The Agenda

Questions are being raised about the future of services at the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, following plans to reallocate resources from the facility. Health management say the move is intended to support a more comprehensive model of care, with a greater focus on rehabilitation and re-enablement services, particularly for older patients. Officials maintain that there is sufficient step-down and...

An environmental campaign group in Meath says it is deeply concerned following details of a significant spill at Tara Mines last year that resulted in hundreds of tonnes of tailings material being released within the mine site. According to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency, the incident occurred following a pipeline failure in November 2025, resulting in more than 397,000 litres o...

New figures from the Health Research Board show a sharp rise in the number of people seeking treatment for crack cocaine use in Ireland. Demand for treatment increased by 31% last year alone and has risen by more than 900% over the past decade. Crack cocaine, a chemically altered form of cocaine that is typically smoked, produces a more intense but shorter-lasting high. Those working on the frontl...

A campaign is being launched this week calling for standalone legislation to make spiking a specific criminal offence in Ireland. The move comes amid concerns that the true scale of the problem may be difficult to measure, as spiking is not currently recorded as a separate crime. Garda figures show that almost 190 incidents of suspected spiking were reported between January 2022 and December 2025,...

The Government is expected to bring proposals for age verification on social media platforms to Cabinet next month, as policymakers continue to explore ways of improving online safety for children and teenagers. The move comes amid growing international efforts to limit young people's access to social media, with Britain this week announcing plans for tougher restrictions on under-16s.  Howev...

The European Parliament is due to vote this week on proposed new migration rules that would allow EU member states to send certain migrants who have received return orders to third countries with which they have no prior connection. The proposal has sparked debate across Europe. Supporters say it could strengthen the EU's migration system, while critics have raised concerns about costs, oversight...

A woman whose brother was a victim of the Stardust nightclub fire has told the Central Criminal Court how she was taking a break from an inquest into his death when she confronted a man stabbing children in Dublin city centre. Siobhan Kearney on Tuesday told a trial jury that she "jumped" on defendant Riad Bouchaker, aged 52, and tried to get him to the ground. She said the knife he was wielding l...

Concerns are mounting in Drogheda over the build-up of bonfire materials in residential areas, with calls for additional support to help protect council staff tasked with clearing illegal dumping sites. The issue was raised at this month's meeting of Louth County Council, where councillors voiced alarm over the growing stockpiles of pallets, tyres and other materials on waste ground between Hill V...

Income from the TV licence fee continues to decline, with new figures pointing to a marked increase in evasion following the RTÉ secret payments scandal. Just under €48 million was generated from nearly 300,000 licences sold in the first five months of this year, according to data from Minister of State at the Department of Culture Charlie McConalogue. The figures show a 4.5% drop compared to the...

A Louth TD has called for tougher penalties for environmental polluters following the devastating fish kill on the River Glyde, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 20,000 fish and caused extensive damage to a 25-kilometre stretch of the river. Labour's Ged Nash has described the incident as an act of "ecocide" and argues that current environmental protection laws are not strong enough to...

A Fine Gael Senator has accused the GAA of “locking the people out” of watching key championship matches, amid ongoing concerns about television coverage of Gaelic games. Senator Mike Kennelly says too few matches are being made available on free-to-air television, arguing that the current broadcasting arrangements are restricting access for ordinary fans across the country. He claims that of eigh...

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has called on Gardaí to ban the use of tasers on children. The equipment is currently undergoing a pilot phase which will now run until the end of the year, with the Limerick Division also set to receive access. Currently, 137 members from Dublin's Store Street, Kevin Street and Pearse Street stations, and Waterford Garda station have received the training req...

A potential ban on slushie drinks for children is under consideration following fresh warnings from food safety experts about the risks posed by certain ingredients in the popular frozen beverages. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland recently updated its guidance after a new risk assessment by European regulators raised concerns about the additive glycerol, which is commonly used in slushies to m...

Louth Disability Cycling Club got namechecked at the United Nations in New York last week when Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú told a special conference on disability about the Dundalk-based club. The Louth deputy was at the UN for the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP19) and told delegates from all over the world about the innovative proj...

Aontú leader & Meath-West TD Peadar Tóibín is calling on the Government to provide clarity on the movements of the man charged in connection with Monday's knife attack in Belfast. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Deputy Tóibín criticised what he described as a lack of information from the Government regarding the suspect's time in the Republic before travelling north. He says unanswered questio...

In the wake of this week's knife attack in Belfast and the violence that followed, Independent Meath Senator Sharon Keogan says serious questions need to be asked about the operation of open borders on the island of Ireland.  The Senator says the incident has raised questions about border security and immigration controls on the island of Ireland. She argues that Ministers with responsibility...

A major overhaul of Ireland's asylum system comes into effect today, with the commencement of the International Protection Act 2026. The legislation implements key elements of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and is designed to streamline the processing of international protection applications. However, a coalition of civil society organisations has raised concerns about its impact on people se...

People in Ireland who use pornography websites could be required to use a digital Government ID to prove they are over 18. The Department of Communications confirmed the new digital wallet, which the Government will shortly trial with some members of the public, will be used to “support compliance” with Ireland’s Online Safety Code – including a requirement that websites restrict pornography acces...

Knife crime has become a "scourge on Irish society" and requires urgent action from both the criminal justice and public health systems, according to Advocates for Victims of Homicide (AdVIC).   The victims' advocacy group renewed its call for stronger measures following the death of Qayyum Balogun, saying it had warned as far back as 2015 about the growing prevalence of knife carrying and th...

As excitement builds ahead of the World Cup, one charity is warning of a troubling trend that can emerge during major sporting events. ActionAid Ireland says international tournaments have been linked to spikes in domestic violence, with research from previous competitions showing incidents can increase significantly, particularly following matches involving national teams. The organisation says w...

Northern Ireland saw a second night of unrest with police using water cannons on rioters, as the Belfast stabbing attack victim’s family said they were “disgusted” by the disorder. Police were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs by balaclava-clad rioters in Co Antrim on Wednesday evening in the latest disorder following the Belfast knife attack on Monday. Footage showed dozens of men dressed all i...

Longstanding concerns about safety on Sean O'Carroll Street in Ardee have once again come under the spotlight, but efforts to address the issue have hit an unexpected obstacle. At this month's meeting of Ardee Municipal District, councillors were told that Louth County Council cannot currently introduce measures such as weight restrictions on the street because parts of it are not actually in the...

People were forced to flee their homes as multiple cars and homes were set alight during a serious disorder on Tuesday night in the wake of a serious knife attack in the city. Businesses were also attacked by groups of masked young men, with several hundred turning out in the city following calls on social media for anti-immigration protests. We went live to Belfast on The Agenda this morning to f...

Residents of Rathmullen Park in Drogheda say they fear it is only a matter of time before a child is seriously injured unless urgent action is taken to tackle speeding in the area. The concerns centre on the route linking the estate with Ballsgrove, where locals say vehicles regularly travel at excessive speeds. The area has also been described as a "rat run" for scramblers and scooters, creating...

No general pattern exists of immigrants being more likely to be in receipt of social welfare compared to native-born Irish citizens, an ESRI report on welfare receipt rates has found. The report used data from the Central Statistics Office to assess whether immigrants in Ireland are more or less likely to be in receipt of welfare payments compared to Irish-born people. It examined a broad set of p...