1. The annual IRP renewal requirement has become a nuisance for international post-graduate research students, as it hinders their ability to attend research seminars, conferences, workshops, summer schools and research visits within & outside EU. [A] 2. The entire process of: a. Finding an appointment; b. Arranging the required documents; c. Attending the appointment in person; d. Waiting for the IRP to arrive; e. Getting a bank draft ready; f. Applying for a multi-entry visa via An POST; g. Followed by the hassle of applying for country or region specific visa i.e., Schengen visa, is just too time consuming and cumbersome for us. 3. The entire process needs to be rethought if high-quality research outputs are expected to be delivered by highly-qualified, international post-graduate research students. [A] Please see https://visaguide.world/europe/schengen-visa

Brigid embodies the ancient triple goddess archetype: goddess of healing, fire and the Arts. Our matron Saint also represents true Christianity, renowned for her compassionate care for the poor and animals. We have been so fortunate to have our diaspora bring our heart-warming green to the rest of the world, with more and more countries constantly joining the global greening initiative, from Nairobi, to Ankara. As Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland says, “The eagerness of cities and countries everywhere to take part underlines the strength of the deep connection that people all over the world feel to Ireland.” Whilst hearts around the world are warmed by Ireland and St. Patrick in March, we believe it’s time to give some recognition and time for reflection to those in Ireland, with St. Brigid’s Day, welcoming the official start of Spring or Imbolg. To celebrate Brigid’s Day the Herstory Light Show illuminates iconic landmarks, to lift Ireland’s spirits, celebrate the return of the light and honour all who deserve to be honoured, such as the Mother & Baby Home victims & Corona heroes. Just like St. Patrick’s Day was made an international success by our cherished diaspora, the Irish abroad led the way, pre-covid, with Brigid’s celebrations, with Irish Embassies and Irish cultural centres marking the day with events honouring Irish women around the world. For reference, please see the The Irish Times article profiling St. Brigid’s Day events around the world in 2019. (https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/st-brigid-s-day-irish-women-to-be-celebrated-around-the-world-1.3777791) In truth, we have some catching up to do back home! The last time Ireland allocated a public holiday was in 1993, to honour May Day. In fact, Ireland is 2-4 days behind the rest of Europe when it comes to public holidays, currently with 9 public holidays in the year, where most European countries have 11 -13 days. https://www.thejournal.ie/bank-holidays-ireland-europe-3363195-Apr2017/. The period between December and March is acknowledged to be one of the most depressing of the calendar year, with Christmas passed, celebrations over, still in the shortened daylight hours. With increased pressure on our emotional wellbeing, we believe the 1st February is a perfect day to celebrate, marking Brigid’s Day as the day to welcome the Spring and return of the Light. In keeping with spreading the Irish spirit around the world, it must be noted that Irish missionaries and migrants also carried Brigid’s name and spirit across the world. Pilgrims and visitors come to Kildare from all over the world seeking to walk in Brigid’s footsteps. Brigid’s legacy has endured. Her life still speaks to us in the 21st century. Her values and associations are inextricably reflected in who we are as a people. From the Brigidine Sisters in Kildare: Woman of the Land - Her feast day on the 1st February marks the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere. It is the season when we celebrate new life on earth. Many today draw inspiration from the respect which Brigid and our ancestors had for all creation. Friend of the Poor - Brigid had an extraordinary concern and compassion for the poor people of her time. Her legends challenge us share the goods of the earth with our brothers and sisters especially those who live in desperate poverty. Woman of Hospitality - Brigid’s spirit of hospitality is legendary. For Brigid, every guest is Christ. A Peacemaker - Feuds between clans were commonplace in Brigid’s day. She is often referred to as a peacemaker who intervened in disputes between rival factions and brought healing and reconciliation. She challenges us to be peacemakers and peacekeepers. Model of Equality - Brigid held a unique position in the early Irish church. Scholars tell us that she presided over the local church of Kildare and was head of a double monastery for men and women. She challenges both men and women today to create a society where men and women are equally respected. Wells - "St. Brigid has many wells dedicated to her around Ireland, as a reflection of her importance to early Christianity and pre-Christianity. St. Brigid assumed the persona of the pagan goddess Bríd, or Brigid - a Celtic Goddess of inspiration, healing, and smith-craft with associations to fire, the hearth and poetry." What a role model to live by in today’s increasingly disconnected world. Minister Varadkar, we the Irish People ask you now to honour Brigid, who bridges divides and who has been our guiding light for thousands of years. We feel that the time to implement this holiday is 2022 - an ideal time to introduce this new holiday to the nation as a beacon of hope and light in these challenging times. We reflect on the vision of the founders of our nation and the historic 1916 Declaration of Independence, which made Ireland the first country in the world to promise equal rights to men, women and children. A century later, we have made great strides towards realising the 1916 vision. Although there is much work ahead, the vision that was once perceived as visionary is now realistic. The evidence is in this decade’s extraordinary victories of compassion and equality: the Marriage Equality Referendum and the Referendum to Repeal the 8th Amendment. The time has come to write a new story of unity and equality, by celebrating Ireland’s matron Saint Brigid equally to St. Patrick. Making Brigid’s Day a national holiday would be a true reflection on today’s Ireland, sending a strong egalitarian message to the world. Yours sincerely, Melanie Lynch, Treacy O'Connor, Laura Murphy & Lorna Evers Monaghan On behalf of the Irish People, Spring Equinox 2021

