This week I came across posts from working families in Ireland that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. A nurse with two children and a full-time working husband unable to afford heating oil or groceries. A Garda family with five children struggling to make ends meet despite both parents working. These are not people who aren’t trying—these are essential workers doing everything right, yet still falling behind. Something is clearly broken when full-time working families in Ireland cannot afford basic necessities like heat and food. This is no longer a rare situation—it is becoming the reality for more and more households across the country.

Close your eyes and think of 2010. For most of us, it’s a lifetime ago. We’ve finished school, started jobs, traveled the world, and fallen in love. We’ve grown up. Toyosi never got to grow up. He is frozen in time at fifteen. He is the boy in the football jersey who never got to play his final match. He is the son who never got to come home for dinner on that Good Friday. He is the brother whose laughter was replaced by a silence so loud it still rings in his family’s home sixteen years later. When Toyosi was taken, a piece of Dublin died with him. But the real tragedy didn't end on that street in Tyrrelstown. The tragedy continued in the courtrooms and the Garda stations, where the system looked at a grieving family and eventually just… stopped. How do you tell a mother that no one is responsible for her son’s heart stopping? How do you explain to his friends that the law has no answers for them? Every signature on this petition is a candle lit for a boy who was left in the dark. It is a message to the State that we haven't forgotten the child who loved football and had a smile that could light up a room. We are signing because Toyosi’s life was precious, and the truth is the very least he is owed.

Because the current NCT system unfairly penalises responsible motorists and new owners, even when a car has been genuinely off the road. A fair system should not punish people who follow the rules.  Ireland is using outdated NCT rules that no longer reflect how people use and maintain their vehicles. We need a modern, digital, transparent system that works for everyone.

Your support can help ensure Adrians story is fully and properly examined. 

The Triple Lock is core to Ireland's Neutrality. It prevents us being dragged into foreign wars by our government or, more accurately, by pressure on the government from the US, the UK and the EU. We believe that there should be no changes to the Triple Lock and Ireland's Neutral status without a referendum where all the people of Ireland can decide. Our government does not want a referendum and is currently in the process of dismantling the Triple Lock without a mandate to do so. Irelands neutrality keeps us safe and is what has kept us out of foreign conflicts. With world politics being so volatile currently, and world peace being so fragile, now more than ever it is vital that  Ireland is a voice for peace and justice and that our soldiers continue to be respected in their vitally important work as peacekeeping forces. For further reading on the Triple Lock, and our governments plans to dismantle it, please read this easy to read open letter from Irish academics to the government; https://www.pana.ie/posts/open-letter-from-irish-academics-on-triple-lock

St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's most important national and cultural celebration, recognised globally.  Establishing a fixed annual long weekend would: • Enable greater participation in parades, cultural events and community celebrations • Support tourism, hospitality, and local economies across the country • Provide a consistent national holiday structure This change would preserve the cultural, historical and religious significance of the 17th of March while improving how the public holiday is observed for the benefit of society and the economy.

Johnny was a staple of not just the fishing community, but the Balbriggan community as a whole. Beloved by everyone in the town, he was a true gentleman who always had time for a smile and a chat. Having lived next to Johnny for 17 years, I knew him as the best of neighbors. Despite being 45 years my senior, he always had time for me and everyone on Bath Road. The outpouring of hundreds of stories and tributes online this past week is a testament to his kindness and the mark he left on us all. He truly was one of the last of the ‘Balbriggan greats.’ The tragic and untimely nature of his passing has left a gaping hole in our community, and our hearts go out to his family. As the Balbriggan Harbour Rejuvenation works move toward completion, we have a unique opportunity to give Johnny the remembrance he deserves in the heart of the maritime environment he loved. While we acknowledge Fingal County Council’s "20-Year Rule" (Section 5.5), which generally delays memorials until 20 years after a person’s passing, the policy allows for "very exceptional cases."  Given Johnny’s profound impact on the town’s identity and the heartbreaking circumstances of his passing, the people of Balbriggan believe this is undeniably one of those exceptional cases. We ask the Council to honor that legacy now, while his spirit remains so central to our town's current transformation.

Because every Irish woman will go through this. Your mother, your sister, your friend, your colleague — this affects all of us. Because 'your bloods are normal' is not a diagnosis. And too many of us know exactly what that feels like. Because this is fixable. Better training for GPs costs far less than years of misdiagnosis and repeat appointments. We need to protect our longer term health, which will in turn be better for society, reducing pressure on the healthcare system and already over burdened GPs.

