It has been known, since at least as far back as 1998, to Cork County Council, and their successor organisations responsible for Water Services, Irish Water, and Uisce Éireann, that untreated sewage has been escaping from a failed sewage treatment system into a public park in the village of Shannonvale, Clonakilty, County Cork. This area, which serves as the village's sole public recreation space, is situated on the north bank of the River Argideen, upstream from the point where Uisce Éireann extracts drinking water for the entire Clonakilty municipal water supply. Despite the evident threats to public health, this issue has persisted for over 25 years, since it was first reported to Cork County Council.

Because it's the right of the people

Amazon is destroying millions of items of unsold stock, dumping products in good condition, destroying environment and filling landfills. It's time to ban this exploitation. https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-40988816.html https://www.itv.com/news/2021-06-21/amazon-destroying-millions-of-items-of-unsold-stock-in-one-of-its-uk-warehouses-every-year-itv-news-investigation-finds

We are deeply concerned at the government’s plan to change Ireland’s proud policy of neutrality and how they are going about this. There is public discontent at the prospect of Irish Neutrality being jettisoned and replaced by membership of militarised peace-enforcement alliances with the EU and NATO. The Fianna Fail/Fine Gael government initially spoke of a Citizens’ Assembly to study the issue of Irish Neutrality [2] but abandoned that proposal in favour of the tightly managed Consultative Forum which allows the government to control the conversation, and takes the debate plus final conclusions away from the public. The Forum programme is biased in favour of the Minister’s agenda to build consent for the Government’s plans. The whole exercise is undemocratic. [3] In contrast with the small number of ‘pro- neutrality’ speakers included in the four days of meetings, the forums are loaded with speakers against the established neutrality policy of the country. Some of the issues and perspectives that the public want addressed, such as nonviolent civilian defence, or how to develop a positive neutrality role, are not on the government set agenda. The forums are not as advertised- ‘a public space for open debate’. They are only being held in three cities, with very little publicity informing people of the limited public tickets available and how to access them. Even the days and times of the forums are exclusive, falling during the working week and starting too early and finishing too late for parents taking children to school to be able to attend. This is all most unsatisfactory. There are concerns over the fact that instead of a Citizen’s Assembly the government’s forum will conclude with the chairperson [4], who was hand-picked by the Dept. of Foreign Affairs, compiling a report with recommendations for government consideration. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] “Triple Lock” The approval procedures that govern the despatch of contingents of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) on overseas peace support operations is commonly known as the “triple lock”. The “Triple Lock” was introduced to allay the Irish electorate’s fears that the EU ‘Nice Treaty’ was a threat to our sovereign neutrality after the treaty was rejected by Irish citizens in a referendum in 2001. Subsequently the Nice Treaty was passed in a second referendum in 2002. The requirements of the “triple lock” were formally set out in Ireland’s national declaration associated with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. It comprises of 3 requirements: to be endorsed by the Government, Dáil* and United Nations (UN)** *There is no requirement for Dáil approval where, the international UN Force is unarmed, where the size of the PDF contingent does and will not exceed 12 members, or if the contingent is intended to replace in whole or in part or reinforce a contingent of the PDF serving outside of the State already serving as part of an International UN Force. ** The requirement for a UN resolution as part of the “triple lock” reflects the central importance of the UN in granting legitimacy to peace support and crisis management missions. Minister Micheál Martin questions if the Triple Lock remains fit for purpose using the argument that Russia can use its seat on the UN Security Council to veto a UN resolution and thus prevent Ireland being sent on specific military missions. (https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2023-05-18/32/) The Minister is not being balanced in his arguments. He has never raised any objection to the multiple uses of the veto by the USA on the UN Security Council, which has prevented many justified sanctions taking place. The Minister is also being disingenuous, as Russia has never opposed a proposed Irish peace mission that has come before the Security Council. The real reason for his wanting to dismantle the Triple Lock is to undermine Irish neutrality. As the Triple Lock mechanism is not written into the constitution it can simply be removed by the government without a referendum. [2] Micheál Martin (as Taoiseach 08-03-2022) https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2022-03-08/2/ “I think we could look at a citizens' assembly to discuss these issues in the fullness of time, where detailed prepared submissions and perspectives from a wide range of opinion could be articulated.” [3] Afri commissioned 2-minute video for Swords to Ploughshares about the Consultative Forum: Not A Con Forum But A Citizens Assembly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLagfomCPFI https://www.swordstoploughshares-ireland.com [4] Chairperson Dame Louise Richardson DBE (Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) Her 2006 book on ‘Terrorism’ shows some of her work and views. https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Louise-Richardson-Terrorism-review.pdf

