The decision of the Bank of Ireland to delete their ATM Irish Language Option devalues the Irish language. There are tens of thousands of Irish speakers and hundreds of thousands of Irish people who greatly value the Irish language as part of their identity. As customers we have great purchasing power and with our purchasing decisions we can effect great change in how private companies engage with us. Is céim siar agus léiriú dímheasa ar an nGaeilge an cinneadh fáil réidh lei ó na UBManna Banc na hÉireann. Tá an earnáil baincéireachta go dona maidir le héascaíocht a dhéanamh do Ghaeilgeoirí an teanga a úsáid. Tá sé do-dhéanta ráitis a fháil, baincéireacht ar líne a dhéanamh nó seirbhís custaiméara a fháil trí Ghaeilge in áit ar bith. Bhí Banc na hÉireann go sainiúil ag déanamh iarrachta tacú leis an nGaeilge agus í a chur ar fáil mar theanga roghnach sna UBManna. Bhí fíorbheagáin costais i gceist le seo, d’fhreastail sé ar riachtanais teanga na mílte duine agus thug sé deis don bhanc meas a léiriú ar chuid lárnach dár bhféiniúlacht. Faraor, tá an Banc ag cúlú siar ar an rogha theanga seo a chur ar fáil – cé gur rud beag a bhí ann, bhí sé luachmhar. Ní chuireann an earnáil phríobháideach an Ghaeilge nó cearta teanga san áireamh in aon chor agus ní inghlactha an scéal é. Nuair a chuirtear an Ghaeilge san áireamh i gcúrsaí brandála, margaíochta agus seirbhís custaiméara ag an earnáil phríobháideach, téann sé seo i bhfeidhm ar an bpobal i gcoitinne. Leis an gcinneadh is déanaí atá déanta ag Banc na hÉireann, tá díluacháil ar an dteanga á dhéanamh acu. An mbeidh an tseirbhís seo ar fáil sna ceantair Gaeltachta nó na Bailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta cosúil leis an nGaillimh? Tá sé seo ag cur isteach ar na hiarrachtaí atá ar bun ag an bpobal agus an rialtas an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn mar theanga laethúil sna ceantair Gaeltachta agus ar fud an stáit. Is iomaí fadhb tubaisteach a bhí ag na bainc le deich mbliana anuas. Bhí ar shaoránaigh an Stáit seo teacht i dtarrtháil orthu. Is é is lú dóibh a dhéanamh ná rogha theanga a thabhairt dóibh ionas go mbeidh siad in ann cumarsáid a dhéanamh i cibé acu dár dteanga náisiúnta gur mhian leo. “Mar Chathaoirleach ar An Euro Gaelach, táim ag tathant ar dhaoine a gcuid míshástachta a léiriú maidir leis an gcinneadh seo agus picéadú a dhéanamh ag a mbrainse áitiúil de Bhanc na hÉireann, Dé hAoine, an 1ú Mean Fómhair idir a 1:30pm agus 2:30pm."

For many years, this Irish language option has been a very welcome addition to banking services in this country and it’s removal shows very little regard for those who use the Irish language daily and live in Gaeltacht areas. The latest Census figures tell us that 190,276 people speak Irish every week. Initiatives like being able to take out cash as Gaeilge are a novel way of inserting the Irish language into your daily life.

The INHFA represent over 30,000 farmers in the West of Ireland. As they have no seat on any of the decision making committee, these farmer have no voice on these committees, which decides the future of farming and rural life in Ireland.

After the attacks in America by racists wielding the confederate flag, it's important that Irish sports fans don't seem to be endorsing the racism long associated with the confederate flag. But, Cork's history as the rebel county should be celebrated, and this is a great opportunity to do it!

In a world filled with excess food, 24 million people are on the brink of famine, including 1.4 million children at imminent risk of death. In the face of such grim numbers, a stark question confronts the world’s most powerful: Why in 2017 can’t they avert such a seemingly archaic and preventable catastrophe? And WHY is it not being reported by RTE, whose license I pay?

