Fianna Fail Meath County councillor Sean Drew has been elected the new Cathaoirleach of Kells Municipal District. 

He was elected by four votes to two over Sinn Fein nominee Cllr Michael Gallagher at the annual meeting of the MD on Monday afternoon.

Councillor Drew was proposed by Cllr Mike Bray and seconded by Fine Gael’s Cllr Eugene Cassidy. 

Sean Drew spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about his new appointment and about his vision of the future of Kells.

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The current delay in driving tests and letting learner drivers continually roll-over their permit year after year without sitting a test is without a doubt affecting road safety, according to Susan Gray of the PARC road safety group.

Ms Gray, whose husband Steve was killed by an unaccompanied learner driver in Donegal in 2004, was one of five families who met with Junior Transport Minister Sean Canney at Leinster House yesterday to push for changes in the laws around driving to make roads safer.

After the meeting they explained what each family had to say to Deputy Canney, and said they had met many ministers over the last 12 years, and hoped he could be the one to bring about the changes they want to see implemented.

Minister Canney spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this

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The Minister for Education and Youth and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion have published a document outlining their plans this year for education.

Education Minister & Meath-East TD Helen McEntee said 'Education Plan 2025' outlined a significant body of work "to deliver for everyone in our school and youth services’ communities".

Minister McEntee spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about all of this.

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Anyone waiting more than three months for a driving test should have €100 put on their Leap card as an incentive to use whatever public transport is available in their area, the Dáil was told.

Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly said that given the backlog in driving tests for young people he called on the Minister for Transport to consider, as part of the next budget, putting €100 on learners’ travel cards, for anyone waiting more than 10 or 12 weeks.

Deputy Farrelly spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

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This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Aontu representative for the Laytown and Bettystown area, Peter Whelan, who spoke to us about the issue of fly tipping in Louth and Meath.

Yesterday Peter received a call from a resident who saw timber dumped in a ditch on the Dowth road adjacent to the recently purchased Dowth hall by the state. 

Peter says this is not the first incident he has been called about illegal dumping, and he spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

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A member of rap group Kneecap faces criminal charges for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation and not his support for the people of Palestine, a court heard.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the 27-year-old is “well within his rights” to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London is a “wholly different thing”.

Freelance Journalist Suzanne Harrington spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

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Louth County Council has ruled out clearing algae along the shoreline in the Blackrock area as its a protected area under EU regulations.

At the local authority's monthly meeting yesterday, both Fianna Fáil Cllr Shane McGuinness and Fine Gael Cllr Robert Nash called for the bathing water to be independently tested given how popular the beach is and from an ecological perspective.

Councillor McGuiness spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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Whether a flat white or a skinny caramel macchiato are your beverage of choice, late night cafe culture could soon be the norm in County Louth, after a new approach to the night-time economy in Drogheda proved a hit.

Speaking at the June meeting of Louth County Council, Cllr. Emma Coffey said the Late Night cafe pilot programme “seems to have been well received in Drogheda.”

Councillor Coffey spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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