Over the past few years there have been a soaring number of planning applications across the Island of Ireland to build very large “Solar Energy Farms” covering thousands of acres of agricultural land, with some in high amenity areas. Such projects involve taking over productive food-growing fields with hundreds of thousands of tall solar panels in order to generate “green” electricity for periods typically 35- 40 years. During this period the farms are unable to grow any food crops or raise animals. Only a few exceptions graze sheep, though this is going out of fashion with the developers. The developers usually offer to “improve the local biodiversity” or similar “green” sounding platitudes but there are no guarantees that the existing wildlife will not be permanently impacted or that the land will be even used for grazing. Solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels produce electricity from sunlight, but are very inefficient in producing energy compared to their land greed. Offshore wind power and hydroelectric systems, along with nuclear generation are significantly more efficient for their land footprint and have been chosen by the Government as the primary large-scale routes for energy investment towards our net zero goals. Nevertheless, solar developers are keen to cash in on the publicity of the net zero targets whilst they still can, removing valuable food producing land in the process. Solar panels on individual homes, offices, public buildings, and over car parks can and do contribute to offsetting electricity used in those buildings. The ISEA issued a report in 2022 showing that over 1.3 million homes in Ireland have roof space for solar panels which equates to 13GW capacity meeting 19% of renewable energy targets. County level findings also show that using maximum theoretical potential on each roof that up to 38% of Westmeath’s residential energy demands would be met by solar PV in homes. (https://www.irishsolarenergy.org/_files/ugd/dcb342_31fe5681d3fd4f56b322141c9886af5c.pdf) Energy sent over the transmission network is lost the further it travels, contributing to energy waste. Like a bucket of water with a small hole in the bottom. But this is reduced to almost no loss when installed on a rooftop and used by the building. These industrial solar energy plants, if needed at all, should be located on previously developed “brown field” sites and rooftops, not on valuable agricultural land. And certainly not adjacent to communities and in areas of high scenic and historic beauty, where they will destroy the public amenity and visual openness of the local countryside. Over the coming decades as we face up to the challenges of Climate Change, which is predicted to reduce food yields across the globe, we need to be able to produce enough food for ourselves. It is predicted that we will need to produce more food due to increasing populations. We need to be able to feed sustainably and covering viable agricultural land with solar “farms” is NOT the way to achieve this. It is time to call on the Government to end the development of large-scale Solar Energy “Farms” on prime agricultural land and take other measures to realise the benefits of solar pv such as making it mandatory for a minimum of 50% of all new builds to include rooftop solar power or giving communities the opportunity to participate in community owned projects like those set out in RESS 3 and supported by SEAI. If this gets approved it sets a dangerous precedent and there are more developments (similar in size) in the pipeline taking up large quantities of our prime arable land. If you care about the destruction of our countryside and wildlife (protected and unprotected) in our beautiful lake county then please sign and share for others to sign. We need to stop this now! Imagine acres and acres of glass and metal monstrosities where there once was crops, birdsong and animals grazing. Please Don’t let our Lake county become a Solar County.

Currently the passport office doesn’t accept these ID cards, that are issued by the electoral office. Often times these are the only photo ID people will have - and currently the only one that is free.

According to the 2016 Census, there were 25,808 people living in the Gorey electoral area which includes Courtown. Each year the population of North Wexford expands dramatically as people move to live in the county during the summer months, and with the growth of working-from-home options, many now remain in North Wexford all year round. Added to this the number of tourists who come to spend time on our beaches, points to a clear need for an extension of lifeguarding services. The development of lifeguarding services at additional beaches in North County Wexford is key to developing and marketing our beaches as a tourist destination. The provision of accommodation, footfall to and from food outlets, local store shopping, and the development of sea-based activity/enterprises, other seasonal enterprises, will all benefit from lifeguarding additional beaches in the north county. North Wexford Open Water Swimmers aka Sammy's Swimmers is a community of over eighty swimmers of mixed abilities, from daily dippers to competitive open water swimmers (triathletes, iron (wo)men, marathon swimmers, and one channel swimmer). While the majority of members are living locally, every summer we welcome back our seasonal residents. We share a passion for the sea and surrounding coastline.

