The government buying the Conor pass on behalf of the people would ensure public access to the world-famous site for generations to come. The Conor Pass is a rich cultural and archeological area and has enormous potential for nature restoration. The purchasing and rewilding of this land would show that the Irish government is serious about restoring nature for the benefit of all of us. Leo Varadkar, Malcolm Noonan, and the government have a responsibility to respond to the biodiversity crisis and climate collapse. The restoration of land and ensuring that land is held for the benefit of all should be the primary goal of the government and buying this parcel of land would be a great step towards that.

Sickness occurs through no fault of the employee, so why should they be punished for it? In times when inflation is soaring, interest rates on mortgages are rising, and bills at the tills are becoming bigger and bigger, an employee shouldn't have to do without 30% of their wages because they were sick.

I used to teach at The Cannabis College in Amsterdam and I have been involved in harm reduction and education around drugs for over 30 years. The fact cannabis is still illegal is reprehensible

Fast fashion may seem convenient and affordable, but the truth is, it's taking a huge toll on worker's rights. From the usage of harmful chemicals causing sickness among people working in sweatshops to child labor and modern slavery, the fashion industry is one of the biggest exploiters of labor. Garment workers, work day and night for meagre wages, while companies like SHEIN indulge in fleeting fashion trends and earn billions on sufferings. SHEIN is known not only for stealing designs from artists and small labels but also resorting to questionable practices and inhumane conditions for their sweatshop workers. These people work up to 18 hours a day, and are paid as little as 4 cents per finished clothing item. On top of that, they often face harsh penalties, losing two-thirds of their daily wages for minor mistakes in their work. To make matters worse, SHEIN has shown no hesitation in selling offensive items, like Islamic prayer rugs as decorative mats and swastika necklaces. This is our time to boycott SHEIN and show them we have had enough of their shady practices and exploitation of vulnerable people. LESS FAST FASHION, MORE WORKER RIGHTS

The children of Ballyhass NS and the parish of Castlemagner deserve a bus and shouldn't be subjected to the stress and worry of a lottery year on year. This affects anyone that is outside the Department of Education's radius of 3 miles from the school. This is our fight this year but it might be yours in the future.

Fast fashion may seem convenient and affordable, but the truth is, it's taking a huge toll on worker's rights. From the usage of harmful chemicals causing sickness among people working in sweatshops to child labor and modern slavery, the fashion industry is one of the biggest exploiters of labor. Garment workers, work day and night for meagre wages, while companies like SHEIN indulge in fleeting fashion trends and earn billions on sufferings. SHEIN is known not only for stealing designs from artists and small labels but also resorting to questionable practices and inhumane conditions for their sweatshop workers. These people work up to 18 hours a day, and are paid as little as 4 cents per finished clothing item. On top of that, they often face harsh penalties, losing two-thirds of their daily wages for minor mistakes in their work. To make matters worse, SHEIN has shown no hesitation in selling offensive items, like Islamic prayer rugs as decorative mats and swastika necklaces. This is our time to boycott SHEIN and show them we have had enough of their shady practices and exploitation of vulnerable people. LESS FAST FASHION, MORE WORKER RIGHTS

Every summer, flags go up on lampposts across Northern Ireland. They hang around for months becoming an eyesore, and many glorify illegal paramilitary groups. This year we've seen an increase in flags in shared areas like the Westlink motorway, at supermarkets and outside the PSNI training centre at Garnerville. No one takes responsibility to take them down. The flying of flags needs to be clearly legislated for so the issue can be tackled once and for all.

The decision by MU’s Governing Authority and senior management to replace democratic elections with a selection process, whereby they assume, with the assistance of a private recruitment firm, the responsibility of handpicking staff representatives, is an attack on basic principles of democracy and good governance.

Every summer, flags go up on lampposts across Northern Ireland. They hang around for months becoming an eyesore, and many glorify illegal paramilitary groups. This year we've seen an increase in flags in shared areas like the Westlink motorway, at supermarkets and outside the PSNI training centre at Garnerville. No one takes responsibility to take them down. The flying of flags needs to be clearly legislated for so the issue can be tackled once and for all.

The sale must be halted to provide a pause to consult stakeholders on the future of the site. The sale contains no conditions for the protection of the factory building and its preservation should be considered on the grounds of the social and architectural significance of the last Briquette factory in Ireland.

