"Someone from France, Germany, Spain or any other EU country can be living here, paying taxes, and affected by the same issues as everyone else from housing to childcare, but without a voice in national elections. Because they are EU citizens already, they have no reason to go through a long and expensive process of naturalising again as Irish citizens, and why should they?”

No to Shannon LNG.   No to fracked gas.   No to fossil colonialism.   No to complicity in genocide. A Critical Moment for Climate Action and Environmental Leadership Approving the Shannon LNG terminal is a reckless step backwards. It locks Ireland into decades of fossil fuel dependence and undermines our climate commitments. This is a decisive moment in our fight against climate change. We cannot afford to build infrastructure that prolongs the life of fossil fuels and sabotages our path to renewable energy. Ireland must choose to lead with action, not complicity. Fracked Gas Is a Public Health Crisis Fracked gas is not a solution; it is a threat to public health and environmental justice. The horrific consequences of fracking—including cancer, birth defects, and toxic water contamination—are well-documented. Ireland cannot, in good conscience, import a fuel that is poisoning communities abroad while jeopardizing the health of future generations. It’s time to reject this harmful practice and make a real commitment to the health of our citizens and the planet. Rejecting Complicity in Global Injustice & Genocide New Fortress Energy’s involvement in the Shannon LNG project links Ireland to violence and human rights abuses. By associating with a company entangled in the Israeli military-industrial complex, Ireland risks becoming complicit in war crimes and genocide. This is a line Ireland must not cross. We have a moral duty to reject this project and uphold our reputation as a champion of human rights and international justice. The Strength of Public Opposition and Collective Action The Irish people have made their voices heard. Communities across the country, from grassroots organizations to climate activists, have stood firm in opposing the Shannon LNG terminal. This is not a small resistance; it is a nationwide demand for change. The people of Ireland have drawn a clear line in the sand: we will not allow this destructive project to proceed. Our collective power is unstoppable. Ireland’s Energy Future Must Be Clean, Not Fossil Fueled The future of Ireland’s energy lies in renewables, not in fossil fuel projects that will burden future generations. We do not need the Shannon LNG terminal to secure our energy future; we need investment in green, sustainable energy sources. Renewable energy is the only path forward, and it’s time for Ireland to embrace innovation, energy independence, and a just transition for all. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said clearly: "There is no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply projects if the world is to reach net-zero by 2050." This project undermines Ireland’s global leadership on climate and makes a mockery of the Climate Action Plan and Ireland’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. A Defining Moment for Ireland’s Legacy The decision on Shannon LNG is not just about energy, it is about Ireland’s moral compass. Do we stand for a future rooted in justice, sustainability, and peace, or do we sell out to fossil fuel profiteers and war profiteers? This is our moment to act, to reject the forces that threaten our planet and our values. Ireland’s future is in our hands, and we will not let it be dictated by those who profit from destruction. The time for action is now. Relevant links:  Stop Shannon LNG Coalition Press Conference 26/03/2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFJ3LnoTbh4 Find the contact details of your TD here: https://www.contactyourtd.ie/ References: 1. LNG energy estimate based on 170,000 m³ per refill, ~6 refills/year, 1 m³ LNG ≈ 1.033 MWh → ≈5.69 TWh/year   2. CRU (2023) – avg. household use = ~4,200 kWh/year. https://www.cru.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CRU23105-Electricity-and-Gas-Customers-Experience-Survey-2023.pdf   3. CSO (2022, 2024) – https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/energy/ and https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-csr/   4. EirGrid (2024) – https://www.eirgridgroup.com/site-files/library/EirGrid/All-Island-Generation-Capacity-Statement-2024-2033.pdf   5. IEA (2021, 2023) – https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050 & https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2023   6. Technion & H2Pro – https://whoprofits.org/technion-israel-institute-of-technology/ & https://www.h2-view.com/story/h2pro-latvenergo-ink-deal-to-develop-green-hydrogen-project-in-latvia/   7. ICJ Genocide Ruling – https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-ORD-01-00-EN.pdf   8. IEN, Friends of the Earth, Gas Free Ireland – https://www.ien.ie/, https://www.foe.ie/, https://www.gasfreeireland.ie

