To: The Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Rásaíocht Con Éireann (GRI), and Cork East Representatives The Situation in Youghal, Co. Cork. For decades, greyhound racing in Ireland has received tens of millions of euros in public subsidies through the statutory Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund—amounting to over €19 million nationally every year. Yet, here in East Cork, our local facility—Youghal Greyhound Stadium—runs on life support. State-commissioned economic reviews by Indecon previously highlighted that the Youghal track operates at a financial loss with some of the lowest live spectator turnouts in the region. Official figures and reporting show that meetings frequently take place before nearly empty stands, running primarily to stream off-track betting coverage. Despite this, over €763,000 in public funding has gone toward keeping this single venue operational in recent years. Official figures and media reporting show that Youghal regularly sees as few as 3 paying members of the public at its twice-weekly race meetings. The stands are virtually empty, with races taking place primarily to be filmed for offshore TV betting contracts (SIS). The Welfare Reality Behind the empty stands is a grave animal welfare issue. Official figures released through Parliamentary Questions (PQs) show that of the greyhounds registered under the Rásaíocht Con Éireann Traceability System (RCETS): • 57% of non-exported greyhounds from the 2021 birth cohort that retired in Ireland were recorded as deceased. • 74% from the 2022 birth cohort were recorded as deceased. • Over 5,300 dogs were exported overseas from the 2021 cohort alone, while Irish rehoming charities struggle under massive waiting lists. Taxpayer money should not be used to prop up a industry with unresolvable welfare issues and declining local interest. What East Cork Needs Instead East Cork faces real challenges—from underfunded community spaces and sports facilities for local youth, to overwhelmed local animal shelters trying to rescue and rehome greyhounds and other pets. Public money should serve the public good. Call-To-Action (The Specific Demands) By signing this petition, we call on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Cork East Public Representatives to: 1. Cease State Subsidies for Youghal Greyhound Stadium: Implement the findings of independent economic reviews and phase out public grant funding for underperforming regional tracks. 2. Decouple the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund: Amend Section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 to remove the automatic 20% funding guarantee for greyhound racing, subjecting all future allocations to independent Oireachtas scrutiny. 3. Ring-Fence Funds Locally for East Cork: Redirect the state funding currently used to subsidise Youghal Track directly into East Cork community infrastructure, youth facilities, and local animal welfare organisations.

Other people should join me in this campaigne because there has been many issues lately with the tullamore skate scene as the park is an unsafe place and the skatepark no longer feels like a fun place to learn to skate there is many skaters in tullamore and only one skatepark is no longer enough

Just last year JCD Developments got extended planning permission to expand the Data Centre site in Little Island. This comes at a time of record high electricity bills, which are now some of the highest in Europe. As well as this, as of 2025, 22% of the Irish Electrical grids output goes straight to Data Centres. We need to stop prioritising the economic interests of big tech companies over the right of Irish workers to affordable electricity, clean water and a sustainable future for their children.  So join us as we take the fight to the tech oligarchic's and put an end to their profiteering in Cork.

Why this matters to Ireland: • A Proven System: For decades, Ireland has operated a safe and effective "Natural Health Ecosystem" through Health Food Stores and local Pharmacies - already governed by strict FSAI guidance. • Public Health: 80% of Irish adults have used food supplements to support their wellbeing, reducing the long-term burden on our public health system. • Economic Impact: These regulations threaten the viability of local health businesses and established Irish brands that are leaders in the European market. •  One size does not fit all: Proposed "harmonisation" takes no account of differing geographical needs — Irish people require higher levels of certain vitamins, including Vitamin D, than most other EU member states.  

Job creation, housing, and much needed investment and rejuvenation of St Patrick's street

