The Agenda

This morning on The Agenda, we were joined in-studio by Drogheda Mayor Declan Power, who says he’s had enough of the town being constantly portrayed in a negative light.Declan spoke about the positive things happening across Drogheda, from local businesses and community groups to the people working hard to make a difference, and why he believes the town deserves to be celebrated for the good as well as challenged on the bad.

The Irish Sun has launched a new investigative series examining Ireland’s children-in-care crisis, looking at serious failures within the State care system and the experiences of some of the country’s most vulnerable children.The series, ‘State of Neglect’, examines cases involving children going missing from care, grooming and sexual exploitation, as well as unexplained deaths and concerns around the protection and oversight of children known to the State.One of the cases at the centre of renewed scrutiny is that of local boy Kyran Durnin, whose disappearance and presumed death raised serious questions about the systems in place to protect vulnerable children.The Irish Sun is calling for greater accountability from Tusla and for an independent statutory body to investigate all child deaths in Ireland.Keith Faulkner, journalist with the Irish Sun, joined us on The Agenda to discuss the investigation, the case of Kyran Durnin and what needs to change to better protect children in State care.

This morning on The Agenda, we were joined by Labour TD Alan Kelly, who has hit out at TikTok for refusing to appear before an Oireachtas Committee to answer questions about how it protects users, particularly young people, from dangerous and harmful content.Deputy Kelly says the company needs to take responsibility, especially following concerns over social media content glorifying dangerous behaviour in the wake of the tragic M9 incident.

There are growing calls for social media companies to take greater responsibility for content that glorifies dangerous, reckless and illegal behaviour, including dangerous driving.The issue has come into sharp focus following the recent incident on the M9 motorway, where a car was reported to have travelled in the wrong direction. There are now concerns about the role social media can play in promoting or glorifying this type of behaviour, particularly among younger users.TikTok has refused an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas Media Committee to answer questions about the safeguards it has in place and how it deals with content that could encourage dangerous or illegal activity.Sinn Féin is calling for social media companies to be held accountable, but Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy says that while the incident was shocking, introducing new legislation is not necessarily the answer.

Gardaí in Louth are investigating an assault on a volunteer at Blackrock Haggardstown Community Centre on Tuesday evening.The incident happened at around 5.20pm, with the centre committee saying one of its volunteers was physically and verbally attacked by a young man.The volunteer was left badly shaken and will require time off to recover. Gardaí are investigating, and the incident was captured on CCTV.The community centre has now taken the decision to keep its front door locked, saying it is not the first time staff and volunteers have faced abuse from groups of teenagers. As a result, the centre’s toilets will also no longer be accessible to the general public.The volunteer who was assaulted, Paul Kavanagh, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about what happened.

An appeal representing thousands of objectors has been formally lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála against plans for more than 1,000 homes on lands near Cúchulainn’s Castle in Dundalk.The appeal follows what campaigners have described as “unprecedented opposition” to Louth County Council’s decision to grant planning permission to Grandspect Ltd for a Large Residential Development close to the historic site of Dún Dealgan.The council received 240 submissions on the development, with musicians Jim and Andrea Corr, Charles and Andrew Hendy of The Mary Wallopers, Jinx Lennon, Gerry O’Connor and Zoe Conway among those opposed to the plans.The campaign was spearheaded by local photographer Nicola Bishop, whose petition against the development attracted the support of more than 10,000 people.Stephanie Kent, Secretary of the committee, joined us on The Agenda this morning to discuss the appeal and the campaign against the development.

US President Donald Trump has announced what he describes as a major new campaign targeting Iran’s economy, threatening “tremendous” consequences for any country that continues to do business with the Islamic Republic.The move comes as the war approaches its sixth month, with the Strait of Hormuz still significantly disrupted and no immediate diplomatic or military resolution in sight.President Trump says the new measures will amount to an unprecedented level of economic warfare and isolation, targeting activities including oil smuggling, cash transfers and the use of front companies.His announcement also comes as the war faces renewed scrutiny in the US over its impact on consumers and the cost to the military.Law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, Larry Donnelly, joined us on The Agenda this morning to discuss the latest developments.

There is growing concern over the rising cost of fuel and the impact it could have on school transport, with bus contractors still waiting for clarity on Government support payments.Despite almost €7 million being allocated for fuel supports, school bus contractors have told Irish Country Living they could be forced to park up their vehicles as diesel prices approach €2 a litre, potentially leaving children without transport to school.With the exemption on fuel excise due to be reversed next month, contractors say they need to know what support they will receive from Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.They are also calling for greater transparency around the payments, so they can plan ahead for the coming school year.Jacqueline Hogge from the Irish Farmers Journal joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is calling for urgent action over the use of sulky horses on public roads, warning of serious risks to both animals and other road users.The NSPCA wants a legal ban on racing, training and high-speed sulky activity on public roads, along with stronger enforcement powers, additional Garda resources and a coordinated approach involving Government departments, local authorities and animal welfare organisations.It is also calling for better systems for reporting incidents, including an online portal for submitting video evidence, as well as greater support for the safe seizure, rehabilitation and rehoming of horses where necessary.The NSPCA says almost 22,000 people have already signed its petition, following a number of serious incidents involving horses and sulkies on Irish roads.Conor Dowling, Chief Inspector with the NSPCA, joined us on The Agenda this morning to explain why the organisation believes urgent action is needed.