Politics « Thurles Information

Making Ireland’s 2026 EU Presidency A Voice For Its People.

For Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency to carry real democratic weight, the Government must move beyond token consultation and create genuine channels for citizens to shape the nation’s European agenda.

How the Irish Public Can Engage Meaningfully in Ireland’s EU Presidency Consultation (2026).

From 1st July to 31st December 2026, Ireland will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union; a position that will place the Irish Government at the centre of EU policymaking for six crucial months. Ahead of this, the Department of Foreign Affairs has now invited views from domestic stakeholders and the public on the priorities that should shape Ireland’s Presidency programme.

Domestic stakeholders and the public who wish to express views – Please See HERE.

On paper, this is an admirable democratic exercise. In practice, however, the distance between the government and the citizen in Ireland has grown markedly, especially in recent years. Many people find it increasingly difficult to have queries answered by TDs or to receive substantive engagement from government Ministers and government Departments. Political dialogue has become one-directional with official statements flowing outward, but public input rarely finds its way back in.

To further prove this point I personally contacted 14 elected Irish TD’s, at the highest level, via email, during the time of this present government and, indeed, the previous government. I received acknowledgements from all 14, but sadly never any replys to the various queries I then highlighted.

If this consultation is to be more than a box-ticking exercise, the Government must create mechanisms that allow citizens to contribute ideas, challenge assumptions, and hold policy-makers accountable for how their feedback is used.

A number of practical steps could make that possible:
Regional Forums: Host open hearings in towns and cities across Ireland — akin to the Citizens’ Assembly format — where ordinary citizens, community organisations, and businesses can voice views on EU priorities such as energy security, migration, the digital economy, and climate policy.
Online Platform: Establish a transparent online portal where individuals can submit policy suggestions, endorse others’ proposals, and see how those inputs are reflected in the final Presidency agenda.
Sectoral Round-tables: Engage directly with universities, trade unions, youth groups, farmers, and SMEs to capture the breadth of Irish experience and expertise.
Public Accountability: Publish a detailed summary showing which ideas were adopted or rejected, and why.

This kind of participatory approach would do more than enhance policy legitimacy. It would also help to restore public faith in democratic dialogue, at a time when trust in institutions and in politics itself is under strain.

An inclusive, transparent consultation process would ensure that Ireland’s EU Presidency is informed not only by officials in Dublin, but by the lived experience of Irish society. That would make the EU Presidency not merely an administrative duty, but a national expression of Ireland’s values and voice in Europe.

Note: The deadline for receipt of submissions is Friday 12th December 2025. If you have any questions, please send your query to the email address hereunder.

The public are invited to please submit their submissions via email to EUPresidency2026Consultations@dfa.ie

Criminal Assets Bureau Annual Report For 2024 Published.

Over €17m diverted from criminals to the Irish exchequer.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996. The Bureau’s remit is to target a person’s assets, wherever situated, which derive, or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs by depriving them of ill-gotten assets.

The Bureau has staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (including Customs), the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice.

The latest Annual Report from the Bureau has now been published for 2024, showing €17.052 million was returned to the Irish Exchequer, due to their activities.

The Bureau sold twenty forfeited properties by 2024; the highest number sold in any one year. One of these properties was sold for €931,000, one of the highest sales prices ever achieved for any one asset.

An updated Proceeds of Crime Bill is now understood to be making its way through the Oireachtas currently and if implemented same is expected to strengthen the State’s ability to further identify, freeze, and confiscate assets linked to serious and organised crime. Once passed into law, the Criminal Assets Bureau should have stronger investigative powers and will be able to dispose of assets much more quickly than is currently the case.

Some of the Bureau’s other key achievements of the year included:

46 search operations conducted, consisting of 227 individual searches in 13 counties.
21 new cases commenced under the Proceeds of Crime Act during 2024.
Submission of 30 new Proceeds of Crime files to the Criminal Asset Section of the Chief State Solicitor’s Office for progression through the courts.
The Bureau held its second publicly advertised online auction which received global interest, realising in excess of €216k.

Yet one must be forgiven for asking, is this simply yet another tax generated on the hard pressed, ordinary Irish household?

Let us think for a moment:-

(1) Crimes in question are rightly identified by Criminal Assets Bureau.
(2) Proceeds amounting to €17.052 million are now returned to the Irish Exchequer.
Question: What fraction of this significant sum will actually be channelled back into local rural communities, where the crime identified first originated?
Note: Every time a drug seizure is made, criminals take to rural Ireland to steal/plunder, often by force, valuables, goods etc, from the residents in towns and villages, to the benefit of the Irish Exchequer.

“Surely this amounts to a tax in another name”.

We wait to see how much of this €17.052 million, will be returned to Irish local communities.

