Many people engage in some form of energy citizenship, sometimes unknown to themselves. Communities on the Aran Islands are enthusiastically embracing the concept of energy citizenship through a civil society organisation that brings together the residents of the three islands with the aim of becoming self-sufficient in clean, locally owned energy from sun and wind, as well as helping to build the local economy of the islands. Their vision can pave the way for local economies globally.

Larry Donnelly, an American attorney, University of Galway lecturer and writer, has a foot in both the Irish and US camps, so to speak. Here he offers his views on the complex electoral process that is the US Presidential election, and the “unknowns” that could derail either candidate. Donnelly argues that despite their critical differences, most Americans agree on one point – America first. For Ireland, given our critical and treasured connections with the US, this means being aware of, and not naïve about, what is occurring across the Atlantic. 

With breaches of humanitarian law in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan now documented in real-time, the public are placing inter-governmental human rights organisations under intense scrutiny. Here, Dr Andrew Forde explores the agency and authority of such organisations in protecting human rights in areas of conflict.   “ [a]ll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that “ [a]ll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. These rights are often described as being universal, in other words, applicable to everyone, everywhere, without distinction. Yet, every day we see armed conflicts contradicting this principle despite it being codified in international law, including in regional instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).