North Offaly is fast becoming the home of Green energy projects that are being constructed or planed in Ireland. The Yellow River Wind farm is a prime example of a project in the area. Locals objected to the Wind farm on the grounds that there was not adequate infrastructure in place to take on the increase in construction traffic. Ultimately the case was taken to the high court where the objection was refused. At the time local councilors promised the roads would be done before, maintained during and redone after construction of the wind farm. These promises ultimately proved to be empty. A few planned projects along the r400 or that will use the r400 for the majority of construction traffic: Yellow River Wind farm: https://www.sserenewables.com/onshore-wind/in-development/yellowriver/ Rhode Green Energy Park: https://www.offaly.ie/rhode-green-energy-park/ Bio-Mass Gassification Plant: https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/632520/new-biomass-gasification-plant-set-to-be-constructed-in-offaly.html Battery Storage: https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/550961/plans-unveiled-for-substantial-energy-storage-facility-in-offaly.html Clonin North Solar Farm: https://www.highfieldenergy.com/SolarProjects/clonin-north-solar-farm Oxigen Waste Management Facility: https://www.offalyindependent.ie/2023/11/09/controversial-waste-facility-in-north-offaly-gets-planning-approval/ Full report on Green energy within the area can be found: https://www.offaly.ie/green-energy-2/ This campaign is focused on finding the balance between these types of projects and ensuring that local residents are taken care of. Much of the local area around the r400 is not serviced by public transport and as such we rely on our cars and on the roads, which we pay for through our taxes. The r400 has been in a state for decades, the local council have failed to make it a priority, failed to hold the companies behind the large scale construction projects accountable for their use and they have failed all of us who have had to endure an unsafe, not fit for purpose, road. When questioned as to why the r400 has not seen improvements over the years Offaly County Council claim that there is not enough funding. The only way around the lack of funding on a local level, is for the road to be made a national road. That way it's reconstruction and maintenance funding, will come from the National Government. Please join us in calling for the National and local Government's to make the r400 a national road. 

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all deserve a fair wage we can live on – but right now, Aer Lingus pilots aren't being properly paid for the work they're doing.  Aer Lingus pilots are now being vilified unfairly for daring to ask for the most basic thing – for their pay to be increased in line with inflation. Together, we want to show Aer Lingus that we support the pilots in their fight for fair pay. Responsibility for cancelled flights lies with Aer Lingus management, not with pilots.

The abuse uncovered by RTÉ Investigates at Shannonside Foods' horse abattoir in Kildare has shocked us all. Footage captured by RTÉ has shown horses being hit, punched, whipped and struck with plastic piping.  Together, we are calling on the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to shut down this abattoir with immediate effect. If those who own the abattoir feel it's OK to treat animals like this, they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near them.  Please sign and share our petition today, and help us get this abattoir shut down.

High energy users putting pressure on renewables.

Gaelscoil Inse Chór is an example of Dublin 8 being missed out for CHILD ROAD SAFETY measures because it is on 'an aerterial road'. Parents and families are fed up hearing the excuse of ‘aerterial road’ for failing to act on road safety near primary schools. When a pedestrian is hit at 50kmph they have a 50% chance of survival. If hit at 60kmph, it’s a 10% chance of survival!  Cars are speeding up Concolbert Road and South Circular Road at 60kmph near little primary school children huddled in fear, behind OVERGROWN bushes and missing crash barriers. The families of Gaelscoil Inse Chór have had enough! This is completely unacceptable!

We are siphoning off the tax base of many, often poorer countries by our corporate tax policies and loopholes. We deny them the funds for hospitals, schools, social supports and infrastructure as well as their capacity to fight climate change. As a tax haven we are doing far more global damage than anything we do that damages the world’s climate. Apple admitted to the US senate that their effective tax rate in Ireland is 2%. Microsoft acknowledged that they put €98 billion through Ireland ‘that was not subject to tax in this jurisdiction’ They paid €3 billion in tax that year ( on €24 billion at 12% ?) making it approx 2% tax rate again. The untaxed money comes from Profit Shifting to Ireland ie profits from other countries. My friend in sub Saharan Africa said all the youth have smartphones but not enough to eat. That’s the power of advertising a product-on which no tax was paid. Ireland is a country that is generous in it’s contributions to developing nations but we completely undermine this by our tax haven activities. It’s time to call for a change in direction to a more ethical business and tax model

It celebrates and commemorates the man who really put irish football on the map and made it possible for a nation to dare to dream of success on the international football stage. In our irish eye he is an icon in our footballing history and he really should be celebrated with a statue in his honor for future generations crossing the doors of the aviva to behold the Great man we once had the privilege to witness in his glory.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are alternatives. In France they have a system called SAFER which: *Intervenes in land sales in the public interest where there is land speculation by non farmers and billionaire investors *Ensures viable land holdings, *Maintains rural communities and the viability of   existing farms, *Controls prices so land is affordable. https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/6554aa4252c5a_Review%20of%20France%C3%94%C3%87%C3%96s%20SAFER%20Land%20Market%20Interventions.pdf Our politicians are avoiding this issue.  They have their heads in the sand. We demand that they address the problem now to ensure viable landholdings for farming families. Irish Family Farms is a group of landowners and other citizens who have got together to raise awareness of this issue and demand change. We will use this petition to apply pressure on government ministers McConalogue and Hackett to change the system and set up a multi-stakeholder Land Observatory. This would act as a watchdog to oversee land-related issues and foster collaboration to protect our most precious physical resource: our land.

Breast cancer survivor Réaltán Ní Leannáin has said she was forced to remove her breast prosthesis in public view when going through security at Dublin Airport. This is a horrific violation of her dignity and it must never be allowed to happen ever again. We demand that Dublin Airport Authority put clear policies in place so cancer survivors know exactly what to expect when going through airport security. These policies should be available on the Dublin Airport website and should be based on dignity and respect for anyone who has undergone cancer treatment.

Lupilu baby wipes are made by an company in Israel. Revenue from its sales are helping to fund the genocide of Palestinian children.

At this stage in the genocide it is unbelievable that Ireland has a powerful bill, that could help the people of Palestine, waiting in the wings to be enacted since 2018. It took immense effort from many political, academic and legal minds to get it passed through our legislature. There is no legal excuse for stalling it any longer. To quote Sen. Frances Black “... it’s not a legal issue, it’s a question of political will. The weight of legal advice makes it clear that we can pursue this if we’re willing to be brave about it – we need to stand up and show leadership”. (Irish times, 13 Jun 2020.) Something has to begin the process of turning the tide on the genocide in Palestine, especially Gaza. The OTB has been identified by multiple organisations nationally and internationally as the single most important and effective action that Ireland as a nation can take, at this time in June 2024.  Enacting the OTB can without doubt have a ripple effect throughout the world. Let's throw the pebble in the ocean of support for Palestine and see it do the work it was always intended to achieve.

For over seven years the Irish Government has refused to hold a referendum on the public ownership of our water. The only logical explanation for their refusal is the unspoken intention to privatise our water system. In May 2016 legislation was tabled and unanimously passed in the Dáil in support of a water referendum, but since then Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party have prevented this important referendum from progressing. Enough is enough. Name the date and give us our referendum now! Water has become one of the most valuable and profitable commodities on the planet. Privatisation has been a disaster in almost every country that outsourced their water supply to profit making entities. Costs have gone up, services has declined. Dividends are paid to owners, taxpayers bail out depleted infrastructure. Every day we don’t have our water referendum, we move closer and closer towards the full privatisation of our water system.  We stood together from 2014 – 2016 to stop water charges: now we need to stand together to prevent privatisation.