The Agenda

Earlier on in the programme we spoke to Meath-East TD Darren O’Rourke, who told us about how a number of children in Co. Meath have been denied a place on their local school bus this year. Deputy O'Rourke says, in his Meath East constituency, there are particular challenges in North Meath on routes to O’Carolan College in Nobber, Moynalty National School, and Wilkinstown National School. We were j...

A Cork City Councillor has proposed that 15- and 16-year-olds be allowed to drive ‘micro cars’. Quadricycles, as they’re officially known, are small battery-powered cars which are very popular on the continent. Fine Gael’s Damian Boylan said the move should be taken to bring Ireland “in step with the rest of Europe”. Councillor Boylan joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more ab...

Sinn Féin TD for Meath East and spokesperson on Education and Youth, Darren O’Rourke, says the failure by the Government to implement recommendations from the review of the School Transport Scheme means that a number of children in Co. Meath have been denied a place on their local school bus this year. The review of the school transport scheme took three years to complete and was published in Febr...

Domestic abuse calls to gardaí have soared by 45pc in the past four years, with the figure on track to increase again this year. An analysis of domestic abuse calls by the  Irish Independent  also shows that garda divisions in Dublin had both the highest and lowest rates of reports per population last year. Ainie Grainger from Stop Domestic Abuse Ireland joined us on The Agenda this morn...

A brute who sexually assaulted a woman in the UK before coming to Ireland and attacking a female jogger shows “the Government and Gardai are simply not in control”, it’s been claimed. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín made the stark admission after the Irish Mirror unmasked “Hoyda Hamad” as a pervert with 27 aliases and 20 convictions earlier this week.  The “non-binary” barber was sentenced on Augu...

A Palestinian doctor living and working in Co. Meath is helping to bring international attention to a powerful new book that documents the daily testimonies of surgeons working under fire in Gaza. The book ‘Diary of Gaza Surgeons – A Witness to Genocide’ is set to be launched next month, serving both as a historical record and as compelling evidence of the grave crimes committed against the people...

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) is calling for the lifting of the Dublin Airport passenger cap, increased Government spending, as well as the restoration of the 9% hospitality VAT rate in order to boost tourism in the country, which it said is at a "tipping point". In its Budget submission, the ITIC warns of "double-digit" declines in tourists coming to Ireland and that the country...

The mum of missing Elizabeth Clarke – who is suspected of being murdered nearly 12 years ago says “it is pure hell” not knowing if she is still alive or dead. Mum-of-two Elizabeth was 24 years old when she was last seen in November 2013 in Navan, Co Meath. Ms Clarke, who had lived in Portrane, Co Dublin and Bettystown, as well as at another address in Co Mea, was officially reported missing in Jan...

A pilot project in England sees officers swooping on offenders if female police officers in running gear are subjected to sexual harassment A local TD is calling for legislation to be introduced to outlaw catcalling and harassment of women in public places. It follows a pilot project by the Surrey police force in England,  which is sending out female officers in running gear, supported by cre...

A religious order has said being asked to contribute to the State's mother and baby home redress scheme is “akin to asking a frontline worker in 50 years’ time to be held accountable for the failures of the current HSE”, new records show. Representatives for the Sisters of Mercy made the comments during a meeting with former children’s minister Roderic O’Gorman on December 13, 2021, where it was c...

There are no places for children at creches in Louth at the moment, it has been revealed, with the sector at crisis point, according to Louth TD, Ruairí Ó Murchú. The ‘crisis in the early years sector’ in Louth is ‘worse than it has ever been’, the Sinn Féin TD told the Dundalk Democrat, who has revealed that there are no places for children under two in Louth at the moment in creches, which he sa...

