Louth County Council is inviting residents across the county to take part in a new Community-Led Property Marking Programme, aimed at reducing theft and improving community safety.

The initiative will see local volunteers receive training in the use of specialist property marking equipment. Once trained, volunteers will assist neighbours, businesses, and local groups in marking valuable items such as machinery, bikes, tractors and lawnmowers with a unique identifier, typically the property owner’s Eircode.

The purpose of the programme is to deter theft, help Gardaí trace stolen goods, and promote a stronger sense of safety and cooperation in communities throughout Louth.

Community Safety Coordinator at Louth County Council Therese McArdle is on the line with us now to tell us more about this.

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A young woman who was left permanently scarred following an unprovoked acid attack is hoping to raise funds for reconstructive surgery to help her regain her confidence.

Joanna Grabczak, who is originally from Poland but has lived in Ireland since the age of five, was just 20-years-old when a woman walked into the fast-food restaurant where she was working and threw a cup containing sulfuric acid at her.

Joanna bravely opened up to us on The Agenda this morning about the horrific incident and the long-lasting effects it has had on her.  

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Legislation to ban imports from Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory is due to come before Cabinet this morning to be approved by Government ministers.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris will present the proposed legislation, known officially as the Israeli Settlements Prohibition of Importation of Goods Bill

2025.

Senator Frances Black, who tabled the Occupied Territories Bill in 2018, said last month that the government’s decision to enact a ban on illegal Israeli settlements was “a really important and welcome step, but our work is not done yet”.

Senator Black spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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House price inflation has reached a ten-year-high, according to the latest report from property website Daft.

Prices increased nationally by 3% during the second quarter of this year, with the typically listed property cost reaching €357,851.

They are almost 13% higher than last year and 40% higher than pre-covid levels.

As has been the case for successive reports from Daft, low residential supply and a lag in the housing pipeline is attributed to the increasing inflation rates.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Economics at Trinity College Dublin & author of the report Ronan Lyons, who told us more about this - particularly regarding how things are looking in Louth and Meath

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Ireland recorded the sharpest rate of increase in agricultural produce prices in the EU in the first quarter of this year, the bloc’s statistical agency Eurostat has said.

Irish agricultural prices were up an eye-watering 19.3% compared with the same period of 2024.

The average increase across the EU was just 2.6%.

With prices in Irish supermarkets for beef, milk and butter all rising fast – 2 litres of milk, for example, was up 27c in a year in May – it’s another example of the pressure on

Irish consumers.

Tadhg Buckley, chief economist at the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a member of the EU Parliament’s Petitions Committee, has launched a formal petition to the European Parliament calling on the European Commission and Council to review Israel’s compliance with the human rights clause (Article 2) of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and determine whether continued trade with Israel remains compatible with EU law. 

She has also raised a legal query as to whether any EU arms sales to Israel are now compatible with EU law.

Cythia spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

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The Government needs to urgently restrict a loophole that allows commercial tanning salons to advertise their services amid an “epidemic” of skin cancer, a dermatologist has warned. 

Currently, the law bans tanning salons from advertising sunbeds because of the link between sun beds and skin cancer; children are also banned from using them altogether. 

However, some tanning salons are now promoting tanning accelerators as a way to advertise their business. 

Consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan described it as a “very clever way” of getting around the ban, and she spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about

this.

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A decision on public access to online council meetings in Louth was pushed back by councillors after fears around security, intimidation and content being manipulated by AI were aired at Louth County Council’s monthly meeting.

Councillors highlighted how commentary around contentious issues had become “venomous” in the last year, and raised their own fears about personal security and that of council staff.

The debate emerged following a motion tabled by Green Party Councillor, Marianne Butler, who called on the local authority to allow the broadcast of public council meetings live on the internet and allow members of the public to watch the meetings via MS Teams, and she spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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Almost €1m was spent on enhanced security at six sites where modular houses for Ukrainian refugees were to be built, new documents show.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has outlined there was a total cost of €942,305 to provide security services to sites for modular homes. 

The costs are associated with the construction of 246 modular homes across the country. Political Reporter at the Irish Examiner, Tadhg McNally, spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this. 

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A traumatised woman who was sexually abused by her brother over 1,000 times said last night: “He will always be a monster.”

Michelle Cooke was speaking as her older sibling Kenneth prepares to be released from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison next month.

The paedo targeted his younger sister when she was between the ages of seven and 11.

Michelle spoke to us this morning on The Agenda to tell us her story

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