We need your help to apply pressure on the Irish Government to take action, and make them aware that there is a strong public demand for legal action against the genocidal actions of the Israeli state.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) based in The Hague will hold its first hearing in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on Thursday, with several countries welcoming the move amid a global chorus for a ceasefire in Gaza.South Africa filed the lawsuit end of December, accusing Israel of genocide in its war on Gaza and seeking a halt to the brutal military assault that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, nearly 10,000 of them children.The 84-page filing by South Africa says Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, drawn up in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.(Al-Jazeer)The Irish government must join South Africa in this case. Our country was instrumental in the worldwide condemnation of Apartheid in Sputy Africa. We also joined the case last year against Russia at the ICJ. We must stand firm and make our collective heard that what Israel is doing amounts to Genocide; it cannot and will not be condoned.

Young people across the UK and Ireland currently live in an electoral postcode lottery. 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland and Wales are allowed to vote in local and Parliamentary elections, while their peers in Northern Ireland cannot.  Scotland and Wales join a host of other nations across the world which have chosen to extend voting rights to their young citizens, including: • Austria • Brazil • Cuba • Ecuador • Parts of Germany • Greece • Malta • Nicaragua, and more! Young people living in Northern Ireland feel disenfranchised and unsupported by our political system. Lowering the voting age to 16 will give our young people a democratic voice, ensuring that their voices can be heard on the issues that matter to them.  Why now? Recent comments by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in support of votes at 16 have sparked some heated public debate on the issue. Many of the arguments put forward have been based on assumptions about young people's behaviour, maturity and competence. But we no longer need to rely on assumptions - we can look at the international evidence!  1. Young people are capable and engaged  - when faced with situations that require unhurried, deliberate consideration - 'cold cognition' - 16 year olds demonstrate judgement as mature as that of adults. In the weeks and months before an election, young people have time to use their cold cognition skills, gathering evidence and talking to their friends, family and peers before making an informed decision. 2.  Many young people are political activists and campaigners - globally and locally, 16 and 17 year olds have campaigned for climate action, better mental health services, RSE and much more. 3. Young people have minds of their own - it's true that in most European countries, young people tend to support left-leaning parties in higher numbers than adults. But just like adults, young people hold a range of views and opinions from across the political spectrum (see trends in Austria, Germany and Scotland) 4. Younger voters are lifelong voters - at age 18, many young people are in a transitional phase of life - leaving school, starting uni or work, moving out of the family home or their hometown. They might not be familiar with local issues and candidates, or with voting registration systems and requirements. These conditions can dampen rates of voter turnout. But at the ages of 16 and 17, young people are more likely to in environments with strong socialisation influences, like the family home and school. Evidence from Scotland shows that when they are given the right to vote, 16 and 17 year olds turn out in greater numbers than those aged 18 - 24! 5. Respect for fairness and equality - young people aren't just citizens of the future - they're full and equal citizens now! At the age of 16, young people in NI can work, pay taxes, provide care for loved ones, get married and serve in the Armed Forces. They're an active and valuable part of society - why shouldn't they have a say in how things are governed? The importance of education When 16 and 17 year olds are granted the right to vote in Northern Ireland, it is vital that this is accompanied by plans to develop high-quality civic education. Deliberative political literacy education can help to mitigate inequalities in political knowledge, confidence and participation from the earliest possible stages. Schools and youth organisations have a crucial role to play in empowering, supporting and encouraging young people to engage meaningfully with politics.  Credit for Image: Bulat Silvia

Substance misuse accounted for 3000 deaths in 2021 in Northern Ireland - a 60% increase from the previous 10 years. It is young adults who are at the highest risk of substance misuse related death. A Treatment Centre has been opened in Scotland who have taken a person-centred approach - which has been praised as international best practice. We need to do the same here.

Homes, heritage and health is at risk in Magherally and the surrounding Banbridge area. If the quarry is allowed to expand local wildlife’s habitat will be destroyed and local residents will have their right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes striped from them. Once the beautiful countryside in Magherally is gone, we can never get it back. Respiratory problems could worsen, silica dust is carcinogenic and could lead to increased health concerns. Noise and dust pollution will increase. Badgers, bats, foxes, yellowhammers and Irish hares will be out at risk. No amount of economical gain is worth putting lives, wildlife and heritage at risk.

Libraries are vital public services for our communities to come together and learn in NI. However, funding has been cut in real terms by almost £20 million pounds over the past decade. The financial situation is so dire that there is no budget to buy books and libraries have had to reduce opening hours. It's time for the government to fund our libraries properly!

The accommodation Trinity so graciously provides its students is overpriced and dingy, with terrible WiFi, frequently malfunctioning utilities and an almost non-existent maintenance system. On top of the conditions in these flats, we as residents are subjected to arbitrary limitations on our autonomy and personal lives such as the overnight guests policy. The policy of not letting students sign in guests after 11pm at Halls, and 12am on campus disproportionately limits the rights and autonomy of student residents. It is a paternalistic, dangerous and hypocritical policy. Firstly, it is paternalistic because it does not treat students as adults capable of making their own choices. Secondly, it is dangerous because someone might need to sleep at a resident’s place, such as in cases where they miss their public transport and cannot get home. Rejecting them from a safe place to sleep is unacceptable. It makes no sense in terms of controlling numbers because overnight guests can simply come on campus before midnight - as such, in any case, this policy is ineffective and only serves to put us in danger. Thirdly, it is hypocritical because the same policy does not apply to staff living on campus, such as lecturers or Fellows. The issue has been raised to the TCDSU by multiple student residents over a number of years, and as such we immediately call on College to change the policy to allow student residents to sign in guests any time. Finally, students should be allowed on-campus any time to access the 24/7 library, society rooms and to leave to get food and return when studying overnight in these places. College claims that they are doing this for our 'security' and our 'ability to study' and to not be 'disturbed'. They claim that they are doing this for our benefit. Yet, this is just a paternalistic control mechanism that College applies to us in order to limit our autonomy and indoctrinate us into following authority, forming part of a larger trend to make education a factory process to mould us into the ideal future workers. We, the undersigned, categorically state that we do not want the overnight guests policy, that we are well able to deal with overnight guests coming into our flats and that we reject the paternalistic embrace of College.

