I think I can safely say that I speak for every single Irish Rugby Fan with this petition.  This is Irish Rugby's 150th Anniversary, a landmark season that needs to be a stand out one and recognized globally.  This can't be done with the generic, collarless, socceresque jersey that was released last week.  This can't only be done with the traditional, iconic white collared Green & Gold Jersey that was announced today.  Forget the talk of limited edition, we don't want this as a souvenir jersey with no game time played in it, all true Irish Rugby fans urge the IRFU, Canterbury & Elverys Sports to reconsider their decision while there's still time and make this absolutely stunning design as Irish Rugby's home Jersey for the 2024/2025 season.  Do your part by signing this position but also do that little bit more and point blank refuse to buy the forgettable, round neck, turquoise jersey that was released last week.  Thanks for taking the time to read  Philip O'Reilly 

From the Causeway Coast to Newcastle, NI Water have discharged sewage into coastal bathing waters across NI for 8,993 hours in 2023. According to the new analysis from the Belfast Telegraph, those pipes are releasing untreated sewage directly into or close to bathing waters that are protected by law. Not only that, NI Water is only monitoring a fraction of the pipes. NI Water needs to first come clean on the amount of sewage it is pumping into our waters. Analysis found in bathing waters in Newcastle found a pipe near the central promenade discharging for 1,532 hours! Testers are discovering forms of bacteria found in human intestines and poo. Swimmers, kayakers, coastal walkers and everyone in society deserve clean and safe bathing water. It is time for NI Water to stop protecting polluters and start protecting our waters and livelihoods. 

The new ban on electric scooters on public transport is planned to be implemented in October, and will negatively affect thousands of commuters that rely heavily on these alternative modes of transportation for part of their journeys to and from Work.   A large number of commuters rely on Electric scooters to get to and from the train, bus, and other forms of public transport, on both sides of their journey. This means that they can leave the car at home and not contribute to private vehicle congestion in already congested areas.    Despite being considered an environmentally friendly and efficient commuting option, electric scooters will be banned on Public transport under new rules. The reason provided was that the lithium-ion batteries used by many electric scooters pose a fire hazard on board.   The lack of real consideration for commuters by the NTA will seriously limit mobility freedom for many citizens in suburban towns. This move also sends a negative message for people looking to move to more environmentally friendly transportation alternatives.   We urge the NTA to revisit this ban, and re-examine the risks associated with electric scooters on board, and implement any necessary mitigating controls on board rather than outright prohibition.   Your signature can promote the reconsideration of this ban. We ask you to support us for greener and more inclusive transportation alternatives. Please sign the petition.  

1. **Preservation of Community Investment:** The letter underscores the significant voluntary efforts made by Dermot Maguire and others in transforming the Garden, framing the request for CCTV and lighting as a necessary means to protect their hard work. 2. **Deterrent to Vandalism:** By emphasizing that the proposed measures would serve as a deterrent, the letter highlights the practical benefits of these investments in preventing future incidents. 3. **Enhancing Safety and Security:** The importance of public lighting and CCTV in creating a safe environment is stressed, making it clear that these additions would not only protect the Garden but also make it more welcoming to residents. 4. **Community Pride and Well-being:** The letter positions the Garden as a symbol of community pride, arguing that the Council’s support is crucial in maintaining this shared public asset for future generations.

The North Wall CTC has been closed since February 2020. Over the last four and a half years, it has become an eyesore to the surrounding areas. It is a prime example of the neglect and abandonment experienced throughout inner-city communities. This failure should not be allowed, and our community should not accept this either.  However, despite the unanimous agreement at the Dublin Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum in September 2022 that the building should be repurposed for education and childcare needs, there has been a lack of drive or will to push through the necessary restoration works. The issue seems to have been dropped due to an estimated repair cost of approximately €3 million.  Since 2021, Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn  Féin have called for this site for public use, such as the after-school support programme. Utilising this site for childcare provisions or something similar will benefit the entire North Wall area community.  Our community deserves respect, and €3 million is a tiny expense compared to money  other government departments spend. The value of this building to the community as an amenity is worth multiple times the estimated costs for renovating it.  The North Wall community deserves to have this building refurbished and put directly to community use. The potential benefits include childcare, healthcare, training and education, a Men’s Shed, Senior Citizens centre and many more. The community now needs to drive this issue and demand these works occur.  If you support this campaign and wish to see positive investment in your community, please sign this petition. There will also be community days of action where we will call on the community to attend a demonstration outside the centre 

Playgrounds are the heart of a community and an indispensable gathering space that can benefit everyone. They provide children the opportunity to practice and hone key skills including social, emotional, cognitive and physical.  Every estate should have playgrounds easily accessible to all children in the area.

We are in a biodiversity crisis, this is the absolute minimum that can be done. Herbicide use is indiscriminate of plant and destroys the remnants of nature in places. We have seen the low numbers of butterflies and bees this year - how can we expect the numbers to increase when we spray the plants and pollinator corridors vital to their life cycles.

