The proposed College Green Plaza will be an iconic civic space in the heart of Dublin - Ireland's capital. It has the potential to rival other great urban spaces like Dam Square in Amsterdam or Trafalgar Square in London. However to achieve this the expansion of the proposed extent of the College Green Plaza to the steps of the former Parliament building (now Bank of Ireland) is of paramount significance. Given that the tax paying citizens of the State funded the Bank Bailout, and Bank of Ireland is essentially now State owned this petition calls on that Bank to allow the expansion of College Green Plaza by removing Parking in the forecourt area as a gesture of goodwill towards the people of Ireland and its capital city. A recent public consultation on the proposed plaza at College Green heard that the railings at Bank of Ireland were private and would stay, while trees would be removed. It is therefore clear that retention of railings is to facilitate parking in the forecourt of the Bank. This is not in keeping with a pedestrian plaza and or the opening of a new cultural visitor centre at College Green in 2017 which will greatly enhance the amenity value of the College Green complex. While the present railings do have historic value they should not be used to curtail the extent of the plaza. With careful planning and your input College Green can become a focal point for our nation in the heart of our capital city and once again play host to historic public gatherings from the visit of President Obama in 2011 to rallies and marches in support of issues that matter to all of us. Please sign & share and have your say !

OUR AIM: To reaffirm the commitment of Dublin City Council to Gaelscoil Cholmcille for the additional land for the provision a two stream permanent school with necessary amenity space. Specifically, we wish support for the following: 1. To confirm the allocation of additional land from Dublin City Council, as originally promised in front of the existing temporary school . Presently 83% of our pupils live within 2 miles of the Gaelscoil, and countless local children are turned away every year due to lack of places. The proposed development of Laurence’s Land could require over 1,000 additional school places in the next 2-5 years 2. To seek formal approval from DCC for a Design Layout Change in the Housing Land Initiative Feasibility Study Dec 2015 3. We wish to seek assurance from DCC that all traffic from the development uses only the entrances further west of the Gaelscoil area, for the security of our children. 4. We wish for our Permanent School Development to run concurrently with the proposed Laurence’s land development. It is imperative that the whole community support our petition.

Our local businesses, environment and democracy are under threat from a trade deal currently being negotiated between the EU Commission and the USA. The deal is called TTIP and could outlaw local authorities’ support of local businesses, allow multinational corporations to sue us if councils deny fracking permits and open up services like water, health and education to privatisation. What’s up for grabs are the rules and regulations that force corporations to abide by standards that protect our health, our rights, our jobs, services and the environment. These regulations for example stop corporations releasing chemicals and products into the market before they are proven to be safe. They also make sure workers get their rights and that local communities are protected from environmental disasters. But if TTIP goes ahead corporations will get to have a say on policies that govern our daily lives - before we or even politicians get to see them. And if they don’t like the rules they will be able to sue governments when they make changes or bring in new policies that could potentially affect their profits. Right now in Canada a fracking company Lone Pine Resources Inc., is suing the government for its decision to not allow fracking in Quebec. They are able to do this because of an ISDS clause in another trade deal. In Egypt the government was sued by water company Veolia for attempting to bring in a minimum wage. Germany is being sued by Swedish energy company Vatenfall for €4.7 billion because of Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power. TTIP also removes barriers to US companies who want to sell their products in Europe. Right now the sale of US beef in Europe is very limited. Hormone injected beef is banned outright. Hundreds of councils across Europe have already said they don’t want TTIP. Because of people power politicians are waking up to the threat TTIP poses and to the fact that people aren’t going to stand aside and let our democracy and rights be sold off. In addition to that a similar Trade agreement named CETA if the TTPIP fails will deliver a similar agreement between the EU and Canada, with similar legal provisions thus providing a backdoor for the same restrictive legal provisions to be implemented: CETA summary: http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/wp/16-03CETA_ES.pdf

Ireland's 1993 Commission on the Rights of People with Disabilities made a statement that sadly still rings true today: "People with disabilities are the neglected citizens of Ireland... [but] they want, and are entitled to, equality and full participation as citizens." In 2016 we’re still waiting to see full equality on our public transport systems. This is especially true of DART services, which are riddled with accessibility problems. But it's time for us to say enough is enough. The Disability Federation of Ireland estimates that there are over 160,000 people with a disability in the Dublin area. On top of having to cope with various medical conditions, that's 160,000 potential DART-users relying on - lifts that are often out of order - platform ramps onto the train that don't work or don't exist - live travel information that is inaccurate or inaccessible - trained station assistants who aren't available in all stations Each of these factors makes even the most basic journeys a headache to organise, and sometimes impossible! But all of these issues could be easily fixed if the government made them a priority. Let's raise our voice for disability rights now. Call on the government to fix these issues and make DART services fully accessible for people with a disability. Disability Rights Now is a People Before Profit campaign chaired by Richard Boyd Barrett and based on the feedback of local disability rights activists in the Dun Laoghaire area.

We all have a right to adequate access to drinking water. The UN has told the Irish state that according to international human rights law, all levels of government are under an obligation to provide urgent measures, including financial assistance, to ensure access to affordable housing, and essential levels of drinking water and sanitation services.

