The Agenda

Labour TD for Louth, Ged Nash, has accused the Government of “mogging” workers and families in last year’s Budget, using what appears to be the first instance of the slang term being used in the Dáil. Ged Nash made the remark during Leaders’ Questions as he criticised Tánaiste Simon Harris, drawing attention to a VAT cut for the hospitality sector alongside what he described as a lack of income ta...

A public demonstration is set to take place this Saturday in Drogheda, organised by the Drogheda Stands with Palestine group as part of the wider “Stop the Game” campaign. The rally will take place on West Street from 12 noon until 1pm, and is calling on the Football Association of Ireland to cancel the Republic of Ireland’s planned international football fixtures against Israel. Organisers say th...

**TRIGGER WARNING: SOME LISTENERS MAY FIND CONTENT UPSETTING/DISTRESSING** This morning on The Agenda, we heard from Colin Power, a survivor of abuse by Bill Kenneally, who along with other survivors met with the Taoiseach as they continue their campaign for a State apology over how their cases were handled. Bill Kenneally was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who was jailed in 2026 - he died in pri...

Legislation that would ban hare coursing is set to come before the Dáil next week, with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy calling on Government TDs to be given a free vote on the issue. Deputy Murphy says the proposed legislation would end the practice of hare coursing in Ireland, arguing that while hares are a protected species, thousands are captured each year for organised events and a number...

Online scams continue to rise, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated tactics to target people through fake text messages, emails, phone calls and social media, costing victims millions of euro every year. Fine Gael MEP from Meath, Regina Doherty, says the issue has reached epidemic levels and is calling for a coordinated response across Europe to better protect consumers. This week, she...

A mother who came face-to-face with her son’s killer has spoken about the devastating impact of losing her eldest child in a fatal one-punch attack. In 2017, 20-year-old Luke O'Reilly was the victim of an unprovoked, one-punch attack. Luke was struck from behind without warning.   Initially, Luke’s family believed he had suffered only minor injuries, but after undergoing surgery and spending...

Growing opposition continues over controversial housing plans on the outskirts of Dundalk, near Cúchulainn’s Castle, where more than 1,000 homes are proposed for a 96-acre site by Grandspect Ltd. A major petition signed by over 6,000 people has now been formally submitted to Louth County Council by local photographer Nicola Bishop, alongside a detailed objection, as the July 1st deadline for publi...

A new national framework aimed at improving the State’s response to significant fish mortality incidents in freshwater has been welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley. The National Protocol for Significant Fish Mortality Incidents in Freshwater has been developed by an inter-agency group led by Inland Fisheries Ireland and, for the firs...

Serious concerns have once again been raised about access to public dental and orthodontic services, with claims that patients in Louth and Meath are being let down by long-standing staffing shortages and delays. Speaking in the Dáil this week, Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, argued that the State's dental treatment system is failing many patients, particularly medical card holders, and s...

A court has refused a request to release transcripts from the criminal trials of convicted sex offender Michael Shine to the lawyer leading a scoping exercise into the handling of the case. Shine, a former consultant surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, was convicted in 2017 and 2019 of sexually assaulting young boys during his time at the hospital. The decision not to release the...

Louth is counting down to Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Monaghan, and excitement is building right across the county. But with thousands of supporters expected to make the journey to Croke Park, concerns have been raised about whether existing rail services can cope with demand. Labour TD Ged Nash says he contacted Irish Rail after hearing from supporters in Dundalk who were worrie...

Concerns have been raised about the mental health of clergy in Ireland, after a senior Catholic priest warned that suicide among priests must be urgently addressed. Fr Michael Toomey, parish priest of the St Carlo Acutis pastoral area in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, says a number of priests have died by suicide in recent years, describing it as a “tragedy” and a call to action. Speaking a...

Possession of drugs for personal use should be decriminalised as part of a major overhaul of Ireland's drug laws, according to a new report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use. After more than a year examining the findings of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use, the cross-party committee has backed a move away from a criminal justice approach and towards a health-led model.  The r...

Two advocacy groups representing more than 900 families affected by the Children's Health Ireland spina bifida and scoliosis controversy have withdrawn from a planned scoping inquiry, saying the process no longer meets the needs of those at the centre of the crisis. The Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group and the Scoliosis Advocacy Network say they have serious concerns about...

A new campaign is being launched to help young people understand and respond to intimate image abuse, as new figures reveal a sharp rise in cases across Ireland. The "It's Not The End of The World" campaign, led by CyberSafeKids and the Irish Internet Hotline, is aimed at 13 to 17-year-olds and comes as reports of intimate image abuse have risen by 66 per cent in the past year. A total of 862 case...

A new law coming into effect later this month will give many workers the right to remain in their jobs beyond their employer's mandatory retirement age. The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025, which takes effect on June 29th, will allow eligible employees to continue working up to the State Pension age of 66, even where their contract currently requires them to retire earlier. The n...

A man widely tipped as a future British Prime Minister has a little-known connection to Drogheda. Andy Burnham, one of the most prominent figures in British politics and a potential future leader of the Labour Party, can trace his family roots back to the town through his great-grandfather, Edmund "Ned" Burke. We found out about this on The Agenda this morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

A cyclist who says she was subjected to a sustained blast of a vehicle horn for around 40 seconds is calling for tougher rules around how and when drivers can use their horns. Author and broadcaster Joanna Donnelly says the incident happened as she was cycling home after visiting her brother's grave on the 25th anniversary of his death Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A major security operation is being put in place ahead of Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency, with a range of high-level measures set to be deployed including a spy plane, an armoured Garda vehicle, and anti-drone technology. In just ten days’ time, what is expected to be the largest policing and security operation in the history of the State will get underway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

The future of 14 step-down beds at the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda remains under the spotlight this week, despite assurances from the HSE that the hospital itself is not facing closure. The HSE has confirmed it is carrying out a review of the nurse-led transitional care service at the facility, following reports that the 14 beds were due to close and staff redeployed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospit...

This morning on The Agenda, we had our weekly LMFM Roundtable, where we were joined in-studio by 3 contributors from across the Northeast. Today we discussed Government voting to abolish the three-day wait period for abortion. We also spoke about former President of Ireland Mary McAleese's criticism of people using the tricolour to “intimidate”, reintroducing the eviction ban and a potential ban o...

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Minister for Foreign Affairs & Defence and Meath-East Fine Gael TD Helen McEntee about the ongoing case of Dundalk mother Mandy Kelly, whose two young sons were taken to Egypy by their father in 2022. Despite being granted custody by a Cairo court, Mandy remains unable to bring her children home due to a legal travel ban and complex dimplomatic battle. Mi...

A leading child and adolescent psychoanalyst has warned that many children and young people are struggling with loneliness and a lack of meaningful social connection, as traditional community ties continue to weaken. Speaking at the launch of a campaign marking 20 years of the Growing Up in Ireland study, Colman Noctor said the research consistently shows that children thrive when they have strong...

A Meath councillor is calling for urgent action to address what she says is a growing crisis in adult respite care services across the county. Aontu Councillor Emer Tóibín says families caring for elderly relatives and adults with disabilities are struggling to access vital support, with concerns that existing services are no longer able to meet demand. Councillor Toibin joined us on The Agenda th...

TDs have voted to remove the three-day waiting period for people seeking an abortion, with the Sinn Féin bill passing its latest stage in the Dáil. On this morning's Agenda, we spoke to Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, who supports the move, and Aontú leader and Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín, who strongly opposes it. The discussion became heated at times as the TDs clashed over the proposed...