Stratford-on-Slaney is unique. It’s one of Ireland’s very few planned villages, built on a hill overlooking the River Slaney in 1774 and completed around the 1780s by Edward Stratford, the 2nd Earl of Aldborough. His vision was a Georgian industrial town, centred on a thriving cotton and calico printing industry that employed over 1,000 people at its peak. What’s happened? Recently, the Stratford Tidy Towns Committee placed clay mounds on our Greens without community consultation or showing residents any visual plans. Despite four requests for an open meeting to allow dialogue, they have declined to engage with us. When residents attended the most recent Tidy Towns meeting to raise objections, we were told they will only follow what the National Tidy Towns judges say about the mounds. Our community’s voice does not matter to them. Why we object: 1. Massive loss of heritage: The 2025 National judges said our Octagon, chestnut trees, and old buildings on High Street are what make Stratford a very beautiful village. These mounds destroy a 250-year-old heritage feature. 2. Health & safety: About 60 tons of soil now create dangerous bike ramps for children and block sightlines for drivers. 3. Security: Families that live on the Green are worried about privacy and falling house values. 4. Loss of tradition: The village Christmas tree can no longer be placed in the centre. Every use of the Green that served generations for 250 years will now be lost. This is our only open green space. It is the heart of our village. We are calling for the mounds to be removed and our historic Green restored.  If you believe that heritage and the original sites of our villages and towns should be cared for with pride, please sign our petition and share it with your friends. We need your support. So far we have been met with silence.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), between 1,300 to 1,700 premature deaths occur in Ireland each year because of poor air quality. The EPA states that the main sources of this pollution are solid fuel burning and traffic emissions. It also notes links to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and neonatal mortality. For comparison, the HSE states that approximately 5,200 deaths each year occur as result of smoking. While smoking remains a major public health threat, air pollution is also causing a very significant death toll and chronic illness burden. Yet tobacco products carry clear health warnings, while fuels that create harmful pollution often do not. We therefore submit that all petrol, oil, diesel, coal, peat, wood fuels, and other solid fuels sold in Ireland should be required to carry prominent health warnings, similar in principle to tobacco warnings. These warnings should clearly state that burning these fuels contributes to: • Premature death • Heart disease • Stroke • Asthma and lung disease • Cancer risk from polluted air • Dementia risk • Harm to babies and children • Climate damage and extreme weather risks Consumers deserve clear information about the health consequences of products they purchase and use. Public warning labels would help raise awareness, encourage cleaner alternatives, and support national public health and climate goals. They would also help us find a clearer path towards gaining energy independence by encouraging reduced fuel use and greater support for clean, home-grown renewables such as solar and wind. Ireland has shown leadership before with tobacco control. We now need similar honesty and courage regarding polluting fuels. We ask both Government and Opposition parties to support legislation requiring health warnings on these products. Yours faithfully,

The Road R741 from Crosstown to Castlebridge is unsafe and unfit for its purpose.  12000+ cars use this stretch of road every day, a ten fold increase over the last 2 decades. Over the years, there have been fatalities and recently many near misses with pedestrians and cyclists - some instances where they have been knocked over.  Elderly people, parents with children and disabled people using mobility scooters are forced directly onto the road where public footpaths end abruptly and verges are unsafe. The roads unsuitable resurfacing and lack of infrastructure and drainage has meant the verge is now at a sharp angle, where you can no longer safely walk. The danger is increased in wet weather. From Crosstown service station to Castlebridge, the speed limit increases from 60 to 80 km/h, while public footpaths and cycle lanes suddenly end. Unsafe verges mean pedestrians are forced directly onto the roads surface.    Houses along the road are in dips as a result of careless resurfacing - where the road is now bowed - causing flooding with damages of over €30,000.  This applies to a stretch of road just 1.2 miles long where cycle lanes and public footpaths end in abruptly in Crosstown and begin again in Castlebridge - how are pedestrians and cyclists supposed to travel safely without these measures? 

The travesty that no one thought could happen has indeed happened. The iconic St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre has been earmarked for redevelopment, replacing what is a remarkable structure with another beige brick characterless building. St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre opened in 1988, transforming a historic site in central Dublin into a modern retail hub. The building itself incorporates elements of the original Victorian-era architecture, preserving Dublin’s heritage while adapting it for contemporary use. Over the years, the centre has evolved to meet changing retail trends, becoming a key destination for shopping and dining in the city. Its location next to St Stephen’s Green park ties it closely to Dublin’s cultural and social life, making it more than just a shopping centre but a part of the city’s historic fabric. Closing and redeveloping the iconic building would be absurd.  In addition, there should be an immediate independent investigation of the planning committee who approved this destruction to assure the public there has been no corruption during the approval process.

The Aghavannagh Mountain holding is a c.1,527ac upland estate in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, with 1,518 acres extending in one unbroken block from the village of Aghavannagh to the summit of Lugnaquilla. At 925 metres, it is the highest mountain in Leinster and the highest peak in Ireland outside of Kerry. It is close to the Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest and most celebrated long-distance walking trail. The land contains extensive priority habitats under EU law, upland heather moorland and blanket bog.

