The Agenda

Ciaran Mullooly MEP has welcomed the recent landmark ruling by the Supreme Court in favour of Cavan farming couple, Peter and Rose O’Reilly, which firmly upholds the property rights of farmers and their entitlement to adequate protection and compensation.This ruling establishes a vital precedent: when the ESB—or any other agency empowered by legislation to enter private land and erect permanent infrastructure—interferes with a person’s property, they must now compensate not only for the immediate loss of use but also for the long-term impact on the property's overall value.MEP Mullooly spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Aontu leader Peadar Tóibín has said the number of council-owned homes across Ireland that are empty is “akin to exporting food in the middle of a famine”.Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon during Leader’s Questions, Tóibín said he had submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to every Local Authority and that the information he received “contradicted the information the Government is giving out”. One of the questions he asked Local Authorities was about the number of council-owned homes that are currently empty.This figure across the State is 3,779, according to information received by Tóibín.Deputy Toibin joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. 

An Irish woman who accused Madeleine McCann’s suspected killer of rape has says he could of been stopped.Hazel Behan accused Christian Brueckner of raping her at her home in Portugal in 2004.He went on trial in 2020, accused of raping the Dublin woman and a number of other women, but was aquitted. She has now said he could have been stopped from attacking other women, and potentially kidnapping and murdering the British tot in 2007.Hazel has lodged a case against Portugal with the European Court of Human Rights over the failure to investigate Christian Brückner, and she spoke to us on The Agenda this morning about all of this

Henry Mount Charles, the owner of Slane Castle in Co Meath, has died aged 74.Popularly known as Lord Henry, he was best known for introducing a series of rock concerts to Slane Castle. Bands who played there include U2, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, REM and Bruce Springsteen.In a statement his family said he died on Wednesday night. He had been suffering from cancer.This morning on The Agenda we spoke to various guests about the life and legacy of Henry Mount Charles. 

An opposition TD has spoken about the negative impact of alcohol on her life as she raised concerns about a possible delay in the introduction of health-warning labels on drinks products.Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney told the Dáil she has not drunk alcohol for more than 13 years.Deputy Gibney spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this

Sky Ireland is set to use private investigators to monitor WhatsApp chats to detect who is buying dodgy boxes. And in a significant escalation, the broadcaster is now considering civil action against individual users for the first time.However, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will meet the broadcaster to discuss whether such methods are legal according to GDPR privacy law.About one in five Irish households use a dodgy box, according to a ­Sunday Independent poll.The streaming services are commonly sold through WhatsApp groups and other online discussion forums, where details of local dealers are provided.Tech Editor at the Irish Independent, Adrian Weckler, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Sinn Fein TD for Louth, Ruairi O Murchu, who is calling for a Ministerial answer on the €40 million hole in SOLAS budget for ETBs - apprenticeships etc. Solas is the State agency responsible for the further education and training sector. Through ongoing engagement between Solas and the ETBs, a funding pressure has been identified for the 2025 apprentice budget.Deputy O Murchu told us all about this

The boathouse of the Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Unit on the Marsh Road was broken into over the weekend in a mindless act of vandalism.A number of vehicles and the parts of the buildings were damaged in the incident which occurred in the early hours of last Sunday morning;Gardai are investigating and it is understood that a suspect has been identified.Alan McCrohan, Public Relations Officer at the Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Unit, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

Fianna Fail Meath County councillor Sean Drew has been elected the new Cathaoirleach of Kells Municipal District. He was elected by four votes to two over Sinn Fein nominee Cllr Michael Gallagher at the annual meeting of the MD on Monday afternoon. Councillor Drew was proposed by Cllr Mike Bray and seconded by Fine Gael’s Cllr Eugene Cassidy. Sean Drew spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about his new appointment and about his vision of the future of Kells.