As it stands there seems to be no set standard for community benefit schemes and near Neighbour payments that relate to wind farms across the country.  A prime example is SSE's "Yellow River Wind Farm" in North Offaly. Unlike many of the wind-farms within the county, SSE are only paying people who live within one Kilometer of a wind turbine. In contrast, BnM who plan to create a new wind-farm on the old Bord Na Mona Site, close to the yellow River wind farm, will be paying out a near neighbour payment to people up to two kilometers from their turbines.  It is clear that there is a massive need for more renewable energy within the country, no matter who we are or where we are from, we all deserve access to clean air and clean energy. At the same time we all should be able to enjoy the properties that we live in and be fairly compensated when that enjoyment is impacted.  As someone who lives exactly one kilometer from the Yellow river wind farm, i can confirm that on certain nights the noise from the turbines can get quiet loud and does take away from the enjoyment of my home. I was shocked when the representatives of the wind-farm came around to inform us of the near neibhour payments and seem to make light about how i was just inside the one kilometer boundary. I noted that my neighbours who were literally a meter outside of the radius are just as impacted as i am, but was told that their radius is rigid and it would be possible to get them included.  In terms of the community benefit funds, the amounts are linked to Kilowat of electricity produced and the not the revenue or profit generated by the wind-farm. This means that as the profit from the wind-farm increases, there will be no increase to the community fund.  We the undersigned are calling on Daragh O'Brien to standardise the payments across the board, to ensure that everyone within two kilometers of a turbine is sufficiently compensated and that the community benefit fund is linked to revenue created. 

AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm) is a dangerous, often symptomless, swelling in the main blood vessel (aorta) of the abdomen, primarily affecting men over 60–65. If the aorta weakens and bursts, it is frequently fatal, making early detection via a simple ultrasound screening crucial. In the UK the National Health Service (NHS) All men living in England are invited for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ultrasound screening the year they turn 65 free of charge covered by the NHS In Ireland you have to arrange an AAA Ultrasound screening privately it is not automatically covered on the Medical Card service. In certain circumstances a GP could arrange one on the medical card if the GP deems it to be carried out but it is not done/checked as standard. One Private Provider of AAA screening in Ireland offers it at €170 with a discount for Medical Card Holders at €150 but prices do vary greatly depending on where you have the test carried out and can be more expensive. To find out more details of AAA visit wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_aortic_aneurysm To read about what the NHS UK offers to the general public read here: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening/

Around 30,000 children have been killed in Gaza, along with thousands of teachers. Yet Allianz insures the munitions used by the Israeli military and has invested over €7 billion in Israeli government bonds, helping fund the ongoing assault. Parents should not have to worry that money paid to protect our children with the Pupil Personal Insurance  could contribute to the killing of other children. We cannot support a corporation like Allianz with so much blood on its hands. 

Petition Tenants Are Residents – Recognition Is Inclusion This campaign is built on one simple but powerful idea: 👉 Recognition is Inclusion When people are recognised as residents — not just tenants — it changes how services are designed, how decisions are made, and how communities are supported. The Reality More than 150,000 households live in local authority housing across Ireland. These communities reflect the full diversity of our society — including families on low incomes, older people, persons with disabilities, individuals and households transitioning from homelessness, and working families — yet too often, their voices are not meaningfully included in decisions that affect their daily lives. Without participation, inclusion cannot exist. Our Call We are calling on Housing Minister James Browne TD To lead and encourage local authorities to: • Recognise tenants as residents within housing participation frameworks  • Support meaningful resident participation in housing decisions  • Embed equality, diversity and inclusion in housing service design and delivery  This is a practical change that can be delivered through national guidance — no new legislation required. Why This Matters Recognition is not just a word. It shapes: • Whether people feel heard or ignored • Whether services are fair or distant • Whether communities feel included or excluded Stronger communities are built when people have a voice in the place they call home. What This Will Achieve Recognising tenants as residents will: • Improve communication and transparency  • Support real participation in decisions  • Build trust between communities and housing services  • Promote dignity, respect and inclusion  Take Action 👉 Give Residents a Voice — Sign the Petition Support resident voice in housing decisions. It only takes a minute — but it can help create lasting change. Empowering communities starts with a voice for everyone.