The Agenda

A public demonstration is set to take place this Saturday in Drogheda, organised by the Drogheda Stands with Palestine group as part of the wider “Stop the Game” campaign.The rally will take place on West Street from 12 noon until 1pm, and is calling on the Football Association of Ireland to cancel the Republic of Ireland’s planned international football fixtures against Israel.Organisers say the demonstration is aimed at sending a clear message about Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza and the West Bank, and they argue that sporting ties should not continue while the conflict is ongoing.The event forms part of the “Stop the Game” campaign.Among those due to speak at Saturday’s rally is Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Joanna Byrne.Deputy Byrne joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

**TRIGGER WARNING: SOME LISTENERS MAY FIND CONTENT UPSETTING/DISTRESSING**This morning on The Agenda, we heard from Colin Power, a survivor of abuse by Bill Kenneally, who along with other survivors met with the Taoiseach as they continue their campaign for a State apology over how their cases were handled.Bill Kenneally was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who was jailed in 2026 - he died in prison last week while serving a 19-year sentence for child sexual abuse. Colin bravely told us his story and also about how the meeting with the Taoiseach went.

Legislation that would ban hare coursing is set to come before the Dáil next week, with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy calling on Government TDs to be given a free vote on the issue.Deputy Murphy says the proposed legislation would end the practice of hare coursing in Ireland, arguing that while hares are a protected species, thousands are captured each year for organised events and a number are killed or injured during the coursing season.He has also pointed to recent comments by Tánaiste Simon Harris suggesting there is a strong case for allowing TDs more opportunities to vote outside the party whip system.The Bill will be debated in the Dáil next Thursday, with a vote expected the following week.Deputy Paul Murphy joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Online scams continue to rise, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated tactics to target people through fake text messages, emails, phone calls and social media, costing victims millions of euro every year.Fine Gael MEP from Meath, Regina Doherty, says the issue has reached epidemic levels and is calling for a coordinated response across Europe to better protect consumers.This week, she brought together banks, online platforms, policymakers and representatives from the European Commission at the European Parliament to discuss practical ways of tackling online fraud, improving accountability and strengthening protections for internet users.The initiative aims to ensure that governments, financial institutions and technology companies work more closely together to combat scammers and reduce the growing number of people falling victim to online fraud.Regina Doherty joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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.