Current opening hours do not facilitate the working public- closed for an hour at lunch, closed Wednesdays and closed on saturdays. Huge money has been spent on the new facility recently opened in the Excel and the weekend footfall is huge. It’s a massive waste of a resource not to allow access on Saturdays.

The government is supposed to reach a decision in April 2018 on whether or not to grant a license for the right to mechanically harvest seaweed to a private Canadian company. The sale was complicated by a legality. The ownership of the right to harvest seaweed is currently under question. Traditionally local people, owned the rights to harvest seaweed and harvested it in a sustainable way. Mechanically harvesting seaweed is not environmentally sustainable and will have a serious impact on the ecology of the sea. Harvesting rights to seaweed belong to the people and should not be allowed to be sold off by the State for private profit. Seaweed is now a highly lucrative resource which should be harvested in a sustainable way for the benefit of the people of Ireland living now and for future generations.

The population of Lusk and also it's surrounding area's is growing at a rapid pace and therefore it is imperative to facilitate this growth. A swimming pool would not only bring some much needed investment and also ease the pressure of unemployment but also facilitate the area for our children to enjoy. The Lusk Sports Hub 2020 is a fantastic new project that will bring a multiple of new sporting facilities to the area with the exception of a hugely required swimming pool. In addition, the erection of the Lusk Sports Hub, Lusk will become the epicentre of sporting facilities for the surrounding areas and therefore a swimming pool is a necessity and not just a requirement. Swimming is not only a life saving technique that everyone should be taught from a young age, but it is also an incredibly fun and enjoyable experience for the old and young, whether it’s for ones mental health, fitness, leisure or play everyone can enjoy the benefits of a swimming pool. Kind regards, LSP.

Galway, with a population of 80,000 people, is a beautiful, thriving, bilingual city in the west of Ireland, situated on the Corrib, and the gateway to the biggest Gaeltacht in Ireland. The people of Galway however face the daily challenge of serious traffic congestion which impacts enormously on their quality of life. In addition, Galway is projected to increase its population to 124,000 people by 2040 so urgent action must be taken to improve the public transport system in the city. We also face a real challenge in fulfilling our commitments under climate mitigation legislation which oblige us to take both immediate and long terms steps to reduce our emissions. A light rail system, as part of an integrated public transport system, will go a long way towards achieving these objectives. It will also provide positive opportunities for sustainable urban renewal. We believe that the provision of a light rail service in Galway has to be an integral and essential part of the solution. Building on the dedicated work of the Gluas team, the matter was raised in the Dáil in November, 2017 with the Minister for Transport with a view to providing a light rail service in Galway. The Minister’s response is interesting and is worth a look: https://goo.gl/paGKDT He issued a challenge to the people of Galway to show that there is a demand for light rail, and if we can show that demand, he is willing to discuss and review the situation. That challenge has led to this petition campaign which started on the streets of Galway on the 13th of January 2018 and which will continue for 8 weeks, with the specific aim of collecting 30,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed the petition already on the streets of Galway, please show your support by signing now. Now is the time to act.

Grassroots men and women who have given their lives to the GAA are being cut off from their own games, despite the organisation being built on the strength of their work. It is disingenuous to suggest that the pay per view model is financially essential given the rude health of the GAA in 2018. Based on the experiences of other sports with providers like Sky, we believe that in terms of active participation and meaningful engagement, it is detrimental to the GAA community to develop this relationship any further. (see http://historyhub.ie/the-impact-of-pay-tv-on-sport) The elite model which Sky Sports champions is detrimental to the social fabric of areas in which GAA clubs carry a sincere social responsibility. The GAA’s most significant opportunity lies in restoring value to local community. We can shift the balance back towards the club by encouraging the club game to develop alongside the intercounty game, as opposed to well behind it, as is the current reality. Based on recent motions from Clare, Leitrim and Roscommon, it is clear that people at the coalface of GAA life do not support the organisation's decision to use a pay per view model. We respectfully request that you sign the petition in order to send a clear and unified message to the incoming Director General and President. Le meas Paul Rouse Joe Brolly Michael Duignan Diarmuid Lyng

This train would provide an important morning link from the Bagenalstown area to Dublin. The 6.00am Waterford train is widely used and there is a real need for improving the service in the area. There is currently only a single morning service that can be used by commuters. The additional stop would have a minimal impact on arrival time (approx 2mins) and the 7.10am train currently carries less passengers than the 6am or 7.50am train. With Dublin rent pressures more and more workers are undertaking long commutes small changes like this can have a big impact on a rural area.