**Gaeilge thíos, Irish below** On the 26th June 2023, a long-awaited and long-delayed review into PhD support in Ireland was published. It recommended that government-funded PhD candidates receive a stipend of €25,000/year starting September 2023. Since then, bodies such as the SFI, the IRC, & Teagasc have remained silent, have not committed to raising stipends, and have not responded to PWO inquiries for clarification on how they would react to the review’s recommendations. The vast majority of the PGRs in Ireland are paid the equivalent of less than minimum wage, with the vast majority being held at 30% below minimum wage or worse. During the ongoing cost of living crisis, however, even a minimum wage is not enough to live on. They are desperately in need of better pay and increased support, so it is essential that stipends are raised as soon as possible. Moreover, PGRs need to know what their financial situation will look like in the near-future so they can make informed decisions about their accommodation in the midst of a longstanding housing crisis that is further exacerbated by the worsening cost of living crisis. With upcoming research costs for conferences, publications, and presentations, as well as the prospect of moving and various other important financial decisions, PGRs need clarity on what level of support they can count on from their funding agencies. However, with the current lack of communication about the potential stipend increase, PGRs have been left in limbo. Some PGRs are making long-term commitments on the basis of the stipend they receive, such as tenancy agreements, and cannot accept further delays. The Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation therefore demands that SFI, the IRC, Teagasc, and other PhD-funding bodies raise stipends to at least a living wage (i.e. €25,000/year) by September as recommended by the recent review into PhD support in Ireland, and that this increase be communicated immediately and clearly to all PhDs. ---------Gaeilge--------- Ar 26 mí Meitheamh 2023, foilsíodh tuairisc ar thacaíochta na PhDanna tar éis tréimhse feithimh agus moillithe fada. Mhol sé stipinn €25,000/bliain do PhDanna a raibh maoiniú acu ón rialtas ó Mheán Fómhair 2023 amach. Níl raibh trácht ar bith ó chomhlachtaí cosúil le SFI, leis an IRC, ná le Teagasc ar an scéal, níl gealltanas tugtha acu stipinní a ardú, agus níor fhreagair siad ceisteanna curtha ag an EOI maidir le soiléiriú ar na freagraí a bheas acu. Íoctar níos lú ná pá íosta do mhórchuid na dtaighdeoirí iarchéime in Éirinn, agus bíonn móramh acu 30% faoi phá íosta nó níos measa as. Le linn an géarchéim mhaireachtála reatha, ní leor pá íosta fiú le maireachtáil. Tá géarghá ag na taighdeoirí iarchéime ar tacaíochtaí agus pá níos fearr agus níos airde, agus mar sin is gá go mbeidh ardú tagtha ar na stipinní chomh luath agus is féidir. Thairis sin, caithfidh taighdeoirí iarchéime tuiscint cé chaoi mar a bheas an scéal sna míonna atá romhainn le go mbeadh siad in ann cinntí cónaithe a dhéanamh go feasach. Go áirithe le linn géarchéimeanna tithíochta agus maireachtála, tá an-ghá leis sin. Le costais comhdhálacha taighde, foilseacháin, taispeántais, aistrithe, srl. i measc go leor cinntí airgeadais eile, ní mór soiléireacht a thabhairt do taighdeoirí iarchéime maidir le cé mhéad tacaíochta a bheas ag dul chucu óna gcomhlachtaí maoinithe. Leis an easpa cumarsáide atá ann anois maidir le ardú na stipinní, fágadh lár lár na taighdeoirí iarchéime. Tá ar cuid acu cinntí fad-téarmach, cosúil le conartha tionóntachta, a ndéanamh acu de réir an stipinn atá ann faoi láthair, agus ní féidir leo leanúint ar aghaidh gan tuilleadh soiléireacht ar an scéal. Éilíonn Eagraíocht na nOibrithe Iarchéimithe mar sin go ndéanfaidh SFI, an IRC, Teagasc, agus comhlachtaí maoinithe PhDanna eile an stipinn a ardú go pá inmhaireachtála (.i. €25,000/bliain) ar a laghad roimh mí Mheáin Fhómhair mar atá molta ag an tuairisc le déanaí ar thacaíochta na PhDanna in Éirinn. Éilítear chomh maith go ndéanfar an ardú seo a fógairt go soiléir le gach uile PhD.

The junction is a dangerous intersection, from either side of Tay Road it is very difficult to see both ways, because the intersecting road is straight, cars will go at full speed and arrive at the junction with very short notice as one side there is a hill, which blocks visibility and the other a steep turn. A lot of people in Cobh will avoid this junction altogether because it is too dangerous. Unsurprisingly, accidents have occured here with even a fatality a few years back. Nothing effective has been done to make this junction a safe one.