Tá géarchéim san earnáil lán-Ghaeilge agus Ghaeltachta ó thaobh soláthar múinteoirí le blianta fada. Eascraíonn sé as ganntanas múinteoirí ag an dá leibhéal a bhfuil an cumas cuí teanga acu le múineadh i scoil lán-Ghaeilge/Ghaeltachta. Is ionann an liúntas le haghaidh múneadh trí Ghaeilge agus €1,785 in aghaidh na bliana do mhúinteoirí a bhí ag múineadh roimh Nollaig 2011. Baineadh dhá liúntas eile de mhúinteoirí nua ag an an céanna; liúntas do mhúinteoirí i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus an liúntas dóibh ag múineadh ar na hoileáin. Tá luach €3,455 ar an liúntas Gaeltachta agus €2,078 ar an liúntas do mhúinteoirí i scoileanna oileáin. Ó cuireadh deireadh leis an liúntas don teagasc trí Ghaeilge sa bhliain 2011, níl aon dreasacht nó aitheantas ceart á thabhairt do na freagrachtaí móra breise atá i gceist do mhúinteoirí a bhíonn ag múineadh i suíomh lán-Ghaeilge, áit a bhfuil an tumoideachas i bhfeidhm. Tá córais cosúil leis an liúntas i bhfeidhm cheana féin i dtíortha eile ina mbíonn múinteoirí ag obair i suíomhanna dátheangacha nó suíomhanna tumoideachais, ar nós An Nua-Shéalainn, Haváí, agus Ceanada. Creideann Gaeloideachas gur chóir luach ceart a chur ar an obair seo agus aitheantas a thabhairt do na múinteoirí atá á dhéanamh. Mar sin, táimid i mbun abhcóideachta ar an gceist seo, agus bheadh bhur gcuid tacaíochta mar chabhair mhór leis an bhfeachtas agus na teachtaireachtaí thíos a choinneáil i mbéal an phobail. #LuachTríLiúntas

0% Irish female solo artists featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts songs of 2022. In 2023 only 3% 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists. 3,255,000 listeners tune into Irish radio every weekday. When it comes to music, getting your song added to a playlist on a radio station can be life-changing for an Irish artist. The Irish broadcasting sector has historically not supported women or diverse artists in music from Ireland. Following a series of Gender Disparity Data Reports conducted by Linda Coogan Byrne and her team at Why Not Her?, the evidence showed that Irish radio managers consciously decide year in and year out to exclude Irish female-identifying artists, female fronting bands and diverse artists from Radio Playlists across Ireland. Of songs featured in the Top 50 Radio Charts of 2022, only 12% were by domestic Irish artists or bands (0% Irish female solo artists). This translates to 6 songs by 4 Irish artists: 1 song by Belters Only feat. Jazzy; 3 songs by Dermot Kennedy; 1 song by Moncrieff; and 1 song by Welshy feat. Nono. None were by Irish persons of colour - solo artists or groups - and none were by female solo artists or groups. Fast forward a year later and only 3% of the Top 100 Songs on Irish radio in 2023 included solo/lead/front Irish female artists: Jazzy*, Aimée and Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries. As the years go by, it is becoming more and more difficult for Irish people to discover and hear the music of Irish women and diverse artists. When asked why there are so few women artists played on the radio, managers said: "Men make better music than women" "Why are you feeding us to the wolves?" "We don't have the budget to be diverse" "We don't make the rules" "Women just moan" "She is too old and long in the tooth to be making music" "We actually had some women on a Special Friday Night show back in Feb" "It's the label's fault, not ours" "You should analyse the record companies. You’ll see an imbalance in what we’re being sent". "It is whatever makes the charts" "People prefer to listen to male acts, they request them on air!" "You need to be careful and stop stepping on people's toes in radio" "You need to stop asking questions" In the meantime, many new and emerging male artists are recognised and supported across the airwaves, allowing for a host of new household names to emerge in the landscape of Irish music in the past decade. It is common for white male lead/front artists/bands such as Hozier, Gavin James, Cian Ducrot, Robert Grace, Moncrieff, The Script, etc. to be heavily played during the day and evening on Irish airwaves, while their diverse and female counterparts are played in the middle of the night. The Journal.ie 13.02.24 https://www.thejournal.ie/prev/6298235/dvX7Tyf5Xocvo/

The people of Cork support Palestine. Disney supports Israel. We can’t have our favourite radio station sponsored by Disney!

Dublin City's 'Herzog' Park is called after the Dublin-raised Chaim Herzog who became 6th Israeli president, having fought along with Zionist paramilitaries in the late 1940s and then serving in Israeli administration. His son, Yitzhak (Isaac) Herzog is current Israeli president, who has recently called for the violent elimination of Palestinians. The name Herzog is a name long associated with the barbarity & shame of on-going Israeli aggression against Palestinians. The people of Dublin stand with the people of Palestine in the on-going Israeli onslaught. The message of the renaming of the 'Herzog' to ‘Free Palestine’ of the Dublin City Park can be another symbolic expression of the people of Dublin's solidarity.

There has been several people threatened and there was involvement of knives from robbers. We would like to feel safe again. This is a family neighborhood.