From Ballivor to Ashbourne: Is Meath Facing a Water Infrastructure Crisis? - 29/05/2026

Minister McEntee Says She Supports Slane Residents & That €30,000 Offer From MCD is Not Good Enough - 29/05/2026

Ireland is moving ahead with controversial new legislation that would ban trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank — a move that’s already drawing strong international reaction. Foreign Affairs Minister and Meath-East Fine Gael TD Helen McEntee says the Government hopes to have the legislation passed by mid-July, as Ireland continues to take one of the strongest positions in Europe on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the wider Palestinian territories. Also, we heard about the water outages in Ballivor and across county Meath & Louth. We also discussed what is going on in Slane at the moment between local residents and promoters MCD in relation to the upcoming 2-day concert at Slane Castle…. The Minister says that she fully supports the residents of Slane and that she believes the €30,000 offer for the community is just not enough. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Row Erupts On Air Over Claim Brazilian Beef is Being Used in School Meals - 29/05/2026

A row broke out in the Seanad this week after an Irish MEP claimed that Brazilian and UK beef was being used in school meals. Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly was part of a delegation of Midlands-North West MEPs addressing the Upper House on Wednesday.  They had met with European Commissioner for health and animal welfare Oliver Varhelyi about the safety of Brazilian beef. His comments sparked anger from Meath-based Fine Gael senator Linda Nelson Murray, who was co-author of a report on school meals.  We were also joined by Senator Nelson Murray. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ashbourne Residents Warn Anti-Social Behaviour is Getting Worse Despite Garda Patrols - 29/05/2026

Last month on The Agenda, we spoke to Fine Gael councillor in Ashbourne Alan Tobin about ongoing concerns around anti-social behaviour in the town, including reports of intimidation, threats and racial abuse directed at local shop workers and elderly people, which has left many residents worried about safety in the area. At the time, Councillor Tobin warned that some pregnant women had expressed fear about leaving their homes due to intimidation from groups of youths, with growing calls from the community for stronger action and accountability. We were joined on The Agenda again this morning by Councillor Tobin, who says the situation is still ongoing despite increased Garda patrols. He says there are now additional concerns around the impact on mental health, continued incidents of fire alarm activations over a number of weeks, and significant vandalism, including the burning of several bins in the town centre — costing the council an estimated €50,000 — raising further alarm among local residents. We also discussed concerns about the future of Ashbourne’s town centre, following a number of recent shop closures in the town… ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

From Ballivor to Ashbourne: Is Meath Facing a Water Infrastructure Crisis? - 29/05/2026

Yesterday on the programme we heard from frustrated residents in Ballivor who have been left without water since Sunday, with many locals saying ongoing supply issues have become a regular part of life in the area. We spoke to Peadar Tóibín, who described the latest outage as ‘a disgrace in the modern era’, warning that repeated water failures are impacting families, schools, businesses and even delaying housing development across south Meath. But it seems Ballivor is far from the only community facing serious concerns over water infrastructure. Similar frustrations are now being raised in Ashbourne, where residents are also reporting major issues around water capacity, supply and the strain being placed on local infrastructure as the town continues to grow. We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Independent councillor in Ashbourne, Joe Bonner, who told us about how bad the issue is in Ashbourne with water and sewage. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

***Ballivor Water Chaos*** - Outrage as Families Left Stranded Again & Local School Closes

Frustrations are growing in Ballivor after a number of housing estates were left without water since Sunday, with criticism mounting over ongoing problems with water infrastructure across south Meath. This morning on The Agenda we spoke to Aontú leader & Meath-West TD Peadar Tóibím, who described the latest outage as “a disgrace in the modern era” and says repeated supply issues over the past decade are having a serious impact on families, schools, businesses and housing development in the region. We also spoke to furious locals who are sick of the ongoing issues with water in Ballivorm and nothing being done about it. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.