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has demonstrated that the objective of affordable, secure and decarbonised energy cannot be met through importation of fossil fuels which are carbon intensive and subject to rapid price shocks. Climate change and its consequences are and will continue to have profound effects on human health and the wellbeing of future generations. In confronting the fact that 29% of Irish households are in energy poverty, we must ensure that in moving to a net-zero Ireland we adhere to the principles of a Just Transition, and must reach those furthest behind first. Energy crises disproportionately impact the most marginalised, including one parent families, carers, disabled people, and older people, and are driven by an energy system that is too reliant on expensive imported fossil fuels. The Government has been backtracking on climate action in recent months; Government Ministers have suggested in the media that they won't meet our legally binding climate targets, and several pieces of legislation undermining the Climate Act have been published, including one that proposes to build an LNG terminal in Ireland, which will lock us into importing unreliable and dirty fossil fuels.

We are calling on the CEOs at Fingal County Council and the HSE for: • Full clarification on whether any proposed roads, pathways or access routes will extend toward, connect with, or impact Glasmore Park or its green space  • Confirmation as to whether any part of the existing green space including the community-maintained pocket forest will be affected • Full details of any proposed changes to boundaries, landscaping, access or usage of these areas We strongly object to any development that would result in the loss, reduction, or degradation of this valued green spaces/pocket forest. This petition reflects the strength of feeling within our community.  We stand together to protect all our green spaces for current and future generations. Sign below to support the protection of Glasmore Park entrance green including pocket forest 🍃🌳

We, the residents of River Valley, feel strongly about preserving one of the most cherished landmarks in our community. The Sakura tree holds significant value for residents and contributes positively to the well-being of children and families in the area.The tree is located in the heart of River Valley, on the grounds of the church and to the rear of Holy Family Senior National School, a primary school for boys and girls from 3rd to 6th class. The tree was planted approximately 40 years ago by a local resident.Since then, it has become one of the most admired landmarks in River Valley for both residents and visitors. Over the years, thousands of people have gathered under this tree to mark important life events such as weddings, communions, confirmations, birthdays, and other special occasions. Many residents have shared that children, in particular, find the tree to be therapeutic and comforting—a place to read, draw, or simply spend quiet time. During the COVID period, the tree in full blossom provided much-needed comfort and uplift to people of all ages, offering reassurance and emotional relief during a challenging time. A few years ago, the Parish Council, without consultation with the Residents’ Association, sold this land—held in trust for the community—to a developer, Dunne Better Build. Planning permission was subsequently obtained to construct accommodation adjacent to the school, along with parking facilities. The residents of River Valley are deeply upset and concerned about the possibility that this cherished tree could be damaged or destroyed as part of the development. The collection of 940 signatures within just 10 hours demonstrates the strong emotional attachment the community has to the tree. At present, the uncertainty surrounding its future is causing significant anxiety across all age groups, with growing concerns about the potential impact on the mental well-being of the community.

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 

1. Throwing books in the bin is an attack on intellectual freedom Books are not disposable objects — they are voices, ideas, experiences, and history. When books are dumped in waste bins, the community’s right to knowledge and individuals’ right to think freely are discarded with them. This undermines the spirit of Article 40.6.1 of the Irish Constitution, which protects freedom of expression and the circulation of ideas. 2. What happened sets a dangerous precedent If hundreds of books can be labelled “extremist” and thrown away without any academic or legal assessment, then any institution could dispose of any book it dislikes. Today it is jurisprudence and history; tomorrow it could be philosophy, politics, or literature. 3. The library was a major cultural and educational asset This was not a small collection. It was a multilingual library containing: • 10,000 Arabic books • 4,000 English books • Additional collections in several other languages This is an irreplaceable intellectual heritage. Losing it is a loss for the entire society. 4. Protecting books means protecting cultural diversity Ireland prides itself on being an inclusive and multicultural society. Destroying an entire library sends the opposite message: exclusion instead of inclusion. 5. The incident damages the credibility of cultural and religious institutions Communities expect institutions to safeguard knowledge, not dispose of it in rubbish bins. Restoring trust requires transparency, responsibility, and respect for written heritage.

The environmental impact of using generative AI is incomprehensible to the general public. In 2025 alone, the data centers used to run OpenAI tools were responsible for 32.6 - 79.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. According to OpenAI engineers, clean drinking water must be used to cool the data servers in order to prevent "mineral build-up" in the cooling systems. Data centers are literally using one of humanity's most precious and scarce resources to cool their servers, and it is dwindling by the day. OpenAI's projected water usage could hit 6.6 billion m³ by 2027, which is equivalent to 13.2 billion 500ml water bottles. Although this issue seems out of our hands, students can do their part by helping ban ChatGPT from the Trinity College Dublin Wi-Fi. ChatGPT is the most widely-used generative AI model, thus, blocking access would drastically reduce students' contribution to this ever growing problem. You can help do your part by signing our petition!

Lough Swilly is not just a stretch of coastline — it is a shared natural resource that belongs to the whole community. It supports protected bird species, fragile sand dune habitats, daily recreational use, and a tourism economy that many local families and businesses depend on. Once large-scale development is approved in protected coastal areas, it is extremely difficult to reverse. Decisions made now will shape the future of the lough for decades. If the wrong balance is struck, we risk long-term ecological damage, further spread of invasive Pacific oysters, loss of amenity, increased marine debris, and harm to the natural landscape that defines this part of Donegal. It is also important because the first application was not widely known within the community, and many local residents did not have an opportunity to make their views heard until after it had already been accepted. Public participation is a fundamental part of environmental decision-making. Communities should be properly informed and given a fair chance to engage before decisions are made — not after. This is about ensuring transparency, fairness and proper protection of a designated and valued coastal environment.