Health risks backed by science • Multiple Studies have found that even short-term exposure to PM2.5 smoke particles increases hospital admissions for heart, lung, and neurological conditions. (Links to studies: [1][2])  • Studies show wildfire smoke can raise mortality rates in vulnerable groups (children, the elderly, people with asthma, and heart disease). [Links to studies: [3], [4]] • These pollutants travel long distances — you don’t need to live in Cherrywood to be at risk. Smoke is more toxic than normal air pollution • Gorse/wildfire smoke isn’t just particles — it contains toxic gases like benzene, formaldehyde, and acrolein. • These VOCs are linked to respiratory disease, cancer risk, and neurological problems — and they’re invisible, often undetectable by smell.  • For VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene, WHO recognises that there is no safe threshold indoors, further underlining the health risk of the current smoke exposure. Children are the most vulnerable • Kids breathe faster and inhale more pollutants per body weight. • In Cherrywood, a primary school sits right below Ticknick Park, directly in the path of the smoke. • Protecting them here sets a precedent for protecting children everywhere. It’s not just Cherrywood — it’s Ireland’s future • With warmer, drier summers, gorse fires will keep recurring across Ireland. • If we don’t act now, other towns will face the same repeated exposure, with no monitoring or guidance. • The current response is limited to carrying out controlled burning or "hoping for the rain" — but neither of these protect Cherrywood families from repeated exposure to toxic smoke. A precedent for national action • By supporting Cherrywood, you’re pushing Ireland to adopt stronger protections — including, but not limited by efficient fire response, local monitoring, proactive land management, timely community guidance and access to HEPA + carbon filters. • Wildfire smoke has been recognised internationally (e.g. by the US CDC and European Environment Agency) as a significant public health hazard due to fine particles and VOCs. • This campaign can set the standard for how Irish authorities respond to all future smoke events. *In this context, ‘Ticknick’ refers to the adjoining lands located beside Ticknick Park and the community playfields. ** Have you been affected? Please take 2 minutes to fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/cUtUWMZA2Zamr39UA

This is an appeal on behalf of our friends, the The Billa family—Fitnete, Arber and their two children, Luna and Arios—who have been notified that they will be pulled out of the lives they have built in Ireland and sent back to Albania without any consideration for their personal rights or complex needs.  We understand that Albania has been classified as a "safe" country and that much of the decision has been based on this blanket classification, but I would like to remind all stakeholders that rulings are made on a case-by-case basis and that this family has complex needs that will not be addressed in Albania.  Arios, the youngest child, has required multiple surgeries in his short life, and requires complex care that will simply not be available to him should this family be deported. Without access to medical services, Arios' state will decline rapidly. No authority should make decisions that knowingly put a child's life at risk.  In addition to Arios' health concerns, we are deeply distressed about the risks that Luna will face as a young girl in Albania. The United States TIP report for Albania 2024 states clearly that the county is still experiencing high rates of child trafficking. Children are disappearing every day and the government is unable to keep up with investigations or with implementing solid child protection mechanisms. It is simply not acceptable to put Luna in this kind of danger.  Fitnete and Arber are active members in the Tramore community. They have lived in Ireland for almost three years and have built a life here. Both are employed and involved with local charities and initiatives. Luna is an important member of our Junior Infants class and her friends would be devastated to lose her. They'd be too young to understand why she'd disappeared, but the loss would be felt very deeply. This family has put down roots. They have contributed towards our school culture and they have made our lives richer with their presence.  Factually, deportation to Albania will endanger the lives of the Billa family. This cannot be understated or glossed over. A decision to deport them is a decision to inflict irreparable trauma on each of them. We demand that you reconsider this deportation directive and treat it with the nuanced, discerning approach that is required when human lives are at stake. 

33 children are ready to take part in the trip of a lifetime. Clubs and families across the island are ready to welcome them.  GAA Palestine have been organising this trip for months. The only thing standing in their way is the Irish government who have refused their visas at the last minute.   GAA Palestine demands immediate action from the Department of Justice to allow these children to come and visit Ireland. Plans were in place with over 150 Irish families who would host the children, bring them to matches and show them the beach for the first time in their lives. GAA Palestine is a symbol of hope for children who've been denied a proper childhood. LET THEM PLAY!

Ireland must not be a country where children are punished for seeking refuge and for the failures of the Irish asylum process. We must be a nation that values protection, compassion, and justice, especially for the most vulnerable.