We would appreciate if everyone from the area could sign this and get the equestrian facilities for the area that are needed. Our kids put there hearts and soles into looking after there horse keeping themselves busy and out of trouble until the horse pound come in and does a clear out after all the tender loving care and money  has gone into our horses the last visit from the pound was at 10.40pm on the 18/06/2024 siezed 5 horses and left many young kids heartbroke this so going on far to long now the love for horses is not going to leave the area by just keep pounding the horse but pounding the younger generations horses is just going to give them more free time and push up anti social behaviour in our area so we are asking for a safe and secure location for the horses for our younger generations to keep them doing what they love and keep them off the streets 

*WARNING* Possible wake up call ahead, be prepared to grab the wheel! To all the parents like myself on all the WhatsApp groups, checking the time of GAA training for tomorrow... Recently driving home from work I felt I was nodding off a bit, a product of this modern world, too much on, too much running around, too much technology coming at me, I'm exhausted to be honest! When I got home and after doing the domestic dance of who's making dinner that night, I fell in front of what was my "babysitter" growing up - the TV. At the same time my kids are spread out all over the house in front of their modern "babysitter" - the mobile phone. Why did I get them these devices? Because you got them for your kids, and you got them because I got them for my kids, peer pressure at its worst! The internet is an amazing tool, the reason you are reading this message, but we all know there is the dark side that we don't like to think about, is it a case of modern life has us so tired that we are asleep at the wheel or are we just turning a blind eye? The internet is like a car, difficult to live without one, safe and practical in the hands of an adult, but give a car to a 12-16 year old and it's possibly a form of abuse! Dangerous to the child and dangerous to those around that child! The state has a dark history of child abuse, something you would think would not happen again in our modern society, that we would not let it happen on our watch, however abuse can come in many subtle forms! Are we all guilty of staying quiet like all those cases years ago, choosing the easier path!? The media is awash with the side effects of these devices - social media anxiety, mental health issues, shore attention span, behavioural issues, desensitization to violence, social disruption, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, underage sex, teenage pregnancies, underage sex crimes - the list goes on, it’s some punishment on our kids and on our communities just so they can be "connected" and watch a few dance videos! Even with something as trivial as dance videos you start to realise the algorithms are pushing more and more sexualized content towards you! The sexualization of our kids at such a young age and the normalization of that fact is a serious modern-day issue. "You need to build a relationship with your kids, educate your kids" - this is what most internet guides tell parents. Good advice but it only addresses "pull" technology i.e. educate your kids not to go looking for the darker side of the internet. The problem is exacerbated now by "push" technology such as Snapchat where the darker side comes looking for you! Everything is not how it seems when it comes to Snapchat, on one side there is what appears to be a harmless app where kids can swap funny photos etc. On the other side it’s an unregulated, unfiltered, hidden, dark network, where kids can make and receive any kind of content they like, and I mean ANYTHING! Sure, wasn't there always a playboy magazine knocking around back in the day I hear you say, but the playboy magazine didn't contain graphical content of underage kids, and wasn't interactive, asking you to create content back! If you said 20 years ago that we're going to create a device and put it into each child's pocket and one thing it will enable is for kids to send naked pictures and videos of themselves to each other, then people would have thought you were crazy! Snapchat knows this but are too busy making millions, it will argue they are only supplying the pipes, the kids are the ones pushing the toxic water through. It's the gun manufacture debate, they only make the guns, you're the one pulling the trigger. Just like web email has filters, Snapchat could implement filters, they choose not to, they could even put AI software in place that says “we know that's you, cop yourself on”! As a 16-year-old, I would have been all over Snapchat, it has the thrill of a new relationship, aspects of gaming (fishing for better rewards) as well as the titillation! The content circulating on Snapchat can trigger kids to have an interest in porn, they then go looking for stronger content in other places on the internet. There's also a known sextortion scam circulating on Snapchat which has led to numerous shocking suicides! People say you can't change Society, but Society is the people, Society is us, we can change! Why did we get the phones in the first place? Society put peer pressure on us to get them, so let’s put peer pressure back on Society to change, then Society can go full circle and remove the phones! I believe most parents deep down know we've made a mistake with access to these phones at too early an age. Forget all the serious issues above, even just to get rid of the domestic arguments around screen time would make them worth removing! This is the cigarettes of our time causing the cancer in our Society, I truly believe in 10 years’ time people will look back and say, “what the hell were we thinking?!” Our government knows they are awash with social and underage issues but are they asleep at the wheel or is it a case of too little too late? Are they willing to take on the phone manufacturers?! The ask here is that you put your name to this petition asking for a public vote on smart phones. I believe if the vote was put to the public, the public would do the right thing! If you want to get involved in our movement, please join our Smartphone Free Childhood Ireland WhatsApp Group Invite And/or please take this quick poll (only two questions - do you believe there should be a minimum age and if so, what age?) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8PJK9SH Thanks for reading, let's keep our kids safe out there! Sound Bytes Sam References: Jonathan Haidt on the Mental-Health Crisis and Smartphones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6NfPHrVilc The Anxious Generation Evidence  https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/research/the-evidence

Northern Ireland, particularly the Sperrins, is being overwhelmed by wind farms, with insufficient consideration of their drawbacks. The Sperrin region, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), faces the imminent threat of becoming a dumping ground for large, seemingly eco-friendly energy projects. We believe there is currently an unsustainable over-reliance on wind energy development as the primary means to meet renewable energy targets. This over-dependence on wind energy endangers our overall energy security, further diminishes our already shrinking biodiversity and natural heritage, negatively affects community well-being and health, and eliminates fair opportunities and benefits for everyone in our transition to a greener, more sustainable future.

Please get behind this campaign to keep the horticulture course open in West Cork Campus Skibbereen. This course provides people with opportunitites to train and work in this area in the west cork area. Growing food, increasing biodiversity and ecology in something we need to promote. Please sign this petition to keep the course open, for those that are already enrolled on it and prospective students who wish to study this important and sustainably driven subject. Closing this course will deny people who genuinley want to study and work in the area of Horticulture in West Cork. It does not make any sense! This is a sustainable and practical career choice for those living in West Cork and should be retained. We call on the Cork ETB (Education Training Board) and all our local representatives to keep this course open. 

The money is there. The Council needs to ask for it so they can urgently hire the necessary number of park rangers for Tallaght parks and the equipment they need to do the job.