Midlands Today with Will Faulkner

Offaly TD John Clendennen says development in Edenderry is frozen until 2029 due to water infrastructure delays, and wants Uisce Éireann to publish a clear plan. Laois SPCA is overwhelmed by animal surrenders and neglect cases, as puppy Pablo and whippet Oscar highlight the urgent need for foster homes. Apprentice electrician and Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins is breaking stereotypes and encouraging young women to consider careers in male-dominated trades.

Midlands Today with Will Faulkner

Midlands Today with Will Faulkner

Evan Fitzgerald, who died by suicide after firing shots at a Carlow shopping centre, was previously on bail for buying weapons on the darknet, sparking urgent calls to reform Ireland’s bail laws. TDs have slammed social media companies for failing to stop false claims and racist posts that circulated online after the Carlow shooting, demanding tougher action on harmful content. As over 66,000 students prepare to sit the Leaving Cert, local teens share their dreams—from law and politics to media and medicine—as they look to life beyond school.

Irish peacekeepers were fired on by Israeli soldiers during a patrol in Lebanon; no injuries reported, but the Defence Forces call it deeply concerning. Laois wheelchair users are calling on the Government to introduce a proper Cost of Disability payment, with many facing impossible choices between heating and eating. Athlone gears up for its first Bike Fest this weekend, which also includes fundraising for domestic abuse support and awareness through the nationwide Go Purple Day campaign.

Gardai resumed searches in the Slieve Bloom Mountains as part of the upgraded murder probe into Fiona Pender’s 1996 disappearance. A man has been arrested after posting online threats to harm children, prompting a precautionary lockdown at a Laois primary school. An Athlone mother is pleading for access to a drug not yet available in Ireland that could slow the decline of her two sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Over 2,100 people in Offaly and Laois are waiting for first-time occupational therapy assessments, with Carol Nolan TD calling it a "crisis in care. The latest Garda search for missing woman Fiona Pender has concluded, with a former cold case detective saying the upgrade to a murder probe may finally lead to an arrest. 12-year-old Tomás Ramsbottom from Laois has won his second Intel Mini Scientist award with a humane dog training collar designed to replace shock devices.

Nearly 29 years after her disappearance, Fiona Pender’s case has been upgraded to a murder investigation, with new searches underway near Killeigh. The Irish Road Haulage Association is calling for a ban on tractors using motorways, citing safety concerns—an idea the IFA firmly opposes. Hundreds of Irish rivers, including major ones like the Shannon and Liffey, may lose environmental protections under new Government plans, sparking backlash from conservation groups.

Midlands Today with Will Faulkner - Monday 26th May, 2025

A €25k audit into Leinster House’s €336k bike shed has pushed total costs to €361k, sparking backlash over public spending and oversight. The RSA is rolling out extended hours, new test centres, and fast-tracked training to reduce the 100,000-strong driving test backlog by September. In a landmark decision, camogie players can now choose between skorts and shorts, following a 98% vote at Congress supporting player choice.

A Westmeath family has moved back home nearly four years after a fire, thanks to €100k raised by their local community in just four days. The government has opened public consultation on a new policy to curb fast fashion, aiming to make clothing more recyclable and sustainable. Five Offaly schoolgirls made history by becoming the first all-girls Irish team to win a top award at the Robotics World Championships.

The government will roll out electronic tagging for prisoners by year-end to ease jail overcrowding, with former Mountjoy governor backing the move. The brothers and wives of Ashling Murphy’s killer are now on trial, accused of withholding evidence and burning clothing after the 2022 murder. Offaly Search and Rescue volunteers found a lost engagement ring from a lakeside proposal after a two-day underwater search using only hands and scuba gear.

A government campaign and new school attendance framework will roll out in September to address rising absenteeism. Former minister Charlie Flanagan has been elected Chair of the Irish Red Cross, pledging to guide its new five-year strategy. Offaly’s minor team pulled off a dramatic comeback to win their first Leinster title since 1989, beating Louth in stoppage time.

After years of toxic relationships, Meath woman Siobhan Cookson chose to become a single mother via IVF. Inspired by her godson, supported by her family, and determined to take control of her fertility, she welcomed her baby girl, Summer, in November 2023. A draft report reveals that up to thousands of children may have undergone unnecessary hip surgeries in Irish hospitals between 2021 and 2023, with alarming rates of procedures not meeting surgical criteria at Cappagh and Temple Street hospitals. Uisce Éireann has completed a major tunnelling milestone beneath the River Shannon as part of the €114 million Athlone Main Drainage Scheme, a transformative infrastructure project now over 80% complete.

Padraic Kavanagh from Ballacolla is cycling 1,000km in June to raise €10,000 for two hospitals that saved his premature twins, Ellie and Páidí, after a terrifying battle for survival. Portiuncula Hospital in Galway is now under ten external reviews into maternity and neonatal care after multiple infant deaths and severe complications, with families awaiting answers and accountability. A Meath couple faces homelessness after their fifth attempt to retain their home—built without planning permission—was rejected, despite proposed reductions and emotional pleas during a housing crisis.

Midlands Today with Ronan Berry at the BnM Accelerate Green Conference

Minister of State Neale Richmond warns that planned tax cuts could be scrapped if a US-EU tariff deal doesn’t materialise. We also revisit the troubling findings that over half of Ireland’s home septic tanks are failing inspections—posing risks to both gardens and rivers. And Meath woman Siobhan Cookson shares her deeply personal story of how motherhood found her in the most unexpected way.

Midlands Today with Will Faulkner

Larissa Tormey, a songwriter based in Kilbeggan, is eagerly preparing to join the Irish delegation heading to the Eurovision Song Contest. The former owner of a tattoo and piercing studio has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting two women and a teenage girl who had attended his business. The Department of Health has confirmed that it does not intend to add any new conditions to the Long-Term Illness Scheme.

Midlands Today with Will Faulkner