Explore the stories that matter to you ...
Open
UNTRAINED EYE: Are councils wasting money on substandard training?
Ireland
State funding is dished out every year for training to help unemployed people upskill or start their own business. But is this up to standard?
0 Backers raised €0 of €2630
 Learn More 
Completed
ISLAND NATION: Is enough being done to tackle depopulation of Ireland’s islands?
Ireland
Population decline on the Irish islands was an ever-present threat for island dwellers following the Famine of the 1840s, and is on the cards again with worrying declines in recent years.
0 Backers raised €0 of €0
 Read Now 
Open
RECOVERY FILES: Are billions from Brussels being misspent?
International
At over €700 billion, the Covid recovery fund is the largest pot of money the EU has ever set up - but insufficient transparency and gaps in oversight were reported even before a penny was spent.
1 Backer raised €25 of €3020
 Learn More 
Open
PAY IN PERSPECTIVE: Are wages at State bodies in line with public sector standards?
Ireland
Though most State-owned companies reported reduced profits in recent years as the country emerged from the pandemic, some - such as ESB Networks - have nevertheless remained highly profitable.
1 Backer raised €10 of €1340
 Learn More 
Open
DOUBLE DIGITS: Which politicians are getting multiple pensions?
Ireland
Politicians have some of the highest pension pots in Ireland, with many on the upper rungs of the Oireachtas ladder getting two generous State pensions.
7 Backers raised €200 of €1730
 Learn More 
Open
BALANCING THE BOOKS: Are publishers profiting from new school book editions?
Ireland
Despite the Government’s plan to introduce free school books for primary school pupils from September 2023, they continue to be one of the most costly expenses for parents of secondary school students.
11 Backers raised €185 of €1730
 Learn More 
Completed
PEOPLE POWER: Is Ireland playing its part in overseas election observation?
Ireland
An average of almost 60 election observers were deployed from Ireland annually between 2013 and 2019, nominated from an overseas election roster. However, during the pandemic this work was suspended with Ireland not nominating observers for 18 months.
15 Backers raised €1940 of €1940
 Read Now 
Open
COURSE OF INACTION: Is animal welfare protected in the coursing industry?
Ireland
Even though the hare is protected under EU law, almost 70,000 hares have been legally captured since 2009 for use in the coursing industry where they are chased by trained greyhounds before being released.
97 Backers raised €2310 of €3850
 Learn More 
Open
THE UNPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM: Are we taking women’s health seriously in Ireland?
Ireland
Women’s health in Ireland has been historically under-resourced. This has led to demand far outstripping supply and gynaecological services unable to adequately treat patients.
17 Backers raised €420 of €2970
 Learn More 
Open
CLASSROOM TO IMPROVE: Why are our children still educated in prefabs?
Ireland
Most students who have come through the Irish primary and secondary school system over the past number of decades will almost certainly have experienced classes in prefabricated buildings.
4 Backers raised €55 of €2035
 Learn More 
Open
ECONOMY CLASS: Why do so many schools need a handout from parents?
Ireland
Schools are saddled with debt and rely on parents to pay for essentials such as heating, lighting, insurance and equipment.
8 Backers raised €85 of €2770
 Learn More 
Open
SOIL INVADERS: Are invasive plants spreading out of control in Ireland?
Ireland
Invasive alien species represent one of the main threats to biodiversity and related ecosystem services - especially on islands, according to the European Commission.
25 Backers raised €487 of €2940
 Learn More 
Open
VANISHING PAST: Are Ireland's historic sites at risk of disappearing?
Ireland
Despite Ireland being famous across the world for its ancient sites and historic buildings, some are at risk of being wiped from the map.
10 Backers raised €346 of €3420
 Learn More 
Completed
BEATHA TEANGA: An bhfuil coinníollacha pleanála agus deonuithe á chur i bhfeidhm chun cinntiú go bhfásann ceantracha Gaeltachta?
Ireland
Tá líon na ndaoine a labhrann Gaeilge i gceantracha Gaeltachta ag titm, le níos lú ná aon cheathrú de mhuintir na háite ag labhairt Gaeilge go laethúil, dar leis an daonáireamh deirneach.
0 Backers raised €0 of €0
 Read Now 
Completed
LIGHTS OUT: Why are we facing an Irish electricity crisis?
Ireland
As we face the climate crisis, a key strand of the State’s strategy to reduce our emissions is to electrify our energy, heat and transport systems using renewables such as wind and solar.
