A proposal to build three new homes on a green area in Bettystown has drawn strong opposition from a local councillor.

The planning application, lodged with Meath County Council by Redbreast Investments Limited, seeks permission for the construction of three dwellings, along with new boundary treatments, alterations to the existing footpath and road, and associated site works.

Fianna Fáil councillor Stephen McKee said he was opposing the scheme “on behalf of local residents,” describing the Foxbury green as “a beautiful space that is used daily by local children to play on and enjoy, and provides an important safe, open space for the benefit of all residents.”

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A mother to three children with autism has spoken of how she was scammed out of approximately €3,000 last week that was fundraised to build her children a sensory shed.

Louise Lawlor has three sons with autism, two of which have severe additional needs and violent tendencies. This year, after seeking professional advice, Louise decided to build a sensory shed in her garden to help her children regulate their emotions.

The heartwarming fundraiser ended up being hijacked by an alleged scam.

Louise broke down on air while speaking to us about her heartbreaking situation and about how difficult life is on a day-to-day basis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saturday marked 21 years since Rachel O'Reilly, a popular 30-year-old mother-of-two, was found bludgeoned to death in her north Dublin home on a Monday morning. 

She had just returned from dropping the children to school, her car keys were found underneath her body. 

The murder transfixed the nation, as the spotlight turned on the victim's husband, Joe O'Reilly. 

The detective inspector who brought him to book, Pat Marry, who is now retired, joined us on The Agenda this morning to revisit that October afternoon in 2004 when he responded to reports of a burglary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fine Gael’s Paula Butterly calls for more towns to join the Living Cities Initiative and highlights record investment for Louth.

Louth Fine Gael TD and Regional Spokesperson for the Party, Paula Butterly, has called for more towns across the county such as Dundalk and Drogheda to be included in the Government’s Living Cities Initiative.

The initiative provides tax incentives to encourage investment and bring vacant or underused buildings back into use. Deputy Butterly said she hopes her call will be taken on board positively as part of the upcoming National Development Plan announcement.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With days to go to Budget 2026, Retailers Against Smuggling have called on the Government to free excise on tobacco products in order to disrupt the rise in the untaxed tobacco market.   

Benny Gilsenan, Retailers Against Smuggling national spokesperson, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has issued an urgent safety alert over 114,000 circulating pumps installed in heating systems in Irish homes that could present a serious risk of electrocution.

The affected products are Tucson 5m, 6m, and 8m pumps manufactured between 2017 and 2024.

The mains cable can be connected to these pumps in reverse, allowing the live pin to connect to the earth pin and therefore posing the electrocution risk.

The CCPC said this is one of the largest product safety alerts ever issued by it, and one of the most serious.

Grainne Griffin from the CCPC joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has welcomed a commitment from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to review bus services for Ratoath and Ashbourne, but has insisted the review must result in the delivery of more direct services from both towns to Dublin city.

Speaking after raising the issue directly with the NTA at the Oireachtas Transport Committee this week, Deputy O’Rourke said:

"While I acknowledge some recent improvements to services connecting with the M3 Parkway, the current experience for bus users in Ratoath and Ashbourne is deeply frustrating. Commuters are forced to contend with frequent cancellations, inadequate replacement buses and congestion-related issues that often cause significant delays. In some cases, these delays result in Ashbourne being bypassed entirely.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fianna Fáil's candidate Jim Gavin has announced he is withdrawing from the Presidential Election "with immediate effect".

This morning on The Agenda we heard from Political Correspondent Sean Defoe, to find out where it all went wrong and what is likely to happen next.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Universities across the country are being urged to “work with students to address student accommodation issues, rather than acting against their interests,” says Louth TD Erin McGreehan.

Deputy McGreehan chaired a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, where presidents of university student unions outlined the severe pressures faced by students seeking accommodation.

Speaking after the committee meeting, Deputy McGreehan welcomed hearing directly from student leaders about the ongoing struggles to secure affordable accommodation.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Budget 2026 will be constrained. Households should not expect sweeping relief, while businesses will see only limited supports. 

Those most likely to benefit are the most vulnerable through social welfare. It is likely that incomes will slightly increase through lower taxes, and grocery bills should slow their exponential growth, but costs are unlikely to fall.

Yet the real challenge lies beyond this year. Without broader reforms - such as reviewing welfare thresholds, adjusting tax bands more systematically and reducing overreliance on volatile corporate tax receipts - budgets will remain exercises in patching holes rather than planning for the future.

Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy in Chartered Accountants Ireland, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about what we can expect from Budget 2026.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.