The Agenda

This morning on The Agenda we discussed an issue that has sparked growing debate across Ireland and internationally — the future of horse-drawn carriages in our cities.For some people, they’re seen as part of the character and tradition of city life, often linked to tourism and heritage. But for animal welfare organisations, serious questions are now being raised about whether horses should still be expected to work in busy urban environments, surrounded by traffic, noise, congestion, and increasingly extreme temperatures.The NSPCA is now calling for a ban on horse-drawn carriages being used in Irish cities, arguing that the practice is outdated and that the welfare risks to animals are too great. Supporters of a ban point to concerns around stress, exhaustion, road safety, and the overall wellbeing of horses operating in modern city conditions. Meanwhile, others believe stricter regulation — rather than an outright ban — may be the answer.We were joined on the show by Conor Dowling from the NSPCA to find out more about why they are calling for this ban. 

A doctor who was seriously injured in a hit and run incident in County Louth last year has told an Oireachtas Committee that he believes "it is not safe to cycle in Ireland."Dr. Sean Owens was travelling on his E-Bike on his way to a house call when he was struck from behind by a car, which subsequently left the scene without offering assistance. He suffered three cervical spine fractures and multiple cerebral strokes. His right ear was also severed in the accident.After the crash, Dr. Owens was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, but was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital, where he had emergency decompression surgery.He spent nine months recovering across several medical facilities and eventually was allowed to return home last September. He is now unable to work due to his injuries, which have impacted his balance and speech.Speaking to the Oireachtas Joint Transport Committee this morning, Dr. Owens shared his experience of how life has been since the accident.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Chairperson at the Drogheda Cycling group, Noel Hogan, to find out now if it really is not safe to cycle in Ireland, and just how unsafe it really is.

The fate of a retained firefighter in Dunleer who is facing mandatory retirement within the next three months lies in the hands of the government. The situation faced by Dunleer station officer John Molloy who will turn 62 on May 24 and would, without government intervention, have to retire under the existing legislation, was raised by Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú. Deputy Ó Murchú has highlighted how the fate of Mr Molloy, who is the only retained station officer in Dunleer, now rests in the hands of the government and is pleading for an interim solution for the firefighter, who faced this same issue two years ago and fought it at the time also. John, who has spent 18 years as a retained firefighter, having served 22 years in the Defence Forces before that.John Molloy joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.We were also joined by Deputy O Murchú who has been fighting this.

Banning flavoured vapes is the measure “most likely” to make them less attractive to young people, minister of state Jennifer Murnane O'Connor has told the Oireachtas health committee.New laws will see a ban on flavoured vapes and limits on the colours used in packaging among a raft of measures to try to curb the sharp rise in consumption among younger people. Tobacco-flavour or ‘unflavoured’ will be the only types allowed, under the government-supported measures. Under the new laws, the sale of nicotine pouches and other products will be banned to under-18s. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Eoin O’Boyle, owner of OB Vapes in Drogheda, to get his thoughts on this.

Third-level institutions and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) will be asked to appear before an Oireachtas committee next month to face questions on how they are tackling sexual violence and harassment.TDs and senators want to engage with third-level institutions and the ­domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency Cuan to examine how the issues are dealt with across the sector.

A leading domestic violence charity is calling on the Government to amend Irish domestic violence legislation to explicitly recognise pet abuse as a form of coercive control within abusive relationships. Sonas Domestic Violence Charity says frontline services regularly encounter situations where pets are threatened, harmed or used to intimidate and psychologically control women and children experiencing abuse.

Residents in Slane village have warned that they are prepared to stage peaceful protests unless organisers of the famous summer concert agree to introduce a €5 per ticket community levy.The funds would be used to invest in the community for various projects, funding the tidy towns group, the annual St Patrick’s Day parade, and community centre upgrades

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by journalist Terri Prone, who wrote a piece in The Irish Examiner yesterday titled, “It’s frightening to see how clever the far-right reaction to the picking of the Dublin Rose is”.Dublin Rose Suad Mooge this week said that she is "shocked but not surprised" at comments on social media by people saying she "is not Irish".Suad won the Dublin Rose title last week and will represent the capital at the Rose of Tralee in Co Kerry in August.Sligo born Suad said that as a person of colour "it's part of the experience of growing up" in Ireland. She said that the negative comments about her online haven't really phased her much as she has heard it before. However, she said she was surprised at the "volume of hate". In her piece this week, Terri called out the far-right reaction to Suad being chosen to be the Dublin Rose.

Parents in Dunshaughlin say they’re being left with no choice but to bring their campaign for more gaelscoil places to the Dáil, yet again.This follows a parents' meeting held in the Pastoral Centre in Dunshaughlin last Tuesday and is prompted by the lack of response from the Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton to their appeals for extra places to be provided in Gaelscoil na Ríthe. Families are calling for a second junior infants class at Gaelscoil na Ríthe, arguing that demand for Irish-language education in the area is far outstripping the places available.Campaigners say they’ve repeatedly contacted Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton but have yet to receive a response, despite a letter signed by 22 parents being sent several weeks ago.Over the past number of months we have spoken to campaigner Aine McKenna various times about this… Yet still, she is without a school place. Aine joined us on The Agenda again this morning to give us all the latest on this.