The Agenda

Four new train stations are to be built in Meath as part of plans for a new railway line connecting Navan to Dublin. Navan is currently the largest town in Ireland that is not on the rail network. The emerging preferred route for the 34km line was published by Iarnród Éireann this morning, as a public consultation on the project opens today. The plan will extend the route from the existing line at...

On The Agenda this morning, we turned our attention to calls by local councillors in Louth for the abolition of the Universal Social Charge.  Introduced during the financial crisis as a temporary measure, the USC has remained in place for more than a decade — but now Ciaran Fisher and a number of Independent councillors across the country are calling on the Government to scrap it altogether....

Growing numbers of people are having to be treated for new psychoactive drugs and ketamine use, while demand for cocaine recovery is at an all-time high, a report has shown. The Health Research Board report on drug treatment in Ireland last year showed 15,422 cases received therapy for problem drug use. Cocaine remains Ireland’s most common drug treated, excluding alcohol. There were 6,535 cases o...

We are turning our attention now to calls by local councillors in Louth for the abolition of the Universal Social Charge.  Introduced during the financial crisis as a temporary measure, the USC has remained in place for more than a decade — but now Ciaran Fisher and a number of Independent councillors across the country are calling on the Government to scrap it altogether. A motion passed at...

Intense sadness and anger were the dominant emotions at a vigil yesterday in memory of Yves Sakila (35) who died after being restrained by security guards in Dublin city centre on Friday afternoon. The Congolese man, who had lived in Ireland since 2004, had been homeless for several years. Sakila was allegedly involved in a shoplifting incident on Henry Street before attempting to flee around 5pm...

A Louth councillor has said “Ireland is better than racism” following the death of a Congolese man in Dublin, describing the incident as one that has “deeply saddened” communities across the country. Yves Sakila, a Congolese national believed to be in his mid-30s, died after being restrained by security guards in the Arnotts department store on Henry Street. Mr Sakila was taken to the Mater Hospit...

Sky have sent “threatening” legal letters to hundreds of dodgy box users, as part of the broadcaster’s bid crackdown on the phenomenon.  There are an estimated 400,000 households with dodgy box users in Ireland - meaning for every five people you see on the street, one has a dodgy box at home.  The practice has cost broadcasters hundreds of millions in lost revenue over the years but ind...

A coalition of more than 120 civil society organisations is calling on the Government to reconsider proposed changes affecting Ukrainians living in Ireland under Temporary Protection. The Ukraine Civil Society Forum has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressing concern over measures including proposed cuts to the Accommodation Recognition Payment for hosts, along with plans to end state-provi...

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Independent Councillor in Navan, Alan Lawes, who took to social media yesterday to call out Aontu leader & Meath-West TD Peadar Toibin for what he says is Deputy Toibin “chasing the anti-immigrant vote and wanting to be the Irish version of Nigel Farage's Reform Party”. Councillor Lawes was reacting to a video posted online last week by Deputy Toibi...

Aaron Connolly, who has spent over three years in jail serving a life sentence for the murder of teenager Cameron Reilly, has had his conviction quashed on appeal. The Court of Appeal found yesterday that the trial judge’s charge to the jury lacked balance and in parts may have been seen as “advocacy” for the prosecution case. Judge John Edwards said “such were the stridency and emphasis” of comme...

The Justice Minister is introducing new laws to make it a criminal offence to possess or distribute extreme and violent pornography. Jim O’Callaghan told the Sunday Independent that young people are getting a “distorted” view of sexuality from viewing pornography featuring violence online. He said the violence depicted, including the use of knives, with strangulation threats to the point of causin...

Evil killer Olesja Hertova will try and track down her teenage daughter when she’s released from prison, it’s been warned. Karen Ryan, 46, whose dad James, 69, was killed by the Czech Republic-born woman outside his home in Balbriggan on August 11, 2024, has made the claim. She’s also calling on Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to issue a deportation order against her. Hertova, 49, was handed a 33...

