The Agenda

House price inflation has reached a ten-year-high, according to the latest report from property website Daft.Prices increased nationally by 3% during the second quarter of this year, with the typically listed property cost reaching €357,851.They are almost 13% higher than last year and 40% higher than pre-covid levels.As has been the case for successive reports from Daft, low residential supply and a lag in the housing pipeline is attributed to the increasing inflation rates.This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Economics at Trinity College Dublin & author of the report Ronan Lyons, who told us more about this - particularly regarding how things are looking in Louth and Meath

Ireland recorded the sharpest rate of increase in agricultural produce prices in the EU in the first quarter of this year, the bloc’s statistical agency Eurostat has said.Irish agricultural prices were up an eye-watering 19.3% compared with the same period of 2024. The average increase across the EU was just 2.6%.With prices in Irish supermarkets for beef, milk and butter all rising fast – 2 litres of milk, for example, was up 27c in a year in May – it’s another example of the pressure onIrish consumers.Tadhg Buckley, chief economist at the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a member of the EU Parliament’s Petitions Committee, has launched a formal petition to the European Parliament calling on the European Commission and Council to review Israel’s compliance with the human rights clause (Article 2) of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and determine whether continued trade with Israel remains compatible with EU law. She has also raised a legal query as to whether any EU arms sales to Israel are now compatible with EU law. Cythia spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this.

The Government needs to urgently restrict a loophole that allows commercial tanning salons to advertise their services amid an “epidemic” of skin cancer, a dermatologist has warned. Currently, the law bans tanning salons from advertising sunbeds because of the link between sun beds and skin cancer; children are also banned from using them altogether. However, some tanning salons are now promoting tanning accelerators as a way to advertise their business. Consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan described it as a “very clever way” of getting around the ban, and she spoke to us this morning on The Agenda aboutthis.

A decision on public access to online council meetings in Louth was pushed back by councillors after fears around security, intimidation and content being manipulated by AI were aired at Louth County Council’s monthly meeting.Councillors highlighted how commentary around contentious issues had become “venomous” in the last year, and raised their own fears about personal security and that of council staff.The debate emerged following a motion tabled by Green Party Councillor, Marianne Butler, who called on the local authority to allow the broadcast of public council meetings live on the internet and allow members of the public to watch the meetings via MS Teams, and she spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Almost €1m was spent on enhanced security at six sites where modular houses for Ukrainian refugees were to be built, new documents show.The Office of Public Works (OPW) has outlined there was a total cost of €942,305 to provide security services to sites for modular homes. The costs are associated with the construction of 246 modular homes across the country. Political Reporter at the Irish Examiner, Tadhg McNally, spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this. 

A traumatised woman who was sexually abused by her brother over 1,000 times said last night: “He will always be a monster.”Michelle Cooke was speaking as her older sibling Kenneth prepares to be released from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison next month.The paedo targeted his younger sister when she was between the ages of seven and 11.Michelle spoke to us this morning on The Agenda to tell us her story

US president Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran following US military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership.In a social media post he said: “If the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn’t there be regime change?”The world is braced for Iran’s response after the US attacks, which saw it joining Israel in the biggest western military action against the Islamic Republicsince its 1979 revolution.Professor Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about this

Tributes have been paid to “genuinely lovely” Kofi Owusu from Dundalk, Co Louth, who died while swimming in Laytown, Co Meath on Friday.The 15-year-old had completed his Junior Certificate exams just 10 days ago.Kofi was a pupil of Coláiste Chú Chulainn in Dundalk. School principal Thomas Starkey said Kofi was a very caring young man with a widecircle of friends.Thomas Sharkey joined us on The Agenda this morning to say a few words about Kofi.We also spoke to local Councillor in the area Sharon Tolan