302 Backers raised €3125 of €2830
 Read Now 
Open
REHAB WAIT: Why are people waiting up to two years for a drug detox bed?
Dublin
A rising demand for drug treatment is recognised in the current Government drug strategy, yet thousands continue to wait for months, and sometimes years, to be admitted to a detox bed.
9 Backers raised €480 of €2230
 Learn More 
Completed
BREAKING THE BANKS: Are Irish riverside habitats under threat from over-maintenance?
Ireland
Clearing of vegetation from waterways is a regular occurrence across the country as part of the mandated maintenance of over 11,500km of channels and 800km of embankments.
82 Backers raised €3130 of €3100
 Read Now 
Completed
ACROSS THE BOARD: Are rural grants being distributed equally under the LEADER scheme?
Ireland
Since 2014, €220 million worth of rural projects have been funded through the LEADER programme which are administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs).
19 Backers raised €3124 of €3120
 Read Now 
Completed
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.
52 Backers raised €1840 of €1840
 Read Now 
Completed
REVOLVING DOOR: What influence do former politicians have in Leinster House?
National
In recent years, several former ministers and other politicians have also ended up working as lobbyists across a range of business interests.
57 Backers raised €1605 of €1605
 Read Now 
Completed
HOLY LAND: How much money are religious orders pocketing from lucrative property sales?
Ireland
Properties worth millions - and offered by religious congregations for redress in institutional child abuse cases - have yet to be handed over to fulfil that promise.
43 Backers raised €1640 of €1640
 Read Now 
Completed
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 a small fraction of money allocated to improve supports and treatment actually spent on this since 2018.
34 Backers raised €1065 of €1065
 Read Now 
Completed
BIRTH PLACE: Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?
Ireland
The National Maternity Strategy states that “there is a lack of choice for expectant mothers”. It proposed a model of care that “represents a fundamental overhaul of services” which are currently “largely consultant-led and hospital-based”.
57 Backers raised €2030 of €2030
 Read Now 
Completed
FUELLING RETIREMENT: Are Irish pensions contributing to the climate crisis?
Ireland
In 2019, Ireland became one of the first countries in the world to divest its investment fund away from companies that make substantial profit from fossil fuels. However, the majority of private Irish pension funds still include companies involved in oil and gas exploration, extraction and refinement.
46 Backers raised €1240 of €1240
 Read Now 
Completed
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.
28 Backers raised €950 of €950
 Read Now 
Completed
ACADEMIC UNCERTAINTY: How are universities and institutes of technology allowed to employ so many researchers and lecturers on precarious contracts?
Ireland
In Ireland, we hold academics in high esteem but are they being treated properly by their employers and the Government?
44 Backers raised €1300 of €1300
 Read Now 
Completed
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE: How much did a controversial road scheme in Kilkenny City actually cost and has it delivered what it was supposed to?
Kilkenny
It was one of the most controversial road developments of recent years in Ireland, a plan to build a new bridge across the River Nore in Kilkenny.
46 Backers raised €1371 of €1350
 Read Now 
Completed
THE CONSTRUCTION NETWORK: Connecting the dots between the government and lobbyists for developers and the construction industry
Ireland
From the nearly 1,900 lobbyists registered in Ireland, many lobby on behalf of the construction industry and property development companies keen to see the Irish property market expand.
128 Backers raised €3200 of €3200
 Read Now 
Completed
LYING IDLE: How many state properties are lying vacant around the country.
Ireland
The Office of Public Works manages over 2,500 properties around Ireland on behalf of the state.
9 Backers raised €360 of €350
 Read Now 
Completed
CUT DOWN TO SIZE: Why are Ireland's local authorities so keen to chop down trees?
Ireland
Across Ireland, locals have been dismayed to see trees and bushes chopped down by public bodies.
47 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
 Read Now 
Completed
POLITICAL PENSIONS: How much is paid out each year in political and ministerial pensions?
National
Until last year, the Department of Finance published details of how much it paid in pensions to former ministers, taoisigh, presidents, judges, and other ex-officeholders.
2 Backers raised €110 of €100
 Read Now 
Completed
COMPO CLAIMS: Does Ireland really have a ‘compensation culture’?
National
The government minister responsible for the insurance industry has said there are 'clusters' for compensation claims in Ireland.
8 Backers raised €1260 of €1250
 Read Now