1. **Preservation of Community Investment:** The letter underscores the significant voluntary efforts made by Dermot Maguire and others in transforming the Garden, framing the request for CCTV and lighting as a necessary means to protect their hard work. 2. **Deterrent to Vandalism:** By emphasizing that the proposed measures would serve as a deterrent, the letter highlights the practical benefits of these investments in preventing future incidents. 3. **Enhancing Safety and Security:** The importance of public lighting and CCTV in creating a safe environment is stressed, making it clear that these additions would not only protect the Garden but also make it more welcoming to residents. 4. **Community Pride and Well-being:** The letter positions the Garden as a symbol of community pride, arguing that the Council’s support is crucial in maintaining this shared public asset for future generations.

With people power we can achieve a lot. I know so many people in my area who have grown to love the fact that we can have such an amazing creature in our own back gardens in Dublin. We should stand up and protect them.

Since May Waterways Ireland has erected steel fences all along the Grand Canal. Waterways Ireland's antisocial management of our canals, and the government's inhumane treatment of Dublin's homeless and homeless asylum seekers must be opposed. The erection of steel fencing along the Grand Canal this year is an escalation in a long-term policy of Waterways Ireland to prioritise anti-homeless action and infrastructure over their role in restoring, developing, and pinoting Ireland's waterways. These fences are more than physical barriers; they represent the deliberate exclusion of certain groups from public spaces and, by extension, from society. This exclusion is part of a broader pattern within our economic and political system that prioritises the interests of capital over those of ordinary citizens. The current actions of Waterways Ireland, including the erection of these barriers, disproportionately affect vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, the homeless population, and working-class people. Public spaces are meant to be inclusive areas that foster community and provide safe havens for all, However, the recent actions by Waterways Ireland have turned these spaces into sites of exclusion and hostility. The fences have an estimated cost of €30,000 a week and its maintenance assumed to continue up to October could cost as much as €390,000. This money could be better spent addressing the housing crisis by providing real solutions and support for those in need. These barriers are tools of division and exclusion. They are being used to weaponize the immigration issue in Ireland, particularly to divide working-class communities that are already suffering from the deliberate degradation of social services, including public housing, healthcare, and education. Instead of listening to our calls for a humane and constructive solution to this disgraceful situation Waterways Ireland has instead referred to it as not ideal' and has called for 'restraint’. They have refused to engage in dialogue while simultaneously claiming a commitment to “actively involving communities in the stewardship of these vital resources”. The lack of communication, transparency and accountability can go on no longer. We as residents are speaking up.  We demand 1. Remove fencing on the Grand Canal 2. No more hostile architecture  3. Stop evicting refugees and Irish people  4. Secure accommodation, tenancy rights and right to union representation through the Community Action Tenants Union for everyone homeless, in temporary, IPAS and emergency accommodation

Access to basic means of transportation is essential and in the context of rising traffic in the area and the city is fundamental for a modern and normal way of life for people going to work,study or getting to the city center 

The benefits of a calisthenics park extend beyond physical fitness. It would encourage social interaction, promote mental well-being, and inspire healthy lifestyle choices among residents. Moreover, with the rise in popularity of bodyweight training, a calisthenics park would attract visitors from neighboring areas, boosting local engagement I urge the council to consider this proposal and explore the potential for funding and partnerships to bring this vision to life. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your positive response and hope to see a calisthenics park in Blackwater Park soon. Yours sincerely, Robert Maher

What Israel is doing in Gaza is worse than ever with widespread starvation, brutal torture camps, and constant, intensified attacks on civilians. [1] As Israel perpetuates war crimes in plain sight in Gaza, UK arms companies should not be allowed to export arms licenses to Israel. This is the first step to end Netanyahu's genocidal war on Gaza. We are urging you to immediately stop arms licences and exports to the Government of Israel. [1] UN report accuses Israel of ‘exterminating’ Palestinians | Irish Independent & Freed Gaza hospital chief says Israel was torturing prisoners | Irish Independent 

Because recent we lost out on a family holiday and due to no communication from the passport office even when they have been contacted in relation to passports they still didn’t give no information until a TD contact them on our behalf. We not only lost out on my daughters first holiday, a family holiday the first since my brother passed away but also my sisters 50th birthday. I am more angry that when I posted this that hundreds across Ireland have come up against the same problem 

We ask the Irish government to put excessive pressure on the Turkish government and parliament to reverse the new law that calls for the "euthanasia" of stray animals in Turkey.    Also, we ask people to consider a different location than Turkey for travel, unless the Turkish government reverses this law.   Please sign & share this petition on behalf of the voiceless animals.  

Social media giants are making huge profits from fuelling hate on their platforms, which all contributed to the division and destruction we saw on the streets. 240 groups and organisations across the UK and Ireland are demanding our political leaders act to make companies like Facebook and Twitter shut off the recommender system. This would stop extreme content spreading like wildfire across social media, and seriously hinder extremists ability to quickly whip up the disinformation that fed into last weeks’ violence.