Philomena The co-founder of Midwives for Choice and its main driver, and a passionate advocate and campaigner for Repeal, Philomena is a midwife of long experience and a truly remarkable woman - quite definitely 'one of a kind'. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer some time ago, very sadly the cancer has returned and she has been given a terminal diagnosis - I believe the diagnosis is of a matter of weeks. In 2014 she was suspended from her post as a midwife by the HSE on foot of an alleged incident. Philomena was completely exonerated by several separate reports on the matter, all of which concluded that her midwifery practice was 'exemplary'. She was reinstated by the HSE but could not resume her post. The HSE offered to 'settle' with her in the legal case which ensued, but at that time (2015) Philomena did not wish to settle (out of court), and continued her case for damages, to health and wellbeing, among other isues. Out of a 'deep craving for justice', and because 'the truth has never been revealed' Philomena is now seeking to have the issue of settlement to be raised again most urgently.

Despite having served the community as a CE Supervisor for over 25 years, my sister and many 100's like her, have been denied pension rights, as laid down by the labour court recommendation of 2008. CE programmes have helped thousands of people who were long-term unemployed, or were disadvantaged, to get back to work by getting part-time and temporary work within the local community. The work that has been done has been vital, both from the communities' perspective and from the employees' perspective. CE Supervisors were, and still are, a vital part of each community and the trojan work carried out by each supervisor must be treated equally and fairly in comparison to all other state employees and therefore should be given access to occupational pension schemes.

This must be opposed not least for reasons of security. Show your support for not just keeping Clongriffin staffed but increasing the staff and security presence

Nurses are currently experiencing terrible pay and working conditions. There are not enough nurses employed by the HSE - nurses employed are being overworked to deal with the government-induced healthcare crisis. The result of this is seen in the overcrowding, patients on trolleys and lengthly waiting lists. We cannot take our nurses for granted and we stand with nurses strike action in Kilkenny!

Vulture funds are indicative of a failed banking system. The term is coined in respect of the bird which feasts upon dead or dying creatures, it picks the final pieces of flesh from the bones. This is what is happening in Fine Gael/Fianna Fails Ireland. They are a corrupt force that take advantage of bad debt and poverty and have zero mercy in enforcing their control. The State has been complicit in this, Gardaí accompanying hired mercenaries to enact violence on people whose only crime is to want to keep a roof over their heads. We need legislate to end the sale of distressed debt to Vulture Funds. Protect Irish citizens from evictions as result of Vulture Fund acquisitions. Vulture Funds can buy a bad debt for as little as 4 cent for every €1, they then sue and for the full amount. So a customer could possibly, in theory have a debt of €100,000 - the Vultures buy it for €4,000 and sue the customer for €100,000 plus legal fees. This is a corrupt and unjust system designed to subjugate the working class and we demand that it ends, immediately!

