Petition to Show Your Support! You're sincerely, Concerned Citizens Ireland  Mamy Nzema Nkoy  Victoria Musitongo  Benedicte Luzemba  Julia Ngadi 

Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a vital part in the lives of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The current lack of centralised Garda Vetting makes it very hard for SNAs to work in schools, as at the minute they have to vetted for every single school they might want to work in. This means that schools can often struggle to get a substitute SNA since the SNA is not vetted for their school (even if they are vetted for the exact same role in other schools), resulting in pupils missing out on important educational supports. If other professionals can have centralised vetting, like how teachers have universal vetting through The Teaching Council, why can SNAs not have the same option? Centralised vetting would also help to reduce the amount of time and resources that school management members would have to spend preparing SNA vetting paperwork for SNA staff. Even if a nationwide organisation was set up to manage the centralised vetting of SNAs, most SNAs would appreciate being part of a group where they can connect with other likeminded SNAs and peers. The role of an SNA is often misunderstood and overly simplified by people, so it would be a nice acknowledgement of the importance of their everyday work with SEND pupils. Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully it will result in the introduction of centralised Garda Vetting for SNAs in the near future! Amy Reynolds *I am a qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA), Teaching Assistant (TA) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teacher. I am passionate about education, particularly inclusive education, and the benefits it brings, especially for pupils with SEND. I myself have struggled to get opportunities to work as an SNA (even as a substitute) as my vetting for other settings would not cover me for that particular school. I now work in pharmacy and am completing an apprenticeship pharmacy technician style course. I would like my future work to combine education and pharmacy / healthcare*

The government is talking about charging people for what they call "excessive" water usage – but we all know that this will open the door for more water charges down the line. We all deserve access to clean, good quality water. Charging people for water will only create more inequality and will push families into poverty.

We have been informed that both Buncrana and Letterkenny Fire Services are facing a drastic reduction in resources. This includes the removal of our second fire engine, a significant cut in crew numbers, and, in the case of Letterkenny, the loss of the vital water tanker and incident command vehicle. These resources are essential for effectively responding to emergencies and ensuring the safety of both the public and our firefighters. The decision to implement these cuts has been presented to us as a fait accompli, with management stating that the changes will proceed regardless of our concerns. We were told, "if you don't like it, take us to court." This dictatorial approach is deeply disrespectful and undermines the vital role we play in protecting our community. We are particularly troubled by the justification given for these cuts. We are being told that these reductions are a consequence of firefighters seeking a better work-life balance. While we firmly believe in the importance of work-life balance for all workers, including firefighters, we refuse to accept that the safety of our community should be compromised as a result. It is unconscionable to punish firefighters for seeking reasonable working conditions, and, more importantly, to punish the public by diminishing the emergency services they rely upon. These cuts will have a devastating impact. Fewer firefighters and fewer resources mean slower response times, increased risk to both firefighters and the public, and a diminished ability to effectively handle complex emergencies. The loss of the water tanker in Letterkenny, for example, will severely hamper our ability to fight fires, especially in areas with limited water supply.