In the first known charge of its kind under Covid health regulations, members of ROSA, Socialist Feminist Movement, have been fined up to 500 euro and face prosecution over safe, outdoor protests highlighting gender violence during the pandemic. A recent report found Gardai failed to respond to thousands of domestic violence 999 calls — yet advocates and activists are being taken to court. A Limerick woman is the first to face court for being an “organiser” of a small socially distant standout calling for emergency action against rising levels of violence against women, known as the ‘shadow pandemic.’ Aislinn O’Keeffe, a Limerick ROSA member, is being charged with being an “Event Organiser” on Thomas Street under the Public Health Act. The ‘Event’ was in fact a stationary protest involving 10 people, mainly women, following the murder of Sarah Everard, which highlighted the restrictions women must self impose to avoid violence and the stark increases in the incidence of gender based violence worldwide. The standout was the smallest of five called by ROSA in a number of cities. Aislinn O’Keeffe explained : “ROSA fully supports public health measures — but the shocking rise in violence against women is in itself a public health emergency. “Since the ROSA protests at least three women on this island have been victims of femicide. During the pandemic, gender violence soared worldwide and in Ireland calls to Gardai increased by 25% in one quarter and to Women’s Aid by 43% . It was already extremely difficult for women to leave abusive relationships due to lack of supports and a housing crisis, but they had no escape in lockdown. “Services nationally are at breaking point. Refuges such as ADAPT in Limerick are at full capacity and must fundraise to maintain services. We protested that day for the 19 women SAFE Ireland says sought help for the first time, for the seven women turned away from refuges that day. What about their safety in the pandemic? Speaking on behalf of ROSA, former TD Ruth Coppinger, said it was incredible that of all the gatherings that caused public outrage during Covid, the state is choosing to use the Public Health Act to prosecute ROSA for highlighting a public health and safety issue for women. “No prosecutions were taken by Gardai under this law for Golfgate, an indoor event attended by the well-connected in society. Nor was any taken against far right covid deniers who marched without any health precautions. Dublin footballers who gathered for training have also been told there’ll be no prosecutions. Instead, the state is prosecuting women and young people who took part in stationary and socially distant standouts that were fully Covid19 compliant and on an essential issue of the huge spike in gender based violence. “When this legislation was introduced, it would clearly have been seen as designed to target dangerous, indoor or crowded events where public health was being flagrantly ignored, not a symbolic standout on gender violence. . “Two young people are also being fined for attending the standout at the Spire in Dublin under the non essential travel grounds. Ironically, they were two young men acting as covid safety stewards on the day. No other ‘event organiser’ charges have thus far been received for the larger protests in Dublin, Cork and Galway. “ROSA will mount a full challenge to these prosecutions. We will seek support, including financially, from the public. We call on the state to withdraw these charges. We also want answers from the political establishment as to why legislation designed to protect public health is being completely misapplied when clearly no threat to public health existed. “The government is maintaining this legislation til November. There has to be a constitutional right to protest, as long as it’s done safely. Are we stay hidden and silent on important issues throughout the pandemic?

The Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy Railway is a vital piece of national rail infrastructure but it needs a more holistic approach to investment and upgrading in order to deliver a proper service that will attract passengers. Public transport throughout the Midwest region is not good enough. I would hope people throughout the Midwest and supporters of the rail network throughout Ireland would support our campaign. Our requests are not unreasonable, they are modest practical requests that would massively improve the services available on the line. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

This is important because it provides 3rd party cover for all private roadworthy vehicles helping those who are poor and younger people to avail of road legal transport. It also ensures that drivers of larger gas guzzler vehicles and those who use our roads most pay the most. In addition it removes the ability of insurance companies to charge extortionate prices for young people and levels the playing field for those with older cars and rural dwellers, who have inadequate access to public transport.

This is important because it provides 3rd cover for all private roadworthy vehicles, helping those who are financially disadvantaged and young people, to avail of road legal transport. It also ensures that drivers of larger gas guzzler vehicles and those who use our roads most, pay the most. In addition, it removes the ability of insurance companies to charge extortionate prices for young people and levels the playing field for those with older cars, rural dwellers and those who have inadequate access to public transport.