The Residents of St. Helen's Court have been served with eviction notices by the Vulture fund which owns the building they live in. They will become homeless within a matter of weeks if this isn't stopped. Vulture Funds like Apollo Global Management are buying up more and more property in Ireland and this type of behaviour will become the norm unless our Minister for Housing steps in to stop it from happening. Simon Coveney, our last Minister for Housing, was forced to intervene because of people power to stop a similar eviction which was due to take place in Limerick Strand Apartments. It's time now for Eoghan Murphy to do the same. Homelessness continues to grow in Ireland - and stopping evictions like this are one of the key ways of stopping it from getting any worse.

These chemical based weedkillers are highly carcinogenic and linked to a variety of potentially fatal diseases. Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, Pathclear, Gallup, Pistol, Weedol and Mossgo are to name but a few of the weedkillers currently on the market that contain the cancer causing chemical glyphosate which are lethal to all living organisms. Ireland has the second highest level of glyphosate in our surface water in the EU and the third highest death rate of cancer in Europe. To ensure a safer, cleaner living environment for our current and future generations we want a complete ban of glyphosate weedkiller. We are extremely concerned that our Agricultural sector/farmers are bombarded with misinformation and pressure from government bodies that are directly lobbied by toxic chemical companies. http://greennews.ie/why-is-ireland-diluting-legislation-on-banning-hormone-changing-chemicals/ https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/france-tables-eu-wide-non-agricultural-pesticide-ban/

Although many Au Pairs have been questioned, have had their mobiles confiscated, and some of them have been deported over the years, Paloma's case was particularly appalling. She was coming to Ireland as a tourist. Ireland has become a multicultural society which must be prepared to treat people fairly. It's important to review immigration practices in order to ensure reasonable use of legal powers over those arriving in Ireland, especially those from marginalised groups. An apology from the Minister of Justice will not change what Paloma has been through but it would demonstrate an attempt to recognise unfair practices and the commitment to tackle the issue.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights treaty designed to prevent torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in all places of detention. It introduces a combined system of national (NPM) and international (SPT) monitoring of all places of detention. Ireland signed the OPCAT in October 2007, but has yet to ratify it. The OPCAT recognises the central importance of inspection as a way of preventing human rights violations. These inspections create transparency and accountability, which in turn act as a deterrent against future cruel treatment. Places of detention are not limited to prisons. The OPCAT applies to anywhere where people are deprived of their liberty. The ratification of OPCAT would positively impact the lives of many people in vulnerable positions. Examples of places of detention could include, but are not limited to: • Psychiatric units • Children detention schools • Nursing homes • Social care units • Special Care Units • Immigration detention centres • Direct provision • Pre-trial detention facilities • Garda stations OPCAT applies to anywhere people are deprived of their liberty. Pushing for the ratification of OPCAT might one day benefit a friend, neighbour, family member, or maybe even yourself. For Ireland to meet its international obligations, we must put in place sufficient and effective safeguards to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not victimised. The Convention recognizes that it is in closed spaces where the most serious violations of human rights can take place. Ireland has a troubling history of failing to protect those we have placed in closed spaces. The historical abuse of those in child institutions and other historical places of detention has shown the need for ongoing inspection. By failing to ratify OPCAT, Ireland perpetuates a situation that increases the vulnerability of all persons currently in detention. It is essential that Ireland moves towards the creation of an NPM which can ensure that no place of detention – prison, Garda station, hospital or care home – is beyond the reach of comprehensive and rigorous inspection. _________ To learn more about OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/what-is-the-opcat/ To learn more about NPMs: http://www.apt.ch/en/national-preventive-mechanisms-npms/ To learn more about the SPT: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCATIntro.aspx To see which countries have ratified OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/opcat-database/

