What needs to change now: 1. Real choice of place of birth. While we welcome “Home-from-home” rooms as a much needed option for water immersion in hospitals, these rooms are no substitute for home birth or birth centres. The National Maternity Strategy outlined that all supported pathway, or uncomplicated, pregnancies would give birth in birth centres or home birth. As such, we request: • The development of truly midwifery-led birthing centres in all 19 maternity units or catchment areas. There are currently only two, the same number as before the strategy was created.  • The restoration and expansion of public home birth. Reinstate services where they are suspended, like in Limerick, and extend access nationwide so eligible women in the supported care pathway can choose a home birth without unnecessary barriers. 2. Respect midwives’ autonomy. Make midwifery-led care the default for uncomplicated pregnancies, protect community midwifery schemes, and ensure midwives can practise within their full scope. 3. Make informed consent non-negotiable. Provide clear information on risks, benefits and alternatives — including the option of no intervention — and honour valid refusals. End routine, non-evidence-based interventions and apply national guidance consistently. 4. Prioritise water immersion and facilitating water births. 15 of the 19 maternity units have at least one birthing pool, but only three offer water birth. Every unit should have at least one birthing pool and every unit should offer water birth. Prioritise this safe option for women with staff training, nationalised protocols and auditing to ensure usage — water is effective natural analgesia and should be supported. 5. Trauma-informed care everywhere. Train staff and resource services so every woman — especially survivors of sexual violence — receives compassionate, sensitive, person-centred care. 6. Transparency & accountability: All too often Maternity Safety Statements (MSS) are incomplete and months behind. Some hospitals fail to publish all clinical incidents and cumulative year to date figures. This is unacceptable and must be resolved. We believe the MSS should also be expanded, publish unit-level data on all interventions, including: • Differentiating methods of induction used, including membrane sweeps, pessaries and oxytocin drip. • Distinguishing between elective, scheduled and emergency caesareans • water immersion  • water birth  • home birth requests and coverage 7. We need clear timelines for full NMS implementation — with service-user and midwifery oversight. This is about choice, safety, dignity, and trust. It’s 2025: mothers and babies in Ireland deserve maternity care that truly centres women and follows the evidence — not convenience or outdated protocols. Add your name to demand real choice and better care. Share this petition with your family, friends and community. Together, we can ensure every mother in Ireland has access to respectful, evidence-based, women-centred care — where informed choice is the standard, not the exception. We also invite you to stand with us at one or more of our rallies to show your support in person. Every voice and presence makes a difference, and together we can create real change. Together, women and families can show that we will no longer accept less — because women, babies, families and midwives deserve better.  Rally Information Sligo: October 11th, 11am, Queen Maeve Square, Sligo Town Limerick: October 11th, 11am, Location TBD Dublin: October 23rd 2pm, At the gates of Leinster House

I live on a Local road. i see all types of pedestrians using this road for their daily walks. these include i see families with young children i see mothers pushing their prams. i see dog walkers. i see elderly friends of the locality going about their daily keep fit walks , some with hi-viz jackets. i myself have had lots of near misses with passing vehicles failing to give an inch when overtaking me.  i have spoken to walkers who will not use certain roads because they are afraid to walk on the roads.

Since October 2023, Gaza has faced one of the deadliest assaults in modern history. Over 300,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them women and children. Entire communities have been erased, and the genocide continues daily. Coca-Cola is not a neutral brand in this context. The company: Operates in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land. Has supply chains and business practices that profit from occupation and apartheid. Uses global events and sponsorships to whitewash its image while remaining complicit in human rights abuses. Electric Picnic is more than just a festival it is a cultural institution in Ireland, a space where values of creativity, freedom, and solidarity are celebrated. Allowing Coca-Cola to sponsor the festival undermines these very values and makes Electric Picnic complicit in whitewashing genocide. By dropping Coca-Cola, Electric Picnic can send a powerful message: our culture will not be used to cover up crimes against humanity. This would not only honor the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in Gaza but also set a precedent for ethical sponsorship in the music and arts world. Standing against genocide is not political but is a matter of basic human rights and human dignity.

The Clonlara residing along the R463 would like to request the support of all residents of Clonlara for the following reasons: • Improved accessibility for those of us at these addresses means more economic activity in Clonlara village.   • It would allow us to access bars and restaurants. It would also create a higher footfall for the village shop which has now closed twice previously due to this challenge. It would increase bus service user numbers thus ensuring the service is not cancelled and more bus services may be added. • It would reduce traffic at Clonlara bridge as many would choose to walk and cycle such a short distance rather than sit on the bridge in traffic. • It would bring members from your community who are currently not spending time in the village due to a lack of accessibility across the bridge and create a more unified community.   We would also like to request the support of those who have  accessibility concerns for relatives living in the area. We thank you all for your support on this matter.

