The Agenda

A mother who came face-to-face with her son’s killer has spoken about the devastating impact of losing her eldest child in a fatal one-punch attack.In 2017, 20-year-old Luke O'Reilly was the victim of an unprovoked, one-punch attack. Luke was struck from behind without warning.  Initially, Luke’s family believed he had suffered only minor injuries, but after undergoing surgery and spending two weeks in hospital, Luke tragically died from his injuries.In the years since Luke’s death, his mother, Janet O’Brien, has become a strong advocate for restorative justice, and Janet joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.In this heartbreaking interview with Janet, we also heard about the trauma of receiving the late-night call from Gardaí, the agonising days spent hoping for his recovery, and the difficult court process that followed.

Growing opposition continues over controversial housing plans on the outskirts of Dundalk, near Cúchulainn’s Castle, where more than 1,000 homes are proposed for a 96-acre site by Grandspect Ltd.A major petition signed by over 6,000 people has now been formally submitted to Louth County Council by local photographer Nicola Bishop, alongside a detailed objection, as the July 1st deadline for public submissions approaches.Meanwhile, a packed-out fundraising gig at Mo Chara on Sunday night, featuring The Mary Wallopers and fiddle player Gerry O’Connor, also brought together musicians and speakers in strong opposition to the development.Organisers say the level of turnout shows just how deep feeling runs on the issue, both locally in Dundalk and further afield.Aoife Curran Butler, one of the organisers of Sunday’s event, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

A new national framework aimed at improving the State’s response to significant fish mortality incidents in freshwater has been welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley.The National Protocol for Significant Fish Mortality Incidents in Freshwater has been developed by an inter-agency group led by Inland Fisheries Ireland and, for the first time, sets out a nationally agreed approach for coordinating and communicating emergency responses to major fish kill events.The issue has hit closer to home in recent weeks, following a significant fish kill in Louth, in which an estimated 20,000 fish died. The affected stretch extended from Aclint Bridge in County Monaghan to Lynns Weir in Castlebellingham, County Louth, highlighting the importance of having clear protocols in place when such incidents occur. Minister Dooley joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Serious concerns have once again been raised about access to public dental and orthodontic services, with claims that patients in Louth and Meath are being let down by long-standing staffing shortages and delays.Speaking in the Dáil this week, Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, argued that the State's dental treatment system is failing many patients, particularly medical card holders, and said public orthodontic services are simply not fit for purpose.The issue is particularly acute in the Louth-Meath region, where key orthodontic posts at the Dundalk clinic have remained vacant for extended periods.Deputy Ó Murchú joins us on the line now to talk to us some more about this. We also heard about The Joint Committee on Drugs launching a report recommending the decriminalisation of possession of all drugs for personal use - Deputy Ó Murchú is on the committee... and ongoing water issues in Sheelagh

A court has refused a request to release transcripts from the criminal trials of convicted sex offender Michael Shine to the lawyer leading a scoping exercise into the handling of the case.Shine, a former consultant surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, was convicted in 2017 and 2019 of sexually assaulting young boys during his time at the hospital. The decision not to release the transcripts has raised fresh questions about efforts to examine how allegations against him were dealt with over several decades.Dignity4Patients, the organisation that has supported many survivors of abuse by Michael Shine and campaigned for accountability and justice on their behalf, says access to the trial transcripts is an important part of establishing the full facts surrounding the case.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Adrienne Reilly, CEO of Dignity4Patients, to discuss the court's decision, what it means for survivors, and where the campaign for answers goes from here.We also heard about the scoping inquiry and got all the latest on that.

Louth is counting down to Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Monaghan, and excitement is building right across the county. But with thousands of supporters expected to make the journey to Croke Park, concerns have been raised about whether existing rail services can cope with demand.Labour TD Ged Nash says he contacted Irish Rail after hearing from supporters in Dundalk who were worried about capacity on scheduled services. Irish Rail has since confirmed it is working on plans for additional trains and says it is confident extra services can be provided, with further details expected shortly.This morning on The Agenda we got all the latest on this.

Concerns have been raised about the mental health of clergy in Ireland, after a senior Catholic priest warned that suicide among priests must be urgently addressed.Fr Michael Toomey, parish priest of the St Carlo Acutis pastoral area in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, says a number of priests have died by suicide in recent years, describing it as a “tragedy” and a call to action.Speaking ahead of International Men’s Mental Health Week, Fr Toomey said there can be a tendency to place priests on a pedestal and expect them to be constantly strong and unaffected by personal struggles. He stressed that priests are not “superhuman” and can face the same mental health challenges as anyone else.Fr Michael Toomey joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Possession of drugs for personal use should be decriminalised as part of a major overhaul of Ireland's drug laws, according to a new report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use.After more than a year examining the findings of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use, the cross-party committee has backed a move away from a criminal justice approach and towards a health-led model. The report contains 161 recommendations, including decriminalising possession for personal use, introducing mobile drug consumption units and establishing a national advocacy body for drug users.We found out more about this on The Agenda this morning.

Two advocacy groups representing more than 900 families affected by the Children's Health Ireland spina bifida and scoliosis controversy have withdrawn from a planned scoping inquiry, saying the process no longer meets the needs of those at the centre of the crisis.The Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group and the Scoliosis Advocacy Network say they have serious concerns about the inquiry's terms of reference and the way the process is being conducted.Among those affected was Harvey Morrison Sherratt, whose death last year after a prolonged wait for scoliosis treatment sparked outrage across the country and renewed calls for accountability within the health system, and Stephen Morrison joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.Stephen told us that he will continue to fight tooth and nail for accountability. During the interview we were also contacted by a listener from Meath named Garreth, who told us about how his 12-year-old son has also been failed.