Raising public transport costs during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis fails citizens and defies good sense. When fares are lower, people can move around more easily, reducing reliance on cars. By pushing through fare increases, the Government sends a clear, damaging message to every non-driver in the country.

The Taoiseach has said transport fares have to rise in order for services to be expanded. Mr Taoiseach, there are better and fairer ways to fund improvements in a public service that has been lacking for decades. Squeezing everyday commuters to cover costs only drives people back into private cars. 

Making users pay more for a transport service that has only deteriorated over the past 10 years, with ever-increasing delays. Meanwhile, the government has subsidised petrol and diesel. This gives the impression that this government rewards polluting car drivers while penalising commuters who use public transport. Furthermore, this increase is only a prelude to more fare hikes: as the NTA stated, it will reevaluate fares every year from now on.

Ireland needs more than expanded services. It needs real transport transformation, which requires serious capital investment and less short-term thinking. We need to adapt our cities to the 21st century by adapting infrastructure to current challenges. Transformation means investing in electric public transport, cycling infrastructure in every town and city, and a national EV charging network. Across Europe, modern transport systems are built on long-term infrastructure funding.

Volt Ireland advocates for a National Infrastructure Bank that can leverage EU investment funds, green bonds, and public investment to accelerate projects that serve the public interest. We support shifting the financial burden away from daily users through targeted measures like congestion charging to fund public transport improvements and reduce air pollution.

Public transport is an essential public utility. When you fund it with citizen bailouts, you punish the people who keep our cities running.

👉 Read the joint Commuter Coalition release

👉 Contact your local TD, get the email template

👉 Join Volt Ireland and help make the change

New leadership, same commitment

New leadership brings renewed energy and enthusiasm to empower Irish citizens, implement practical and progressive policies, and collaborate with Volt teams across Europe to build a fairer, more democratic, and sustainable society. 

During the Irish Presidency of the EU, we can find momentum to scale up our activities. I am delighted that a new set of people will step up to the challenge and put new energy into the chapter. I will of course remain part of the leadership team and help out wherever I can. - Eddy Hartog 

A message to keep to heart 💜

We’re living in a time of tension, uncertainties and polarisation that needs a unified voice of Europe. A voice that embraces diversity, sustainability, innovative technological solutions, and democracy. Volt Ireland advocates for this voice, for deeper European integration, but not by maintaining the current status quo. Institutional reforms are needed to strengthen the EU's capacity and ability to act effectively in a rapidly changing international environment. Volt Ireland believes that Irish citizens must play an active role in shaping that future. Irish voices must not only be better represented at the EU level; the European perspective must also have a stronger presence in the Dáil and the Seanad.

👉 If you agree, why not get involved?

What’s next for Volt Ireland?

300 is the magic number 

Since officially launching just over a year ago, our membership has steadily grown to around 100 members. To become a registered political party in Ireland, we need at least 300 members. Reaching that number is priority number one right now. Because once Volt Ireland is legally registered, we can start to really make a difference and offer a fresh alternative to traditional party politics, rooted in Irish values and strengthened by European solidarity.

👉 Are you ready to join Volt Ireland? Become a member here. We can’t wait to meet you!

Fighting for our right to housing, together 🏡

But the work has already begun. There are issues that can’t wait, and one is housing. Right now, we are taking part in cross-party engagement around the Right to Housing. Right to Housing is a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), a democratic instrument that allows EU citizens to put a topic on the EU's political agenda and demand action. Once 1 million people across the EU sign, the European Commission is obliged to respond. Signature collection starts in September 2026. With thousands of vacant properties across Ireland and Europe, and an environment that favours investors instead of citizens, the time to act is now to ensure affordability forever through fair rules, public investment in non-profit housing, and climate safeguards.

✍️ Every signature counts. Add yours now!

👉 We’ll have more about the Right-to-Housing initiative in the coming days and weeks. Follow Volt Ireland on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay informed and connected.

Member meetup in Dublin

And of course, no announcement would be complete without an invitation to meet in person! We are hosting an informal get-together on Friday the 25th of September at The Bar with No Name on Fade Street. We’d be so happy to see you there! We’ll gather from 18:30 🎉

We’ll have plenty more meetups throughout the country in the coming months; this is just the beginning!

👉  Sign up for our newsletter and get notified about future events.

