The Agenda

Poor parking in Dundalk is being fuelled by motorists who are “willing to take the risk” that they will avoid penalties, a meeting of Dundalk Municipal District has heard.Councillor Maeve Yore asked for an update on how illegal parking is being tackled, while Councillor Ciaran Fisher highlighted what he described as persistent and worsening issues in the town centre. He urged the council to consider widening the remit of traffic wardens so they can monitor areas just outside the pay‑parking zone, where some of the worst problems have been reported.Councillor Fisher joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

The owners of a now-demolished house built without planning permission almost two decades ago have sworn in the High Court not to interfere with ongoing clean-up works at the site.Chris and Rose Murray appeared before Judge Richard Humphreys yesterday after gardaí arrested them at the Four Courts on foot of a court order for their attachment.The Murray’s arrest followed the judge’s finding that they were in civil contempt of undertakings to give Meath County Council vacant possession of their house at Faughan Hill, Bohermeen, Co Meath.News & Investigations Correspondent at The Irish Independent, Amy Molloy, joined us on The Agenda this morning to give us all the latest on this.

It was announced yesterday that Drogheda United owners, the Trivela Group, have removed SF Louth TD Joanna Byrne from her role with the club as co-chairperson.Last month, Deputy Byrne claimed the club's board of directors said her position was untenable, following her statement around the Republic of Ireland v Israel fixture in the UEFA Nations League.This morning on The Agenda Deputy Byrne spoke out for the first time since being removed as Chair of the club.Joanna opened up to LMFM about the whole situation since it all kicked off last month, and became very emotional while talking about how much the club meant and still means to her.

Secondary schools are paying a private social media monitoring company to get harmful content removed from social media, with demand for the service nearly doubling in recent months.The National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD), which represents around 1400 school leaders, confirmed it is paying a “substantial” amount for tech experts to help with the problem. Dublin-based social media monitoring firm RiskEye has been employed to track cyber bullying and harmful incidents online and liaise with the platforms to get content removed.In the 28 weeks since the start of this academic year, 400 calls have come through the NAPD’s confidential supp­ort line from principals and deputies looking for help. One in three of these calls are related to harm on social media.Director at the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, Paul Crone, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Two coach operators say rising fuel prices will have knock-on effects on schools who may no longer be able to afford buses for football matches or tours if the industry is forced to pass on costs.John Halpenny from Halpenny Coaches in Dundalk joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us about how they’re affected by this. We were also joined by Gareth O’Toole, who is the Chief Executive at Nolan Coaches, who is experiencing the same problem as John and many other coach operators in Ireland.

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) has warned that there are "systemic and widespread" breaches of employment rights being experienced by migrant workers across Ireland.MRCI has published a report, Tied to Exploitation: The Experience of Migrant Workers in Ireland, which includes a survey of over 1,000 employment permit holders.According to MRCI, the findings paint a deeply troubling picture where workers are routinely underpaid, overworked, harassed and denied basic rights.MRCI Director Neil Bruton joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this report and its findings.