The Agenda

This week on the programme we heard about how an average of almost 300 people a day have added their names to the opt-out register for organ donation since legislation was introduced six months ago.The legislation makes every adult a donor unless they expressly withdraw their consent.A total of 58,482 people had opted out of the scheme by December 31st, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said, equating to more than 2,000 people every week since the law was effected on June 17th.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Fiona Walsh (living in Kerry but is originally from Trim), who got in touch with the show yesterday during an interview with did with Colin White from The Irish Kidney Association about the importance of being an organ donor. Fiona contacted us to tell us about her 9-year-old son Cialin, who is currently undergoing dialysis for kidney failure and is being placed on the kidney transplant list this week. Fiona says that her son receiving a kidney would be “absolutely life changing” and is urging people NOT to opt out of being donors. We also heard from young Cialan himself, who bravely opened up to LMFM about what it's like being a child living with kidney failure and about how it affects his day-to-day life.... The something happened that we were not expecting, and listeners were brought to tears!!If you need to witness something extraordinary that will make you feel good about humanity today, this is it!Presenter Adrian was left speechless.

State-of-the-art changing rooms built at a Meath park for more than €600,000 remain locked almost three years after their official opening, prompting renewed criticism from a local councillor.Aontú councillor Emer Tóibín said it is “beyond baffling” that a caretaker has not been appointed to the Blackwater Park changing facilities, despite “repeated assurances” that a recruitment process was underway.The building at Blackwater Park, which includes changing rooms with shower facilities and public toilets, was officially opened in March 2023.Councillor Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Ministers are to rush through laws that will allow companies misusing artificial intelligence to be hit with massive fines.The law will set out eight harmful uses of AI that contravene common values because they violate fundamental rights.It is not clear whether they will specifically address the “nudification” issues that have caused a furore over Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot, although amendments can be made.It could mean fines running into the tens of thousands or millions of euro for large platforms found to be in breach.The new law will grade each type of AI use by risk, and include penalties for violations, with fines of up to €35m or 7pc of global annual turnover, whichever is higher, depending on the violation.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Barry O’Sullivan from the School of Computer Science & IT, and Member of the Irish Government’s AI Advisory Council, whol told us more about this.

The Medical Centre on Frederick Street in Ashbourne, which has stood unused since 2022, is expected to reopen this year, providing both Primary Care and Mental Health Services to the local community.Sinn Féin councillor Helen Meyer welcomed the development, saying it is “a positive step for Ashbourne.”She added that the reopening “will bring vital health services closer to the community and reduce the need for residents to travel.”The confirmation follows a parliamentary question submitted by fellow Sinn Féin colleague Darren O’Rourke TD.Councillor Meyer joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.

Cabinet ministers have discussed the “most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State” when they meet for the first time in 2026 on Tuesday.Justice and migration minister Jim O’Callaghan brought the International Protection Bill 2026 to Cabinet yesterday morning.Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has said that a series of procedures under new proposed legislation on immigration laws will make the system fairer and more efficient.The Bill would bring major changes to asylum laws by giving effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and aligning Ireland with the approach to migration in other member states.The Bill proposes that processing of asylum applications is streamlined with decisions on granting or refusing refugee status and issuing return to country of origin orders to be made within a three-month time limit.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by the Immigrant Council of Ireland's Chief Executive Officer Teresa Buczkowska to find out more about this.We also spoke about the Taoiseach facing further criticism after he defended proposed changes to Irish asylum law which would add a waiting period before successful international applicants can avail of family reunification.We also spoke to CEO of ActionAid Ireland, Karol Blafe, about their recdent research which has shown that one-parent migrant families with legal status in Ireland are trapped between Direct Provision and homelessness

Retailers Against Smuggling has expressed disappointment at the latest headline figures from the Revenue Commissioners, which show a sharp decline in both the volume and value of cigarette and tobacco seizures in 2025 compared with 2024. With the Dublin Airport passenger cap being removed later this year, RAS warns that tobacco smuggling will increase unchecked. Yet, Revenue’s own Illegal Tobacco Products Research Survey 2024 found that over one third of cigarette packs (37%) in circulation carried no Irish excise duty, either because they were illicit or purchased outside the State. This marks an increase from 34% in 2023. When Roll-Your-Own tobacco is included, total estimated tax losses from tobacco products reached €934 million in 2024.  Retailers Against Smuggling National Spokesperson, Benny Gilsenan, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

There are fears of job cuts by the Kepak meat processing company at its beef deboning and cutting operations in Clonee, Co Meath.Kepak Group said it has commenced a review of the operations due to ongoing supply challenges across the Irish beef sector that have reduced cattle kills, leading to lower processing volumes.The company has not said how many jobs are under threat, adding that no decisions have yet been made.Sinn Fein TD for Meath-East, Darren O’Rourke, joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Cycling campaigners have hit out at a judge’s remarks claiming that cyclists have become a “nightmare” in Dublin.The Irish Cycling Campaign said this was a “sweeping” statement that runs the risk of “reinforcing dangerous attitudes toward a group of road users who are among the most vulnerable” on the country’s roads.Judge James O’Donohoe made the comments when deciding that an injured cyclist was mainly responsible for the accident that had taken place in darkness at 6am in September 2020 and in which he had suffered 12 other soft tissue injuries. The judge reduced a €50,000 damages award by 80% to a cyclist who had suffered a brain injury when he and a motorbike had collidedThis morning on The Agenda we spoke to avid cyclist from Dundalk, Pat O'Shaughnassy, who hit out at the judge from his "outrageous" comments.

Consumers could be in line for a cut in energy prices this year due a fall in wholesale gas costs.Energy experts said a decrease in wholesale costs, strong supplies of liquefied natural gas and a relatively mild winter across Europe meant there would be scope for lower domestic electricity and gas prices.A recent report revealed that Irish households pay around €360 more a year for electricity than the average across the EU. Meanwhile, no energy credits have been paid here this year.Daragh Cassidy, of price comparison site Bonkers.ie, said there had been a slow but steady fall in the wholesale price of gas over the past few months.Daragh joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.