Farmers Urged To Report Suspected Cases Of Bird Flu & Step Up Biosecurity.

IFA calls for housing order to protect poultry as avian flu confirmed in Co Carlow.

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has called for the introduction of a housing order requiring free-range poultry farmers to keep their birds indoors, as authorities confirm an outbreak of avian flu in a commercial turkey flock in Co Carlow, a county bordering on Co. Tipperary.

The virus, which causes the disease, is known as HPAI H5N1 and has been in circulation among wild birds over the past year.

Mr Nigel Sweetnam, Chair of the IFA National Poultry Committee, said the measure is urgently needed to help contain the spread of the highly contagious disease and safeguard farmers’ livelihoods.
He urged all poultry farmers to be on high alert and to contact their vet and the Department of Agriculture, immediately, if they suspect any signs of avian flu.

Mr Sweetnam said farmers should watch for indicators such as high mortality and lethargic birds, and highlighted the importance of establishing exclusion zones around affected farms where movement of birds in and out is tightly controlled under veterinary supervision.

With the whole pattern of bird flu changing/mutating; the virus has appeared earlier than usual this year and in different geographical areas, with two outbreaks in Co. Cork.

Mr Sweetnam believes that a housing order should be comparable to restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, thus limiting movement and requiring birds to be kept indoors.
The IFA continues to engage with the Department of Agriculture on measures to contain the outbreak and protect Ireland’s poultry sector.
The Department is reminding all flock owners to maintain the highest standards of biosecurity, including disinfecting footwear and equipment, restricting visitors, and preventing contact between domestic poultry and wild birds.

Irish Government Completes Sixth Charter-Flight Deportation Operation Of The Year.

2025 marks the highest number of deportations from the Irish State in over 20 years.

The Government today confirms the successful completion of a deportation operation from Ireland to Georgia. A charter flight departed from Dublin at approximately 9:30pm on Monday November 3rd carrying 52 individuals subject to removal orders to Tbilisi, arriving at 2:30am Irish time this morning.

Of the 52 passengers, 45 were adults and 7 were minors, with the minors all travelling as part of family units. This marks the sixth charter-flight removal operation carried out out of the State so far this year.

Charter operations, despite their significant cost, have meaningfully enhanced the capacity of An Garda Síochána to enforce a higher number of deportation orders, forming part of the broader suite of measures to strengthen immigration enforcement and removal pathways.

With yesterday’s operation, the total number of people removed by charter flights this year now stands at 205, with a further 146 individuals removed on commercial flights. This year is shaping up to be the highest number of removals by charter and commercial flights from the State in over 20 years, underscoring the Government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the Irish immigration system.

A voluntary return programme remains available for persons who have no lawful status in the Irish State or whose applications for international protection have been withdrawn or refused.

The returnees on yesterday’s flight were accompanied throughout by Garda officers, medical staff, an interpreter and a human-rights observer, thus ensuring that all necessary supports and safeguards were in place.

The Irish Department of Justice and Equality is responsible for immigration policy, international protection, enforcement of removal orders and the maintenance of an immigration system that is fair, efficient and respectful of human rights.

Record Surge in Irish Homelessness -16,614 Now In Emergency Accommodation.

Ireland’s homelessness crisis has deepened to its worst level on record, with 16,614 people living in emergency accommodation during the week of September 22nd to 28th 2025, according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The data show 11,376 adults without a home, same up from 10,683 in January, marking a 6.5% increase in just nine months. Even more alarming is the rise in child homelessness: 5,238 children were recorded as homeless in September, compared with 4,603 in January, a jump of 13.8%; more than double the rate of increase among adults.

Breaking down the adult figures, male homelessness rose by 232 people (3.5%), while female homelessness climbed by 461 people (11.2%), significantly narrowing the gender gap.

Year-on-year, the total number of people in emergency accommodation is up by 1,854 (12.6%) compared with the same period in 2024.

These statistics exclude people who are sleeping rough, “couch-surfing”, or staying in hospitals, asylum-seeker centres or domestic-violence refuges—meaning the true scale of homelessness is even higher.

The Simon Communities of Ireland described the figures as “deeply worrying”. Executive Director Mr Bér Grogan said: “Children should be thinking about dressing up and going trick or treating, not wondering where they’ll sleep tonight. Families should be planning fun activities – not counting how many nights they have left in an emergency bed. Young people should be starting their lives, not starting adulthood in homelessness.”

With homelessness numbers climbing month after month, pressure on the housing system remains acute, fuelled by rising rents, ongoing evictions, and a shortage of secure, long-term accommodation.

The Simon Communities are urging Minister for Housing Mr James Browne to ensure that the forthcoming housing and homelessness strategy focuses on eradicating long-term homelessness, with an emphasis on prevention, targeted supports, and the rapid delivery of social and affordable housing.