As the two family representatives who recently stepped down from the Service Improvement Board and working groups for the Progressing Disabilities Roadmap, we requested a meeting with Minister for Disability, Anne Rabbitte. In our meeting, we discussed various issues and agreed that we must urgently review the Progressing Disability Services (PDS) model. We believe this review is crucial to ensure that the services for children with disabilities are effective, inclusive, and respect their rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). We will not accept a system that fails to acknowledge the inherent dignity and humanity of children, families, and staff. We urge that the review of Progressing Disabilities be led by stakeholders, including families, people with disabilities, staff, and representative organizations. Let’s come together to assess what is working, what isn’t, and what needs to happen next to shift towards a human rights framework for children in Ireland.  The time has come for us to lead the change we want to see. We have waited long enough, and our children simply do not have the luxury of time. Many challenges in disability services can prevent children with disabilities from having their rights and voices heard. By advocating for a stakeholder-led review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of current services, identifying best practices and areas for improvement. Our goal is to ensure that the views and rights of children and their families are prioritized, leading to fairer and more accessible support for everyone. To make meaningful change happen, we are seeking your support to help build a strong coalition that advocates for the rights of children with disabilities and promotes a culture of inclusion and understanding.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has been raging for over 15 months, has been described as a ‘forgotten war’. While we welcome the funding contributed by Ireland and the EU so far, it is greatly disproportionate to the needs of the people living in Sudan. In Ireland and Europe, media and diplomatic attention seem focused on conflicts with greater strategic relevance to political leaders but the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Sudan must not be forgotten. Since the war began in Sudan, almost 10 million people have been displaced from their homes (1), more than 15,000 people have died and a growing list of atrocities have been committed.(2) Half of Sudan’s population, or 25 million people, are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost half of those are children.  Close to 4 million children are facing acute malnutrition (3) and famine was recently declared in camps housing between 400,00-600,000 internally displaced people in part of Al Fasher. (4)   Sudan is currently experiencing one of the worst education crises in the world, with over 90% of its 19 million school-age children lacking access to formal education. (5) This ongoing disruption to children’s security, health and education will lead to a generational crisis for the country with negative impacts for years to come. Urgent action is needed to protect the lives and basic human rights of all children living through this conflict.   The catastrophic effects of food insecurity and famine are compounded by the risks from infectious disease outbreaks, disruption to public health services and lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Nearly three-quarters of health facilities are out of service and diseases including cholera, measles and malaria are spreading at a time when two-thirds of the population lack access to health care. (6)  Despite these harrowing statistics, adequate humanitarian assistance has failed to materialise, with only 32% of the estimated 2.7 billion USD requirement for the Humanitarian Response Plan having been provided.(7) To put this in perspective, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has made available almost 52 billion Euro in support for Ukraine encompassing macro-financial assistance, crisis response fund and humanitarian assistance.(8) EU funding for Ukraine is welcomed, but considering that EU funding for humanitarian assistance in Sudan totals only 1.045 billion since 2013 (9), the international community and the Government of Ireland must do more for the people of Sudan.   Ireland benefits from over 1,600 Sudanese doctors (10) working within our health service, providing essential healthcare to our population. Their families, loved ones and fellow citizens in Sudan are bearing the brunt of this war.  We must do more. We must keep advocating for far more humanitarian assistance and for far greater diplomatic endeavours to end the armed conflict as quickly as possible. Though it may not be a geopolitical issue, it is a human rights issue. References 1.    Sudan Situation: UNHCR External Update #68, 28 June – 4 July 2024 https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-situation-unhcr-external-update-68-28-june-4-july-2024  2.       https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148536 3.       https://www.unicef.org/sudan/stories/find-test-and-treat#:~:text=Sudan%20is%20grappling%20with%20one,suffering%20from%20severe%20acute%20malnutrition 4.       https://fews.net/east-africa/sudan/alert/august-2024?utm_source=press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sudan_august 5.       https://www.unicef.ie/2024/04/15/sudan-war-second-year/ 6.       https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/ 7.       https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan/ 8.       https://eu-solidarity-ukraine.ec.europa.eu/eu-assistance-ukraine_en#strong-and-comprehensive-eu-response 9.       https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/africa/sudan_en#facts--figures 10.   https://www.medicalindependent.ie/in-the-news/breaking-news/lack-of-wellbeing-support-for-sudanese-doctors-in-ireland-amid-devastating-war/

Having an Irish passport is something we are suppsed to be proud of.  It is not supposed to be a travel pass for racists to move between countries to flee from their local police forces when they are being sought to answer for the consequences of their actions. To quote the Imelda May poem. "You don't get to be racist and Irish".