The Agenda

More than 400 people have been refused entry at Irish ports in the past five years after trying to slip into the country undetected as stowaways.In contrast to the numbers of migrants arriving by small boats in the UK, the Department of Justice said there have been no “small boat” arrivals in Ireland over the past five years.Marine experts say this is due to the much longer distance from France to Ireland and the rougher seas. John Lannon, the chief executive of migrants rights organisation Doras, said immigration policies force people seeking international protection to make dangerous decisions to board small boats or to hide in containers and lorries making ferry crossings, and John spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Supermarkets have hit back at accusations of price gouging, insisting their prices are competitive and profit ­margins are low.It comes after new figures show ­grocery prices continue to rise, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis for families.The Government last week rebuffed proposed Social Democrats legislation that would force major grocery retailers to reveal their profits in Ireland. There is no intention toreinstate price controls on staples, such as bread, milk, tea and butter, which were imposed in the past.Social Democrats TD ­Jennifer Whitmore said in the Dáil that ­consumers “have a right to know ­whether surging grocery prices reflect genuine input cost increases or blatant price gouging”, and Deputy Whitmore spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

The surge in food prices in recent years is the “new normal” and a consequence of more sustainable farming practices and tighter regulation rather than a temporary aberration, a leading farming group has warned.Denis Drennan of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has warned that the increases consumers have faced in recent years are not “any kind of ‘price spike’ or aberration” but were “the new normal”.Dennis spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this. 

The European Union will use the time it has until an August 1st deadline to push for a tariff deal with the United States, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said.The head of the EU’s powerful executive arm was speaking after US president Donald Trump announced he would levy tariffs of 30 per cent on nearlyall trade coming from the EU from the start of next month.MEP Ciaran Mullooly joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us about this. We also spoke to Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence and Meath-East Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne, who has been calling for an urgent EU/US agreement ahead of his trade meeting in Brussels.

Figures released to Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú under FOI by the Irish Prison Service show that as of May 31st 2025, there were 800 sexual offenders in Irishprisons costing the state almost €80 million annually to house. The figures also show that 235 sex offenders were released from Irish Prisons in 2024, an increase of 34% on 2023 when just 175 sex offenders were released from Irish prisons. Up to May 31st 2025, 103 sex offenders were released from Irish prisons. In the Louth Garda division in 2003, there were 44 rape and sexual assault offences. This had risen to 122 in 2024 (177% increase). The increase in Meath was 140%.Cynthia spoke to us this morning on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this

Work on the next phase of the Northern Cross Route will begin in September, the Mayor Michelle Hall has been informed.This will connect Newtown to the railway track north of Aston Village while Louth County Council and the politicians lobby the Government for the phase three funding to put a 16million euro bridge over the railway line.In a new monthly report for the citizens of the town the mayor also confirmed that the County Council's programme of road works for 2025 is ready to begin.Mayor of Drogheda, Michelle Hall, joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.  

Clarity on eligibility criteria for social housing applicants which are similar to the requirements for social protection supports are welcome and will eliminate ambiguity, a Louth Fine Gael TD has said.Deputy Paula Butterly said legislative changes brought to Cabinet will help speed up the decision-making process around the provision of social housing with a clear set of criteria for applicants and Local Authorities.Deputy Butterly, who is also a member of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Third-level students preparing for the new academic year in September are voicing growing concerns over the severe shortage of rental housing in County Louth. Rising property prices and a lack of available homes are compounded by limited purpose-built student accommodation, creating anxiety among those planning to study in Drogheda and surrounding towns.Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú told the Dáil in late June that “constituents say it’s not even the price of rent that is most urgent, it is the fact there is nowhere available to rent” in Louth. With new-build homes averaging around €385,000 (significantly higher than the national average) the rental market has been squeezed to breaking point.Deputy O Murchu spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this. 

Excavation work is due to commence at the site of the former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.The start of the effort to exhume and identify human remains from the site comes more than 11 years after research by Catherine Corless found that there were no burial records for almost 800 babies and infants who died at the home over a 36-year period. Irish Historian Catherine Corless, who began researching the Tuam Mother and Baby Home in Galway in 2010, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda to tell us more about what is expected to happen today and over the next number of weeks/months