The Agenda

The Dáil has voted to progress legislation to remove the triple lock governing the deployment of Irish troops overseas, with 79 TDs voting in favour and 71 against. The Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 will now move to committee stage, amid concerns over the implications for Irish neutrality. The Government says the changes are needed to protect Irish sovereignty, while opposition parties argue they...

Stand-up comedy has long pushed boundaries, but where do we draw the line between a joke and an insult? American comedian Shane Gillis has sparked criticism following his appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he made comments about women wearing revealing gym clothes. In a recent piece for the Irish Independent, columnist Saoirse Hanley argues that this kind of humour risks reinforcing outdated...

New research suggests there is significant public opposition to giving the Government access to private messages on encrypted apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. A survey of more than 1,000 Irish adults found that two-thirds would not trust the current or a future government with the power to access encrypted communications. The findings come amid plans by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to introdu...

Ghana is set to open an embassy in Dublin next year, in a move aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. Minister of State Neale Richmond confirmed the plans during a visit to West Africa this week, saying there is significant potential to build closer relations between Ireland and Ghana. The new embassy is expected to strengthen diplomatic links and help devel...

A long-awaited start date for the N52 Ardee bypass remains at least two years away, with Louth County Council confirming that construction is unlikely to begin before 2028. The update comes after the council and Friends of Ardee Bog announced a collaborative agreement on the project, which will see the bog protected and a Supreme Court challenge withdrawn, bringing a lengthy legal dispute to an en...

Movember has launched its 2026 fundraising campaign, “Make a Growmitment”, encouraging men across Ireland to use the power of friendship to support better men’s health. New research shows that 52% of Irish men consider male friendships important to their wellbeing, yet more than one in four believe men are still expected to cope with problems without asking for help. The charity says everyday inte...

Opposition parties are putting pressure on Fianna Fáil backbenchers to oppose the Government’s plans to abolish the Triple Lock, with legislation due to be debated in the Dáil on Wednesday. The proposed changes, brought forward by Defence and Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee, would replace the current system with a Double Lock, removing the requirement for UN Security Council approval for ce...

We’re turning our attention now to concerns around a number of robberies and attempted robberies reported in Kells on Monday night, with cars and wallets among the items targeted. Peter Devin, Aontú representative in Kells, got in touch to highlight the incidents, saying this is not the first time similar events have occurred in the area. The reports have raised concerns about what’s happening loc...

Uisce Éireann is facing criticism over concerns that new housing developments in north Drogheda have been approved without sufficient water infrastructure to support the area’s growing population. Local Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne is calling for cast-iron assurances that there will be enough water supply capacity to meet Drogheda’s future housing and development needs. She has secured a commitment t...

Chair of the Oireachtas Justice Committee and Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has accused Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan of showing little willingness to resolve the ongoing dispute over criminal legal aid payments. The dispute centres on a new flat-fee payment system introduced in July, which solicitors say does not adequately reflect the time and complexity involved in criminal cases. The Minister ma...

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...