The HSE is selling off a substantial former hospital with 46 acres in Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford for a knockdown price -right in the middle of a housing crisis. It is unbelievable that one part of the public service is effectively giving away state property assets which could be used to assist in alleviating the housing emergency by donating it to the local authority / Dept of Environment for housing. The aim of this campaign is twofold: 1. Withdraw the property from sale with immediate effect 2. For the Dept of Environment to take control of the asset and to investigate the best use of the property for housing use. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/hse-puts-st-senan-s-psychiatric-hospital-on-market-at-780-000-1.2930239

Myself and a number of other residents have been told that we will be evicted from our homes in the Strand apartments in Limerick because the vulture fund who bought our homes want to sell them on for a massive profit. Over 90,000 homes in Ireland are owned by Vulture Funds, which makes many of us vulnerable to evictions and homelessness. Can you stand with us in our fight to stay in our homes and for the right to safe, affordable and secure housing? We also call on Minister Coveney to amend the Residential Tenancies Act to abolish sale of a property as a ground for terminating a tenancy.

Dear Mr. O' Sullivan, We the undersigned are asking that the Irish Times publish an apology for printing an article containing racist, transphobic and misogynistic slurs in an uncritical manner. It is abbhorent that an article would be published by a media outlet about a fascist movement without using the word fascist to describe that movement. Instead, the editorial team uncritically accepted and presented the language of the so called 'alt-right'. Thus far, instead of an apology for this failure in media responsibility, the editor of the opinion section, John MacManus, has attempted to justify his position by making a false comparison between fascism and the movement for reproductive rights in Ireland. This is unacceptable and shows a deep misunderstanding of the issue at hand and what the responsibilities of the media are in this instance. We are at a watershed moment when fascism is rising across Europe and the USA and the media has a responsibility to report this in an accurate and critical manner. Fascism thrives on stereotyping and scapegoating vulnerable groups in society. By publishing this piece the Irish Times is feeding into the normalisation of intolerance. We sign this petition to send a clear message to you and the editorial staff of the Irish Times. We do not want this paper to be a platform for fascism. We do not want people from vulnerable groups to be hurt by slurs against their personhood.We want you to apologise so as to make it clear that you agree that we do not want to see such failures in editorial responsibility becoming commonplace in the Irish media. Regards,

Irish society is fractured, unfair and insecure because successive governments has been unwilling to incorporate economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights into domestic law, which would force government to deliver policies that tackle poverty, provide housing, control rents, bring healthcare to everybody and guarantee a decent income for everyone. It’s pretty obvious that Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Frances Fitzgerald have no interest in human rights measures that would oblige government to address social injustice. So, homelessness, exploitative rents and crippling mortgages are set to continue and the likelihood that your parents or grandparents will end up on a hospital trolley after devoting their life to building this nation will endure. Almost a third of the population will still be unable to afford essential items such as heating, a warm coat or an adequate meal. Yet these abominations are infinitely solvable within our existing resources - we are after all, one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Are we going to put up with this? Are we prepared to let things that were hard fought for - healthcare, affordable housing, a decent income – slip away, so wealthy people can be even wealthier? It doesn’t have to be so. Ireland has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights but has failed to incorporate the Covenant into domestic law, claiming that economic, social and cultural matters are for government to decide. Yet governments have consistently failed to address poverty, homelessness and other situations arising from an absence of enforceable ESC rights. Thomas Pringle will introduce a Private Member’s Bill in the coming months proposing a referendum to strengthen constitutional protection of ESC rights in accordance with the recommendations of the Convention on the Constitution. With your support we can make this happen. Please indicate your support by putting your name to this demand. Be part of this human rights campaign. Together we can make it happen!

We the People of Ringsend/Irishtown and the Sandymount areas are very disappointed with the decision to remove the stop on Sean Moore Road and two stops on strand road. This has been serving us since the start of air coach, and alot of people from the area would use this service, if it a case of ceasing this service because of toll charges/traffic concerns then surely an alternative route could be found through the Irishtown area but still manages to serve the communities affected by this decision

