The Shannon is the main artery of this country, and home to a vast array of wildlife, including dolphins and salmon. Endangering this rich habitat would be an act of environmental vandalism that is unacceptable to our people and, surely, to our Greens-supported Government. The people of Clare, Kerry and Limerick have long been worried about the health impacts of the red waste dust from the plant that flies into our communities and our food chains and water supplies. The spreading of such vast quantities of sediment into our waterways could present a risk to human, animal, fish and plant life. We ask, and expect, our politicians to say "No! Enough!"

Having a large mural of US president Joe Biden in Ballina reflects very badly on the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland who hold very different views to Joe regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

With a population of almost 17,000 people, Leixlip is a large town. Leixlip needs investment from the local authority, busiesses and An Post to enable it to thrive.  The Grant Thornton Report on the Post Office Network stated that the withdrawal of a post office from an area has a significant impact on the remaining businesses due to the impact on local footfall. To assist it in developing employment and educational opportunities, developing its infrastructure, tackling vacancy and dereliction, and putting unused buildings to use. Any efforts to take the post office out of the town centre would be in stark contrast to what Leixlip needs. Leixlip has demographics that mean more people depend on services like those currently provided by An Post, and therefore need easily accessible services. Anything but a town centre location cannot be accepted, and the people of Leixlip need assurances that its post office will remain in the town centre.

Electricity prices have risen rapidly in the last couple of years. People are having problems paying their bills and covering their monthly costs. The government must intervene and force energy providers to lower their prices.

The stated main goals of Ireland's aviation policy are about: 1. Enhancing connectivity for the needs of business, tourism and consumers. 2. Growing aviation enterprise 3. Maximising the contribution of the aviation sector to Ireland’s economic growth and development Goal 3 is incompatible with other areas of government policy, in particular in relation to greenhouse gas emissions. Goal 3 also encourages the aviation sector to behave in ways which are contrary to the well-being of the citizens of Ireland in the future, as well as to other people outside Ireland likely to be impacted by climate change. Given that commercial aviation fuel is tax exempt, this amounts to a subsidy of tens of billions of euros in Europe annually, and this subsidy should be discussed in the formation of Ireland's new aviation policy.

The Grant Thornton Report on the Post Office Network stated that the withdrawal of a post office from an area has a significant impact on the remaining businesses due to the impact on local footfall. In light of the fact that a taskforce has been assigned to Tipperary town to assist it in developing employment and educational opportunities, developing its infrastructure, tackling dereliction, and putting unused buildings to use, any efforts to take the post office out of the town centre would be in stark contrast to what Tipperary town needs. Tipperary town also has demographics that mean more people depend on services like those currently provided by An Post, and therefore need easily accessible services. Anything but a town centre location cannot be accepted, and the people of Tipperary town need assurances that its post office will remain in the town centre.

0% Irish female solo artists featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts songs of 2022. In 2023 only 3% 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists. 3,255,000 listeners tune into Irish radio every weekday. When it comes to music, getting your song added to a playlist on a radio station can be life-changing for an Irish artist. The Irish broadcasting sector has historically not supported women or diverse artists in music from Ireland. Following a series of Gender Disparity Data Reports conducted by Linda Coogan Byrne and her team at Why Not Her?, the evidence showed that Irish radio managers consciously decide year in and year out to exclude Irish female-identifying artists, female fronting bands and diverse artists from Radio Playlists across Ireland. Of songs featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts of 2022, only 12% were by domestic Irish artists or bands (0% Irish female solo artists). This translates to 6 songs by 4 Irish artists: 1 song by Belters Only feat. Jazzy; 3 songs by Dermot Kennedy; 1 song by Moncrieff; and 1 song by Welshy feat. Nono. None were by Irish persons of colour - solo artists or groups - and none were by female solo artists or groups. Fast forward a year later and only 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists: Jazzy*, Aimée and Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries. As the years go by, it is becoming more and more difficult for Irish people to discover and hear the music of Irish women and diverse artists. When asked why there are so few women artists played on the radio, managers said: "Men make better music than women" "Why are you feeding us to the wolves?" "We don't have the budget to be diverse" "We don't make the rules" "Women just moan" "She is too old and long in the tooth to be making music" "We actually had some women on a Special Friday Night show back in Feb" "It's the label's fault, not ours" "You should analyse the record companies. You’ll see an imbalance in what we’re being sent". "It is whatever makes the charts" "People prefer to listen to male acts, they request them on air!" "You need to be careful and stop stepping on people's toes in radio" "You need to stop asking questions" In the meantime, many new and emerging male artists are recognised and supported across the airwaves, allowing for a host of new household names to emerge in the landscape of Irish music in the past decade. It is common for white male lead/front artists/bands such as Hozier, Gavin James, Cian Ducrot, Robert Grace, Moncrieff, The Script, etc. to be heavily played during the day and evening on Irish airwaves, while their diverse and female counterparts are played in the middle of the night. The Journal.ie 13.02.24 https://www.thejournal.ie/prev/6298235/dvX7Tyf5Xocvo/

In November 2023, Lotus Property brought Havelock House from Olympian Homes with the aim of using its site for a social housing development for Clanmil Housing. Olympian had made two failed attempts to demolish Havelock House, which were rejected by the local community and Belfast City Council. ​After buying the building, Lotus and Clanmil promised that community concerns would be listened to and there would be proper consultation on the proposed development. Lotus managing director, Alastair Coulson, said that: "The next 12 weeks will be about listening to stakeholders and local communities about these draft plans. We look forward to hearing all views and considering them in our plans." ​But within two weeks, Lotus and Clanmil had sent in contractors to strip out Havelock House with the aim of demolishing in January, even before the public part of their consultation began. Havelock House is one of Northern Ireland’s best-known cultural landmarks. Originally a Victorian linen factory, the building then saw service during World War II as accommodation for soldiers and was most recently the home of UTV. The local community played a key role in overturning the previous plans to demolish Havelock House. Lotus Property's rushed demolition must stop, until the promised community consultation takes place.

In turning branches cashless, people lost their jobs, as 15 banks were shut down. There are vulnerable customers all over Ireland that need all banks to restore services.

This affects the sea and wildlife of Clew Bay plus people who swim and live nearby. Raw sewage has been flowing into the bay for decades - that need to stop.

With a capacity of 70,000 people, the Electric Picnic (EP) is Ireland's largest gathering of music & arts and it has established itself as one of the world's most unique festivals. However the growing environmental cost of hosting such a large-scale event needs to be addressed most notably with the increasing volume of tents abandoned each year. Plastic used to make these tents can take thousands of years to biodegrade. Tents should NOT be "Single Use Plastic Items" - they take up valuable space in landfill sites and are polluting the natural environment, having a significant impact on our oceans. In 2022 EP recorded a pre-tax profit of nearly €30 million and we would like to see some of this profit set aside to effectively deal with this plastic waste problem. We want to offer "Hope & Accountability" as a motivating force to current and future festival goers so the question goes from: “ It's a disgrace, what have we done? ” to one of “ What can we do better? ”.

The Before 5 Centre on Churchfield Hill was founded almost 50 years ago to support families and the community. Closing of the family centre left 100 families without childcare places next week and 14 staff without jobs. Keep the Before 5 Centre open for the families and people in the community. Image credits: Larry Cummins