It is understood the first dose of Astra Zeneca is just 30% effective against the Delta variant. With the rising incidence of the highly transmissible Delta variant in Ireland, this means that the elderly and most vulnerable that have only had one dose of Astra Zeneca are now LESS protected than the rest of the population. Studies have found that immunization with AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines safe and well-tolerated. Canada, Finland, France, China, Spain, Sweden, Bahrain and the UAE among others are already using a mixed Covid-19 vaccine strategy. Mixing vaccines is not a new idea (it has been used successfully with HIV and Ebola). Research shows that mixing vaccines can elicit a stronger/longer-lasting response than a single vaccine regimen. Having a flexible immunisation program would also allow Ireland to be nimble in the face of possible global supply constraints.

72 precious lives were lost in the fire at Grenfell Tower in London in 2017. Combustible materials contributed to the fire that night. But Kingspan, the Irish company who manufactured some of the Grenfell cladding, is trying to prevent the same dangerous materials being banned in Northern Ireland, like it has been in England and Wales. Public safety must come before big business

The 300 million PLWRD around the world and their families face common challenges in all aspects of their daily lives. As a population with increasing vulnerabilities, they are disproportionally affected by stigma, discrimination and social marginalization, within their social environment and in society at large. The paucity of knowledge and expertise on rare diseases and the lack of awareness of the challenges faced by PLWRD mean that they are psychologically, socially, culturally and economically vulnerable. b) There are a number of synergies between the rare disease community’s needs and goals, and those of the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals1 ,

Basketball is Irelands number 1 indoor sport with approx 30,000 players in clubs across Ireland and the game is played by the vast majority of primary and post primary school students. Participation at all levels is growing steadily. This is an appeal to RTE and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to broadcast basketball in the 2021-2022 season which commences in September (Mens) and October (Women's) As an indoor sport the game should be very easy to televise particularly during the winter months when other sports are inactive.

#Letuswork! Who are we? We are the people who make your special days memorable. We are the piano player in the corner, the band in your local bar and the singer who brought solemn grace to your loved one’s funeral. We are the band who will forever feature in your wedding day memories, and the two piece act that learned and played those special songs for your parent’s wedding anniversary. We are the people who entertain you on New Year’s Eve in the bar down the road and the trad players lauded by Bord Fáilte to woo tourists. And we are sinking. We are not the ticketed events industry- we are Ordinary Working Musicians. We ask you the public for your solidarity to highlight our plight. It is estimated that more than 850,000 performances were lost in 2020. Please show us your support by signing our petition or by joining one of our nationwide protests on June 23rd. We need our government to allow us to work and to support us until the time comes when we can earn our living again and to include musicians over 66 years who paid their taxes prior to the pandemic. We need subsidies for licenced premises so that they can afford to employ us. Collectively we make up the largest part of the entertainment sector, yet we are persistently overlooked. We’re tired of talking. We want to sing.

