The Agenda

The Medical Centre on Frederick Street in Ashbourne, which has stood unused since 2022, is expected to reopen this year, providing both Primary Care and Mental Health Services to the local community. Sinn Féin councillor Helen Meyer welcomed the development, saying it is “a positive step for Ashbourne.” She added that the reopening “will bring vital health services closer to the community and redu...

Cabinet ministers have discussed the “most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State” when they meet for the first time in 2026 on Tuesday. Justice and migration minister Jim O’Callaghan brought the International Protection Bill 2026 to Cabinet yesterday morning. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has said that a series of procedures under new proposed legislation on im...

Retailers Against Smuggling has expressed disappointment at the latest headline figures from the Revenue Commissioners, which show a sharp decline in both the volume and value of cigarette and tobacco seizures in 2025 compared with 2024.  With the Dublin Airport passenger cap being removed later this year, RAS warns that tobacco smuggling will increase unchecked.  Yet, Revenue’s own Ille...

There are fears of job cuts by the Kepak meat processing company at its beef deboning and cutting operations in Clonee, Co Meath. Kepak Group said it has commenced a review of the operations due to ongoing supply challenges across the Irish beef sector that have reduced cattle kills, leading to lower processing volumes. The company has not said how many jobs are under threat, adding that no decisi...

Cycling campaigners have hit out at a judge’s remarks claiming that cyclists have become a “nightmare” in Dublin. The Irish Cycling Campaign said this was a “sweeping” statement that runs the risk of “reinforcing dangerous attitudes toward a group of road users who are among the most vulnerable” on the country’s roads. Judge James O’Donohoe made the comments when deciding that an injured cyclist w...

Consumers could be in line for a cut in energy prices this year due a fall in wholesale gas costs. Energy experts said a decrease in wholesale costs, strong supplies of liquefied natural gas and a relatively mild winter across Europe meant there would be scope for lower domestic electricity and gas prices. A recent report revealed that Irish households pay around €360 more a year for electricity t...

Fianna Fáil TD for Meath East, and Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Children, Aisling Dempsey has welcomed the announcement of 6 new special classes for County Meath, confirmed today by Fianna Fáil Minister for Special Education, Michael Moynihan. The announcement forms part of the first tranche of new special classes nationwide, with a record number set to open for the 2026/27 school year. In total, 1...

Yesterday on The Agenda we heard about how an average of almost 300 people a day have added their names to the opt-out register for organ donation since legislation was introduced six months ago. The legislation makes every adult a donor unless they expressly withdraw their consent. A total of 58,482 people had opted out of the scheme by December 31st, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said,...

A prominent privacy-rights advocacy group has queried the Department of Education's use of social media site X and its decision to post images of children on the platform. Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) has asked what precautions under GDPR the department has taken in terms of its posting to the Elon Musk-owned site in the wake of revelations X is offering a service to paid subscribers allowing the...

People granted refugee status will have to wait for three years before bringing relatives including spouses and children to Ireland under a planned tightening of family reunification rules. On Tuesday, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan will brief the Cabinet on a new International Protection Bill, which will overhaul the State’s asylum system in advance of European Union-wide rules coming into...

Cycling campaigners have hit out at a judge’s remarks claiming that cyclists have become a “nightmare” in Dublin. The Irish Cycling Campaign said this was a “sweeping” statement that runs the risk of “reinforcing dangerous attitudes toward a group of road users who are among the most vulnerable” on the country’s roads. Judge James O’Donohoe made the comments when deciding that an injured cyclist w...

A recall notice has been issued for thousands of passports following a “technical error” which has resulted in incorrect details being printed on them, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed. The recall applies to passports issued between December 23 and January 6 after it emerged that they were sent out to recipients with the letters ‘IRL’ absent from within. In a statement, the DF...