An Taoiseach is our representative abroad. When he accepts prejudice, racism and bigotry, it shames the people of our country. We feel that such an alliance is not good for our country's reputation and undermines our relationship with other countries. Trump is a despicable human being. A point must be reached where falling at the foot of a powerful man, at the expense of our values and morals and international reputation is not acceptable! "'Shame'rock for Trump: Not in our Name"

Eirgrid has an important job to ensure our energy needs are met. However this can not be at any cost. The only issue of placing lines underground for Eirgrid is an increase in cost. Surely protecting our beautiful country is worth the increase in cost. It is also important to protect important landmarks, such as the Hill of Tara, which is seeking UNESCO status. It is time to start looking to the future and build the Interconnector and other national projects underground where they will be safe from storms, and keep our country beautiful for the next generations (and tourists).

The year 2017 marked twenty years since Ireland’s first comprehensive plan to address poverty: the National Anti-Poverty Strategy 1997-2006. The year 2018 marked key anniversary for End Poverty activists and for the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights! The 30th anniversary of the death of Joseph Wresinski, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela (who launched the Make Poverty History Campaign) and the 70 years of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The year 2019 is starting with the Centenary of the first meeting of Dáil Éireann which occurred on 21 January 1919 in the Round Room of the Dublin Mansion House. In this first and highly symbolic meeting, the proceedings of the Dáil were conducted for the only time entirely in the Irish language, except for previously drafted declarations including the proclamation of the "Democratic Programme" including the following pledge: "It shall be the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children, to secure that no child shall suffer hunger or cold from lack of food, clothing, or shelter, but that all shall be provided with the means and facilities requisite for their proper education and training as Citizens of a Free and Gaelic Ireland." On the day of the Centenary, the Irish Times in partnership with the Children Rights' Alliance launched the #NoChild2020 campaign! No Child 2020 is an initiative by Fintan O'Toole and other Irish Times' journalists aiming to provide a sustained focus on child welfare and children’s issues over the coming year. We believe that Ireland needs a new Integrated Framework for Social Inclusion, to tackle inequality and poverty. We know Ireland faces major challenges: - to end the Housing Crisis - to deliver the SlainteCare’s vision for a better and fairer health system - to tackle Child Poverty and the poverty faced by the children's families - to implement the 17 Global Goals set down in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including action to limit climate change with a strong concern for climate justice - to become a society with communities ready to leave no one behind, the promise of the UN 2030 Agenda If we are serious about tackling these issues, and serious about lifting people out of poverty and eliminating its causes, we must have a consistent, comprehensive plan to address poverty and social exclusion. Such a plan will only succeed if it is owned by civil society at large and also by the people experiencing poverty, not just politicians and the organisations that work to combat inequality and exclusion. Our call to action: let's walk as one to end poverty! In the follow-up of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 2018), as Ireland marks the Centenary of the Democratic Programme, strengthened by the launch of the "No Child 2020" initiative, inspired by the "End Poverty" legacies of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, inspired also by the pledge of Joseph Wresinski: "To come together is our solemn duty," and following the call by Mary Robinson and the Elders to "Walk Together", we seek a new approach. Let's bring everyone who wants to make a difference together! All stakeholders: public bodies, teachers, trainers and researchers, corporates and services, youth groups and pensioners, and the people who fight against the poverty and stigma that they experience. Let's say: "We – citizens, workers, leaders, managers, carers, parents, activists or professionals or both – are ready to be part of the End Poverty plan. We all need to own this plan: to know the goals and own them. Together we wish to take part in a strong participatory process to make the next Anti-Poverty Plan the best ever. Those who live with poverty and social exclusion deserve it. They also should have the opportunity help develop this new plan. And when the plan is in place they should be able to play their part to ensure it is implemented. I have a role to play and I support this call to action and would like to be involve in the design, implementation and monitoring of our common plan!” Let us leave no one behind! All together in dignity!"

