On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, ALONE is urging renewed national focus on ensuring that older people with disabilities can remain safe, well, and independent in their own homes. As disability becomes more common with age, the organisation warns that Ireland’s current supports are not keeping pace with the needs of an ageing population. 

Recent Census data shows that 22% of people in Ireland (1.1 million individuals) report having a disability. The prevalence increases sharply with age: 41% of people aged 60 and over live with some form of disability, rising to 76% among those aged 85+. Despite this, many older people do not have access to the essential supports that allow them to stay safely at home. 

Many older individuals are living in homes that were never designed to accommodate mobility challenges or age-related disabilities. Others are struggling to access services due to long waiting lists, inconsistent provision across regions, and the unaffordability of adaptations and assistive technology. 

Head of Research, Advocacy, and Policy for ALONE, Aileen O’Reilly, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Fianna Fáil TD for Louth, Erin McGreehan has warmly welcomed Minister Michael Moynihan’s launch of the national recruitment campaign for the new Education Therapy Service (ETS), praising it as “one of the most practical advances in special education in recent years.”

Speaking yesterday, Deputy McGreehan said:

“I want to commend Minister Moynihan for driving this initiative. The establishment of the Education Therapy Service will make a real difference to children who need therapeutic support the most.

Deputy McGreehan joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.

The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.

The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalisations for immigrants from those 19 countries the Trump administration has described as high-risk.

Law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, Larry Donnelly, is on the line with us now to tell us more about this.

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Speaking on 'Statements on Energy Costs' in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has today lambasted the Government for its heartless and economically incoherent decision to scrap vital energy credits, despite clear official warnings of soaring arrears and rising bills

Internal documents, revealed by Sinn Féin and reported today, prove departmental officials made a strident case for credits in Budget 2026. They warned that without them, households would be hit with an extra €321 in costs, pushing average bills to a crippling €1,877 - higher than at the peak of the energy crisis.

Deputy O'Rourke joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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To mark the United Nations' international campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national independent advocate to reduce alcohol harm, is organising a live webinar examining the role of alcohol in such violence 

The keynote speakers, Prof Anne-Marie Laslett and Dr Ingrid Wilson, are joint authors of a major review paper – Harms to women and children from men’s alcohol use: An evidence review and directions for policy. Anne-Marie will speak about alcohol’s impact on children’s rights to health, safety, education and services, while Ingrid will look at alcohol-related intimate partner violence through a feminist lens. 

 AAI CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was given a standing ovation while addressing a joint meeting of the Dáil and Seanad, in which he thanked Ireland for the assistance it has given his country and people since it was invaded by Russia almost four years ago.

He thanked TDs and Senators for their "steadfast support" for Ukraine, adding that there is a "real chance" for peace if the whole world is prepared to seize it.

Mr Zelensky said that Ireland has stood firmly for a "just end to this war" and he appealed to Irish people to continue giving support to his country, saying "never lose your faith in Ukraine".

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Political Correspondent Sean Defoe who told us more about this and to talk to us in more detail about President Zelenskyy's visit to Ireland.

We were also joined by Independent member of Seanad Éireann, Aubrey McCarthy, who met President Zelenskyy yesterday in The Dáil.

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Another rush hour protest by taxi drivers against Uber’s new fixed rates is set to take place across Dublin this afternoon.

Organisers of the protest said that they “apologise again” in advance for the disruption, but insisted the action is necessary to “secure the future for all the drivers and families suffering with uncertainty”.

The drivers have accused Uber of undermining the regulated taxi fare structure set by the National Transport Authority (NTA) with its new fixed rate system.

Uber recently introduced the optional fixed-price model, guaranteeing passengers a maximum fare upfront instead of the usual estimated range that can rise with traffic or route changes.

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by spokesperson at Taxi Drivers Ireland, David Mitchell, to find out more about this.

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Supermodel David Gandy recently argued that there isn’t enough conversation around “good men,” suggesting that profiles such as Andrew Tate promote a disruptive version of masculinity.

The supermodel has also been backing the Centre for Social Justice's Lost Boys campaign in the UK, which aims to raise awareness on the issues boys and young men are facing.

We are joined on the programme now by Eoghan Cleary, who is a secondary school teacher and educational researcher with the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute.

Eoghan believes it is extremely challenging for young men today to navigate identity and belonging within modern Irish society, and Eoghan joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Walk around any part of Dublin city and remnants of the British empire remain in the names of the streets.

Wellington Quay, Marlborough Street, North King Street, Queen Street, Henry Street, Grafton Street. All are named after members of royalty, aristocracy or landowners in the city when the locations were developed.

There are a few disputes over the origins of the names of streets. North Great George’s Street is possibly named after King George III, but more likely took its name from the nearby St George’s Church. Now some Dublin city councillors want to go back, have a long hard look at the origins of the names and remove the remnants of 800 years of British occupation.

The Herzog Park controversy, where councillors want to remove the name of former Israeli president Chaim Herzog from a green in Rathgar, has opened a debate about the city’s identity.

The street names are back on the table now as the interpretation of history changes. Sinn Féin’s leader on Dublin City Council Daithí Doolan said there is an appetite in his party to look at these street names, and Councillor Doolan joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Fianna Fail Senator, Alison Comyn, who lives in Drogheda. 

This morning we are going to be talking about a photograph which was posted on Twitter over the weekend of West Street in Drogheda with the caption “just your average Saturday afternoon on the main St of Ireland's largest town”.

The picture shows a range of shops closed down and empty on the street, and it has garnered a huge reaction online since being posted. 

Senator Comyn, who saw the picture, says “this kind of negative crap all the time from people who just have nothing decent to contribute really does grind my axe”.

We were also joined by Chair of THE IDEA (Irish Development Education Association) and CEO of Development Perspectives & Drogheda native, Bobby McCormack, who have his thoughts on the picture and caption used on the picture.

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