The Agenda

The average Irish household will lose 2pc of its disposable income as a result of this week’s Budget, analysis by the Economic and Social Research ­Institute (ESRI) has found. This is mainly due to the withdrawal of the cost-of-living measures that were included in the last two budgets, such as the €250 credit on electricity bills. The hardest hit are low-income ­families, the bottom 10pc of earne...

Nearly nine in ten people are more cautious about wasting food, due to high grocery bills. Research from Too Good to Go shows the same number of people have had their food shopping habits affected by the rising cost of living, and spokesperson Machaela O'Leary says the reduction in the VAT rate for the hospitality sector is an opportunity to highlight food waste Machaela O’Leary joined us on The A...

Property prices in Louth have risen by €10,000 in the last year, according to the latest MyHome Property Price Report.    The report for Q3 2025, in association with Bank of Ireland, shows that the median asking price for a property in the county is still €260,000. This means prices have stayed steady over the quarter.       Asking prices for a 3-bed semi-detached house in the county ros...

Concerns have been raised over how a recent special Meath County Council meeting to nominate a presidential candidate was conducted, after confusion and technical difficulties overshadowed the proceedings and ultimately led to no candidate being endorsed. At the meeting held last month, frustration mounted as councillors struggled to navigate unclear procedures during the hybrid session. At the en...

A former Tanaiste wants Ireland to follow the UK's lead and restrict access to pornography on the internet. At yesterday's Ruhama conference, former justice minister Frances Fitzgerald hosted a panel discussion on a response to the rise of porn and what can be done to keep children safe. Britain now requires all major porn sites to introduce age verification measures and for some users to hand ove...

Bookmaker Paddy Power has paid out early on bets backing Catherine Connolly to become the next President of Ireland. The election takes place on 24 October but Paddy Power – never one to pass up a handy marketing opportunity – today claimed that it has “seen enough” to call it. It said the decision to pay out early follows Jim Gavin’s exit from the race after he failed to clarify reports on an RTÉ...

Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell, backed by fellow Independent Senators in the Seanad, tabled a motion yesterday, calling for immediate and targeted investment in Ireland’s head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment infrastructure.  The motion follows the passage of Budget 2026 and seeks to address long-standing gaps in care by demanding funding for Dublin facilities and the creation of specia...

Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East. Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants' cross-border attack that triggered Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agr...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Amie Berns, a woman who is living with a very serious and debilitating case of endometriosis.  Amie has been left heartbroken and furious by the Governments failure to invest in endometriosis care in Ireland in Budget 2026, despite promises they made earlier this year Amie previously spoke to us on The Agenda live from a hospital bed, where she was...

Louth County Council is seeking applicants from the public to serve on the new Louth Community Safety Partnership (LCSP). The LCSP, as it will be called, will replace the previous local policing boards and will work in cooperation with local Gardaí to improve policing and public safety. There will be 30 members on the board, and seven members from Louth County Council have already been selected by...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Sinn Fein Senator Chris Andrews, who is back in Ireland after he was illegally detained by Israel after the flotilla he was travelling bringing aid to Gaza was intercepted and seized by armed Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Egypt. The flotilla, including Senator Andrews’ boat, the Spectre, was violently assaulted by Israeli milit...

Budget 2026 was described by Minister for Finance Pascal Donohoe as “a sensible budget that will safeguard our future”, but members of the opposition have branded it as a budget “for burger barons and big builders” and the “McBudget”. We were in-studio on The Agenda this morning by Minister for Education and Meath-East Fine GaeL TD Helen McEntee, who spoke to us about the Budget and defended it sa...

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national independent advocate to reduce alcohol harm, is disappointed by the government’s decision not to increase excise duties on alcohol in today’s Budget. CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, Sheila Gilheany, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Fine Gael Councillor in Ashbourne, Alan Tobin, who garnered unanimous support for his motion at Monday's council meeting calling on the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll McNeil,to develop a strategy and legislation that will bring in strict controls around the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Councillor Tobin told us about how big a problem this...

Labour’s Finance Spokesperson and Louth TD Ged Nash TD has sharply criticised the Government’s 2026 Budget, describing it as a “budget for burger barons and big builders.” Deputy Nash joined us in-studio this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The price of petrol and diesel will rise from midnight tonight after changes to carbon tax charges were announced in the Budget. The rate per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted for all propellant fuels was increased from €63.50 to €71 as part of the Budget package announced this afternoon. Motorists will see prices at the pumps rise by over 2 cent per litre following the change. CEO of Fuels for Irel...

The Association of Secondary Teachers in IReland is saying that Budget 2026 fails to tackle the key issues impacting second-level schools and students. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by ASTI Deputy General Secretary Diarmaid de Paor who spoke to us in more detail about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier on in the week on The Agenda we spoke to Louth FIne Gael TD Paula Butterly, about her calls for more towns in the area to join the Living Cities Initiative. Deputy Butterly is now welcoming the Budget announcement yesterday that Drogheda and Dundalk are to be included in the Living Cities Initiative, after what was a decade-long campaign by the Louth TD and others. Deputy Butterly joined u...

A Drogheda councillor and paramedic has urged people to stay away from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital emergency department unless they are seriously ill. Debbie McCole asked the public to consider other healthcare options such as going to their GP or pharmacist or out of hours GP service or the minor injuries unit in Dundalk before attending at the Lourdes. The Sinn Fein councillor said that the Lou...

The Government has taken the wraps off its first budget since it took up the reins of power at the start of the year. Budget 2026 was a less flashy affair than previous years, with the €9.4 billion package devoid of any of the generous once-offs we got used to like double child benefit payments and electricity credits. So, what does Budget 2026 mean for you and your pocket? Political Correspondent...

This morning on The Agenda, we were joined in-studio by Presidential election candidate Heather Humphreys. Earlier on in the programme we spoke to Lucia O'Farrell, who hit out at Ms Humphreys over not representing and supporting her family over the years. The mother of Shane O’Farrell believes her family has been failed by Heather Humphreys over the years while she was elected to the Dail. Shane w...

Lucia O'Farrell has hit out at Ms Humphreys over not representing and supporting her family over the years. The mother of Shane O’Farrell believes her family has been failed by Heather Humphreys over the years while she was elected to the Dail. Shane was killed while cycling on the N2 near Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan, and his family was given a State apology earlier this year over the authoritie...

The Government is being urged to sanction Israel after 15 Irish citizens were detained as part of the Gaza aid flotilla. Those detainees are making their way home after being deported from Israel yesterday. Global Movement to Gaza Éire, the group supporting the flotilla here, say the participants will be reunited with their families and supported when they land. Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campai...

Local councillors in Meath have expressed concerns over locals and school students in Dunshaughlin walking along dangerous roads, that aren't pedestrian friendly, to get to the new Taco Bell which is located at the new Applegreen motorway service station on the M3 motorway, at Junction 6 in Dunshaughlin. The issue was raised by Independent Councillor Nick Killian at yesterday’s monthly meeting, an...

We are joined on the programme now by Meath woman Gabi Saoirse, who took to social media over the weekend to highlight her upset and disgust after being verbally abused on a bus from Navan to Dublin.  Gabi, who is originally from Poland, says that in 20 years she has never experienced anything like this.  In her post on social media, Gabi wrote:  “I can’t believe I was hit with raci...