May 1st 2025 is a significant day for the world's workers and peace activists, many of whom are joining together to commend and support what is also the final day of Nobel Peace Laureate Mairéad Corrigan Maguire's 40 days of fasting and prayer against the global scourge of war, injustice and genocide. Mairéad's protest followed Israel unilaterally ending the ceasefire without warning, resuming a policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing that has inflicted brutal levels of death and destruction on Gaza's unarmed and defenceless civilian population, many of whom are children.  Fearlessly calling out the impunity accorded Israel by many governments, including the United States, Britain and the European Union, who also provide money, arms and silent complicity, Mairéad ceaselessly seeks to stop the madness of poverty, cruelty, militarism and war. يُعد الأول من مايو 2025 يومًا ذا أهمية كبيرة لعمال العالم ونشطاء السلام، حيث يجتمع العديد منهم لتكريم ودعم ما يُصادف أيضًا اليوم الأخير من صيام وصلاة الحائزة على جائزة نوبل للسلام، ميريد كوريغان ماغواير، التي استمرت 40 يومًا احتجاجًا على آفة الحرب والظلم والإبادة الجماعية في العالم. جاء احتجاج ميريد بعد أن أنهت إسرائيل من جانب واحد وقف إطلاق النار دون سابق إنذار، واستأنفت سياسة الإبادة الجماعية والتطهير العرقي، ما أسفر عن مستويات وحشية من الموت والدمار بحق سكان غزة المدنيين العزّل، وكثيرٌ منهم من الأطفال. ومن خلال شجاعتها في فضح الإفلات من العقاب الذي تتمتع به إسرائيل من قِبَل العديد من الحكومات، بما في ذلك الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا والاتحاد الأوروبي، والذين يساهمون بالأموال والأسلحة ويتواطؤون بصمت، تسعى ميريد بلا كلل إلى وقف جنون الفقر والقسوة والعسكرة والحرب.

Gambling has ruined so many lives. Broke up marriages,  homes repossessed, jobs lost. Gambling can be a silent addiction and is not visible to lots of people. A gaming/ gambling arcade in a rural town is the last thing we need.

