The Agenda

A woman has been charged as part of an ongoing investigation into an organised crime group in County Louth.The development follows a Garda operation targeting the group in Dundalk on Friday, during which guns and viable improvised explosive devices were seized.The woman, who is in her 30s, is due before a special sitting of Dundalk District Court this afternoon.Sinn Féin TD for Louth Ruairí Ó Murchú joined us on The Agenda this morning to discuss the latest developments and the wider concerns around organised crime in the area.

Businesses in the Drogheda area are being urged to take steps to prevent pallets, tyres and other materials being taken for bonfires ahead of Halloween.An Garda Síochána in Louth, together with Louth County Council, has been visiting businesses in the Drogheda area as part of an early awareness campaign.Gardaí say teenagers have already begun collecting materials such as pallets and tyres, which can later be used in bonfires, and businesses are being reminded to store and dispose of these materials securely and lawfully.This is also a major problem in Drogheda every year, and there are already reports of stockpiling taking place.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Labour Councillor for Drogheda, Pio Smith, who says he has already witnessed this activity earlier this year.

MEP Barry Andrews is warning that TikTok could potentially face a temporary suspension in Europe if the social media platform fails to comply with EU law.TikTok has been invited before the Oireachtas Media Committee to answer questions about videos showing wrong-way and dangerous driving on Irish motorways, following the M9 crash in Kildare.The European Commission has also issued preliminary findings in three separate investigations into TikTok over the past year, raising concerns about whether the platform is meeting its obligations under EU law.Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews says that if TikTok does not comply with those findings, and any resulting fines fail to change its behaviour, the Commission must consider activating the relevant legal powers.Barry joined us on The Agenda this morning to discuss the concerns and what action could be taken against TikTok.

Louth County Council’s proposed Active Travel Scheme for the dual carriageway in Drogheda is being described as a development that will benefit cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.Chairperson Noel Hogan says cyclists will have a safe, segregated route to and from Drogheda train station, while pedestrians will benefit from safer crossings and shorter crossing distances at junctions.He says the benefits for motorists are sometimes overlooked, with cycle lanes encouraging people to leave their cars at home and helping to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Hogan also points to research suggesting that improved cycling infrastructure can help traffic flow.With the ongoing fuel crisis, he believes more people will turn to active travel and says Drogheda needs to prepare for that change.Noel joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

The pace of rent increases has slowed, according to the latest Daft rental report, but rents are still rising sharply across much of the country. Market rents increased by 1.4% between March and June, a significant slowdown from the record 4.4% increase in the first quarter.Annual rent inflation outside the major cities remains between 9% and 10%, with the pressures particularly relevant for counties such as Louth and Meath, where demand for rental properties remains strong.So what does the latest data tell us about rents and the availability of homes in Louth and Meath? Ronan Lyons, Associate Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin and author of the Daft report, joined us on The Agenda this morning to discuss the figures.

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.