Cycling already accounts for 27% of all traffic on Dame Street, making it the most popular cycling area in Dublin, in spite of the current hostile conditions. With an expanding population and national policy to increase the share of walking and cycling trips across the city to 25% in the coming years, this area needs to be equipped to handle a proportionate increase. We’re calling on the City Council to guarantee the delivery of a new College Green that meets the needs for current cycling and walking volumes and is future-proofed for projected demand. The area needs to deliver for all users of the space, no matter where they’re coming from or going to, whether they’re walking through or lingering; whether cycling with children or cycling to work. The needs of visually impaired people, deaf people, children and the elderly need to be catered for at the proposed plaza in particular. The tried and tested Dutch model for cycling, employing high quality segregated routes and widespread permeability, is the only proven way to realise truly inclusive levels of cycling. Cycle flows must have the same attention to detail as public transport to unlock the true potential of cycling in Dublin. We’re concerned that the latest drawings do not convey this. Specifically, we’re calling for: A detailed design that takes advantage of the principles of sustainable safety and does not use shared walking and cycling areas, in accordance with section 1.9.3 of the National Cycling Manual (NCM). We view this as central to the success or failure of the plaza; Use of self-enforcing separated cycle tracks which are well-defined visually and spatially, using angled kerbs, grade-separation and colouring to create new bike permeability for Trinity, Dame Street, Grafton Street Quarter, O’Connell Street and other destinations in the area; Use of bus stop bypasses at all stops on Dame Street and all other possible measures to separate busses and cycles in the area, including bidirectional paths in accordance with the NCM/Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets requirements. 660 Dubliners have already backed our calls for improved walking and cycling commitments in this year’s City Development Plan, joining almost 8000 overwhelmingly positive submissions on the 2015 Dublin City Centre Transport Study. The leading business groups have also backed the College Green proposals, which will make the city even more attractive to the world’s leading companies and their workers. The council has already shown what quality cycling routes can achieve in Dublin with the Grand Canal Cycleway. It’s now time to build on that success.

Johns Lane West and Brú Aimsir hostels give shelter to almost 150 people who are former rough sleepers in Dublin. They are both set to close in the coming weeks. This will result in the loss of 150 beds for those sleeping rough. Focus Ireland and Peter McVerry Trust who currently run the hostels have not revealed how they plan to accommodate these people who will be forced back onto the streets with the closure of these hostels. The residents have been told they must ring the freephone in Parkgate St to find alternative accommodation. With an already critical shortage of beds, this will only put added strain on a flawed system which puts people in direct competition with each other, having to spend all day trying to get through to the freephone phoneline, often to simply be told there are no beds available. The Irish Housing Network demands: Dublin City Council, Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland put a transparent plan in place with the residents of the hostels in providing suitable accommodation for those affected by the hostels’ closure. Long term social housing stock is immediately turned over for homeless people and families through the building of housing and opening and refurbishment of empty homes. Tenant’s rights for those in emergency accommodation so they cannot be evicted without notice and are protected under tenancy legislation. Rights for Travellers and Roma people in the ability to practice their culture and have well maintained and provisioned sites available throughout the country, including the restoration of traditional roadside stopping places.

Since pre-industrial times, our world has warmed by a global average of almost 1 degree celsius, due primarily to greenhouse gas pollution from human activities. This has already triggered serious planetary-scale climate disruption, and is having devastating humanitarian impacts on vulnerable communities in diverse geographical regions. But we are not powerless. We can still act: both to limit the speed and ultimate severity of global climate impacts, and to brace our own society for the potentially drastic shocks ahead due to the climate disruptions we have already initiated. This will require urgent and radical societal transformation. That can only happen with the willing engagement and support of the people. We need a genuine, sustained process that allows every single citizen and community in Ireland to fully consider the range and nature of the changes we face, and to advance policies and actions that are commensurate with them. Only in this way can we hope to create the unity and solidarity that is essential to create a strong, resilent, and genuinely sustainable society. We need a Citizens' Convention for a Post-Carbon Ireland.