The Tenant-in-Situ (TiS) scheme was created to prevent homelessness by allowing local authorities to purchase homes where tenants are at risk of no-fault evictions. But right now, it’s failing the people it was meant to protect. Instead of keeping renters in their homes, the scheme is underfunded, tied up in red tape and restricted by narrow criteria. Local authorities are often unable to buy properties in high-demand areas, even when the tenant qualifies — simply because they’re priced out or the home needs renovation. This is despite the fact that an estimated 75% of rental properties don’t meet minimum housing standards. People are being forced out of their homes, away from their communities, schools, doctors and support networks — not because it’s inevitable, but because the system isn’t working. Tenant-in-Situ should be a powerful tool for prevention — not just a box-ticking exercise. It's time to fix it so individuals and families facing eviction can truly stay in their homes and communities. ✍️ Sign this petition and help us hold the government accountable.#MakeTiSWork  #TenantInSitu #HomesNotEvictions #HousingCrisis #FixTheSystem Firsthand Accounts from CATU Members Affected by the Failed Tenant-in-Situ Scheme: Jenny Roche, a CATU member who was denied the Tenant in Situ Scheme, commented: “A scheme like Tenant-in-situ cannot work effectively without the ability to compel both local authority and landlord to engage, possibly in a CPO-type arrangement. Otherwise tenants- regardless of length of tenure - are at the whim of landlord greed in a 'sky's the limit' property market and/or local authority ineffectiveness. My own experience of 9 months of hope dashed 5 days before our notice of termination came due because the landlord refused the council's offer was devastating. My family had been tenants of the house for almost 20 years and the landlord expected us to vacate immediately. I had been advised by the office of my local TD Catherine Connolly's office that the scheme was 'a joke' and that proved to be the case.” Amelia Melanson, CATU member, added: “The Government’s policy not to refurbish homes is a failed opportunity to upgrade Ireland’s housing stock, which is in terrible condition. Nearly three-quarters of privately rented properties inspected by local authorities fail to meet minimum standards. Denying tenants this scheme due to refurbishment costs effectively punishes them for their landlord’s neglect. Moreover, in a housing crisis and in a climate crisis, we should not just be focused on building more housing but ensuring that existing property is safe and liveable for tenants.” Another CATU member who is facing eviction after being denied the Tenant in Situ Scheme commented: “It’s terrifying to be in this position – knowing we have nowhere else to go. It’s devastating to realise that even when you’ve done everything right – paid your rent, built a life, raised your child in a community – the system can still turn its back on you. The uncertainty is affecting every part of our lives: my ability to parent, maintain friendships, and keep working. We’re stuck in limbo – we can’t make plans, we don’t know what’s coming, and we’re carrying the weight of a crisis we didn’t create. I live every day with the fear of losing our home.” Catarina Koch, CATU member commented: “We need an eviction ban now. Eviction does not just force people out of their homes. It forces people away from their school, their livelihood, and their support network. The Tenant in Situ scheme is another powerful tool to keep people in their communities and out of homelessness. Instead of expanding this vital safety net, the Government is slowly restricting it so that fewer tenants can avail of the scheme. The Government should be listening to people who have been denied this scheme to understand what the real problems are and understand how to make Tenant in Situ work.” Another CATU member who is facing eviction after being denied the Tenant in Situ Scheme commented:“I’ve gone back to college as a part-time mature student while also working. I’ve fought tooth and nail to build a life for me and my child — to keep a roof over our heads through everything, even during illness and unemployment. I never missed a rent payment, never missed a bill. I always made sure the landlord was paid first. I’ve held this household together completely on my own, with no family support, for over a decade. Through sheer grit and determination, I’ve managed to improve our lives — only to now have our security and stability ripped away. All those years of sacrifice, of blood, sweat, and tears — it feels like they meant nothing. The housing crisis sends a cruel message: even your absolute best is never enough.” No one should have to face eviction alone. If you or someone you know has been affected by a failed Tenant-in-Situ case or is facing the threat of homelessness, get in touch with CATU: [email protected]

Roberta Murray and  Shane O’Brien are Irish activists facing deportation from Germany, ordered to leave by April 21, 2025. Two other activists, Cooper Longbottom (US) and Kasia Wlaszczyk (EU) have also been issued orders. For the sole reason of protesting Germany’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Berlin’s Senate Administration has ordered their expulsion, arbitrarily accusing them of "antisemitism" and supporting "terrorist organisations".  Neither of them has a criminal record. Lawyers for their case are trying to secure court injunctions in an attempt to stop the orders. They have appealed the deportation orders on the grounds that they undermine civil liberties for EU citizens living in Germany, as neither have been convicted of any criminal offences in the German courts. This is not justice. Their lawyer, Alexander Gorski, said the allegations were “unfounded”.  Owing to the lack of criminal conviction, under EU law, this is a “removal of the right to free movement”, despite EU citizens being allowed to move freely between EU member states. This is an unprecedented escalation with dire implications. These escalations should alarm movements confronting state violence everywhere. Their deportation is a political act.  This is not the first instance of Germany weaponising migration law.  Arbitrary arrests made at protests, combined with false charges, are used as pretexts to justify extrajudicial deportation measures, circumventing any notion of independent judicial process and the rule of law. We categorically condemn Germany's complicity in genocide and reject these unlawful measures. We are calling for members of the Oireachtas to condemn this politically motivated action. We stand in solidarity with all those—in Ireland, in Germany and globally—facing persecution for their support for the Palestinian people. From Gaza to Berlin, the struggle continues. No deportation will stop us.  Within our lifetime, Palestine will be free! Read the Full statement here: Statement Read the Irish Times article: Times Online Listen to the Interview on RTE: Morning Ireland Read the RTE article: RTE Online Read the Independent article: Independent Online

