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 urgency, citing both the environmental impact and the negative effect on the surrounding rural area.

Councillor Meade said the incident was part of a wider pattern of anti-social behaviour in the locality.

According to the councillor, the area has experienced repeated dumping, graffiti and the theft of an old council water pump earlier this week.

There was also another case of illegal dumping again over the weekend in the same area, and Councillor Meade joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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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 sports policy itself highlighted the importance of open green space within urban areas, but argued that this was already lacking in parts of the county.

Councillor McGuinness joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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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, highlighted ongoing issues with delayed diagnosis and gaps in timely care. The briefing also heard powerful personal stories, including the deaths of a young mother and a 12-year-old boy—cases where earlier intervention may have made a difference.

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Independent Senator Aubrey McCarthy, who was at the recent Oireachtas briefing and has been campaigning in recent months to raise awareness around sepsis and how it is recognised.

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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 enforcement has not always been strong enough, allowing some substandard facilities to continue operating. Ireland also exports thousands of puppies every year, particularly to the UK, which has contributed to its reputation in this area.

Campaigners say the core issue is welfare: breeding dogs kept in inadequate environments, lack of socialisation for puppies, and a system where demand—often driven by online sales and impulse buying—can outpace oversight.

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by John O’Callaghan, founder of Dog Advocacy Ireland, who has been campaigning on this issue and raising awareness about the realities behind the puppy trade, as well as calling for stronger enforcement and greater transparency in the industry.

We also heard about how things are on the ground for Catriona Lowry, who runs Hilltop Animal Sanctuary, and sees the trauma and damage dogs suffer as a result of these puppy farms

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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 forestry parks.

“There has been a spate of break-ins over the last few weeks,” councillor Watters told the meeting, as he called for an awareness campaign to alert the public to the risks.

He asked the local authority to consider erecting signs warning visitors that thieves are operating in the area and urging people not to leave valuables visible in their cars.

Councillor Watters suggested that signage at all beaches and forestry parks would serve as a reminder to visitors to be cautious about what they leave behind when parking.

Councillor Watters joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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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 businesses in the village and surrounding areas.

He also spoke about a key meeting planned for last night, where MCD and other stakeholders were due to meet with Peter and local residents to give them an opportunity to voice their concerns.

Well, that much-anticipated meeting has now taken place — and Peter joined us again to tell us more about the meeting and how it went.

We also spoke to a local resident named Ronan, who was also at the meeting last night.

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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 than half of respondents believe roads have become more dangerous, with 65.3 per cent rating current infrastructure as “poor”, “very poor" or “non-existent”.

The report surveyed 2,191 cyclists, with 96.5 per cent of respondents classifying themselves as experienced or very experienced.  

Ciarán Cannon, President of Cycling Ireland, says the findings are worrying, and Ciaran 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 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 housing development. But many locals say the visit failed to reflect the reality of daily life in the community.

For more than twenty years, residents have been without a safe pedestrian link connecting Avourwen to neighbouring estates such as Lagavooren Manor, Ard Rí and Rosevale. Despite repeated commitments in development plans, that connection has never materialised, leaving people to rely on an informal and often unsafe pathway.

A petition signed by hundreds of residents is now calling for urgent action, with safety, accessibility and basic connectivity at the heart of their concerns.

We were joined on the show by local resident Peter Fox, who lives in Avourwen and he told us about why residents are so angry.

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Plans for a new train station in North Drogheda have been talked about for years—but according to Labour TD Ged Nash, the project still hasn’t even cleared its first real hurdle.

He described the proposed station as “nobody’s child,” warning that no single authority has taken responsibility for moving it forward. Despite growing demand in the area and repeated calls for action, the crucial first step—a formal business case—has yet to begin.

Deputy Nash says it’s time to move beyond warm words and start delivering the research and planning needed to make the project a reality.

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

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There is ‘nothing but emergency care’ for people with disabilities whose families are no longer able to look after them, Louth TD and Sinn Féin disability spokesperson Ruairí Ó Murchú has said. 

The Louth TD was speaking during a Disability Matters Committee hearing this morning that heard from a number of representatives of families who have children and adult children with disabilities and who outlined the huge difficulties there are in getting residential placements for them when parents are no longer able to care for them.

Deputy Ó Murchú joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this, and also about the RTÉ Primetime programme which aired this week about the use of unregulated facilities for children in care.

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