The Agenda

People were forced to flee their homes as multiple cars and homes were set alight during a serious disorder on Tuesday night in the wake of a serious knife attack in the city.Businesses were also attacked by groups of masked young men, with several hundred turning out in the city following calls on social media for anti-immigration protests.We went live to Belfast on The Agenda this morning to find out more about this.

Residents of Rathmullen Park in Drogheda say they fear it is only a matter of time before a child is seriously injured unless urgent action is taken to tackle speeding in the area.The concerns centre on the route linking the estate with Ballsgrove, where locals say vehicles regularly travel at excessive speeds. The area has also been described as a "rat run" for scramblers and scooters, creating significant safety concerns for families living in more than 40 homes nearby.Residents are now calling for traffic calming measures, including ramps, to be installed as a matter of urgency. Sinn Féin councillor Debbie McCole recently met with local people and says their concerns are growing as the problem continues unchecked.Councillor McCole joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

No general pattern exists of immigrants being more likely to be in receipt of social welfare compared to native-born Irish citizens, an ESRI report on welfare receipt rates has found.The report used data from the Central Statistics Office to assess whether immigrants in Ireland are more or less likely to be in receipt of welfare payments compared to Irish-born people.It examined a broad set of payments including unemployment, sickness/disability and family/children-related welfare payments, including universal child benefit.We found out more about this on The Agenda this morning.

Thousands of family carers are cutting back on essentials like food and heating in order to make ends meet, while also spending hundreds or even thousands of euro privately on vital equipment such as wheelchairs and supports that they say should be publicly funded.That’s according to a new report from Family Carers Ireland, based on a survey of around 3,000 carers, which highlights growing financial pressure and isolation. The research suggests as many as 48% of carers are experiencing severe loneliness, with many describing how their “world shrinks” as caring responsibilities take over their daily lives.We found out more about this shocking report this morning on The Agenda.

Government TDs will not be granted a free vote on Dáil motions calling for the Republic of Ireland's upcoming Nations League match against Israel to be cancelled.While the FAI is expected to move the October 4th fixture at the Aviva Stadium to a neutral venue, that has not gone far enough for some opposition parties. Sinn Féin is bringing a motion before the Dáil today calling for the game to be cancelled entirely, while the Social Democrats will table a similar motion tomorrow.One of those calling for the match to be scrapped is Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Joanna Byrne, who says it is "incomprehensible" that Ireland would play Israel while what she describes as a genocide is ongoing, and argues that Ireland should do everything in its power to "Stop The Game".Deputy Byrne joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Aontú has launched a campaign against the EU Migration Pact, arguing that it would reduce Ireland's control over migration policy and leave the State bound by EU decisions on migration numbers and costs.The party says the pact fails to address the movement of asylum seekers entering Ireland through Northern Ireland and comes at a time when housing, healthcare and other public services are already under significant pressure. Aontú says it supports a compassionate system for those fleeing war and persecution but believes stronger controls are needed.The party has also launched a petition calling on the Government not to implement the pact.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Aontú leader and Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín, who spoke to us in more detail about this.

A new law is set to require social housing applicants to prove they are both lawfully resident and habitually resident in Ireland before they can access social housing supports.The Government says the move is aimed at providing greater clarity around access to social housing supports, but the proposals are already generating debate about who will qualify and how the new rules will be applied in practice.We heard more about this on The Agenda this morning.

Thousands of people across parts of County Meath were left without water over the weekend following a major burst on a water main serving Duleek, Stamullen, Donore and surrounding areas. For many households and businesses, the disruption caused significant inconvenience, with residents forced to rely on alternative water supplies for essential daily needs. This morning on The Agenda we spoke to local residents and business owners in the Duleek area to hear how they were affected by the outage and what impact it had over the weekend.Residents have had enough and are now at breaking point due to the ongoing issues with water outages.