Disposable Vapes are a product that have surged in popularity in recent years. These products are a threat to: 1. Public Health - With disposable vapes nicotine is delivered through an aerosol vapor which has been shown to have inflammatory effects on the respiratory system. As well, experts have warned of the potential of disposable vapes to act a gateway for smoking, especially for young people and adolescents. 2. The Environment - Disposable vapes are single-use items that contain plastic, electronics, and lithium-ion batteries. Disposable vapes are more frequently becoming a source of litter on our streets. This can result in harmful waste materials, such as mercury and cadmium, being leached into our environment, negatively impacting human health and biodiversity. These risks are simply not worth the convenience of a single use product! 3. Waste of Valuable Resources - The opportunity cost of global disposable vape production for the green economy is massive. The very materials such as lithium and copper are the precious materials needed for greener technology. It is estimated 90 tons of lithium and 1,600 tons of copper were used for the global production of disposable vapes in 2022. To put this into perspective, this amount of lithium is equivalent to the amount needed to produce 11,000 electric vehicles and is enough copper for 1.6 million electric vehicle charger units So let's put an end to the madness that is disposable vapes. Let's protect our health, our young people and our environment. Sign the Petition! Interested in reading more, check out the following source: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/minister-defends-plan-to-ban-disposable-vapes-theyre-making-the-world-worse/42071990.html https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/new-laws-to-ban-sale-of-vaping-products-to-under-18s/42141930.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220718111558id_/https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/378/bmj-2021-065997.full.pdf https://www.ft.com/content/6d5ed980-8b91-4372-9e7e-14eda5419325

We're calling for Dublin City Council to take part in #NoMowMay and cease mowing the grass of parks and green spaces during the month of May to support wildlife. Why DCC should take part in #NoMowMay: - Pollinators, like bees and butterflies, are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem. They rely on early flowering plants such as daisies, dandelions, and other wildflowers as a valuable source of nectar. - The longer grass provides welcome cover for foraging wildlife such as birds and hedgehogs, as well as a wide variety of insects to snack on. - A healthy lawn with long grass and wildflowers can help in the fight against climate change by absorbing pollution and locking carbon away in the soil. Dublin City Council has signed up for the All-Ireland Polinator Plan which recommends reducing mowing to 5 times a year (Once in mid April and then not again until end of May) but this clearly is not being observed. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan notes reducing mowing as the most cost effective and impactful way to provide food for pollinators and other insects. Visible improvements have been made by DCC in parks around the city to encourage biodiversity and this is welcomed and appreciated! All we ask is that DCC ease up on mowing wherever possible to give our vital pollinators the best chance at survival. Further reading: Why bees matter? Bees are the most important pollinator of crops and native plant species in Ireland. They are a key component of our wildlife and one of the busiest, least appreciated work forces we have. A study from the Department of the Environment found that bees are worth €53m a year to the economy. In Ireland crops such as apples, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, blackcurrants, peppers, courgettes and pumpkins are reliant on bees for pollination. It is estimated that almost three quarters of our wild plants rely on insect pollinators, of which bees are most important. But bees are declining at a record level in Ireland. Due to habitat loss and the use of pesticides more than half of Ireland’s bee species have undergone substantial declines since 1980. The distribution of 42 species has declined by more than 50%. (Source: pollinators.ie) All-Ireland Polinator Plan: https://pollinators.ie/no-mow-may/ All-Ireland Polinator Plan for councils: https://pollinators.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Councils_actions-to-help-pollinators-2018-WEB.pdf

An equal society is a better society for everyone.

A healthy ocean means thriving wildlife, sustainable fisheries, and livelihoods for fishers, but a proposal to rewrite EU fisheries rules threatens to undermine all of this by legalising overfishing on a massive scale. It would allow dramatic underreporting of catches(1), but Minister McConalogue can prevent it from going ahead. This relaxing of the rules has been tried before, in the Baltic Sea(2), where it contributed to the collapse of vital fish populations and “incentivised” hidden overfishing(1). The biggest benefits would go mostly to vast supertrawlers like the Margiris, which has been recorded fishing off the Irish coast in recent weeks(3). The cost would be felt by the rest of us. This is our last chance to stop this. Join us in calling on Minister McConalogue to uphold Ireland’s obligation(4) to ensure the accuracy of catch reporting by blocking this dangerous proposal. It’s time to stand up for the ocean and everyone who depends on it. Find out more about why this petition is so important by visiting the BirdWatch Ireland website: https://birdwatchireland.ie/join-us-in-calling-on-minister-mcconalogue-to-oppose-eu-council-proposals-that-would-undermine-accurate-catch-reporting-and-risk-further-overfishing/ (1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/16/loophole-quotas-overfishing-endangered-species-eu-papers (2) https://ejfoundation.org/reports/a-case-study-of-the-margin-of-tolerance-in-the-baltic-sea (3) https://www.independent.ie/news/environment/alarm-for-marine-life-and-local-fishing-crews-as-monster-super-trawler-fishes-in-irish-waters-for-a-third-day-42388536.html (4) https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=3E9E9FB0F6680A682CD5505D13ECBF56?text=&docid=253727&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=2468322

Environmental damage is an existential threat and we are facing disaster. Much of our planet will not be habitable if we continue on the current pathway.