Explore the stories that matter to you ...
Open
LOST FOR WORDS: Why does Ireland not have any quality standards for vital service interpreters?
Dublin
Those who need the services of a language interpreter in Ireland may find their voices unheard, as a number of reports in recent years highlighted the ‘uneven quality’ of this service and lack of training standards.
3 Backers raised €40 of €2630
 Learn More 
Open
SYSTEM OVERLOAD: The public health system was creaking before the pandemic - has Covid-19 broken it?
Ireland
At the start of 2021, Ireland had a backlog of thousands of positive Covid-19 tests awaiting validation.
31 Backers raised €1138 of €1840
 Learn More 
Open
DAY IN DAY OUT: What has the impact of reduced day services been on people with disabilities?
Ireland
Day services for people with disabilities were badly hit by the pandemic, by first closing their doors for a number of months, and then reopening at a reduced capacity.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1940
 Learn More 
Open
RADON AWARE: Is the State doing enough to protect families from this cancer-causing dangerous gas?
Ireland
Radon is a radioactive gas linked to 300 lung cancer cases each year in Ireland – the second largest cause after smoking - with one-third of the country classified as a high radon area by the EPA.
1 Backer raised €7 of €1620
 Learn More 
Open
GOING TO BED HUNGRY: Is the State tackling food poverty?
Ireland
People go to bed hungry in Ireland every day with one in ten households here experiencing food poverty - being unable to get healthy affordable food.
2 Backers raised €50 of €1950
 Learn More 
Open
BURNOUT: Is the growth of incinerators for toxic waste in Ireland a danger to our health?
Ireland
Ireland lacks the capacity to process hazardous waste, most of which is exported abroad, with plans to increase domestic management outlined in the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan.
2 Backers raised €25 of €2190
 Learn More 
Open
TOUGH START: Is the opportunity gap for Traveller children ever going to close?
Ireland
Children in the Irish Traveller community are at a disadvantage from the moment they are born. Infant mortality is over three times higher, suicide is six to seven times higher and life expectancy is over a decade lower than the general population.
53 Backers raised €1577 of €2130
 Learn More 
Open
FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?
Ireland
The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.
53 Backers raised €1380 of €2720
 Learn More 
Open
POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism
Ireland
Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.
15 Backers raised €403 of €5000
 Learn More 
Open
IN LIMBO: Why are people left in hospitals and nursing homes instead of rehab?
Ireland
Though the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) recently moved into a new building, spinal cord and brain injury survivors remain on long waiting lists for specialist rehabilitation.
4 Backers raised €60 of €1730
 Learn More 
Open
CAPTIVES OF COVID: What will be the long-term impact of cocooning on the high risk groups who are isolating from the world?
Ireland
At the end of March 2020, people at high risk from Covid-19 were advised to stay at home and ‘cocoon’. The ‘do not leave your house’ lockdown for this group lasted almost six weeks, but months later, many of these same people are still at home, avoiding workplaces and turning away visitors.
3 Backers raised €45 of €1150
 Learn More 
Open
RED FLAG: Is swimming off Ireland's coast under threat from pollution?
Ireland
While 90% of our bathing water is classed as excellent or good, a wave of swimming bans have hit beaches across the country due to water quality issues linked to pollution problems and our changing climate.
22 Backers raised €470 of €2600
 Learn More 
Open
SILENT TREATMENT: Are people with eating disorders being failed by the public health system?
Ireland
The HSE is currently implementing a national clinical programme for eating disorders but there have been significant issues with its roll-out, with just over 3% of money allocated to improve supports and treatment actually spent on this since 2018.
21 Backers raised €770 of €1840
 Learn More 
Open
BIRTH PLACE: Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?
Ireland
In 2015, the National Maternity Strategy said “there is a lack of choice for expectant mothers” by international standards. It proposed a model of care that “represents a fundamental overhaul of services” which are currently “largely consultant-led and hospital-based”.
21 Backers raised €690 of €2030
 Learn More 
Open
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Will the pandemic make it even harder for people with disabilities to get jobs in Ireland?
Ireland
With the lowest rate of employment for people with disabilities in the EU, Ireland does not have a good track record in this area. Now with the added economic stresses of Covid-19, many campaigners are worried that the situation will only get worse.
7 Backers raised €240 of €1340
 Learn More 
Open
NIL BY MOUTH: Why are patients still eating poor quality hospital food?
Ireland
Poor quality hospital food has been highlighted by patient advocates as an issue for decades but Covid-19 isolation measures and a lack of visitors have made this problem even more stark.
9 Backers raised €260 of €1540
 Learn More 
Open
COVID CONSCIOUSNESS: Can we prevent a pandemic-induced mental health crisis in Ireland?
Ireland
Irish society is set to come out the other side of this pandemic as an altogether changed nation. Never before in our recent history has a health crisis dealt us such a heightened level of anxiety, separation and grief in such a short timespan.
11 Backers raised €280 of €847
 Learn More 
Completed
TRAPPED WITH TORMENTORS: How can we protect people from abuse and violence during the pandemic?
Ireland
During this pandemic, home is a place of refuge and safety for most of us. But for thousands of women, men and children, home feels like the most dangerous place they could be.
