A public meeting took place last night in Navan to address what has been described as “a growing wave of criminal and anti-social behaviour” in the Johnstown area of Navan.

Independent Councillor Alan Lawes said he has received numerous reports in recent days of teenagers engaging in “dangerous and intimidating” behaviour around Johnstown.

According to the councillor, several residents have contacted him about similar incidents.

Last week on the programme we spoke to Councillor Alan Lawes to find out how bad things are in Johnstown. 

Alan joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us about how the public meeting went and about the outcome of the meeting - and also about how things have been in Johnstown since we last spoke.

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A proposed active travel scheme in Meath has sparked controversy at a recent council meeting, with councillors questioning the need for more cycle lanes.

At the October meeting of the Ratoath Municipal District, councillors were presented with the Part 8 Planning Application for the Dunboyne to Clonee Active Travel Links Scheme, which proposes enhanced cycling and walking infrastructure along the route.

Independent Councillor Nick Killian expressed strong concerns about the effectiveness of existing cycle lanes.

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

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Drogheda has been ranked 31st in Europe for perceived crime levels, according to the 2025 Numbeo European Crime Index — placing it just below Nottingham and Lille, and ahead of cities such as Bari, Toulouse and Rome.

The survey, which is based on public perception rather than official police data, gives Drogheda a Crime Index score of 50.2 and a Safety Index of 49.8.

This puts the town among the mid-range European cities — not among the worst for crime, but higher than other Irish cities included in the ranking.

Dublin ranked 21st with a Crime Index of 53.6, while Limerick came in at 64th (42.0) and Galway was placed 104th with a notably lower score of 31.0, making it one of the safest cities in the survey.

Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi Ó Murchú, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Fine Gael's presidential candidate Heather Humphreys has said that the credit union that she managed did take legal action against members for non-payment "as a last resort" but that she "never evicted anyone from their house".

Ms Humphreys and Fine Gael have been deeply critical of her opponent Catherine Connolly for not declaring her work as a barrister on behalf of financial institutions in repossession cases before her election as a TD. 

Deputy Political Editor at the Irish Examiner, Paul Hosford, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more.

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We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Mario Ledwith from The Times, and Mario told us all about a new six-part podcast series called ‘The Poppy Day Bomb’, which was produced by The Times and Sunday Times and is being launched today.

The podcast series delves into one of Northern Ireland’s darkest days during the Troubles, the Provisional IRA bombing of Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday in 1987, which claimed 12 lives.

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Treating trauma behind people’s drug addiction presents the “best bang for your buck” when tackling substance abuse, addiction counsellors have said.

James O’Shea, chair of Addiction Counsellors of Ireland (ACI) and counsellor at Four Swans Therapy & Wellness in Duleek says trauma runs through families “like a fire” but it can be treated. 

Appearing before the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs, Mr O’Shea said treatment of trauma has greater success than treatment of addiction, which is more difficult, he believes.

James O'Shea joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us in more detail about this.

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Ireland is “like a third world country” when it comes to bus shelters — that was one of the strong sentiments voiced by Meath councillors at a recent meeting.

At the October meeting of the Laytown–Bettystown Municipal District, calls grew for more bus shelters across the area, as many children and older residents face getting “drenched” while waiting for buses.

Independent councillor Carol Lennon tabled a motion calling on Meath County Council to explore using retired “swim shelters” as temporary bus shelters in locations currently lacking protection from the elements as winter approaches.

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

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The final days of the presidential election battle are set to turn deeply personal, as the two remaining candidates launched sniping attacks ahead of a live TV debate.

Heather Humphreys is expected to take a much harder approach with her opponent, demanding answers on her legal work for the banks. The Fine Gael candidate will insist that Independent Catherine Connolly stops “dodging questions”.

Meanwhile, Ms Connolly will take the high ground, deploring attacks on her character. She has already described comments made by her rival for the presidency as “a new low”.

The increasingly bitter battle for the Áras will now focus on the Prime Time TV debate tomorrow between Ms Humphreys and Ms Connolly.

Political Correspondent Sean Defoe joined us on The Agenda this morning to give us all the latest news on the Presidential election.

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A campaign encouraging people to spoil their vote in the upcoming Presidential Election has been launched in Dublin city centre.

Among the members of the "Spoil the Vote" campaign is businessman Declan Ganley, who said he would be writing "1 Maria Steen" on his ballot paper next Friday.

An Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll released yesterday indicated that 6% intend to spoil their vote on polling day next Friday.

In the two previous presidential elections, between 1% and 1.25% of votes were spoiled. In 2018, that amounted to 14,700 votes.

Declan Ganley joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about the Spoil the Vote campaign and why he is urging everyone to spoil their votes this Friday.

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