The “river god” statue chosen for Athlone misrepresents our native heritage and our rich culture. It would be an affront to our heritage and people to use colonial male object from Dublin to represent the Shannon and Athlone. The mythological Goddess Sionann, granddaughter of Lir, is our mythological river deity – not a concocted neo-classical god. Misappropriation of mythology and gender in a time of national subjugation is not acceptable as a modern representation of our town, nor is representation of the town on the backside of a statue. The concept of celebrating our river and our heritage is a welcome one and we call on the Council to do so by recognising our heritage – not replacing it. We call on Westmeath County Council to revoke its uninformed selection.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DISTRESSED BORROWERS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTED WITH A FURTHER 100,000-PLUS COMING DOWN THE TRACKS, NOW BEING DESCRIBED BY THE CENTRAL BANK AS NPE’S (NON-PERFORMING EXPOSURES)

Plastic waste is causing serious damage to our environment. Water dispensers would significantly cut down on plastic bottle use.

Sruthan House, located in Dundalk Co. Louth, provides a vital respite service for people with physical and/or sensory disabilities. It is run by the HSE in partnership with the Irish Wheelchair Association. The centre provides twenty four hour respite care to both males and females aged 18 – 65 years old. Without Sruthan House their only alternatives are in Sligo, Roscommon and Dublin. This is Fine Gael's latest attempt at eroding our nation's health service and it cannot continue.

There has been a number of serious and fatal accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians in Macroom town. Acting as a speed table, raised pedestrian crossings, has the added benefit of not only slowing traffic but making it easier to see pedestrians crossing the road. Speed zones where speeds are set at 30 km/h (or 20 mph) as they are found to be effective at reducing crashes increasing pedestrian safety and increasing community cohesion.

Bird Habitat is the last remaining natural area in Ennis town, and it is the center of attraction for our local community. The river bend in the center of town hosts various Birds, including; the Canadian geese and Greylag goose that have mixed with the Local Domestic goose, they are an affectionately viewed by us 'Ennis-eans' and passers by enjoy the entertaining display of the Mute Swans, Herons and Mallard ducks. We want our appreciation of nature as an inheritance for our future generation. Not only that, the Birds on the river Fergus enhance town's tourists attraction and are a center of interest for local business. Feeding the birds are a relaxing activity from the stress, and a quite time out for kids and parents on their way to and from the buzz of life.

Mining is a threat to the health and well being of the natural environment and that of the local community. Mining is a process that is hugely destructive to land, water and air and to all who require these for their continued healthy existence. In this era of Climate Emergency and rapid species loss the granting of licenses to prospect is very much a step in the wrong direction. It is at odds with the responsibilities of this government at this crucial time for the planet and all that live in it.

Last year, Electric Picnic revellers left behind 550 tonnes of rubbish (10kg per person), including tents, sleeping bags, headphones, and clothes in Stradbally, Co Laois. Each year, this mess is headline news at the end of the festival, yet the organisers (Festival Republic) do nothing to address the problem and continue to add more tickets year on year, making the problem worse over time. It's time to take a stand against these irresponsible practices and demand that Festival Republic do more to reverse the culture that encourages festival goers to trash our beautiful countryside at their events. Let's ask Festival Republic to have some rules about waste at Electric Picnic this year.

See RTE Investigates documentary - it is unacceptable that Irish taxpayers are being asked to fund an industry that is rotten to its core and is responsible for barbaric, inhumane and unethical treatment of animals. Funding from our government is fueling the production of dogs for racing, many of whom end up inhumanely treated (including being boiled alive) and illegally culled. No public monies should find their way into the greyhound industry. For further information see: https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/rt%C3%A9-investigates-greyhounds-running-for-their-lives/104051751967 Note: the content of this documentary is profoundly disturbing and not for those sensitive to the abuse of sensient creatures.

This is very important as lots of children have been alienated from their grandparents. Once these children turn 18 they are on their own. They will need full support from all extended family

When construction of the new harbour at Greystones, Co Wicklow, began, all harbour users, including the traditional fishermen and their boats, had their moorings and other facilities removed while the project was being built. When the harbour was complete, the other users such as leisure clubs were provided with full facilities including new clubhouses, boat yards, storage and so forth. But the fishermen and their boats were excluded. This was despite the promises and guarantees we were given before we left in 2008 and on many occasions since, and in spite of the fact that provision of facilities to commercial fishers was included in the planning approval granted by Bord Pleanala. In 2014, Wicklow County Council issued harbour by-laws which effectively excluded the fishing fleet. The by-laws give a nod to mooring rights but, by imposing other conditions that are impossible to meet, effectively barred the fishing fleet from Greystones Harbour and transformed this traditional community harbour into a purely leisure boating facility. We, the fishing families of Greystones, do not accept this expulsion and have launched our new campaign to ensure that we can return from ten years of exile to our home port, with full rights to moor, land our catch, store bait and other equipment, and generally carry on our trade as we and our predecessors have traditionally done in Greystones for hundreds of years.

 For more than ten years now, we have had to moor at Dun Laoghaire, with huge disruption to our family and social lives. We have to drive to Dun Laoghaire each morning, drive our boats back to our traditional fishing grounds near our home port, then land our catch at Dun Laoghaire before we ready our boats for the next day and FINALLY drive home to Greystones, usually well after eight in the evening after a pre-dawn start. Family life and time with our children have both suffered as a result. And being exiled to Dun Laoghaire adds €150 each week in fuel costs alone. Please sign this petition, which will be presented to the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for the Marine, and to the chief executive of Wicklow County Council. Your support can help ensure that we can come home at last, and that our skippers and crew can resume a normal existence. We now must negotiate with Wicklow County Council, and every person stepping forward to support our cause will influence how they deal with us and bring a positive outcome closer. Bring the boats home!

Technology in the automotive industry has reached a turning point - access to battery electric vehicles is better than ever and improving constantly. However, the automotive industry continues to profit from the burning of fossil fuels. Only a drastic change such as this, creating the largest market for zero-emissions vehicles in the world, can force them to innovate and compete to bring the cost of this technology down. Exemptions of limited duration should be made only for specialist vehicles.