Our students and their wellbeing will always be the central focus of any new educational change or reform. And rightly so. But does that mean that our wellbeing as teachers needs to be compromised? Taken advantage of? Or worse, not even considered with regard to the monumental task of creating your own curriculum/schemes/units of learning etc. The extra workload demand put on teachers over the past number of years has been catastrophic and unfortunately there is no end in sight. Once very dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic teachers are now becoming overworked, stressed, burn out and in some cases looking for an alternative career path because the current one in unsustainable and hindering every aspect of our lives. No job or vocation should impact every single aspect of your life to the extent teaching is currently. What we are paid to do is quickly becoming the last thing we actually get to do due to the extra administrative tasks/planning etc. we have to create. Our voices, our professional opinions/comments/suggestions need to be heard. We are the front line of this new educational reform. Yet we have not been sufficiently prepared for this monumental change. Whilst trying to get to grips with the new system, create new plans/schemes/Units of Learning/top notch active learning resources and practice and continue all the other roles and responsibilities we have as teachers. We also need to actively teach this brand new plan that we are desperately still trying to figure out ourselves? Surely this is madness. I matter. You matter. We matter. Please sign so that our voice is heard.

According to the latest IPCC report, the next twelve years are crucial for action on climate change. There are four ambitious climate and environmental Bills which have been brought by Opposition Parties to the Dail. If the government truly wants to make Ireland a leader on climate change, it should support the passage of these Bills immediately. These are - The Climate Emergency Measures Bill (Bríd Smith PBP) - The Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill (Sinn Fein) - The Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill (Green Party) - The Waste Reduction Bill (Green Party) This is a simple ask. These are all sensible Bills which will move Ireland towards being a cleaner, greener and fairer place to live. We have no time to wait. #ClimateActionNow

Across Ireland, bricklayers and other construction workers are being asked to work as "self-employed" contractors. This isn't legal, and is done to save the employers' money, so they don't have to pay pension and PRSI contributions. It's totally wrong, and these workers have taken a stand against it. Because they stood up to a rogue employer, a number of them were sacked without notice, sparking the protest action. Mary's Mansions is a publicly-funded contract, and Clúid, who own the building, are a state-funded charity. Workers working on these contracts deserve to have their rights protected.

‘The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill, 2018’ seeks to ban imports to Ireland from illegal settlements in countries which are illegally occupied, in breach of International Law. This is a chance for Ireland to stand up for the rights of vulnerable people – it is about respecting international law and refusing to support illegal activity and human suffering. Under international law (the Geneva Convention), the transfer by a State of its civilian population into a territory it has militarily occupied is a war crime. This legislation would apply to territories where there is a clear international legal consensus on the status of the occupation. As it stands, only the occupied Palestinian territories have been confirmed as occupied by the International Court of Justice. This Bill does not implement a boycott of Israeli goods, or single out Israel. It only bans the import and sale of goods produced in settlements that are illegal under international law. The European Union’s position is absolutely clear: Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are “illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible”. Despite this, EU states, including Ireland, continue to make the settlements financially viable through trade and economic activity. The legal basis of the Bill and its permissibility under EU law are confirmed by several formal legal opinions: Michael Lynn, Senior Counsel in Ireland, Professor James Crawford of the University of Cambridge, Senior Counsel in the UK and one of the most eminent authorities on international law worldwide and former Attorney General Senator Michael McDowell have all confirmed the legality of the Bill. This Bill has cross-party support from all parties in the Dáil and Seanad but the government is refusing to support it. This is why we are calling on Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and his party to back this Bill as we want all the people of Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security. We stand in support of international law and for the principles of peace and justice.

Why are Irish taxpayers paying two private companies – Turas Nua and Seetec to profit on Irish job seekers through the job activation scheme Job Path? Not only that but since June of this year, over 11,000 people have been referred to JobPath for a second time having already completed the scheme in full. Job seekers as Irish citizens deserve to be treated with respect and dignity as they continue with their efforts to find employment. Some job seekers need support, some can manage efforts independently. JobPath as a one size fits all programme cannot address the needs of all jobseekers and nor should it. Seasonal and part-time workers are also being forced to engage with JobPath while working and it is widely reported that Turas Nua and Seetec often demand details of employers. THIS NEEDS TO STOP.