A proposed Datacenter bid on the Premier Periclase in Drogheda site faces a bid by Ireland’s National Trust An Taisce to block the development. While many Louth County Councillors in Drogheda have labeled An Taisce’s bid as “reckless and irresponsible”, People Before Profit stands with their complaint. An Taisce’s objection was noted to span a variety of concerns including the vast energy consumption of data centers, potential carbon emissions, potential impact on constrained local water supplies. Electricity prices in the Republic of Ireland are over 60% above the EU average, making our bills some of the highest in the world. Because of heavy subsidisation which falls back on the taxpayer, households in Ireland are paying almost twice as much for their electricity as data centres themselves. At the same time as costs go through the roof, data centres are consuming more and more of our grid capacity, with approximately 22% of overall energy spent on data centres in 2024. This figure is constantly rising, and is expected to rise to more than 30% before the end of the decade, where the grid will struggle to meet demands. This means that emissions ‘reductions’ through new renewable energy infrastructure are cancelled out by increased demand.  During a heightened cost of energy crisis, the government’s weak measure reductions are not enough.  A few cents off fuel isn’t enough. We need price controls on fuel, energy, basic groceries, plus a €500 energy credit to put money back in people’s pockets.  While an increase of data centres and a decrease in day-to-day affordability are clearly interconnected, such rapid changes will impact working people in more ways than living costs alone. The AI software that data centres power will inevitably create unemployment by outsourcing labour to emergent machinery. For local Sinn Féin and Labour councillors, who claim to be parties of the left opposition, to support a development that will directly contribute to both the affordability crisis and climate crisis suggests a lack of political direction at a time when we need it most. The Irish government, Labour and Sinn Féin know this, yet they are encouraging us to quietly accept the inevitable harms they'll cause to working people. There is no discussion anywhere with ordinary people about shaping and directing this technology, in keeping with a project of green transition, for the betterment of society. The government’s designation of parts of the River Boyne as ‘heavily modified’ could allow a proposed data centre to harm the river’s water quality, raising concerns that potential environmental impacts may not be properly assessed or managed. The Irish people will suffer from the proliferation of data centers, while the rich will profit from them. Local councillors endorsing the proposed Datacenter bid on the Premier Periclase site is short-term opportunism at best. It will provide no answer to the current crises we're facing, and in the long-term, will make things worse. Another data centre is another cost onto the ordinary person! We demand: • Levy existing data centres to fund a €500 energy credit for households • Price controls on fuel,energy and basic groceries • Moratorium on new data centres 

This week I came across posts from working families in Ireland that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. A nurse with two children and a full-time working husband unable to afford heating oil or groceries. A Garda family with five children struggling to make ends meet despite both parents working. These are not people who aren’t trying—these are essential workers doing everything right, yet still falling behind. Something is clearly broken when full-time working families in Ireland cannot afford basic necessities like heat and food. This is no longer a rare situation—it is becoming the reality for more and more households across the country.

St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's most important national and cultural celebration, recognised globally.  Establishing a fixed annual long weekend would: • Enable greater participation in parades, cultural events and community celebrations • Support tourism, hospitality, and local economies across the country • Provide a consistent national holiday structure This change would preserve the cultural, historical and religious significance of the 17th of March while improving how the public holiday is observed for the benefit of society and the economy.

 The farmer's involved are getting a tiny proportion of the profit margins involved even though they supply the vital component to make the beer.

People should support the IWU Healthcare Assistants' strike in Ireland because these essential workers are fighting for fair pay, decent conditions, and recognition, highlighting systemic underfunding that impacts vulnerable patients; supporting them means ensuring quality care by retaining experienced staff and addressing issues like low pay, heavy workloads, and broken promises that lead to burnout and turnover, which ultimately benefits the entire community, especially the elderly and disabled who rely on their vital home support. 

Donald Trump, owner of Doonbeg where the 2026 Irish Open is taking place, is out of control. His warmongering, illegal actions, lying, global bullying and misogyny (to name just a few) has gone too far.  While moving the Irish Open from Doonbeg is but a small action, it is one that must be taken to show him that we will not put up with him and his bullying. I ask you all to look at one of the many other gorgeous locations across Ireland that can host the Irish Open in 2026, and take this money-making competition away from him. 

Banning or strictly regulating **TikTok Live in Ireland is important because it poses serious social, financial, and safety risks, particularly to children and young people. First, TikTok Live promotes the idea of easy money, encouraging people to beg online rather than develop skills, education, or a work ethic. This creates long-term harm by normalising dependency instead of productivity. Second, there is no transparency or accountability around gifting: • Who is sending money? • Why are they sending it? • Where is the money coming from? • What is expected in return after gifts are sent? This lack of clarity opens the door to financial exploitation, manipulation, and inappropriate influence, especially involving minors and vulnerable individuals. Third, TikTok Live exposes children to unsafe interactions, including pressure, grooming risks, and emotional manipulation. Young users may feel encouraged to perform, beg, or behave inappropriately to receive money, which is harmful to their development and dignity. Finally, the long-term impact on society is serious. When a generation grows up believing that going live and receiving gifts is a replacement for honest work, it weakens social values, damages mental health, and increases future economic dependency. For these reasons, action is necessary to protect children, uphold social responsibility, and safeguard Ireland’s future generation