16 Backers raised €720 of €700
 Read Now 
Completed
CARING FOR CARERS: What’s life like for care workers in the coronavirus crisis?
Ireland
As Ireland grapples with the fallout from Covid-19, we want to see how one group of frontline workers - home carers - are faring, particularly when it comes to their pay and conditions.
20 Backers raised €1375 of €1375
 Read Now 
Open
LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?
Ireland
The government’s Climate Action Plan aims to increase reliance on renewables from 30% to 70%. Part of this drive would involve increasing renewable onshore wind energy capacity to a level that equates to introducing over 1,150 more wind turbines to the landscape.
12 Backers raised €290 of €2060
 Learn More 
Open
HEALERS OR QUACKS: Are we protecting cancer patients from fake cancer cures?
Ireland
Every hour in Ireland, a person dies from cancer. The disease is the biggest killer in the country, accounting for one in four of all deaths.
3 Backers raised €45 of €1890
 Learn More 
Open
ASSESSING AUTISM: Why is the wait time for ASD assessments over a year longer than legally required?
Ireland
Research shows that early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills.
20 Backers raised €490 of €2100
 Learn More 
Open
NOWHERE TO TURN: Have Irish people died because they can't access out-of-hours mental health care?
Ireland
Acute mental health services are under increasing pressure across Ireland with out-of-hours care being identified as a major issue in many reports.
5 Backers raised €155 of €2200
 Learn More 
Open
HEAD IN THE GAME: Is the GAA doing enough to tackle concussion?
Ireland
Concussion was highlighted as a “big issue” by the previous director general of the GAA in 2017 when he raised concerns that no medical personnel are present at most local games.
1 Backer raised €10 of €2060
 Learn More 
Open
PARKING PRESSURE: Why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?
Ireland
Patients, visitors, and staff of Irish hospitals are forking out over €60,000 every day to park at hospitals around the country. In 2017, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.
1 Backer raised €10 of €1400
 Learn More 
Completed
SELLING OUR GENES: Should the Government be funding a private company to collect 400,000 Irish people’s DNA?
Ireland
Personal data is big business - and nothing is more personal than our genetic blueprint.
74 Backers raised €2300 of €2300
 Read Now 
Funded
RISK TO BABY: Why were Irish women not told for decades about an epilepsy drug that causes birth defects?
Ireland
Sodium valproate is an epilepsy medicine commonly sold under the name Epilim. It was known since its availability in the 1970s that it may cause birth defects if used in pregnancy yet for decades many women across the world were prescribed this drug without being warned of this risk by their doctors.
16 Backers raised €580 of €580
 Funded 
Open
ADDICTION BY PRESCRIPTION: Why are so many anti-anxiety medications prescribed in Ireland?
Ireland
In September 2019, the Irish Medical Council warned doctors about over-prescribing of a range of highly addictive drugs.
2 Backers raised €90 of €1450
 Learn More 
Open
LAST RESORT: Why can't Irish hospitals get the most dangerous superbug under control?
Ireland
A public health emergency was declared by the Health Minister Simon Harris over years ago to control the spread of a superbug, CPE, resistant to the most powerful last-resort antibiotics. In spite of this, the number of patients with the bug has continuously increased.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1050
 Learn More 
Open
POSTCODE LOTTERY: Does where you live in Ireland determine what kind of healthcare you receive?
Ireland
Access to healthcare in Ireland can vary depending on where in the country you live. Local HSE and hospital budgets often determine whether people have access to medical treatment, equipment and other specialist services.
1 Backer raised €100 of €1900
 Learn More 
Open
FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?
Ireland
Around one in six couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.
21 Backers raised €542 of €950
 Learn More 
Completed
SPEAK OR SURVIVE? Are survivors of sexual abuse properly supported when they come forward?
National
At least one in four people experience sexual abuse in childhood. About 80 per cent are abused by a person known to them; most often, a family member.
48 Backers raised €1440 of €1410
 Read Now 
Completed
PARENT RIGHTS: Why are same-sex couples and other parents still in legal limbo with their own children?
Ireland
Half a decade after Ireland’s historic marriage equality vote, many same-sex couples and so-called ‘non-traditional families’ still face discrimination when it comes to their rights as parents.
24 Backers raised €751 of €750
 Read Now 
Completed
PRICE OF BEAUTY: Are people taking a risk when they opt for dermal fillers?
National
Dermal fillers have become one of the treatments of choice for people in Ireland wanting to rid themselves of wrinkles.
1 Backer raised €900 of €900
 Read Now 
Completed
FOLLOWING THE HERD: Why are Meningitis C vaccination rates so far behind target in parts of Ireland?
National
For many parents, the word meningitis is enough to send shivers down their spine.
2 Backers raised €353 of €350
 Read Now 
Completed
LATE INTERVENTION: Why does it take over two years to get early intervention appointments for some children?
Ireland
Across the country, there are thousands of young children in need of early intervention.
9 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
 Read Now 
Completed
PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: The mental health crisis in the Defence Forces.
National
Almost a year ago, the only psychiatrist working in the Defence Forces retired from his post.
2 Backers raised €252 of €250
 Read Now