That’s it for now! Thanks for reading. 

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👉 Share your thoughts with us here. We read every submission, and your input helps guide our policy and priorities from the ground up.

Get Involved

🔹 Join the movement: Become a member, volunteer, or supporter and help us build Volt Ireland from day one.
🔹 Be heard: Attend our events, join a local team, and contribute your voice to shaping our platform.
🔹 Be Volt: Step into a new kind of politics — collaborative, transparent, and truly European.

Let’s build a better Ireland — in a stronger Europe. Together.

The two days consisted of events suitable for everybody’s needs, including political debates with our elected MEPs from the Netherlands and Germany about big tech regulation, the future of agricultural production or how to measure a country’s prosperity on more than just GDP.
There was a small market with one-on-one discussions with our European thematic communities, for instance to learn about what policies the HealthCom is working on on a European level, or DefCom, that talks about defence and security policies. All communities are also available online, where Volt Members can access their ‘hubs’ on the Haiilo (https://volt.haiilo.app/) by signing in with your Volt Europa address.

And last but not least, there were many opportunities to go out and meet fellow Volters during a meal or a drink with the main evening event being split between a Volt party in a techno club, and drinks in a local Irish pub. It was such an amazing weekend, full of both political and social content, that I for one have already signed up for next year’s GA in Bratislava in June 2026!

👉 Watch the intro video for the GA in Bratislava 2026
👉 You can already purchase tickets

We’ve expanded our social media presence and you can now also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn! We’re looking forward to hearing from you, come say Hi!

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Bluesky

Volt Ireland brings this vision home. We aim to empower Irish citizens, apply practical and progressive policies, and collaborate with Volt teams across Europe to build a fairer, more democratic, and sustainable society. We offer a fresh alternative to traditional party politics — one rooted in Irish values and strengthened by European solidarity.

If you're passionate about creating a more equal society, addressing the housing crisis, tackling climate breakdown, or protecting democracy, there's a place for you here.

We also recognise that Ireland faces unique challenges not always mirrored elsewhere in Europe. From the lingering effects of Brexit and North-South policy tensions, to a struggling healthcare system and a housing crisis pushing people to the brink — Ireland needs new ideas and new energy. That’s why our policy team has made healthcare and housing our top priorities as we establish Volt Ireland, and we’re actively developing concrete, workable solutions to address them.

But we also know that no single group has all the answers. That's why we’re inviting you to help shape our direction. We want to hear from people across Ireland — about what matters to you and how we can work together to make real change happen.

👉 [Share your thoughts with us here] – we read every submission, and your input helps guide our policy and priorities from the ground up.

Get Involved

🔹 Join the movement: Become a member, volunteer, or supporter and help us build Volt Ireland from day one.
🔹 Be heard: Attend our events, join a local team, and contribute your voice to shaping our platform.
🔹 Be Volt: Step into a new kind of politics — collaborative, transparent, and truly European.

Let’s build a better Ireland — in a stronger Europe. Together.

The Good Friday Agreement’s big success was the reconciliation of the Protestant/ Unionist and Catholic/ Nationalist communities. But what used to be a society defined by these two very distinct communities is now becoming more and more diverse, with people having different identities, including Irish, British, Irish-British, Northern Irish, European, non-European and many more.

A growing number of people believe that this is one of the reasons why the Good Friday Agreement needs to be reviewed. Especially younger people want to redefine what Northern Ireland needs in the next 25 years and beyond.

Volt strongly supports the Good Friday Agreement, but we also encourage exploring new ways of thinking, fulfilling the initial promise of the treaty.

Powersharing should be reviewed as it has been turned into a party-political tool to shut down government. The people of Northern Ireland deserve better.

Another policy that should be driven with renewed focus is introducing non-segregated schools across the country which would be one of the most impactful measures. Children and young adults that grow up and learn together will no longer see the dividing lines of the past but, instead, build a joint future.

The newly agreed Windsor Framework puts Northern Ireland in a unique position to become one of the most interesting economic areas on the planet. If done correctly, this could result in significant investment, wealth creation, and new opportunities.

Looking back at the achievements of the last 25 years should inspire us to look forward and imagine what’s possible in the next 25 years. On this journey, our focus should be on citizen rights, inclusion, equality, continued peace, and new prosperity for all.