The Agenda

A Dublin-based asylum seekers rights group has “strongly condemned” comments made by Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch in which he called for people he described as “illegal immigrants” to be “interned”. Lucky Khambule, co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), said that comments made by Hutch were “really upsetting” and exhibited a “complete disregard” for human beings.  Well-know...

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 the bill aimed at updating Ireland’s abortion laws and removing the 3-day ‘reflection period’ being introduced this week by Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. We also discuss...

Bullying continues to be a significant feature of students' lives throughout their school years, with a department of education survey finding approximately one in six (15.5%) reported being bullied in the previous year. Reports of online bullying, such as spreading rumours or sharing embarrassing photos, increased among students in the senior cycle of post-primary school.  With so much of da...

Tomorrow marks 50 years since the murder of Séamus Ludlow — one of the most troubling and still unresolved killings linked to the Troubles on this side of the border. Ludlow was a 47-year-old forestry worker from Dundalk, described as a quiet, non-political man with no paramilitary connections. On the night of May 2nd, 1976, he was shot dead as he walked home from a pub. His body was later found j...

Pregnant women would no longer have to undergo a “patronising and paternalistic” three-day wait between attending a doctor and getting an abortion under legislation proposed by the Social Democrats. The current law allows termination without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy once a three-day waiting period has passed between a first and second consultation. It can also be carried out in case...

A small number of far-right actors are disproportionately influencing public debate, shaping conversations, and exerting political pressure, a report has revealed. elieve immigrants are contributing to Irish culture and community (66%) and working-class people are struggling due to systemic inequality (75%). “This report tells a very different story than the one we have been fed for the past few y...

Residents of a housing development adjacent to Dundalk Fire Station have raised concerns about potential expansion of the site and the impact it could have on their community, as they called for “meaningful engagement” with Louth County Council. Earlier this month, Louth County Council was allocated €5 million to redevelop Dundalk Fire Station as part of a wider €14 million investment in the count...

Faulty public lighting across Louth is posing a “real safety concern”, with too many lights not working at any given time, a local councillor has said. The issue was raised at the latest meeting of Drogheda Borough District, where Councillor James Byrne highlighted problems with public lighting at Wheaton Hall. In response, senior engineer with Louth County Council Mark Johnston told the meeting t...

The Government’s decision to withdraw accommodation for Ukrainian refugees is being criticised in the Dail by leader of the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik. The move was agreed earlier this week, with the process beginning in August on a phased basis.   Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan secured the agreement on Tuesday afternoon at the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs.&nbsp...

A major new all-island radiotherapy trial, INSPIRE, will launch this Spring. Sponsored by Cancer Trials Ireland, and supported by the Irish Research Radiation Oncology Group, the study aims to reduce treatment side-effects while maintaining excellent cancer control for men with prostate cancer. With more than 5,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer across the island of Ireland each year, there is...

A local councillor says residents of The Belfry estate in Trim have been left "shocked and angered" following a decision to grant planning permission for an 85-home development on an adjacent site. Aontú's Dave Boyne says the proposed development, located off the Athboy Road, has sparked significant concern among residents, neighbouring estates, and local representatives.  He says objections...

The judicial review into the Slane Bypass was dismissed by the high court yesterday. The proceedings had been taken by former attorney general John Rogers, who owns land in the area. Planning permission for the project was granted by An Comisiún Pleanála last June but Mr Rogers applied for a legal review of the decision.  However yesterday afternoon, Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council and...

We were joined in-studio on The Agenda this morning by Minister for Foreign Affairs & Meath-East Fine Gael TD, Helen McEntee, who was with us ahead of her visit to Dundalk today.  During our discussion with Minister McEntee this morning we addressed the issue of the lack of school places in Dushaughlin, with local parents becoming increasingly frustrated as they have still not recieved sc...

The Government has agreed to begin withdrawing State-provided accommodation that is currently housing 16,000 Ukrainian refugees. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan secured the agreement this afternoon at the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs.  Ukrainian people who arrived in Ireland before March 2024 will no longer be entitled to state-contracted commercial accommodatio...

Men In Ireland are exposed to a “dizzying” number of advertisements for gambling on social media, new research has suggested. Researchers from University of Cambridge and Munster Technological University, Cork, said gambling companies are reaching young men, the group most likely to exhibit problem gambling behaviour, on social media at more than double the rate of women. The researchers looked at...

Banning children under 16 from social media would ‘deprive them of the benefits’ associated with the platforms, the Youth Council of Ireland has argued.  Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to ban children from social media platforms, including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.  Announcing the ban, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said t...

Details of the peace deal that ended the fuel protests will be brought to Cabinet today. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon will be bringing further details of the €100 million Fuel Subsidy Support Scheme, including how it will be rolled out. Payments will cover the months from March this year up to the end of July, which coincides with peak fuel usage on farms. The scheme, alongside the already i...

A local councillor has called for immediate action after what he described as a serious incident of illegal dumping near the Louth/Meath border outside Ardee. Councillor Paddy Meade said a significant quantity of waste was discovered late last week on the Louth side of the border between Shanlis Cross and Newtown. He has urged Louth County Council to remove the dumped material as a matter of urgen...

A Louth councillor has warned that a rapidly expanding population south of Dundalk could leave communities with “no green space for sport or recreation” in the coming years. The concern was raised at the April meeting of Louth County Council, where councillors were briefed on the local authority’s new Outdoor Recreation Plan, Sports Plan and Play Policy. Councillor Shane McGuinness said the new sp...

Concerns have been raised that patients in Ireland are deteriorating from sepsis before treatment begins—leading to potentially preventable deaths. Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection that can become fatal within hours if not recognised quickly.  At a recent Oireachtas briefing, Professor Steve Kerrigan of RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, alongside campaigners,...

Ireland has long faced international scrutiny over its dog breeding industry, with welfare groups such as ISPCA and Dogs Trust highlighting concerns about so-called “puppy farms”—large-scale breeding operations where dogs can be kept in poor conditions and bred repeatedly for profit. While dog breeding is legal and regulated under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, critics argue that enforc...

A spate of vehicle break-ins across north Louth has prompted calls for Louth County Council to install warning signs at popular visitor locations, councillors have heard. The issue was raised at the April meeting of Dundalk Municipal District, where Councillor Antoin Watters said there has been an increase in vehicles being broken into while parked at public amenities, including beaches and forest...

Earlier this week on the programme, we spoke to Peter Whelan, the Aontú representative for the Laytown–Bettystown electoral area, who voiced his concerns about the upcoming two-day concert events in July at Slane Castle. Peter, who also farms on the outskirts of Slane, told us he is directly affected by tightened restrictions and is echoing the concerns of many residents, sporting clubs and busine...

Cyclists across Ireland face a “safety crisis”, because the majority of respondents to a new report published today by Cycling Ireland “now feel the roads are becoming more dangerous”.  The Cycling Ireland Road Safety Report found 53.1 per cent of respondents experienced a “close pass” on most of their rides. 51.1 per cent reported a collision or serious near miss within the last year. More t...

This morning on The Agenda we turned our attention to Avourwen in Drogheda, where frustration is growing among residents over long-standing infrastructure issues that remain unresolved. Earlier this week, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister of State John Cummins visited the area alongside representatives from Meath County Council and Manley Developments, highlighting investment and progress in the...