Why is it important? Because none of us are safe under a mental health system that’s stuck in 2001. The Mental Health Act 2001 still allows forced treatment, restraint, and seclusion—even though these practices are now widely recognised as harmful, especially to neurodivergent people (like those with autism, ADHD, or trauma-related conditions). It treats emotional overwhelm as illness. It punishes difference as danger. This law was written before most people had smartphones. Before we had language for sensory overload, neurodivergence, or digital expression. It’s outdated, invasive, and not trauma-informed—and it puts thousands of people at risk every year. Why should others join? Because you don’t have to be in crisis to care. This campaign is about protecting our freedom, dignity, and human rights. It’s about making sure no one is silenced, secluded, or forcibly medicated for being misunderstood. If you’ve ever: • Had your feelings dismissed as “too much” • Been misdiagnosed • Been afraid to seek help because the system might punish you Then this campaign is for you. We need to audit the Mental Health Act 2001—and bring Ireland in line with modern science and EU human rights law. Join us. Share. Demand better. ACTIVATE. AGITATE. AMPLIFY!

Enough is enough. Sign this petition because the government is not treating the housing crisis as an emergency. People are not just statistics, and emergency accommodation should not be the new normal. More than 15,000 people remain homeless, and thousands more face sky-high rents and insecure tenancies. Meanwhile, corporate landlords continue to profit and exacerbate this housing crisis. The only solution now is for tenants and communities to take direct action. Stand in solidarity, sign the petition, show up, and take a stand.

Please sign this petition so our children with Autim/ Autistic Children can continue to enjoy these classes.

May 1st 2025 is a significant day for the world's workers and peace activists, many of whom are joining together to commend and support what is also the final day of Nobel Peace Laureate Mairéad Corrigan Maguire's 40 days of fasting and prayer against the global scourge of war, injustice and genocide. Mairéad's protest followed Israel unilaterally ending the ceasefire without warning, resuming a policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing that has inflicted brutal levels of death and destruction on Gaza's unarmed and defenceless civilian population, many of whom are children.  Fearlessly calling out the impunity accorded Israel by many governments, including the United States, Britain and the European Union, who also provide money, arms and silent complicity, Mairéad ceaselessly seeks to stop the madness of poverty, cruelty, militarism and war. يُعد الأول من مايو 2025 يومًا ذا أهمية كبيرة لعمال العالم ونشطاء السلام، حيث يجتمع العديد منهم لتكريم ودعم ما يُصادف أيضًا اليوم الأخير من صيام وصلاة الحائزة على جائزة نوبل للسلام، ميريد كوريغان ماغواير، التي استمرت 40 يومًا احتجاجًا على آفة الحرب والظلم والإبادة الجماعية في العالم. جاء احتجاج ميريد بعد أن أنهت إسرائيل من جانب واحد وقف إطلاق النار دون سابق إنذار، واستأنفت سياسة الإبادة الجماعية والتطهير العرقي، ما أسفر عن مستويات وحشية من الموت والدمار بحق سكان غزة المدنيين العزّل، وكثيرٌ منهم من الأطفال. ومن خلال شجاعتها في فضح الإفلات من العقاب الذي تتمتع به إسرائيل من قِبَل العديد من الحكومات، بما في ذلك الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا والاتحاد الأوروبي، والذين يساهمون بالأموال والأسلحة ويتواطؤون بصمت، تسعى ميريد بلا كلل إلى وقف جنون الفقر والقسوة والعسكرة والحرب.

  Domestic abuse cuts across all genders, yet male victims face unique stigmas that hinder them in getting help. Men's Aid provides an invaluable service to these victims with its anonymous helpline but more resources are needed to expand their domestic violence helpline to a 24/7 service. At the moment Men's Aid only has it's hotline open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, that leaves 128 hours where the service isn't available every week, where calls are missed and victims don't get help.  1,310 calls to Men's Aid were missed in 2023, largely due to the helpline's closing times. A study by the mankind initiative revealed that 64% of male victims would not have sought help from their helpline, if the helpline was not anonymous. This demonstrates why anonymous helplines like that of Men's Aid can be even more vital in providing help and a safe spaces for desperate male victims who face extreme social stigma that motivates them to keep quiet publicly about the abuse they're enduring. The anonymity provided by Men's Aid helpline empowers victims, breaking the barriers of the deep-seated stigmas and fear that deter men from reporting domestic abuse they suffer. Male victims are six times less likely to report domestic abuse to the Gardaí, making support services like Men's Aid even more crucial to the journey towards rectifying this inequality. I urge you to sign this petition, calling for the government to increase its funding for Men's Aid, so this organization will have the resources to expand it's helpline to 24/7 service, . Your signature could mean the difference between victim suffering in silence, being unable to reach help when they need it most or in the moment where they're strong enough to seek it. This would help to bring Men's Aid in line with Women's Aid who has a 24/7 helpline, ensuring that any victim, regardless of their gender, can seek help whenever they need it. Please sign this petition now! 

