The public and animal welfare organisations feel let down by the Irish judicial system.

E.G A.R (EAST GALWAY ANIMAL RESCUE) Moyglass, Loughrea Run by Sarah Gunther.
Miss Gunther was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty and received a fine of 250 euro at Galway District Court.on the 09/07/2014.

Many people have been appalled by the leniency of the judge in passing sentence on Miss Gunther and the state of the dogs found in her care.
Dogs which were removed from her care were ordered to be placed back into her care.With no surety that this will never happen again.

Miss Gunther in her own words called it an "Error of judgement".
Many believe she has showed no/little remorse for her actions and many worry that this will happen again and again.
It cannot be allowed to happen. What message has this just sent to the Irish public?

Miss Gunther has been very outspoken regarding individuals and rescues in the past and has been quick to point the finger at many Irish rescues regarding their standard of care.
She was also implicated in an on-line hate campaign directed at the family of Lennox. dog seized and destroyed by Belfast council on the 12/07/2012.

There are questions to be answered and larger issues to be addressed.Why was her fine so small? Why was she not banned from keeping animals? Why can she continue as a charity and receive public donations?

This case highlight the need for regulation within Irish animal welfare groups, qualifications, transparency, adequate support and perhaps a sentence that fits the crime of animal abuse.
And that Miss Gunther closes her rescue for good.
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PRESS RELEASE - FRIDAY 11 JULY 2014 - ACCIDENT REPORT REFUSED

Simon Coveney has refused to release the Department’s Report on the loss of 230,000 salmon in Bantry Bay last February.

His decision claims that the work is not completed and that the public interest would not be served by the disclosure of the Department of Marine’s Engineering Division report.

The storm on February 1, 2014, saw a cage break loose from its mooring and upend itself into another cage at Gerahies.

Alex O’Donovan, Secretary of Save Bantry Bay [SBB] said in March of this year that after the official count on 19 February 2014 they understood that the farm had been ‘virtually wiped out’.

Minister Simon Coveney subsequently confirmed the loss of 230,000 Salmon in the extreme weather event of 2 February 2014.

Despite repeated requests, Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] and Save Bantry Bay have been refused the Report, breaking Minister Coveney’s previous precedent of releasing such documents regarding salmon farm escapes. read full story / add a comment

Douglas Hyde Conference Friday 18th July 2014
Roscommon County Council is once again delighted to bring together many leading thinkers,
academics, poets, writers, musicians and speakers to discuss, debate and provide an opportunity for an interesting and challenging day‚s reflection for this year‚s Douglas Hyde Conference. read full story / add a comment

An analysis of what the IMF is really about... read full story / add a comment

Visit by Dáil Committee toTyndall National Institute, UCC, Monday 14 July. Questions need to be addressed in regard to departures of iconic researchers following SFI funded research work. In particular the iconic work on the junctionless transistor. read full story / add a comment

1976 , 17th July :
Two IRA Volunteers on active service - Patrick Cannon from Dublin and Peter McElchar from Donegal- set out in a car in which they were transporting an explosive device. They crossed the border from Donegal into Tyrone and were approaching the town of Castlederg when the device exploded prematurely. Peter McElchar was killed instantly. Patrick Cannon was gravely injured and was taken to Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh. He was being transferred to hospital in Belfast when he died.... read full story / add a comment

The ghost of William Martin Murphy is haunting Greyhound, one of Dublin’s largest waste collection companies. In one of the most daring attacks on organised workers in recent years, the company’s owners are demanding that workers accept a pay cut of 35 percent.

One morning in May workers arrived at their depot and were surprised to find new cabins in front of their place of work. Their managers were sitting inside them and, as each worker tried to enter the depot, they were asked to sign a document that would alter their conditions of work read full story / add a comment

On 9 July, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion titled Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in which it concluded that “the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, are contrary to international law”. read full story / add a comment

Sinn Féin will be holding a protest outside the Kildare Street entrance of Leinster House at 12:30pm tomorrow (Thursday) to highlight Israeli State violence against the people of Palestine. Please show your solidarity by attending this event. read full story / add a comment

LASC, Latin America Solidarity Centre. 5 Merrion Row, Dublin 2,
Price: 120 Euro // 110 for LASC members

-Continuation 16th July to 13th August
(Mondays and Wednesdays form 6 to 8 pm)
-Upper Intermediate 16th July to 13th August
(Mondays and Wednesdays form 8 to 10 pm)
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A TALK FOLLOWED BY Q&A: Alvaro Sanchez (Charge d'affaires, Venezuelan embassy to Ireland and the UK). Introduced by Jack O'Connor, SIPTU general president.

Monday, July 14, 2014 - 19:00

At the Liberty Hall.
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A recent ISPAI Hotline.ie Nationwide Public Survey shows that Irish adults’ predominant online daily behaviour revolves around online conversations: eMail usage (88%), followed by social networks related activities (63%) and news browsing (54%). read full story / add a comment

Responses of members of human rights organizations to post which considers religious political parties would have more influence if adopted a secular, ethical human rights base. Also my responses to sustainable development. read full story / add a comment

May 20, 2014 3:43 PM

Iqrit (Israel) (AFP) - On a lonely hill in northern Israel, a stone's throw from the Lebanese border, stands Iqrit church, one of the last vestiges of a village razed by Israeli troops in 1951. read full story / add a comment

Fine Gael relentlessly circles the wagons, to put a pretty new face on an ugly scandal, and baffle us with bull. read full story / add a comment

We are calling on all anti-racist individuals and groups to join the rally against racist attack in Rathfarnham and show solidarity with the victim.

This is a very serious attack and nobody should be living in fear or worse, having to leave the country because of such racism. We can't allow such racist attacks to force people out of their homes, neighborhoods and Ireland.

Please join the rally and condemn racism.

Bring placards, flags, banners...

Rathfarnham Village, (Car Park) Thursday, 19 June 18:30 read full story / add a comment

In reaction to an adverse Supreme Court ruling against Argentina, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced that Argentina would offer new bonds to its creditors governed under Argentine law. The proposed debt swap would involve the 92% of the country's creditors that agreed to restructure in the wake of the country's 2001 default. While the debt swap proposes an alternative for the South American country to avoid paying hold-outs, it fails to reverse the global implications on debt markets, debt restructuring and financial stability. read full story / add a comment

Secular ethical human rights, which are universal, can be adopted by any political party as its ethical base. This includes religious parties as secular ethical human rights virtually equate with the Golden Rule espoused by the major religions. read full story / add a comment

Supreme Court Refuses Argentina Debt Case and Validates Hedge Fund Predatory Behavior. The US Supreme Court denied Argentina's appeal for a hearing today, leaving intact a lower court ruling that validates predatory behavior targeted towards countries in financial distress. The high court also denied a related appeal on behalf of the more than 92% of bond holders who had accepted Argentina's restructuring deal. In a final blow, the court also decided that hedge funds can access information on where Argentina holds financial assets around the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), legitimate Wall Street investors and the US government had sided with Argentina because of the case's impact on debt restructuring, poor country access to credit and global financial stability. read full story / add a comment

To celebrate the fifth year of this course, a €2k scholarship will be awarded for practitioner excellence in community education, action for equality and / or social movements. read full story / add a comment