Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland, killing over 4,500 people every year. A generational smoking ban—stopping the sale of tobacco to anyone born after a certain year—will protect our children and future generations from the harms of addiction, disease, and early death. Countries like New Zealand showed that this approach works, reducing smoking rates and saving lives. This ban is not about punishing current smokers, but about creating a healthier future. It will save billions in healthcare costs, reduce the burden on our hospitals, and ensure that no young person ever starts a deadly habit. Ireland has always been a leader in public health, and we were one of the first to ban smoking indoors, let’s make history again by becoming the next country to say no to tobacco for good.

As a public facility, Mullingar Swimming Pool has a responsibility to remain inclusive and accessible to all members of the community.  In a country surrounded by water, the ability to swim is an essential life skill, and access to effective learning pathways must be protected.  We respectfully call on Westmeath County Council to:  • Review and reconsider the decision to ban private swimming lesson • Acknowledge and address the current shortfall in available classes and access within existing programmes • Engage with pool users, parents, instructors, and adult learners before implementing major policy changes • Explore balanced alternatives, such as designated times that allow private instruction to continue alongside public use We believe there is a fair and practical solution that supports safety, inclusion, and access for everyone.  

Endometriosis is not a rare condition — yet in Ireland, people are still waiting years, often decades, for diagnosis and access to specialist care. This delay has real and lasting consequences. It means: • disease progression that could have been prevented • repeated surgeries and avoidable complications • loss of fertility and long-term health impacts • financial strain from private care and travel • emotional trauma from not being believed or properly treated Despite the publication of a national framework, the reality on the ground has not changed fast enough.  Patients are still facing barriers at every stage — from GP referral to specialist care. This is not just a healthcare issue.  It is an issue of patient safety, equality, and accountability. Why should others join this campaign? Because this could affect anyone. Endometriosis impacts 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth, meaning: • your sister • your daughter • your friend • your colleague may already be living with it — diagnosed or not. Joining this campaign is about: • Standing up for timely, safe, and appropriate healthcare • Demanding accountability for systemic failures • Ensuring future patients do not have to endure years of unnecessary suffering • Supporting a healthcare system that treats people with dignity, respect, and informed consent This is also about those who don’t yet have the voice, capacity, or support to speak out. No one should have to lose years of their life waiting to be believed. No one should have to fight this hard for basic healthcare. Join us. Sign the petition. Be part of the change.

Athenry is a growing community and the demand for reliable, early-morning public transport is clear.  Existing servcies are under enormous strain. Trains are often overcrowded to dangerous levels. Athenry desperately needs more services, not cuts. Funding these essential services will allow more people to use public transport and reduce reliance on cars, in line with the Government's environmental goals. At a time of global fuel crisis, public transport must be accessible, affordable and a reliable alternative for commuters. We will not accept Athenry's transport needs being ignored and neglected by Government and the relevant transport authorities. We demand that funding is provided for these essential services.

Because every child deserves Magic at Christmas, even children who are employed in slave labour in the cocoa industry who supply Cadbury's. " Mondelēz International — the food giant behind Oreos, Cadbury, and Toblerone — has spent years cultivating an image as a sustainability leader, earning high environmental scores and pledging to eliminate deforestation and human rights abuses from its supply chains. Investigative reporting, however, reveals a starkly different reality: of a company that appears more focused on protecting its reputation than preventing harm to vulnerable people and the planet. For decades, Mondelēz has faced scrutiny over its cocoa sourcing in West Africa, where child and forced labor are widely documented and an estimated 1.56 million children work on cocoa farms. In 2022, a Channel 4 investigation reported that children as young as ten were using machetes to harvest cocoa pods on a Ghanaian farm allegedly linked to Mondelēz. Mondelēz has emphasized that such practices violate its policies and has pointed to its child labor monitoring system. But that system does not cover all the farms in its supply chain, and the company lacks full traceability for its cocoa — meaning it cannot determine whether child labor is involved in some of the cocoa it uses." Source: https://www.ran.org/the-understory/mondelez-has-built-a-reputation-on-sustainability-we-call-it-deception/

PMDD is a serious and often misunderstood condition that can be devastating for those living with it, affecting mental health, relationships, education, work and overall quality of life.  It is commonly estimated to affect around 3–8% of people with a menstrual cycle, yet awareness and understanding remain far too low.  Research has also found extremely high levels of distress among people with PMDD:  • Approximately 1 in 3 women with PMDD have attempted suicide • Approximately 50% have self-harmed. Too many people are left without answers, misdiagnosed, or made to feel that what they are experiencing is normal when it is not. Better education, clinical awareness and clear treatment pathways would mean earlier recognition, faster support and less needless suffering. 