Health risks backed by science • Multiple Studies have found that even short-term exposure to PM2.5 smoke particles increases hospital admissions for heart, lung, and neurological conditions. (Links to studies: [1][2])  • Studies show wildfire smoke can raise mortality rates in vulnerable groups (children, the elderly, people with asthma, and heart disease). [Links to studies: [3], [4]] • These pollutants travel long distances — you don’t need to live in Cherrywood to be at risk. Smoke is more toxic than normal air pollution • Gorse/wildfire smoke isn’t just particles — it contains toxic gases like benzene, formaldehyde, and acrolein. • These VOCs are linked to respiratory disease, cancer risk, and neurological problems — and they’re invisible, often undetectable by smell.  • For VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene, WHO recognises that there is no safe threshold indoors, further underlining the health risk of the current smoke exposure. Children are the most vulnerable • Kids breathe faster and inhale more pollutants per body weight. • In Cherrywood, a primary school sits right below Ticknick Park, directly in the path of the smoke. • Protecting them here sets a precedent for protecting children everywhere. It’s not just Cherrywood — it’s Ireland’s future • With warmer, drier summers, gorse fires will keep recurring across Ireland. • If we don’t act now, other towns will face the same repeated exposure, with no monitoring or guidance. • The current response is limited to carrying out controlled burning or "hoping for the rain" — but neither of these protect Cherrywood families from repeated exposure to toxic smoke. A precedent for national action • By supporting Cherrywood, you’re pushing Ireland to adopt stronger protections — including, but not limited by efficient fire response, local monitoring, proactive land management, timely community guidance and access to HEPA + carbon filters. • Wildfire smoke has been recognised internationally (e.g. by the US CDC and European Environment Agency) as a significant public health hazard due to fine particles and VOCs. • This campaign can set the standard for how Irish authorities respond to all future smoke events. *In this context, ‘Ticknick’ refers to the adjoining lands located beside Ticknick Park and the community playfields. ** Have you been affected? Please take 2 minutes to fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/cUtUWMZA2Zamr39UA

In Ireland, Ambulance response times for life threatening emergencies have been incraesing, with Category 2 calls averaging 35 minutes and 11 seconds, surpassing the 30 minute targets. In some regions, such as Cork, there have been instances where ambulances have taken over an hour to arrive to high priority calls. Given that anaphylaxis can progress rapidly, requiring immediate administration of adrenaline, these delays can be life threatening. Without timely access to adrenaline, individuals expreincing anaphylaxis face increased risk of fatality. Ensuring that autoinjectors are availible over the counter would allow people to act swiftly in emergencies, potentially saving lives while awaiting professional medical assistance

For too long the Midwest has been left behind We were promised a centre of excellence we got a warzone

It has been 21 months since the citizens assembly voted to change drug laws here in Ireland. It has been 9 months since a drugs committee recommended cannabis was decriminalised and the Medical Cannabis Program was expanded. It has been 8 months since the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin Launched his election manifesto promising to decriminalise Cannabis. So where are the changes? As of 29th of July 2025 the Irish Government has made HHC Illegal, this is NOT a health-led policy or something that is going to stop young people consuming substances.    In reality and what the government has done is give organised crime gangs another new way to make more profits while putting more lives at risk, are you happy with that?  We need to demand change & we need change now! Please join me in pushing for changes in these laws like we were promised and help change peoples lives for the better & not harm them even more.

County Monaghan currently lacks a public hospital capable of delivering a full range of specialist and emergency services. This forces residents—young families, elderly citizens, and people with chronic conditions—to travel to other counties for vital care, increasing pressure on regional hospitals and risking lives. Monaghan is a growing, vibrant county that deserves local access to modern, high-quality healthcare. Establishing a multi-specialty hospital here would reduce wait times, improve outcomes, and show the government’s commitment to rural health equity.

Ireland is facing a drug-related crisis — not just in terms of health outcomes, but in how we respond to people who use drugs. Right now, our system prioritises punishment over care. Instead of support, people are criminalised, stigmatised, and pushed further into harm. Decriminalisation is not a radical idea — it’s a proven, humane, and evidence-based solution that would save lives and rebuild communities. Criminalisation causes deep and lasting harm. When someone is arrested or prosecuted for drug possession, the consequences go far beyond the courtroom. People can lose their homes, jobs, education opportunities, and even custody of their children. Families are torn apart. Young people are labelled as criminals before they ever get a chance. Fear of arrest means people are less likely to seek help when they need it — whether that’s during an overdose, a mental health crisis, or when they’re ready to access treatment. At the same time, criminalisation wastes valuable public resources. Our courts and police are overwhelmed with low-level drug offences that do nothing to improve community safety or reduce drug use. The time, energy and funding spent on punishing people could be better used on health services, harm reduction, housing, and prevention. We also know there’s a better way. Countries that have decriminalised drug use have seen clear improvements: fewer deaths, less stigma, more people accessing support, and safer communities overall. Decriminalisation isn’t about encouraging drug use — it’s about treating it as a health issue. People who use drugs deserve dignity, safety and care, not a criminal record. Most importantly, the Irish public has already made its voice heard. The Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use recommended a health-led approach and an end to criminalising people for personal possession. But despite this, the government continues to delay action — and that delay is costing lives. That’s why we’re launching this campaign. It’s time to listen to the evidence, to centre the voices of people most affected, and to push for a system built on compassion and justice. We need a system that prioritises health, not handcuffs. The longer we wait, the more people are harmed. It’s time to act — because every life matters, and every person deserves support, not punishment.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a rapidly progressing, terminal neurological condition that affects approx. 470 families across Ireland currently. Unlike many illnesses, MND attacks the body’s ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe — often within just a few short years. Despite 40 years of dedicated support by the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA), people living with MND and their families still face serious gaps in care, inconsistent access to vital equipment, and inadequate recognition of their urgent needs within the healthcare system. The challenges faced by patients and families demand a healthcare response that is equally urgent and specialised. The IMNDA has stood beside families for four decades — providing care, advice, and advocacy — but real change can only happen with government leadership and commitment. Sign this petition to demand that Ireland steps up — to provide the funding, support, and recognition that people living with MND so urgently need and deserve. Together, our voices can make a difference.

For the vibes