The decision-making of the absentee Chief Inspector, Carol Grogan, if left to stand, will result in catastrophic job losses in Ocean View. There are currently 27 elderly, vulnerable, and frail persons from our community waiting for placement in the wonderful Ocean View. Let them do their work which they do very well with dedication and love. We ask for the unbalanced regulatory decision-making to end. Chief Inspector, stop your unreasonable interference affecting the Centre at a local level. We give our full support to save Ocean View and the jobs of the 44 employees currently employed in the nursing home. Save Ocean View Jobs for the Dingle Peninsula. Save these local facilities employees for the people of the Corca Dhuibhne region, our local Community and beyond.

This government is bending the rules because of some secret deal with Michael Lowry and his group of independents. Together we need to speak up for politics we can trust and have respect for.

Domestic abuse ruins lives, and in the worst cases, it ends them. Right now, people in Ireland can unknowingly enter relationships with repeat domestic abusers, because there is no way to check their history.  Jennie’s story is just one example of this devastating reality. She believed she had met a kind and loving partner. What she didn’t know was that he had a history of domestic violence and had served time in prison. By the time she found out, she was trapped in a cycle of control, violence, and fear—a cycle that could have been prevented.  In other countries, domestic abuse registers and the "Right to Ask" & "Right to Know" policies save lives by giving people access to vital, life-protecting information. But in Ireland, abusers are free to hide their past, moving from victim to victim with no accountability.  Jennie’s Law would change that. It would: ✅ Empower people to make informed choices about their safety. ✅ Allow Gardaí to proactively warn those at risk. ✅ Hold abusers accountable for hiding their violent past. ✅ Protect victims before it’s too late.  We cannot allow more people to suffer in silence, unknowingly trapped in abusive relationships. Sign this petition to demand urgent action from the Irish Government—because knowledge is power, and lives depend on it. 

We don’t have any power to stop him, but we can show how we feel and maybe he will actually think about what he’s doing if reasonable people around the world let him know. The political opposition in the USA, whose job this really is, are virtually silent 

Equality for Children, Irish Gay Dads and LGBT Ireland are calling on the Irish Government to immediately amend  and commence the Assisted Human Reproductive Act (AHR Act), as was promised by their predecessors, and to immediately commence the CFRA (2015) section of the AHR Act, to ensure that all children born through Assisted and Donor Reproduction to LGBTQ+ families in Ireland, have a pathway to a legal connection with both of their parents. “We urge you to sign our petition in order to push the Irish government to take the actions our children so desperately need.” Ranae von Meding, CEO of Equality for Children says, “Thousands of children in Ireland, including my youngest child, are denied legal parent-child relationship with both of their parents. This includes children born to gay dads through surrogacy, children conceived outside of clinical settings and children conceived or born outside of Ireland. As we celebrate 10 years of Marriage Equality, we cannot help but reflect on the fact that we have not truly achieved equality until children born into same-sex marriages in Ireland are afforded the same protections as children born into all other marriages in Ireland." “This must change. It’s not equal and it’s not what we voted for.” Seamus Kearney Martone, Chairperson of Irish Gay Dads says, "As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the marriage equality referendum, we celebrate how far Ireland has come—but we also recognize the work that remains. For gay dads in Ireland, the journey to parenthood is still filled with legal and practical barriers. We urge the government to amend and commence the Assisted Human Reproduction legislation without further delay. We’ve had positive discussions with the Departments of Health, Justice, and Children, and now that a new government has been formed we are committed to continuing these conversations to ensure that the voices of gay dads are heard and included in shaping this legislation. " "Equality must extend to all families, and now is the time to make that a reality."

