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TRIBUTES have been paid to a tragic homeless woman who was found dead in a tent in the heart of the capital.  Natasha Smith’s body was discovered on Pearse Street at around 12.30pm on Friday.

The woman in her 40s was transported to St James’ Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. It is understood that no foul play was suspected in the woman’s death.

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The number of homeless pensioners has more than doubled in 3 years.

Rising rents and house prices are making older people vulnerable to becoming homeless.

Many are relying on the private housing market and may not own a home.

Simon Communities Executive Director Ber Grogan is calling on the Government to take action to alleviate the crisis…

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1,187 people were before the district courts across Ireland for burglary offences in the first 9 nine months of 2025. A further 347 people were sent forward for trial in the circuit court for burglary offences between January and September 2025. That is according to figures provided to Ireland South MEP and former barrister Cynthia Ní Mhurchú from the Irish Courts Service.  

The figures point to a relatively small group of repeat offenders that are responsible for a disproportionate share of burglary offences. In the first nine months of 2025, 1,771 burglary cases came before the District Court, involving just 1,187 individuals — highlighting a high level of repeat or multiple offending. 

A similar pattern emerged in the Circuit Court, where 729 burglary cases were tried over the same period, committed by just 529 offenders.

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Local authorities across Ireland are being urged to take decisive action to increase the employment of people with disabilities, following what disability advocates describe as a ‘persistent failure of ambition, transparency, and accountability at national level’

Cothrom, a disability rights and equality organisation, co-founded by well-known advocates and activists, Dr Margaret Kennedy ( Wicklow) and Michael O’Dowd, (here in Louth) is launching a nationwide campaign calling on councillors to adopt higher employment targets for people with disabilities within their local authorities ,and to lead by example where central government has fallen short.

The campaign calls for 8% employment by 2027 and 10% employment by 2030.

This stands in stark contrast to the Government’s recently published strategy, which maintains a 6% target until 2030 — a figure Cothrom says should be regarded as a ‘minimum baseline, not a ceiling’.

Aontu rep in Louth and co-founder of Cothrom, Michael O’Dowd, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Ireland has announced new humanitarian funding for Ukraine, with three leading Irish NGOs each receiving €1 million to support communities affected by the ongoing conflict. Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond confirmed that Concern, the Irish Red Cross and Trócaire will receive the funding through Irish Aid to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance across Ukraine.

Representatives of the three organisations met with Minister Richmond to discuss the evolving humanitarian situation and how Ireland can maximise the impact of its support. The funding is aimed at reaching those most in need through trusted partners with strong local connections.

Minister Richmond joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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This morning on The Agenda we spoke to a Drogheda man named Kevin, who is not happy with the state of the roads and potholes around Louth and Meath. 

Only early yesterday morning while on his way to work, Kevin's alloy wheel and two tyres were badly damaged as a result of a pothole on the Donore Road - he had to get his alloy repaired, which he told us took a half day and the cost was massive - he lost half a day's work.

Kevin also told us off air that there are four potholes on that road alone and that the lighting on that road at that time is so bad that the potholes aren't even visible. 

He says local councillors are receiving plenty of money to do up local Greenways, widen footpaths in the towns and everything else. “Why are they not looking after our 

Primary Roads: What are we paying Road Tax for?”

Kevin told us all about the damage his car suffered and about his frustration at how bad the roads are.

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Aware, the national mental health organisation, has said that not all January anxiety is bad for you.

Knowing the difference between good and bad days versus longer periods of depression and anxiety is key.

Aware's education programmes can play a role in helping people understand the differences, the organisation, which helps people and their families impacted by anxiety, depression, bipolar, and mood-related conditions, said.

It added that learning more about your mental health could be a good New Year's resolution.

After the busyness of Christmas, it can be normal to feel drained in energy, low, and feeling the anticlimax after the festive period, Dr Susan Brannick, clinical psychologist and clinical director with Aware, said.

Dr Susan Brannick joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Today, the Labour Party will introduce a bill into the Dáil to create legal standing for ‘No Wait Cards’ for people with chronic and invisible illnesses and who are in urgent need of toilet facilities.

Labour’s Equal Status (Access to Toilet Facilities) Bill 2025 aims to change this by placing No Wait Cards on a statutory footing, ensuring that retail shops and businesses with staff toilets make them available to those who need them.

‘No Wait Cards’ are issued by organisations such as Crohn’s & Colitis Ireland and Spinal Injuries Ireland and aim to empower individuals to request access to toilet facilities when urgency strikes.

The card is a critical support for many people with medical conditions such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which affects at least 40,000 people in Ireland, however, it has no legal standing in Ireland.

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Labour TD & spokesperson on Social Protection; Children, Disability and Equality, Mark Wall, who told us more about this.

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Many people believe immigration is happening in Ireland on a larger scale than it really is, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The ESRI has described the "misperception" as strongly associated with negative attitudes to immigration.

A study, funded by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, involved an anonymous online survey of 1,200 adults, representative of the national population.

It asked participants to estimate key facts about immigration, including population size, reasons for migration and migrant characteristics such as employment and education levels, social housing uptake, and share of the prison population.

On average, people estimated that 28% of the population was born abroad, when the highest official figure is 22%.

People also misjudged why migrants come to Ireland.

Senior Research Officer at the ESRI and lead author of the report, Dr Shane Timmons, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this report and its findings.

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