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has demonstrated that the objective of affordable, secure and decarbonised energy cannot be met through importation of fossil fuels which are carbon intensive and subject to rapid price shocks. Climate change and its consequences are and will continue to have profound effects on human health and the wellbeing of future generations. In confronting the fact that 29% of Irish households are in energy poverty, we must ensure that in moving to a net-zero Ireland we adhere to the principles of a Just Transition, and must reach those furthest behind first. Energy crises disproportionately impact the most marginalised, including one parent families, carers, disabled people, and older people, and are driven by an energy system that is too reliant on expensive imported fossil fuels. The Government has been backtracking on climate action in recent months; Government Ministers have suggested in the media that they won't meet our legally binding climate targets, and several pieces of legislation undermining the Climate Act have been published, including one that proposes to build an LNG terminal in Ireland, which will lock us into importing unreliable and dirty fossil fuels.

We the undersigned are calling on all members of the  Dail to support the upcoming motion of no confidence against the current Irish Government.  Every crisis that the people on the island of Ireland have faced over the last few years has been exasperated by the lack of meaningful action taken by this government.  From their lack of response and real support for people during the ongoing fuel and energy crisis to their deliberate efforts at ensuring the housing crisis worsens and health services are underfunded.  Publicly owned properties left laying empty while many families struggle to find a home, mental health and general health services stretched to capacity, children left without assessments of needs or additional needs classes, the list goes on.  All the while this government has been happy to hand over large tax breaks to massive corporations, to fall in line with arms manufacturers to try and dismantle our neutrality and to cut energy prices for enormous data centres while the rest of us are left with massive bills.  Please sign this petition expressing your support for the motion of no confidence and let us know why you support it below! 

The people of the community of Straide fundraised for, and provided labour for, the construction of the Straide Davitt Community Hall. The local community group, the Straide Community Development Group, on behalf of the community via fundraising  & with the help of government funding organisations, invested almost €300,000 in the refurbishment of the building and upgrading of services. They now find themselves stymied by their Landlord, the Michael Davitt National Memorial Company CLG, who are unwilling to extend the existing lease unaltered so that the community can avail of a €50,000 CLÁR grant. It is time for the community to reclaim their community centre. 

WHY THIS IS AN ATTACK ON ALL OF US 🔍 Targeting Whistleblowers Lorna and Brenda raised serious, documented concerns about the misuse of union funds and a lack of financial transparency. Their suspensions constitute penalisation under the Protected Disclosures Act — plain and simple. 📱 Suspended for a Facebook Like Helen, and Mark were suspended for engaging with social media posts that asked difficult questions. If members can be disciplined for liking a post, no member is safe from arbitrary action. 🗳️ Election Interference These suspensions were timed specifically to prevent the five from standing in the upcoming BDC and NEC elections — a direct violation of Rule 25.2, which guarantees every member a fair right to contest elections. 📜 Procedural Lawlessness The NEC has ignored its own Rule Book. Rule 13.1 does not permit the NEC to issue indefinite standalone suspensions to NEC members without formal referral to the BDC. The process also ignored mandatory notice periods required under Rule 26.3 — what can only be described as a procedural ambush. ⚖️ Conflict of Interest The complaints were brought by industrial staff who threatened industrial action if action wasn’t taken against the members. Some complainants were allowed to present to the NEC to influence the process, whereas the suspended members weren’t. Allowing conflicted individuals to drive this process undermines any pretence of fairness. OUR DEMANDS 1. IMMEDIATE REINSTATEMENT — Lift the suspensions of all five members without delay. 2. RESPECT THE RULE BOOK — End all ultra vires actions that bypass the authority of the BDC. 3. STOP THE PENALISATION — No member should face discipline for making protected disclosures about financial oversight and governance. 4. PROTECT DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS — Guarantee that all five candidates have a fair and unhindered right to contest the upcoming elections under Rule 25.2. By signing this petition, you are sending a clear message to Mandate leadership: this union belongs to its members. Not to unaccountable structures. Not to those who wish to avoid scrutiny. And not to those who would silence the very people trying to protect our money and our rights. Stand with Lorna. Stand with Brenda, Sarah, Helen, and Mark. Stand with the Suspended Five. Stand for a Transparent Mandate.

We are calling on the CEOs at Fingal County Council and the HSE for: • Full clarification on whether any proposed roads, pathways or access routes will extend toward, connect with, or impact Glasmore Park or its green space  • Confirmation as to whether any part of the existing green space including the community-maintained pocket forest will be affected • Full details of any proposed changes to boundaries, landscaping, access or usage of these areas We strongly object to any development that would result in the loss, reduction, or degradation of this valued green spaces/pocket forest. This petition reflects the strength of feeling within our community.  We stand together to protect all our green spaces for current and future generations. Sign below to support the protection of Glasmore Park entrance green including pocket forest 🍃🌳

Because they provide a vital service voluntarily to New Ross and it's surroundings