Merlin Park meadows has been conserved as a public amenity space for many generations and is a vital green space for the people of Galway. With 84 acres of land already zoned for development within the Merlin Park hospital complex, it will have an adverse impact on the community - once it is gone, it can never be replaced. With the expansion of housing and commercial lands surrounding the area, it is a healthy environment for the ever increasing population who depend on it as an escape from polluted environments, a place for mental relaxation and physical activity. Along with the Merlin Park Woods it is the only known habitat in the city where Red Squirrel are thriving and sightings from other areas of the city are of roadkill. It is home to thousands of mammals and wildlife species such as butterflies, bumblebees and dragonflies providing a safe haven for them with huge declines in the number of these species and many threatened species in recent years. It is home to a variety of Orchids and wildflowers similar to the protected Burren in Co Clare. This is a very unique meadow within the city of Galway and is totally natural. Galway has been awarded the European Green Leaf Award for 2017, to allow development on public land and destroy this meadow would totally go against this.

The people of this community have the lowest density of green space in the state. The council refuse to discuss their plans for the site and intend to sell the land to developers. They are threatening to close a Community Garden which is thriving by delaying the allocation of allotments to residents of the Community that have applied. The area is socially deprived and has .7 % of green space per resident when the World Health Organisation recommends 9% per resident pet community.

Lough Key Forest Park is a national treasure and must at all costs be kept in public ownership. We're really worried that plans are afoot to sell it or part off, similar to what happened at Newcastle Forest where publicly owned land of which we the Irish people are the stakeholders of was leased to a foreign private company for profit gain. Una Bhan is a 'high' POEM / song in the Gaelic tradition,which tells the tragic love affair she had with a rival of her father.It is widely sung the length and breath of Ireland,and it symbolises our rich gaelic culture.She is buried on an Island close by......our heritage belongs to everyone, and no one!

The Marine Institute has applied for a 35 year lease for an offshore electricity generating station in Galway Bay off of Spiddal. There are 5 applications relating to this all to be found on www.environ.ie. Although, there have been a couple of public meetings about this, the most recent meeting in the Connemara Coast revealed that a huge amount of people have very little or no information about what this entails. Indeed, there are too many Galwegians and Clare people who have no idea that this is the plan for Galway Bay. We would like to inform people of the details and have asked the Marine Institute and Simon Coveney, who has the power to sign off on this, for more time to examine the applications and the consequences for Galway Bay and its surroundings. Please help us spread the word quickly as we only have until August 2nd for submissions on this. Unless our TDs and Councillors stall the deadline for us.

The salmon farming industry is detrimental to wild salmon, peoples health and the ecology of the bays where the cages are. Sea lice from the salmon cages easily infest little salmon making their journey to sea, and many don't return to breed. This massively effects angling tourism, coupled with escaped salmon who spread disease. The antibiotics and food used to farm these "organic" salmon is far from healthy. The E.U definition of "organic" is shocking, and I have never in my life heard of antibiotics growing in a field! Mussels and other native life is effected by the salmon farms, they must be stopped! For more information or to help the campaign further contact Tom Moran via the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pbpcastlebar Thank you!

Keep the Liffey Cycle Route on Dublin’s quays — say no to a backstreet detour, yes to a Dutch-style two-way cycle path reclaiming part of the quays and a new riverside park. Option 6 is workable and the best route for the city. Act now to save the route — sign the petition (coming soon), and email [email protected] and your local city councillors to make it clear you want the route to stay on the quays. After thousands of people supported the Liffey Cycle Route in a widely-publicised public consultation, Dublin City Council caved in to “severe” behind-closed-doors lobbying. Now the city council wants to detour the route away quays and onto back streets, removing a planned section with an iconic riverside park. There are pros and cons to all options, but a huge part of the importance of this project is to reclaim the a small part of riverside and provide a safe and attractive cycle route for the north and south quays. A detour into Smithfield will detract from the route and will not make many of the objectors happy. Keeping the route alongside the Liffey makes sense — it connects residents, commuters and tourists to the city centre’s main waterfront, is more attractive to users and it connects better to the southside, including Heuston station, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Guinness Storehouse, and hospitals and other large employers who are encouraging staff to cycle. Objections to keeping the route on the quays don’t make sense, read why here: http://irishcycle.com/quays/

Planning permission has been given to build Irelands tallest building and monster hotel on top of The Port Of Cork Buildings. They plan to build this skyscraper will cover up and destroy the Port buildings, which are the most historical, prominent, visually beautiful buildings in Cork City. The Port of Cork Buildings are listed buildings, they are supposed to be protected. They were constructed during the Napoleonic Wars by the prisoners of Spike Island more than 200 years ago. They are in such an important piece of strategic land in the centre of the city and on the historic waterfront. These are the first buildings we see when we arrive in Cork. They have the possibility to make this city very special. These are a unique set of buildings and part of our cultural and historical maritime heritage - of international interest. If this huge development goes ahead the character of Cork will be lost forever. Cork City Council has been allowing many historical buildings in Cork City to be demolished. Their idea of preserving buildings is to keep the front wall, (Some examples Navagation House and Camden Quay buildings demolished leaving only the front walls, the O Callaghan Properties development on Lavits Quay. Opera Lane didn’t even bother keeping the front and now Patrick’s Street has started losing its character and historic buildings).