In 2013 the Magdalene redress scheme was placed into action under the former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and the Department of Justice. Today, several of the important parts of the redress scheme still have not be implemented. The lack of action on promised redress commitments betrays the Magdalene women and makes a mockery of the State apology. The Magdalene redress scheme included a dedicated unit, which would assist the women to meet each other and facilitate the 'acquisition, maintenance and administration of any garden, museum or other form of memorial.’ It was agreed upon by the government that any such memorial or archival center or project should be overseen by an advisory board or committee that includes Magdalene women. Unfortunately, the consultation of government officials with Magdalene laundry survivors on how they believe the institutionalized abuse they endured should be memorialized has yet to occur. With some of the institutions being up for sale for private ownership, the promises of consultation become bleaker each day. Along with the institutions being sold off, most survivors are older, and every delay increases the risk that they will not see justice done in their lifetime. We are calling for those in leadership roles such as the current Taoiseach, Tanaiste, and Minister for Justice to organize a consultation of Magdalene survivors immediately and to implement the women's proposals for active memorialisation. The Magdalene women have suffered enough and it is now time for those who promised justice to facilitate the reparation process. We want the government officials responsible for the implementation of the redress scheme to be held accountable, to guarantee the Magdalene women are never forgotten. Although the Ireland of the past allowed the abuse of Magdalene women to occur, the Ireland of the present can stand firm in its convictions to see that justice is given to whom it deserves.

The issue of racism in sports is a serious one, it particularly targets sportsmen of black ethnicity. Conor McGregor has repeatedly used racist language, jokes and allusions; and it is time that we tell him that Irish people don't find this acceptable nor a good example for our young people. Conor McGregor is one of Ireland's most renowned sportsman and a huge inspiration for many among Ireland's youth. He has in the past described Latino fighters as "cholos", "cockroaches" or threatened "to turn their favelas into sweatshops". Most recently he addressed a fellow African American sportsman telling him "dance for me boy" and talking about "dancing monkeys", racially charged sentences evoking the slavery past. It is important to tell Conor McGregor that racism is not a joke, it is not banter and that Ireland as a nation does not tolerate racism, in sports or elsewhere. More information below: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/king-conor-mcgregor-bigot-free-pass-article-1.3260252 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/conor-mcgregor-floyd-mayweather-turn-trash-talking-notch-article-1.3321981

Food workers and trade unions in the food export sector of Honduras and Costa Rica continue to be subjected to unsafe working conditions and not having their legal rights fulfilled. The estimated 25,000 people employed in the melon export sector in Honduras, of which 70% are women, regularly work 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week. The International Labour Rights Forum (2012) reports that 85% of workers earn less than the minimum wage [1]. Fyffes has been at the centre of several shocking scandals involving trade union violations and abuse of workers in Honduras and Costa Rica. A report by the US Department of Labor (2015) [2] detailed a litany of exploitative practices, ongoing labour code violations and ill-treatment of workers by the Fyffes subsidiary SurAgro in Honduras, including: That the company failed to pay the minimum wage, the 13th and 14th month bonuses, the seventh day bonus, and overtime; Failed to provide personal protective equipment and potable water; imposed a 300 HNL (US $14.40) penalty for missing a day of work (even with permission from a supervisor) in addition to that day’s salary; Threatened workers with dismissal for speaking with the Honduran Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STSS) The general union in the United Kingdom, GMB, has called the actions of SurAgro one of the worst cases they have recorded, having documented “a shocking litany of abuse and exploitation on the part of Fyffes subsidiaries in Honduras” [3] and commented that “Fyffes... have no respect for domestic or international law governing workers’ rights and must be brought to book” [4]. In January 2016, workers at the Fyffes subsidiary became the first workers in the melon export sector to unionise and a local branch of the agriculture trade union STAS was formed. The following day, four trade union leaders were locked up in an office and threatened by the Chief of Security until they signed a document renouncing their union membership [5]. In an equally sinister occurrence, it was reported by the International Trade Union Confederation that on 13 April 2017, the trade unionist Moisés Sánchez (General Secretary of STAS’s sub-branch at Fyffes’ subsidiary in Honduras) was kidnapped, beaten and threatened with death if he continued his trade union work [6].  In May 2017 Fyffes was suspended from the Ethical Trading Initiative [ETI], an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe, finding that “the actions and approach taken by SurAgro [the Fyffes-owned Honduran melon plantation at the centre of the allegations] … contravene the open approach to legitimate trade union activities that ETI would expect within the supply chain to an ETI member” [7]. Despite the sale of Fyffes to the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation in early 2017, the Irish business news website Fora reported in June 2017 that David McCann and the “senior management team” based at the Fyffes head office in Dublin were handling the negotiations between the complainants, ETI and Fyffes [8]. Therefore, the Latin America Solidarity Centre is joining with other trade unions, NGOs and international Civil Society Organisations and demanding this actions from Fyffes.