1. We understand that Non-EU/EEA doctoral research students conducting research in Ireland can access the hosting agreement scheme but on condition that they have an employment contract as captured in the first Hosting Agreement FAQ on the Euraxess website here: https://www.euraxess.ie/ireland/fast-track-work-permit-non-eu-rd-hosting-agreement-scheme/i-wish-research-university it states: 'Can I have a Hosting Agreement if I am a PhD student in Ireland? Yes, providing you have an employment contract with your university or research-active organisation in Ireland. Contact the Hosting Agreement office of EURAXESS Ireland by emailing ***@iua.ie for more information.' 2. It is typical that many Non-EU/EEA doctoral research students are supporting Irish research projects without employment contracts because most universities do not employ doctoral Research students but hire them on scholarship contracts which disqualifies them from accessing the hosting agreement. This is an affordable way of hiring early stage researchers to conduct research while not considering the impact it has on their immigration status in Ireland and to their dependants. (Only those who get employment contracts qualify to apply for the hosting agreement) 3. Denying access to Non-EU/EEA doctoral research students on research scholarship contracts while giving those on employment contracts brings about inequality among Non-EU/EEA Early Stage Researchers in Ireland. 4. Lack of access to the hosting agreement to most Non-EU/EEA doctoral research students means that their time in Ireland is not reckonable & creates potential red tapes to access employment in the future. Those on hosting agreement can apply for stamp 4 VISA after 21 months and their time is reckonable while those who do not have are on stamp 2 VISA status throughout their doctoral research program. 5. The lack of access for many Doctoral Research students to the hosting agreement means that their spouses have no direct access to employment in Ireland despite their qualifications and experience. On the other hand those on hosting agreements have their partners access employment with no restrictions. This makes the families of doctoral research students without hosting agreements to be vulnerable and therefore it means more stress to the researcher. Treating these researchers differently brings about inequality among them. 6. It is only fair that the contributions of all Non-EU/EEA doctoral research students to research in Ireland is equally recognized, valued, and given credit without looking at their contractual terms. Those doctoral research students on hosting agreement and those not on hosting agreement are equally qualified and hold same responsibilities in Research and Development in Ireland. Treating these two groups differently based on the terms of their contracts creates inequality and is unfair. 7. The eligibility criteria for the hosting agreement scheme should be reviewed to include research scholarship contracts to allow Non-EEA doctoral research students to access the scheme. (Note: Most are disqualified due to the lack of employment contracts) References http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/inis/pages/registration-stamps https://www.euraxess.ie/ireland/fast-track-work-permit-non-eu-rd-hosting-agreement-scheme/i-wish-research-university#:~:text=Can%20I%20have%20a%20Hosting,iua.ie%20for%20more%20information. http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/inis/pages/researchers https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/migrant_workers/employment_permits/spousal_work_permit_scheme.html

This petition is in response to Galway County Councils proposed destruction of Gort Uí Lochlainn Woods for a new housing development: https://consult.galway.ie/en/consultation/part-8-la0921-development-31-no-houses-coill-bhruachl%C3%A1in-gort-u%C3%AD-lochlainn-moycullen-co-galway Gort Uí Lochlainn woods is a beautiful mature, natural, broad leafed deciduous woodland that is used extensively by the community. This woodland harbours rich biodiversity with over 200-year-old native deciduous trees, inc. beech, holly, birch etc., a rich understorey and a stream releasing freshwater from the boggy uplands down to the limestone lowlands, all harbouring species of endemic flora and fauna, the latter including mammals such as foxes, badgers and bats; birds such as jays, sparrowhawks and a visiting barn owl; woodland and aquatic invertebrates. The present pandemic has highlighted the intrinsic value of outdoor recreation to human well-being; taking this woodland away from the neighbouring community is an affront to all human needs for natural resources for mental health and wellbeing and it is a natural classroom to teach our younger generation respect for their natural environment. Galway County Council proposes to destroy the woods without even conducting an environmental impact assessment, and in so doing are ignoring that: - The woods is a habitat to multiple wildlife and a variety of flora and fauna - The woods act as a flood protection system - The destruction of woodlands negatively impacts our fight against climate change

Thousands of houses throughout Ireland, particularly in the Northwest, are falling apart because they were built with DEFECTIVE Blocks. The blocks are contaminated by compounds called PYRITE and/or MICA. People’s homes and lives are being totally destroyed - lives are being shattered - children’s futures devastated. Our houses are now worthless and are unsafe to live in. Imagine if you discovered today that your home was worthless, unsaleable, cracking and crumbling, and would ultimately collapse. How would you feel? This is what is happening to us, through absolutely no fault of our own. Our houses were built with blocks governed by the Standards set by the Irish Government. The Irish Government allowed the quarries that made the blocks to self-regulate. Both the Irish Government, and the quarries have FAILED innocent homeowners. In 2007 when pyrite contaminated houses on the EAST coast of Ireland the Irish Government introduced a redress scheme. This scheme covered 100% of costs for homeowners allowing them to rectify their homes. The Irish Government is REFUSING to grant citizens on the WEST coast of Ireland the same 100% redress scheme. They are offering a PARTIAL redress scheme which has so many exclusions, conditions and hidden costs that it is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. €7,000 is needed for testing before accessing the scheme. This make it financially inaccessible for majority of homeowners affected. We NEED a 100% redress scheme to deal with this life-destroying problem. We are your fellow citizens and we ask you to STAND WITH US in our fight for JUSTICE. Please, please sign this petition to support our cause. Help us get our homes back.