The Dublin Central Equality in Education campaign group is asking for your support. We are a group of parents across the Dublin Central area of Dublin campaigning for ALL children with additional needs to have access to a school place in their community, and they receive the  support and resources they need to live the fullest life possible and have the opportunity to thrive.  We are part of the wider national Equality in Education campaign and support their demands. We as the Dublin Central area want to build awareness locally and campaign to ensure ALL the children in Dublin Central can access a school place in their community.  We are asking you to sign and share our petition with family friends and your community.  If you wish to get in touch with our campaign you can email here: [email protected] We are campaigning for the following:  • All children with additional needs in the Dublin Central constituency have an education place for September 2025.  • There is no cap on SNA allocation and all children have the SNA support they need and access to all other extra resources in classrooms across schools in the Dublin Central area.  • In the Dublin Central area the SENO will contact all creche and early years settings  to ensure all children who will need a special education place are accounted for.   • The demands of SNAs in current contract negotiations are met. They have access to professional development to support their role and the children's needs. Changes are made to minimum qualification requirement to enter the profession as per SNA campaign 

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

There is a consistent shortage of teachers, both in certain geographical areas and for certain subjects. The impact of this shortage means that government departments are now turning to the idea of allowing primary school teachers to work in secondary schools and vice versa. There also is an ever increasing need for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision, but currently there is not enough teachers available to meet the demand for mainstream teachers, let alone SEND teachers. Introducing a specific SEND teacher training pathway would be a great way to alleviate this issue in. Children and young people have a wide range of needs and deserve access to the most suitable educational supports possible. If they are not offered the necessary supports, these pupils are far more likely to experience educational disadvantage, limited career prospects and lower life satisfaction compared to their peers. If unaddressed, their additional needs could also result in them experiencing physical, mental and emotional health challenges. Despite the fact that so many pupils face these challenges, which have such a huge impact both on their lives and on their potential in the classroom, current teacher training programmes do not cover much content about SEND provision. This makes it hard for teachers to cater for their pupils’ increasingly complex needs. There are pupils of all backgrounds and abilities with varied personal interests in schools across the country, which is very encouraging to see and makes it easier for pupils to find peers who they can relate to. Unfortunately, this diversity is rarely reflected in Irish staffrooms. The cost of university, the high entry requirements and the time it takes, deters many people from undertaking teacher training. Of course there needs to be high entry standards so that the students go on to become competent and professional educators. However, this intense training system edges out people who have the potential to be great teachers.  Having high exam results does not automatically mean that someone would make a great teacher, nor do low exam results automatically mean that someone would not be a great teacher. There is more to education than just grades, which pupils struggling with the demands of the school curriculum would be glad to hear. People often want to have a career where they can give something back and help people as an appreciation for the help they got in their own lives. For SEND pupils, they might like to become a SEND teacher themselves, especially as they would have a great understanding of their future pupils’ needs since they have been through the special education system themselves. It can be very comforting for pupils to know that that the person who is there to help you has experienced similar challenges so totally understands how you feel. However, these SEND pupils are often the pupils who might find it difficult to get into teacher training due to the challenges they face, so are not able to fulfil their wish of helping pupils in similar circumstances to them.  Even if they did not receive special education themselves, some future teachers know before they start teaching that they would like to work in special education rather than in a mainstream classroom environment, but currently there is no option to go directly into SEND teacher training, which might discourage them from going into teaching at all. Opening up a teacher training pathway so that trainees could specialise in SEND from the start would be a great option for the following reasons; It would help to address the teacher shortage, both at primary and secondary school levels, as it would allow people with an interest in the area to train and work directly in SEND, rather than schools struggling to fill SEND teaching roles with non-SEND teachers due to a lack of SEND specific teachers. It would be a great way to attract potential teachers to the sector who might not like the idea of working in a typical classroom environment so therefore might opt to avoid teaching altogether. It would open up teacher training to more people, especially those who do not meet the usual teacher training entry requirements (for example if they did not do Irish in school due to specific learning difficulties or not having been raised in the Irish education system).  It will allow for a greater diversity of teachers, which will more accurately represent the ever increasing diversity of pupils with all different backgrounds, abilities and interests in our schools. It would give people who have experienced SEND provision (either directly themselves or from seeing the positive effect it has had on other people in their lives) more opportunities to give back to the system that they have benefitted from themselves. It would improve the quality of SEND provision in schools, as current traditional teaching programs cover very little about SEND provision, so having people trained specifically in this area would help to counteract that. It might help to reduce the demand and points for traditional teacher training courses, which would give more people the opportunity to pursue typical teaching courses, helping to alleviate the teacher shortage even further.  Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully it will result in the introduction of SEND teacher training pathways 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 not been able to reach my dream of becoming a teacher due to limited entry pathways and high entry requirements for teacher training course. 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*