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 annual White House visit is enormously symbolic. For Irish Politicians to boycott the Biden Administration, it could weaken America's continuing support for Israel. It would also send ripples across the world and further highlight the plight of the Palestinian people on a global stage. It sends a signal that Ireland and the vast majority of the people in this country, says no to this genocide, opposes what is happening and opposes US support for it. It's important that the government and all politicians say they will not be going to shake hands with Joe Biden and other members of the US administration. Exact Wording of the motions to be proposed on Monday 12th - 1) Carlow Council agrees apartheid Israel is engaged in a genocide in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, including over 10,000 children. Many more have been seriously injured and traumatised, almost 2 million people are displaced and face a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with famine conditions. Carlow Council commends the mass movement that has erupted across Ireland against the violence in recent months. 2) Carlow Council notes that Israel's murderous campaign of collective punishment is highly dependent on the military, financial and political support of Joe Biden and the US government in particular. This council also notes the Biden Administration has opposed calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, and that Biden has personally bypassed Congress to transfer arms to Israel during the genocidal war that will cause widespread death and suffering in Gaza. Therefore this council will write to the Irish Taoiseach and all political parties, calling on them not to attend St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House, nor to meet with President Joe Biden or any representative of his administration as part of the St Patrick’s Day events. Accordingly, members of this Council expected to travel to the U.S. will instead invite Irish-American associations with links to Carlow to travel to Carlow to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Young people across the UK and Ireland currently live in an electoral postcode lottery. 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland and Wales are allowed to vote in local and Parliamentary elections, while their peers in Northern Ireland cannot.  Scotland and Wales join a host of other nations across the world which have chosen to extend voting rights to their young citizens, including: • Austria • Brazil • Cuba • Ecuador • Parts of Germany • Greece • Malta • Nicaragua, and more! Young people living in Northern Ireland feel disenfranchised and unsupported by our political system. Lowering the voting age to 16 will give our young people a democratic voice, ensuring that their voices can be heard on the issues that matter to them.  Why now? Recent comments by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in support of votes at 16 have sparked some heated public debate on the issue. Many of the arguments put forward have been based on assumptions about young people's behaviour, maturity and competence. But we no longer need to rely on assumptions - we can look at the international evidence!  1. Young people are capable and engaged  - when faced with situations that require unhurried, deliberate consideration - 'cold cognition' - 16 year olds demonstrate judgement as mature as that of adults. In the weeks and months before an election, young people have time to use their cold cognition skills, gathering evidence and talking to their friends, family and peers before making an informed decision. 2.  Many young people are political activists and campaigners - globally and locally, 16 and 17 year olds have campaigned for climate action, better mental health services, RSE and much more. 3. Young people have minds of their own - it's true that in most European countries, young people tend to support left-leaning parties in higher numbers than adults. But just like adults, young people hold a range of views and opinions from across the political spectrum (see trends in Austria, Germany and Scotland) 4. Younger voters are lifelong voters - at age 18, many young people are in a transitional phase of life - leaving school, starting uni or work, moving out of the family home or their hometown. They might not be familiar with local issues and candidates, or with voting registration systems and requirements. These conditions can dampen rates of voter turnout. But at the ages of 16 and 17, young people are more likely to in environments with strong socialisation influences, like the family home and school. Evidence from Scotland shows that when they are given the right to vote, 16 and 17 year olds turn out in greater numbers than those aged 18 - 24! 5. Respect for fairness and equality - young people aren't just citizens of the future - they're full and equal citizens now! At the age of 16, young people in NI can work, pay taxes, provide care for loved ones, get married and serve in the Armed Forces. They're an active and valuable part of society - why shouldn't they have a say in how things are governed? The importance of education When 16 and 17 year olds are granted the right to vote in Northern Ireland, it is vital that this is accompanied by plans to develop high-quality civic education. Deliberative political literacy education can help to mitigate inequalities in political knowledge, confidence and participation from the earliest possible stages. Schools and youth organisations have a crucial role to play in empowering, supporting and encouraging young people to engage meaningfully with politics.  Credit for Image: Bulat Silvia

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/

This interim flood relief scheme will allow us to sleep at night and not worry about waking up to waist-height contaminated water and having to carry our babies out to safety again. The residents of Gleann Fia are continuing to live this nightmare every time it rains.

I am calling on you to boycott St. Patrick's Day Celebrations at The White House this year. This would be a powerful sign of solidarity with Palestine that would reflect the feelings of Irish people & have a massive impact around the world. You are either against genocide in Gaza or you are not. I will not vote for any politician who travels to Washington & shakes the blood-soaked hands of Joe Biden.

At COP 28, the Irish government spoke on the news about false solutions, like carbon capture and storage. These insufficient solutions are a distraction and so many people around the world know this truth. As young people, we already know that burning fossil fuels is causing climate change and that fossil fuels are responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. We are the ones that will have to face the climate chaos that we didn’t create. We need to make sure Ireland does not fall into the trap of the fossil fuel industry! Please sign your name and SHARE! Bella, Aya, Zoe, Lucas, Tom, Roisin & Riley! students from North Wicklow Educate Together secondary school

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.

We the undersigned wish the Moore Street area to be conserved as a cultural historical quarter and street market. We wish the sixteen-building Moore Street terrace to remain intact. We do not wish the decision on how to manage the area to be left in the hands of property developer or developers. Three freedom fighters and a number of civilians received fatal wounds from British gunfire in this street. The seven signatories of Proclamation, five of whom spent their last hours of freedom in Moore Street, were executed by the British along with another seven.  We recognise the enormous historical importance -- not only for Ireland but for the world -- of the events of the 1916 Rising that took place in this area and the value of the artifacts of buildings, footprint laneways and street of the area.  We recognise too the important social history and current value of a daily street market and independent small business area which needs further development along in character which cannot be achieved by the installation of chain stores. We believe that the future sensitive development and conservation of this area should be in public ownership and along lines agreed by public consultation.

We need your support to ensure a majority of TDs in Dáil Éireann back our motion calling for the Government to: - Intensify its advocacy for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages. - Provide strong leadership at EU level to advocate for economic sanctions on Israel, including: - Suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis of a serious breach of the essential elements human rights clause in that agreement. - Suspension of the EU-Israel Horizon Europe Association Agreement and Israel’s access to the €95 billion Horizon Europe fund for research and innovation. - Make a referral to the International Criminal Court requesting that it investigate whether members of the Israeli government and military have committed war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza. - Enact the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023 as a matter of urgency. - Withdraw the diplomatic status of the Israeli Ambassador given the failure of the Israeli State to cease the deliberate targeting of civilians, journalists, UN staff and healthcare workers. - Pursue all possible avenues at the EU and the UN to build an international alliance for peace to provide a pathway away from violence and back to the negotiation table.

The redevelopment of the hat factory site would be a huge boost to Castlebar providing badly needed preschool facilities to local families and social housing that is desperately needed to alleviate the housing crisis.

Israel is committing war crimes and genocide against the people of Palestine. Thousands of children are dying before our eyes. Families are being wiped out. Lives are being destroyed. Expelling the Israeli Ambassador would communicate a strong message that we, the people of Ireland, do NOT accept genocide and mass destruction. It would give courage to other nations around the world to stand in solidarity and do the same. It would send the message that - no matter how small the nation, our voices will be heard. We can not afford to be quiet today. We need to raise our voices for those who cannot and take a stand. Sign the petition to Expel the Israeli Ambassador NOW!