A poultry factory worker who was deported on a government charter flight to Nigeria earlier this year has been granted permission to apply again for asylum in Ireland, effectively overturning his deportation order. The man, aged in his 30s, has been granted the opportunity to receive international protection after Irish authorities accepted that he faced persecution and threats to his life due to...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Ardee man Chris Millar, whose teenage daughter Danielle was treated for scoliosis last year. Danielle received her spinal diagnosis by chance when a nurse noticed a slight curve and sent her for an x-ray while she was receiving treatment for her ENT (ear, nose and throat) problems last year. Scoliosis has been making headlines over the past number of we...

Located at the very front line of the war in Ukraine, the port city of ­Kherson appears all but abandoned. In the middle of the afternoon, with the sun shining and the temperature a sizzling 33C, there seems to be no trace of the 250,000 inhabitants who were living here when war broke out more than three years ago. And yet, life in the south Ukrainian city does go on. Thousands of people ­remain,...

The Government has failed to “make a dent” in the teacher recruitment and retention crisis as “hundreds” of posts remain unfilled shortly before schools reopen after summer, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said. In recent years, the union said hundreds of posts advertised online have consistently remained unfilled at this time of year despite schools working “relentlessly” to...

The Crime Victims Helpline reported a 15% increase in incoming calls last year, as well as a 66% increase in contacts related to theft. There was also a 46% increase in the number of calls related to burglary, according to its 2024 annual report. The Crime Victims Helpline (CVH) is a national support service for victims of crime in Ireland. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Chief Execut...

Independent councillor, Alan Lawes from Navan attended the weekly Palestinian support protest yesterday evening in Newry and displayed a t-shirt and poster supporting Palestine Action.  His actions risked possible arrest. Palestine Action (PAG) is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK and protests have been ongoing to have the ban lifted. To date, over 700 people have been arrested...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by by CEO at Dignity4Patients, Adrienne Reilly, who gave us all the latest on the calls for a public inquiry into the abuse at Lourdes Hospital by former surgeon Michael Shine.  Michael Shine is one of the most notorious convicted pedophiles in Irish history. He was a consultant surgeon in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co. Louth from 1964...

The presidential election race has been thrown into uncertainty by the shock announcement by former European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness that she was dropping out for health reasons. She said the “very difficult decision” came after a stay in hospital last week adding: “my priority now is my health. Given that the election is in a short couple of months, I do not believe that I have the streng...

You may have spotted the seasonal ads: a double-scoop ice cream cone with a cherry on top. It’s to get you in the mood for pensions, unlikely as it seems, although if there’s a better metaphor for a melting sticky mess, I haven’t seen it. First mooted three decades ago, Pension Automatic Enrolment (AE) is finally set to arrive on January 1, 2026. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Robert...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Callum Christie, who is an Oasis fan and found himself almost falling victim to a ticket scam after being duped thinking he was buying an Oasis ticket from someone he’d known for years.  Callum issued a stark warning to listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With plans for almost 30,000 homes to be built in Meath over the next ten years, a local councillor has warned that the county is facing a public transport and parking crisis Cllr Helen Meyer points out that almost 1,000 housing units will be completed in the Ashbourne area alone in the next few months and warned that many of the new residents will be commuting to Dublin. She has called for increa...

The sons and daughters of farm families, whether they are farming or not, must be able to build houses in their local area, says IFA president Francie Gorman. He said the issue of once-off rural housing has been raised at most agricultural shows he’s attended this summer. “It’s unacceptable that you can have people get planning permission for holiday homes in certain parts of the country, and youn...

A Fianna Fáil TD has said party councillors should have a free vote for nominating presidential election candidates. Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne told the Irish Examiner that enabling a candidate to run does not mean councillors need to back their campaign. It comes as Nick Delehanty suggested that, like Gareth Sheridan, he has the support of a sufficient number of councillors to propose and s...

Back-to-school season is well underway, and with school costs continuing to rise, parents are increasingly facing an anxiety-inducing end to summer.  According to a recent survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions, one in three parents are now taking out loans to make ends meet, while children's welfare charity Barnardos found parents have to regularly dip into savings, having to sacrifice...