Louth County Council have told councillors the Local Area Plan (LAP) for Drogheda will "not progress any further at this time".  Louth County Council said it had intended, in conjunction with Meath County Council, to commence a Joint Local Area Plan for Drogheda in 2021, as part of both counties' Development Plans.  However, Thomas McEvoy, Director of Services with Louth County Council s...

Drogheda could be joining the ‘Leave a Light On’ campaign in a bid to improve safety and boost the night-time economy in the town centre. The initiative, which is already underway in Cork and Limerick, encourages businesses to brighten up the streets by leaving a light on after closing time. This additional lighting is aimed at creating a safer, more welcoming and vibrant environment during dark w...

Aontú wants Paschal Donohoe brought before the Oireachtas Finance Committee, over his decision to give €10 million euro more to the World Bank than it asked for. He gave the €10 million extra to the World Bank in April last year, before he resigned as Finance Minister in November to take up a role at the World Bank. The party's leader, Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín says giving extra money before tak...

Louth County Council are moving away from long term leases, due to the extensive work needed once houses are handed back. Dundalk councillors heard at their December meeting of a change in approach by the council’s housing section to long term leasing. Cllr. Marianne Butler asked how many houses the council will be retrofitting under the EERP, the energy efficiency retrofit programme, and if there...

An average of nearly 300 people a day have added their names to the opt-out register for organ donation since legislation was introduced six months ago, making every adult a donor unless they expressly withdraw their consent. A total of 58,482 had opted out of the scheme by 31 December, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has revealed, equating to more than 2,000 people every week since the law was...

The Mercosur trade agreement which was passed by a vote of EU member states’ representatives last week, ‘is bad for health and bad for Irish farming’, Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú told a demonstration in Dundalk on Saturday. Over 100 farmers on tractors converged on Market Square on Saturday morning for a rally in support of a larger event in Athlone, which attracted thousands of protesters. The D...

Earlier in the programme we spoke to Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, about the Mecosur deal vote taking place today. The Irish Government will vote against the controversial Mercosur trade deal, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste confirmed yesterday. In a statement, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that following negotiations with the EU on the deal, Ireland does not find the additional measures “suff...

Hundreds of SuperValu price cuts are aimed at winning back market share for the company, but unlikely to trigger a wider price war, a retail expert has said. The supermarket chain has reduced the price of 500 grocery staples by up to 10pc. It comes as a majority of consumers said they were “disappointed” with official attempts to ease the cost-of-living crisis. Consumers’ Association chairman Mich...

Concerns have been raised over how a quarter of driver disqualifications and almost half of all penalty points imposed on motorists by courts are going unrecorded on a national database of driving licences. Fine Gael Dublin West TD Emer Currie said a failure to record the driving licence number of offending motorists who appear in court is “unacceptable”, adding that it erodes public confidence in...

Legislation is being drafted by the Government to remove the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the Taoiseach has said. Speaking in China, Micheál Martin said the Government had made a "very clear decision to remove the cap". "There is no question in my mind that that has to be delivered on." He told reporters legislation is being drafted right now and that "further work needs to be done with the pl...

As we discussed before the break, the Irish Government will vote against the controversial Mercosur trade deal, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste confirmed yesterday. In a statement, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that following negotiations with the EU on the deal, Ireland does not find the additional measures “sufficient to satisfy our citizens”. “So our position stands. We will vote against the agreement,...

A bill quietly announced by the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan over the Christmas break has come under sharp criticism this week over fears it will have a chilling effect on press freedoms and force journalists to reveal their sources. News that Cabinet had approved the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill (2025) was announced by the Department of Justice in a press release on Saturday 27 December....

Foreign Affairs Minister and Meath-East Fine Gael TD Helen McEntee visited Belfast earlier this week to meet party leaders and representatives from Troubles victims’ and survivors’ groups. The Minister met with the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, DUP MLA Edwin Poots, on her visit, which she says has been a “priority” for her since taking up her current role in November 2025. Minister McE...