The Flaggy Shore is a beautiful, unspoilt piece of County Clare, enjoyed by many. Today, the people who run Failte/Discover Ireland/Wild Atlantic Way erected a hideous steel sign at the beach end of the Flaggy Shore. No one living along or near to the Flaggy Shore was consulted about this sign. We do NOT want it, nor do the many visitors to the Flaggy Shore. We ask that you TAKE IT AWAY NOW!! How about investing our money in the development of the roads along the Wild Atlantic Way??? PLEASE, remove this insulting sign at once.

The Department of Social Protection is meant to be responsible for fighting homelessness, not making conditions even more unbearable for rough sleepers in Dublin city centre. The recent installation of anti-homeless devices at the Department office building on Amiens street is an unacceptable measure, described in the following terms by the Director of Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) Anthony Flynn: "[From] the department that is supposed to look after our vulnerable people...This the most unsympathetic way of dealing with the homeless crisis, it's a 'not in my doorstep attitude' and we certainly condemn it." Accountability, however, has been lacking in the responses of both the Department of Social Protection and the Office of Public Works, which apparently manages the building in conjunction with a private landlord. But it's time for government to stop shirking responsibility. An Tánaiste Joan Burton is also Minister for Social Protection, and TD Simon Harris is Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works. Let's call on them to take action against this appalling measure, and to advocate immediately for the removal of all anti-homeless devices from Gandon House.

Dublin City's 'Herzog' Park is called after the Dublin-raised Chaim Herzog who became 6th Israeli president, having fought along with Zionist paramilitaries in the late 1940s and then serving in Israeli administration. His son, Yitzhak (Isaac) Herzog is current Israeli president, who has recently called for the violent elimination of Palestinians. The name Herzog is a name long associated with the barbarity & shame of on-going Israeli aggression against Palestinians. The people of Dublin stand with the people of Palestine in the on-going Israeli onslaught. The message of the renaming of the 'Herzog' to ‘Free Palestine’ of the Dublin City Park can be another symbolic expression of the people of Dublin's solidarity.

This beautiful building has become an iconic landmark in Dublin. The building in its current form is more fitting in the area than the proposed building. The view from within St Stephen’s Green will be radically changed in a negative way by the new build.

This facility would provide a healthy and enjoyable facility to a huge number of people all year around.

Castletroy is a populated area that needs facilities to match the growing population. This park would bring people to the area to spend in the area and also minimize unscoped poop in the area as - the upkeep would not cost anything as once fenced off its purely a gate to open and close the area..

A dedicated building rather than a warehouse.

Evidence has shown that North Kildare is not getting its share of community resources. No swimming pool, no waste facilities, the Wonderful Barn not invested in, decrepit playgrounds, not enough youth facilities beyond sports. We need community investment along with new housing.

The Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael and Green government have missed their own deadline on the publication of a second report that was expected to outline the targets for the nationwide delivery of services. We are calling on people to contact their local government TDs and Minister Helen McEntee to urge the release of this report and provide actionable timelines for the delivery of a refuge that can provide wraparound services, in Carlow and the 8 other counties without one. Now that the issue has fallen out of public focus the government has dropped the ball, but we won’t stand for it. The Government has failed us for too long on domestic violence, we need to hold them to account on their deadlines. Ireland is currently providing less than 30% of the places recommended under the Istanbul Convention. The Government must increase the number of refuge places needs to be increased by at least 350. There are 9 counties with no refuge in Ireland. Campaigners in Carlow have been calling since 2017 and have been consistently stonewalled by the Government. Tusla has still not made any contact with Carlow Council on the provision of a refuge despite a statement from Government in February saying this would happen. Everyday, women and children are being turned away and forced to choose between homelessness and returning to their abuser and staying in abusive relationships for fear of homelessness. We cannot wait, demand action now!