The Agenda

Dundalk’s Kate O’Connor spoke to LMFM about her remarkable weekend in Birmingham, where she became European heptathlon champion. The 25-year-old produced a superb performance across the seven events, finishing with 6,751 points and adding European gold to her Commonwealth title.

A Julianstown community group is calling for greater transparency over how a wide range of possible solutions to the village’s traffic problems was narrowed down to the four western bypass routes now before the public.Project documents show that options including direct M1 access, public transport improvements, an East-West Link Road and changes to the M1 toll were also considered.The group is particularly asking what happened to the proposed direct M1-to-R132 link, which a September 2025 report recommended for further consideration, subject to additional traffic modelling.The group says it is not alleging anything improper, but wants to see the evidence explaining why that option was dropped while the western bypass routes progressed.Emma Haran from the group joined us on The Agenda this morning to explain their concerns.

The Garda Representative Association is calling for “proper training” for Gardaí following the horrific collision on the M9 motorway in which five teenage boys lost their lives.The crash happened in the early hours of Sunday morning at Junction 3 of the northbound M9 at Moone in Co Kildare, when a car travelling in the wrong direction collided with another vehicle.Four people in the second car, including a seven-year-old boy, were taken to hospital and remain in serious to critical condition.The tragedy has raised fresh questions about wrong-way driving, Garda training and how officers can respond safely to incidents involving dangerous driving, and Tara McManus, Assistant General Secretary at the Garda Representative Association, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Aontú leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín is calling for an immediate Government response following the horrific collision on the M9 motorway which resulted in the deaths of five teenagers and left a family seriously injured.Deputy Tóibín says the tragedy has highlighted the dangers of people deliberately driving on the wrong side of motorways, particularly when that behaviour is being filmed and shared on social media for likes, views and attention.He is calling for greater action from social media companies to remove this type of content, while also questioning whether An Garda Síochána is making sufficient use of videos posted online as evidence when investigating dangerous and criminal behaviour.He also wants greater investment in Garda training around pursuits, as well as technology such as wrong-way driving alerts and tyre-deflation systems to help prevent these incidents.Deputy Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

For any parent, the fear of something happening to your child is overwhelming. But for Dervla Burke O’Connor, that fear is part of everyday life.Her nine-year-old son Paul is nonverbal, has an intellectual disability and needs round-the-clock care. Every day brings its own challenges — from helping him with the simplest tasks to dealing with meltdowns, the risk of injury and the constant worry that he could come to harm.Dervla says caring for Paul is something she and her family do with enormous love, but the physical and emotional toll has been immense. She says the stress and anxiety became so overwhelming that she ended up in hospital herself.She says families like hers can feel isolated and exhausted, while also carrying a deep fear about what the future holds for their children.Dervla Burke O’Connor joined us on The Agenda this morning to share her story — of loving her son deeply, while trying to cope with the extraordinary demands of caring for him every single day.

It’s being described as one of the worst years for drought in decades, with farmers across the country facing mounting pressure after weeks of hot and exceptionally dry weather.Louth IFA Chair Kevin Sweeney, a dairy farmer from outside Ardee, says he can’t remember such a prolonged dry spell since he began farming. While he says Louth is better off than some parts of the country, the lack of rainfall is still having a significant impact.Potato and vegetable growers are among those worst affected, with irrigation becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. Dairy and drystock farmers are also struggling, with grass in short supply and some cattle already being fed indoors.Farmers are also having to keep a close eye on livestock for signs of heat stress and ensure there is enough water available. Kevin says he expects to be using additional feed for his cows right through the autumn and winter.Kevin Sweeney joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

A new estimate suggests around 19,000 people attended emergency departments in the first six months of this year for treatment of a condition they were already on a waiting list to have treated.The Irish Patients Association based its assessment on a HSE review of almost 4,900 patients who attended Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda last January. The review found that a number of patients were seeking emergency treatment for the same condition they were waiting to have addressed.

Concerns are being raised that potential evidence relating to alleged genocide and other serious crimes is being removed from Gaza, with Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor claiming that almost 100 trucks carrying rubble and debris are leaving the territory every day.The organisation estimates that at least 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, while questions are now being raised about what happens to potential evidence contained within the rubble and destruction.