The Agenda

Residents of The Steeples apartment complex in Navan are expressing anger and frustration as they remain unable to return home following a fire last July. Some residents are still living in emergency accommodation, with no clear timeline for when they can return to their apartments. John Murphy, who is staying in a B&B in Trim, says the situation is taking a toll on his mental health and leavi...

The HSE says it has no immediate plans to increase car parking capacity at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, particularly near the main entrance, despite ongoing complaints from patients. Concerns have been raised about the lack of accessible parking for elderly, pregnant and immunocompromised patients, many of whom struggle to walk from the Crosslanes car park to the hospital along a busy...

The Government is considering a further clampdown on vape shops, with proposals that could give local councillors greater powers to prevent them from opening in towns. Junior planning minister John Cummins has asked officials to examine whether national planning rules need to change, amid concerns about the rapid growth of vape shops and potential links to money laundering by criminal gangs. More...

The new Boyne Link Road in Drogheda has officially opened, with the project expected to improve traffic flow, road safety and access to local businesses and employment centres. The road connects the Newtown Link Road with Boyne Business Park and the adjacent L-2307, providing improved infrastructure for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. The project was funded by Louth County Council, the Nation...

Problem gambling cases in Ireland have more than doubled in four years, according to new HSE figures, with 352 people accessing publicly funded treatment in 2025 where gambling was their primary issue, compared with 159 in 2021. The number of cases where gambling was one of several issues also nearly trebled, rising from 269 to 748 over the same period. However, addiction specialist Professor Coli...

A Co Meath man who survived a sudden cardiac arrest with no warning is urging people to learn CPR, after sharing dramatic CCTV footage of the moment his life was saved. Gordon Flood, a 48-year-old father of three and football coach from Trim, collapsed in a car park after a gym session two years ago. He was given CPR and life-saving shocks from an automated external defibrillator by people who rus...

Labour TD for Louth, Ged Nash, has welcomed Louth County Council’s commitment to carry out a feasibility study into the proposed North Drogheda Train Station, working alongside the National Transport Authority. The commitment was made at a meeting with local Oireachtas members on Friday, following years of calls for the project to progress. Deputy Nash has described the proposed station as an “orp...

An addiction specialist has warned that families are being forced to flee their homes and, in some cases, the country due to intimidation from drug dealers over debts. It follows the deaths of Kim and Philip English and two of their children in a house fire in Waterford earlier this week. A family member has said they had been terrorised by drug dealers for years over someone else’s debt. Dr Garre...

The level of violence against women working in prostitution in Ireland is on the rise, according to a new report from support organisation Ruhama. The organisation says it supported 284 victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation last year, an increase of 31% on the previous year. The victims represented 62 different nationalities, with the majority coming from the Global South. Ruhama’s...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Drogheda resident Maureen Morgan, who got in touch about ongoing illegal dumping at Barrack Lane in Waterunder, Drogheda. Maureen has also sent us photographs showing the latest incident, saying the lane has been used as a dumping ground for the third time since July 29th. She says that on the first occasion, the rubbish was removed following contact wi...

More than 100 professionals from across County Meath have come together for the county’s first interagency conference aimed at strengthening the response to domestic abuse. The two-day event took place at the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan on October 14th and 15th, bringing together representatives from organisations including Willow Domestic Abuse Services, An Garda Síochána, Tusla, the HSE and Meath Co...

The European Court of Justice has ruled that the 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport can be considered when allocating airline slots, potentially meaning airlines could lose slots they have previously held. Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien is facing criticism over the situation, with Social Democrats Councillor for Clontarf, Karl Stanley, accusing him of failing to think things through. S...

New figures from online safety charity CyberSafeKids show that more than a third of primary school children and two-thirds of secondary school children have no time restrictions on their online activity. The findings coincide with CyberBreak 2026, which encourages families to switch off smart devices from 7pm today and take a 24-hour break from the online world. The research also found that many c...

SpaceX chief Elon Musk says any restrictions affecting Ukraine’s use of the Starshield satellite communications system are the responsibility of the US government, not his company. The comments come amid concerns that connectivity issues could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks and operate interceptor drones. The situation has sparked criticism in Washington, with bo...

Plans to develop a campervan park at Dundalk’s Navvy Bank are facing growing opposition, with 109 submissions made to Louth County Council objecting to the proposals. The plans include serviced campervan facilities, a playground and mini-golf, but local sporting clubs and residents have raised concerns about the loss of valuable community space, as well as potential noise, traffic and anti-social...

The possibility of a new train station on the north side of Drogheda has received a boost, with the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, indicating that he understands the case for the proposal and that it remains under review. The issue was raised in the Dáil by local representatives, including Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne and Fine Gael TD Paula Butterly. The Minister said that while a new stati...

More than 300,000 public sector workers took part in a 24-hour strike over delays in reaching a new pay agreement, causing widespread disruption to schools, hospitals and public services. This morning on The Agenda, we spoke to Michael Gillespie, General Secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, and Tom Fitzgerald, Unite’s Deputy Regional Secretary, about the unions’ demands and the prospect of...

The number of people applying for Irish citizenship has surged by 236 per cent, following the Government’s announcement of plans to tighten the application process. More than 8,700 applications were received last month, compared with just over 2,600 in August. The proposed changes include extending the residency requirement from five years to eight, introducing a civics exam and new financial requ...

Sinn Féin has condemned threats made against a councillor representing the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. Paul Duffy’s name, along with a crosshair symbol, was spray-painted at his place of work. The councillor has supported local residents during the recent Drumcree stand-off. The graffiti has been condemned by senior Sinn Féin figures, including Stormont Finance Minister John O’Dowd and First Minis...

Yesterday on the show, as part of our Local Challenge, we looked at youth facilities across the North East, asking whether young people have enough places to meet, socialise and take part in activities in their own communities. We explored what’s available locally and whether more needs to be done to give teenagers positive outlets and safe spaces. Today, we’re bringing that conversation to Droghe...

Aontú has threatened to table a motion of no confidence in Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee unless she comes before the Dáil to answer questions about her time as Justice Minister and her handling of protected disclosures by gardaí. It follows an RTÉ Investigates documentary featuring four current and former gardaí, including allegations that whistleblowers were punished and forced out of th...

A human rights lawyer is calling on social media companies to restrict access to the planned livestream of the execution of an American mass shooter, warning that vulnerable people and children could be exposed to deeply distressing content. Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas, in which 13 people were killed. US President Donald Trump has now authori...

There’s been growing frustration among residents in Navan following the announcement of an increase in parking charges at Navan Town Centre. From Monday, October 19th, motorists will be charged €2.20 per hour, prompting concerns about the rising cost of shopping locally at a time when many households are already under financial pressure. The increase has sparked debate about whether higher parking...

Households across Louth are being encouraged to prepare for severe weather, with government-issued emergency advice leaflets recently delivered to homes. But if a major storm causes power cuts or disrupts water supplies, where can people go for help? Louth County Council has identified five Community Support Centres to act as emergency hubs during severe weather or other local emergencies, but the...

The European Commission has proposed a €1.76 trillion budget for the EU for the seven-year period from 2028 to 2034, but difficult negotiations lie ahead over how that money will be spent, where cuts may fall and how the EU will raise additional revenue. Ireland, as holder of the EU presidency, faces the challenge of finding agreement among all 27 member states at a time of significant geopolitica...