Catering on deportation flights was changed after pork sausages were included as part of an Irish breakfast served on a forced return flight to Pakistan, according to a human-rights monitoring report. The first chartered deportation flight, transporting 24 men to the country, which has a majority Muslim population, took place on September 23rd, 2025. A human-rights monitor travelled on board along...

There are calls for all Tusla founded allegations to be passed on to An Garda Síochána. A founded allegation means the Child and Family Agency has established that, on the balance of probabilities, child abuse has occurred. However, it's not a criminal conviction and, as such, does not automatically form part of a person’s criminal record. Aontú leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín says these ty...

Nearly three decades after Dundalk teenager Ciara Breen vanished without trace, fresh calls have been made for a dedicated memorial to honour her memory and provide her family with a place to grieve. Ciara was just 17 years old when she left her home on Bachelors Walk in the early hours of February 13, 1997, and never returned. Despite extensive Garda investigations over the years, no one has ever...

Councillors are calling for urgent safety works at a “dangerous” mid‑Louth junction, warning that drivers are being forced straight on to a main road with 100kph traffic. The concerns were raised at the monthly meeting of Ardee Municipal District, where Councillor John Sheridan tabled a motion calling on Louth County Council to arrange a meeting with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to discu...

Demonstrators at a Palestine solidarity march in Dublin called on the Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and impose sanctions on Israel. The demonstration on Saturday, which was organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), marched from the Garden of Remembrance to Leinster House. Zoë Lawlor, chair of the IPSC, said the IPSC was “proud” of the fact Ireland is among...

This morning on The Agenda we had our ‘LMFM Roundtable’, where we were joined in-studio by 3 contributors from different parts of Louth and Meath to discuss and debate the big stories of the week. This morning we discussed calls for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to apologise for his comments on immigrants in Ireland, particularly his comments about African immigrants. We also discussed RTE's decis...

Much of the abuse of vulner­able adults and older people is going unpunished because of a lack of safeguarding law, a new report from the Oireachtas Health Committee has warned. The committee’s “Report on Adult Safeguarding” highlights a litany of weaknesses that are putting vulnerable adults at risk of physical, financial, sexual or emotional abuse and being left to suffer in silence. It follows...

A Dundalk councillor has expressed concern that local applicants on Louth County Council's social housing list could be waiting longer than those elsewhere in the county. Marianne Butler was speaking at the Dundalk Municipal District's monthly meeting, where she highlighted how local applicants (2,627) account for 55 per cent of the total of 4,717 who are on the list. There are 615 on the housing...

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has said he wants to reduce the number of migrants claiming asylum in Ireland and believes Irish reunification could happen “quicker than we think” as he set out his stall for the leadership of Fianna Fáil. In a wide-ranging interview with the Indo Politics podcast, the minister said there needed to be a “mature discussion around migration” and suggested people wer...

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is facing criticism after comments he made about immigration during a byelection canvass were recorded and shared online. In the footage, Ahern said he believed there were “too many” migrants coming into Ireland and specifically referenced African migrants. The comments have sparked backlash across the political spectrum, with Fianna Fáil deputy leader Jack Chambers c...

This morning on The Agenda we discussed an issue that has sparked growing debate across Ireland and internationally — the future of horse-drawn carriages in our cities. For some people, they’re seen as part of the character and tradition of city life, often linked to tourism and heritage. But for animal welfare organisations, serious questions are now being raised about whether horses should still...

A doctor who was seriously injured in a hit and run incident in County Louth last year has told an Oireachtas Committee that he believes "it is not safe to cycle in Ireland." Dr. Sean Owens was travelling on his E-Bike on his way to a house call when he was struck from behind by a car, which subsequently left the scene without offering assistance.  He suffered three cervical spine fractures a...

The fate of a retained firefighter in Dunleer who is facing mandatory retirement within the next three months lies in the hands of the government.   The situation faced by Dunleer station officer John Molloy who will turn 62 on May 24 and would, without government intervention, have to retire under the existing legislation, was raised by Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú.  Deputy Ó Murchú has hig...