True Digital Sovereignty
I don't just talk the talk. PublicInformation.ie is built using only hosting and tools located entirely within the EU. Your data stays under EU jurisdiction, period.
About
Information should
be free and open.
It started with a simple question.
I wanted to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request — but first, I wanted to see if someone else had already asked it, and which public body they asked.
Simple, right?
Wrong.
Instead of a centralized hub of open data, I found a fragmented maze: scores of different websites, data scattered to the four winds, and absolutely none of it searchable. It felt less like "public information" and more like a game of bureaucratic hide-and-seek.
I figured — how hard could it be to build this? Turns out, fairly hard. But a job well started is a job half done.
What is PublicInformation.ie?
I've gathered the FOI details and contact points for every single public body in Ireland and made them available here, as open data. No gatekeeping. No fragmented searching. Just radical transparency — and if you don't like the website, you can get it directly from the source repo.
Principles
Open & Accessible
Data belongs to the public. The data is structured using open formats, and ready for you to use and re-use — however you see fit.
Who is this for?
If you give a damn about how things are run, this is for you. Specifically:
Journalists
The unsung heroes of society — find the right body, file the right request, faster.
Researchers
Looking for structural data on Irish public bodies? It's all here, in open formats.
Interested Citizens
Transparency isn't a luxury — it's a right. This is your data. Use it.
The catch — and how you can help
To pull this off, I use automated processes to gather and compile this massive trove of data. Automation is fast, but it isn't perfect. The data is in such a mess, sometimes things go wrong.
That's where you come in. I need human eyes to check, verify, and clean the data.
To say thanks, I've built a Karma system for contributors. But here's the kicker: I don't lock your reputation into our platform. Your karma points are stored directly on your Bluesky profile. It's your effort, so it's your data to keep.
The data is a mess now, and it'll probably be in a mess when you read this. But hopefully it'll get less messy over time.