The Agenda

Louth Sinn Féin representative, Councillor Sionainn McCann, has expressed concerns regarding some of Louth County Council's proposals being put forward in the local authority's Speed Limit Review, and has put forward proposals that she feels need to be addressed. Dundalk South's Councillor Sionainn McCann has welcomed the proposal from Louth County Council to introduce a 30km/h speed limit in hous...

Social Justice Ireland says Budget 2026 must boost core social welfare payments by €25 a week to close growing income gaps and meet the Government’s promise of progressive budgeting . Research and Policy Analyst at Social Justice Ireland at Social Justice Ireland, Michelle Murphy, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Former Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council and Mayor of Navan, Tommy Reilly “recklessly” contravened the Code of Conduct for Councillors, the Standards in Public Office Commission has held. The Commission which published its findings on an investigation into the former Fianna Fail councillor today (Tuesday) said the breaches were of “a serious rather than a minor matter.” This morning on The Age...

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, has urged members of the public who witness racist attacks to report them to An Garda Síochána. The archbishop spoke after a spate of attacks on members of the Indian community in Ireland in recent months. The Indian embassy in Ireland says it has received reports of 16 attacks on members of the Indian community so far in 2025 — double the total r...

Tanaiste Simon Harris is coming under mounting pressure over his failure to meet the parents of a little boy who had waited seven years for scoliosis surgery. Nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt died earlier this month after years of pain, during which he struggled to breathe. His heartbroken parents, Gillain and Stephen, have now revealed that the Tanaiste, a former health minister, had promis...

Irish activists are helping to organise a new international flotilla aiming to deliver aid to Gaza and break Israel’s blockade as the number of civilians killed through violence or starvation continues to rise. The flotilla is set to launch from Spain on 31 August and stop at Tunisia and other countries on 4 September before sailing towards Gaza, with people from more than 44 countries participati...

A councillor has slammed another shocking incident of illegal dumping, this time behind the shops in the Bryanstown area of Drogheda, off the Dublin Road. James Byrne said it is "disgraceful behavior" and those responsible need to be found and punished. There was all sorts of rubbish dumped late last week, and local people and the council are once again left to sort the mess out. Cllr Byrne said,...

The government’s decision to delay enforcement of alcohol health warning labels on bottles and cans is “a clear failure to prioritise public health over industry pressure,” according to Drogheda Mayor, Michelle Hall. Cllr. Hall, a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum spoke of her “deep disappointment at the Government’s decision to delay the enforcement of alcohol harm labelling on bottles and...

The fate of a Co Louth funfair which is a part of Blackrock village’s traditional August 15th celebrations was determined in the High Court on Tuesday. Louth County Council had granted a three-day licence for the funfair, run by local businessman Killian Allen, and when he signalled his determination to run the popular event for nine days, they indicated that they would issue legal proceedings. Mr...

An appeal has been lodged in Lebanon this evening against the leniency of sentences handed down to a number of people involved in the murder of Private Seán Rooney and an attack on his colleagues. This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi Ó Murchu, to find out more about this. We also heard about a letter that Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald sent to Tánaiste Simon Ha...

Clinics and hospitals are dealing with a surge in exotic illnesses, including the first case of cholera recorded in over a decade. Cases of leprosy, dengue fever, malaria, Zika, giardiasis and West Nile fever have grown, largely due to increased global travel. Dengue fever cases alone have increased by 145pc in just 12 months. The latest report from the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (H...

Government Minister Michael Healy Ray has called for twisted murder tourism “ghouls” to be caged for a year. The Kerry TD slammed sickos who stop for selfies at Michael Gaine’s farm in Co Kerry. Cops are maintaining a presence at Gaine’s 1,000-acre farm outside Kenmare. However, officers have had to place parking cones at the farm’s entrance to keep vehicles away, such is the number of people tryi...

The Occupied Territories Bill is winding its way through the Oireachtas. Tabled originally in 2018, the bill would ban trade with the illegal settlements in the West Bank. But, considering the ongoing actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, should Ireland consider a complete trade embargo on Israel? John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, has been writing about th...

An Irish woman who was among the 532 arrested in London over the weekend for carrying placards opposing the banning of the activist group Palestine Action has described the "dystopian" experience of her arrest.  Limerick native Sinéad Ní Shiacáis travelled to London to join the peaceful protest. Metropolitan Police carried out a mass arrest that detained anyone carrying a sign saying, 'I oppo...

Rental debts facing Louth’s social housing tenants are among the highest in the north east region, according to new figures obtained this week. Louth County Council is owed almost €4 million by tenants of council managed homes, with 1,404 accounts in debt. Over 1,000 of these are facing rents greater than 12 weeks. Local councillors have been voicing their concerns about the rising level of monies...

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to local Aontu Councillor in Trim, David Boyne, whose home has been targeted by thugs for the third time. Councillor Boyne believes he is being targeted because of his political stance and role in the local community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education and Youth, Darren O'Rourke TD, has called on the government to intervene and support families facing the cost of mandatory digital devices in so-called 'iPad schools', after new data reveals that almost 1 in 4 secondary schools require parents to purchase these devices. The Department of Education confirmed to Deputy O'Rourke that from the 2024/25 school year, a...

A 35-year-old businessman is the latest person to declare they are running to be the next Irish president.  Gareth Sheridan just passes the minimum age limit to run for the office. At age 35, he’s looking to become the youngest ever Irish president. Who is he?  The multi-millionaire is the founder and former CEO of US-based company Nutriband, which describes itself as a “values-based com...

The absence of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with An Garda Síochána and HIQA on the care of vulnerable people in care settings, underscores a deep systemic failure, according to Aontú Louth Rep, Michael O’ Dowd, who said he is a longtime advocate for the rights of people with additional needs.  Mr Ó'Dowd said that “despite being first mooted nearly seven years ago, no agreement h...

Thousands of asylum-seekers could be required to pay up to €238 a week for their accommodation in international protection centres under proposals being considered by Government. The move is being examined as part of a series of measures to cut the cost to the State in housing migrants in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres, which exceeded €1bn for the first time last yea...

Ireland has joined other European countries to write a letter imploring Israel not to expand the war in Gaza, stating that it would be a “flagrant violation of international law”. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday that Israel would seek "the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip", as well as "Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip" and "the establishment of an alte...

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he is “deeply concerned” about attacks on the Indian community in recent weeks. Mr Harris is to meet with the Ireland-India Council on Monday after they requested an engagement about the number of assaults and threats against Indian citizens. The issue has been highlighted after an Indian man was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Tallaght, Dublin, last month. In...

The number of people buying fake weight loss drugs online has more than doubled in the last year. Health Products Regulatory Authority figures show a 14 per cent increase in the overall seizure of illegal medicines over the last 12 months. The Irish Pharmacy Union is expressing concern over the numbers, which reveal 568 medicines were ordered online in 2023 climbing to 1,582 in 2024. Tom Murray, I...

Concern is being expressed over the reduction of full-time security cover in the Emergency Department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Local Sinn Féin Councillor Debbie McCole is calling for an immediate reversal of the decision to limit it to 12 hour shifts from 12 noon to midnight. She says it's imperative that the hospital has 24-hour security staff cover there. Councillor McCole sp...

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...