There is a consistent shortage of teachers, both in certain geographical areas and for certain subjects. The impact of this shortage means that government departments are now turning to the idea of allowing primary school teachers to work in secondary schools and vice versa. There also is an ever increasing need for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision, but currently there is not enough teachers available to meet the demand for mainstream teachers, let alone SEND teachers. Introducing a specific SEND teacher training pathway would be a great way to alleviate this issue in. Children and young people have a wide range of needs and deserve access to the most suitable educational supports possible. If they are not offered the necessary supports, these pupils are far more likely to experience educational disadvantage, limited career prospects and lower life satisfaction compared to their peers. If unaddressed, their additional needs could also result in them experiencing physical, mental and emotional health challenges. Despite the fact that so many pupils face these challenges, which have such a huge impact both on their lives and on their potential in the classroom, current teacher training programmes do not cover much content about SEND provision. This makes it hard for teachers to cater for their pupils’ increasingly complex needs. There are pupils of all backgrounds and abilities with varied personal interests in schools across the country, which is very encouraging to see and makes it easier for pupils to find peers who they can relate to. Unfortunately, this diversity is rarely reflected in Irish staffrooms. The cost of university, the high entry requirements and the time it takes, deters many people from undertaking teacher training. Of course there needs to be high entry standards so that the students go on to become competent and professional educators. However, this intense training system edges out people who have the potential to be great teachers.  Having high exam results does not automatically mean that someone would make a great teacher, nor do low exam results automatically mean that someone would not be a great teacher. There is more to education than just grades, which pupils struggling with the demands of the school curriculum would be glad to hear. People often want to have a career where they can give something back and help people as an appreciation for the help they got in their own lives. For SEND pupils, they might like to become a SEND teacher themselves, especially as they would have a great understanding of their future pupils’ needs since they have been through the special education system themselves. It can be very comforting for pupils to know that that the person who is there to help you has experienced similar challenges so totally understands how you feel. However, these SEND pupils are often the pupils who might find it difficult to get into teacher training due to the challenges they face, so are not able to fulfil their wish of helping pupils in similar circumstances to them.  Even if they did not receive special education themselves, some future teachers know before they start teaching that they would like to work in special education rather than in a mainstream classroom environment, but currently there is no option to go directly into SEND teacher training, which might discourage them from going into teaching at all. Opening up a teacher training pathway so that trainees could specialise in SEND from the start would be a great option for the following reasons; It would help to address the teacher shortage, both at primary and secondary school levels, as it would allow people with an interest in the area to train and work directly in SEND, rather than schools struggling to fill SEND teaching roles with non-SEND teachers due to a lack of SEND specific teachers. It would be a great way to attract potential teachers to the sector who might not like the idea of working in a typical classroom environment so therefore might opt to avoid teaching altogether. It would open up teacher training to more people, especially those who do not meet the usual teacher training entry requirements (for example if they did not do Irish in school due to specific learning difficulties or not having been raised in the Irish education system).  It will allow for a greater diversity of teachers, which will more accurately represent the ever increasing diversity of pupils with all different backgrounds, abilities and interests in our schools. It would give people who have experienced SEND provision (either directly themselves or from seeing the positive effect it has had on other people in their lives) more opportunities to give back to the system that they have benefitted from themselves. It would improve the quality of SEND provision in schools, as current traditional teaching programs cover very little about SEND provision, so having people trained specifically in this area would help to counteract that. It might help to reduce the demand and points for traditional teacher training courses, which would give more people the opportunity to pursue typical teaching courses, helping to alleviate the teacher shortage even further.  Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully it will result in the introduction of SEND teacher training pathways in the near future!   Amy Reynolds* *I am a qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA), Teaching Assistant (TA) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teacher. I am passionate about education, particularly inclusive education, and the benefits it brings, especially for pupils with SEND. I myself have not been able to reach my dream of becoming a teacher due to limited entry pathways and high entry requirements for teacher training course. I now work in pharmacy and am completing an apprenticeship pharmacy technician style course. I would like my future work to combine education and pharmacy / healthcare*