On 11 November 2025, President Catherine Connolly was inaugurated as President of Ireland.

President Catherine Connolly is the 10th President of Ireland. She was elected with 914,143 votes.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Political Correspondent Sean Defoe, who told us all about the inauguration and how it all went.

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Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has called on the Irish Prison Service to end temporary release for violent criminals. 

The MEP criticised prison authorities for releasing prisoners with charge sheets for violent crimes such as attempted murder and other violent offences. 

Cynthia described figures provided to her by Irish prison authorities as truly shocking. The table below highlights that attempted murderers, burglars, violent criminals and fraudsters are being routinely afforded temporary release when they should be behind bars. 

She has welcomed news from Minister Jim O’Callaghan that capital funding has been secured to progress a new prison at Thornton Hall. 

Cynthia Ni Mhurchu joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Councillors in Meath have withdrawn a motion in relation to the rezoning of land in the county.

The motion was a proposal that calls on the local authority to begin a variation of the County Development Plan 2021–2027 to reinstate lands previously de-zoned or restricted until after 2027. 

The issue was debated at a Special Council meeting in Navan yesterday.

Social Democrats councillor Ronan Moore strongly criticised a motion seeking to rezone lands contrary to national planning legislation and said that while there has been public discussion about “disrespect” in recent days, the real disrespect was requiring elected members and staff to attend a meeting on a motion that he called “a waste of time” and “a motion that should never have been tabled.”

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

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People with disabilities are heading into the winter months 1,400 euro worse off than last year.

That's according to the Irish Wheelchair Association which says its members need a Government backed Emergency Payment.

It's calling for the public to contact their local representatives to highlight how Budget 2026 left many in danger of energy and food poverty.

IWA's National Advocacy ManagerJoan Carthy says members have been contacting them in distress over their predicaments.

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

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Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services has today (10th November) launched its annual Christmas Appeal, asking the community in Meath to support women and children affected by domestic violence across the county. 

Frances Haworth, CEO, Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services, says:

“Each Christmas, we ask the community in Meath to show solidarity with women and children experiencing domestic violence and abuse in our county. Domestic abuse in Ireland has been described as endemic, and we know there are many women and their children trapped in homes where violence, control and abuse are the norm. Last year, 194 women and children stayed with us in refuge, and we answered 1,376 calls to our 24-hour helpline, both increases on the previous year”

Frances Haworth joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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How will Ireland fix its rental crisis?

Everyone knows the situation is out of control, with spiralling costs and a chronic shortage of supply. But what isn’t acknowledged very frequently is that Ireland has no clear goal it’s working towards to make the situation better.

For example – do we want rent prices to fall? If so, by how much? And over what time frame? Or – is the aim just to slow rent increases, so it’s below wage growth? That’s one way to boost affordability.

But if that’s the goal, again the question is – how much should rents increase by? And how long will it take to make them more ‘affordable’?

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Sinn Fein TD & spokesperson on housing, Eoin O Broin, who is going to talk to us about what he believes should be done to fix the rental crisis in Ireland.

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President-Elect Catherine Connolly will be inaugurated as the 10th President of Ireland in a ceremony today.

Less than a month after Connolly’s landslide win in the Presidential election she will be succeeding Michael D Higgins after his 14-year term as Uachtarán na hÉireann ends.

Today’s ceremony will be the 14th inauguration since Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland, was elected 80 years ago.

Political Correspondent Sean Defoe joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us everything we need to know about the inauguration.

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A new generation of scams featuring AI celebrity endorsements is duping people out of thousands of euro.

Banks are concerned at the rise of high-tech scams targeting people’s investment or retirement hopes.

Awareness campaign FraudSmart, which is led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), is today issuing a fresh warning to consumers, particularly those aged 50 or older.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Ireland has warned consumers of fraud recovery schemes in which scam artists contact victims of fraud promising to recover lost funds for an upfront fee

Head of FraudSMART, Mary D’Arcy, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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Louth Fianna Fáil TD Erin McGreehan has welcomed new measures introduced last week that will enable builders to develop new wastewater treatment facilities in collaboration with Uisce Éireann for smaller housing developments of up to 40 homes.

Deputy McGreehan said that “this move will help unshackle home delivery from unnecessary delays in rural areas.” She added that this move by Minister Browne is the latest in a series of significant efforts underway by Government to build more homes and rapidly increase the speed at which the State delivers critical infrastructure

Speaking on the announcement Deputy McGreehan explained: "It will allow low-volume wastewater systems that serve up to 40 homes to be authorised through a registration system that is planned to be in operation by early 2026.

Deputy McGreehan spoke to us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

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Fancy a seat on a ‘chatty bench?’ A new initiative aimed at combatting loneliness could be on the way to Drogheda, following calls from a local councillor.

Currently being piloted in Fingal, the benches feature special signage to let people know they can sit and have a chat with strangers if they are feeling lonely.

Now, a Drogheda councillor has called on Louth County Council to introduce the initiative to the town’s public spaces.

Cllr. Declan Power asked the local authority to support the introduction of a ‘Chatty Bench’ initiative, which aims to “reduce loneliness, foster community connection, and promote mental wellbeing.”

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

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