This festival has now been ongoing for quite a number of years. It is a peoples night of the year where the community comes together to look at the fireworks. Now they want to issue a ticket only area on health and safety grounds. There has never been any Health and Safety issues at this night ever.

We seem to be allowing a continuous stripping of services from rural Ireland, this would be a start of a serious opportunity to reverse this trend and offer a genuine service to elderly people who want to remain in their homes. We could customise these hubs to suit each village or location, eg combine this service with the local community centre, a cafe a local business or a stand alone unit. This hub could be staffed by locals and would offer all the services of a post office, plus access for the elderly to a government services help desk, environmental help, grants, tourist info etc, it could also be a start of decentralisation from Dublin.

Ireland finds itself under increasing pressure to reduce its agricultural GHG emissions. Climate change is upon us and is a serious threat to our environment, social and economic world, subsequently affecting our ability to continue a business-as-usual approach to food production. The state cannot continue to ignore the fact the expansionist agenda in agriculture is not working. It is not environmentally, economically or socially sustainable. Environmentally Unsustainable: Under Food Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025, our emissions under a best case scenario are set to rise by 6/7% to 2020 Over 53% of water pollution is directly related to agriculture, with one in three rivers and lakes now at risk of further pollution. What’s more, biodiversity continues to decline, with rare species on the verge of extinction Economically Unsustainable: Ireland’s agri-sector is dominated by small farmers, who are struggling to survive. Farmers find themselves caught between pressures in trying to get a fair price for produce and a CAP ( European Common Agricultural Policy) that rewards the bigger land-owner. Farm incomes continue to decline, a fact blamed on falling milk and grain prices, with the OECD-FAO outlook predicting that markets will continue to remain weak Socially Unsustainable: A shocking and unacceptable fact is that only 1% of Ireland’s agricultural land is used to grow vegetables. Ireland has to import vegetables worth 1.2 billion euro each year, making us vulnerable to fluctuations on the market. Earlier this year, a drought in Spain resulted in higher prices for vegetables. Food prices hikes impact everyone forcing many to substitute vegetables with cheaper, nutritionally poor, energy dense foods. Leading to various health problems. Climate change, political instabilities and other factors can affect imports, if imports stopped today we would have approximately 4 weeks of fresh produce left on our shelves. We are not food secure! We stand on the side of small farmers, who risk it all, day in day out, to produce healthy food, true custodians of the land, protecting the environment, preserving biodiversity, keeping skills alive and ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to produce nutritionally good food. These farmers continue to be pushed to the fringes, by the state and the EU. With this petition we want to show that we stand with these farmers. That we care and all want a sustainable food future. If you care about what’s on our plate, care about local economies and about a sustainable future. Make you voice heard by signing this petition. Let’s speak as one voice to the Irish government and tell them: - to support small farmers financially - to support farmers in diversifying their holdings - to offer supports to increase the amount of vegetables produced in Ireland for food security - to increase environmental standards in agriculture beyond carbon footprints and give incentives to those who meet and surpass those standards - to practice the polluter pays principle and heavily fine those who continue to pollute our land and waterways - to increase reforestation with native species in and around farms, to support farmers in transitions to agroforestry 1. http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/airemissions/2020_GHG_Projections_2016_Bulletin.pdf 2. http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water-quality-in-one-in-three-irish-rivers-and-lakes-is-at-risk-of-deteriorating-35850649.html 3. http://www.thatsfarming.com/news/curlew-ireland 4. http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/beef-farmers-will-again-struggle-to-cover-costs-in-2017-35290234.html 5. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ifa-president-says-farmers-again-struggling-to-make-a-living-1.2057112 6. http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/schemes/system-failure-massive-difference-in-cap-payment-rates-35118778.html 7. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/average-family-farm-income-down-9-to-24-060-1.3102770 8. http://www.agri-outlook.org/