The collective known as Home Sweet Home (‘HSH’) has written to the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, and called on him to take urgent action to tackle the homelessness crisis in the State. He needs to direct NAMA to use its property portfolio to take immediate and effective action to assist the homeless. We are asking members of the public to support HSH’s initiative by signing up to the letter on-line. The government must take action now. In summary, the letter states: 1. The building known as Apollo House, in Dublin city centre, has been occupied by HSH as a last resort to provide safe and secure accommodation for people sleeping rough on the streets. 2. The receivers acting for NAMA obtained a court injunction to force all the occupants of Apollo House to vacate it by noon on 11th January 2017. 3. Whilst the receivers contend that there are enough adequate beds for rough sleepers in Dublin, Fr. Peter McVerry states otherwise on affidavit, and the most recent government statistics (released on 30th December 2016) confirm that homelessness is increasing. 4. Under section 14 of the NAMA Act, the Minister for Finance is empowered to direct NAMA to make properties under its control available “to contribute to the social and economic development of the State”.  Ireland has obligations under European and international law to provide social housing and to work towards the elimination of homelessness. 5. NAMA has ample housing stock currently under its control which can be made available, through various mechanisms, to individuals and families who are currently homeless or under threat of being made homeless. 6. NAMA is planning to build 20,000 homes in the next three years but only 10% of these will be made available for social housing despite the worst housing crisis in the history of the State. NAMA is focused on returning a profit to the exchequer at some point in the future as a priority above tacking the homelessness crisis. 7. The Minister for Finance must act now to compel NAMA to take immediate and effective steps to combat the homelessness crisis. Please support Home Sweet Home’s initiative to force the government to end homelessness in Ireland by signing this letter. You can read the full letter here: http://tinyurl.com/h7zdsvl

We live in different parts of Ireland, in communities both urban and rural, that experience the housing crisis in lots of different ways. By organising together in our own local communities we can help grow the swell of public support to homelessness once and for all. Our politicians all have to take responsibility for the housing crisis. We can pressure them to make this their top priority for 2017. They would like to Apollo House as a one off action and to wash their hands of any responsibility that led to the occupation. Together we can show them that Apollo house is a beacon for change and this struggle is from the bottom up.

We live in different parts of Ireland, in communities both urban and rural, that experience the housing crisis in lots of different ways. By organising together in our own local communities we can help grow the swell of public support to homelessness once and for all. Our politicians all have to take responsibility for the housing crisis. We can pressure them to make this their top priority for 2017. They would like to Apollo House as a one off action and to wash their hands of any responsibility that led to the occupation. Together we can show them that Apollo house is a beacon for change and this struggle is from the bottom up.

We live in different parts of Ireland, in communities both urban and rural, that experience the housing crisis in lots of different ways. By organising together in our own local communities we can help grow the swell of public support to homelessness once and for all. Our politicians all have to take responsibility for the housing crisis. We can pressure them to make this their top priority for 2017. They would like to Apollo House as a one off action and to wash their hands of any responsibility that led to the occupation. Together we can show them that Apollo house is a beacon for change and this struggle is from the bottom up.

Civilians must be evacuated and afforded safe passage out of Aleppo. Our leaders must ensure the UN plan for evacuation is implemented.

The Shannon Estuary is one of the most important sites in Europe for bottlenose dolphins and was designated as a marine protected area in 2000, covering 684km2 from Limerick City, Kerry and Loop Head. Around 120 dolphins occur in the Shannon and have around 8 calves each year and are considered genetically different to other bottlenose dolphins in Ireland.This small but unique population has been studied for over 20 years by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). A recent study showed that bottlenose dolphins are regularly encountered in Tralee and Brandon Bays during the summer months. Using a technique called photo-identification, where individual dolphins are recognised by unique markings on their dorsal fins recorded from photographs, researchers recorded an extremely high number of dolphins from the Shannon population present in the bays. Nearly two-thirds of the current adult dolphin population estimate of 108 were identified in the study. Results showed a high percentage of Shannon dolphins were identified and re-sighted within the bays providing strong evidence that these areas represent significant habitats for the Shannon dolphins. The IWDG therefore have recommended that the boundary of the Lower River Shannon SAC be extended to include both Brandon Bay and Tralee Bays in order to provide legal protection of these habitats. The Lower River Shannon SAC was designated in order to protect the Shannon dolphin population. Therefore, its boundaries should include areas where these dolphins are known to regularly occur. Join us and support “North Kerry to be made a Marine Protected Area for bottlenose dolphins”!

At present, the Lord Mayor of Cork is elected by councillors ever year for a one year term. There is a different Lord Mayor every year. This means there's isn't consistency or time enough for a mayor to make their mark. It means the citizens of Cork don't have the chance to vote for a mayor with a vision for the city. A vision that only a mayor can put in action. It wasn't meant to be this way. In 2001, the law was changed so that Cork and other cities would have a directly-elected mayor serving for five-year terms. The first elections were supposed to happen in 2004 - but this was reversed at the last minute and things were left hanging. Now it's time to put the Cork mayor back on the agenda! An elected mayor will provide a vision for Cork. They will have a mandate from the citizens to see that vision through. They will oversee the day-to-day implementation of a city plan in ways that part-time councillors can't. We already have a full-time Lord Mayor, so this won't cost any money. And an elected mayor won't replace the council. It will reinvigorate the city and give the running of it renewed energy and direction. Add your name now and call for a directly-elected Mayor of Cork! #MayorOfCork Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/psyberartist/