Clare Fm - Podcasts

Electric car sales in Clare have dropped by over 40% so far this year. New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry have revealed that in the first five months of 2024, just 139 new electric vehicles were sold in this county compared to 242 over the same period last year. This represents a 42% decrease, while the nymber of petrol electric hybrid registrations in Clare has risen by just 2% and car sales here generally are up by 4%. SIMI Director General Brian Cooke claims the trend nationally seems to indicate that this years electric vehicle sales figures will be more in line with 2022 than last year.

On this podcast: Clare FM's Derrick Lynch is joined by former Clare captains Tommy Guilfoyle & Pat O'Connor, 2013 All Ireland winner Colin Ryan and Limerick sports journalist Tom Clancy to look ahead to Sunday's clash of Clare and Limerick in FBD Semple Stadium.

Clare's Returning Officer for the local elections is urging voters to mark their ballot clearly when they go to the polls today. Voting for the Local and European elections has been underway since 7 this morning, with members of the public having their say on the next county councillors. In Clare, 28 seats are up for grabs across five electoral areas, with 7 candidates to be elected in both Ennis and Shannon, 5 each in Killaloe and Kilrush and 4 in Ennistymon. Clare County Council CEO Pat Dowling says voters shouldn't rush through their ballot and that every single preference will make a difference.

A Clare senator has labelled an incident that prevented visually impaired students from accessing their digital exam papers as 'totally unacceptable'. Students in at least ten schools were unable to access their exam papers on Wednesday morning with the State Examinations Commission describing the issue as a techincal problem. The SEC followed up with the provider of the exam papers and the issue was rectifed by quarter past 11. Ennistymon Fine Gael Senator, Martin Conway, says its unfair that certain students were put at a disadvantage due to their visual impairments.

It's predicted sightings of stranded or beached sharks will become more commonplace off Clare's west coast due to rising sea temperatures and increased fishing activity. It comes in a week when a 6.3 metre long basking shark has been found entangled in lobster pot rope in Baltard near Doonbeg which is the 12th such report nationwide so far this year. Under the Wildlife Act, it's illegal to wilfully interfere with or kill basking sharks but the law doesn't apply to incidental entanglement. Kilrush resident and CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Dr Simon Berrow has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons that the rise in reported incidents of stranded sharks can be seen as a positive in terms of conservation as it means more sharks are swimming in our waters.

To conclude the Ours To Protect feature, Alan Morrissey was joined by Dr. Marina Levitina of Lough Grainey Nature Sanctuary, Caroline Egan of Seafield Conservation Forum and Regenerative Farmer John O'Loughlin.

Where in Clare is back for the Summer. It's a series where Colum McGrath heads out around the county in search of fun things to see and do! This week, he's with Charm Bee Studio in Labasheeda

It is time for the sixteenth episode of our newest feature on Morning Focus, Village Tour, where Alan Morrissey paid a visit to Corofin. With the Village Tour, we here at Morning Focus are aiming to highlight the smaller villages and townlands around the county. By doing this, we hope to showcase their unique character, while also bringing their diversity and individuality to life for you, the listener. During each episode of Village Tour, Alan chats with three people from a particular village or townland in Clare: from locals and business owners to those involved with local sports clubs and community representatives.

The Munster Senior Hurling Final is taking place this Sunday the 8th of June. It’s bound to be extremely busy around Semple Stadium and Thurles in general on Sunday. On Friday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Inspector and Acting Superintendent, James White of Thurles Garda Station to discuss important match traffic advice for the Munster Senior Hurling Final. Picture (c): Garda Siochana

A large turnout is predicted at polling centres across the county as voting gets underway this morning. The 92,289 people registered to vote in Clare will have opportunity to exercise their democratic right between 7am and 10pm as they decide which 28 county councillors and five members of the European Parliament are elected here. Just 39,654 Clare residents, or 44% of the county's electorate, turned out to vote in the recent family and care referendums. Clare Local Returning Officer Pat Wallace believes local elections in particular generate a great deal of interest which should result in strong numbers at the polls.

A North Clare business owner is calling for a major increase in water quality testing in order to reopen towns and villages impacted by 'do not swim' notices. It comes as the red flag is expected to be flying at Lahinch Beach for the next four days after routine tests identified high levels of bacteria in the water. Clare County Council is warning that swimming there could now cause illness and says the follow-up testing process which takes 48 hours to complete cannot be expedited. Ben Bennett from Ben's Surf Clinic, Lahinch says a sensible solution is urgently required.

A Clare financial advisor claims those on tracker mortgages could see a significant reduction in their monthly payments if the ECB interest rate is lowered. The European Central Bank is expected to reduce its interest rates by a quarter of a percent this lunchtime which will be the first cut following 10 successive hikes since July 2022. CSO figures indicate mortgage interest payments in Ireland soared by 21% in the year to April, while the period of April to 2022 to 2023 saw a 41% surge in payments. Tommy Corbett of Carey Corbett Financial Solutions has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons the measure will offer some relief to those who've struggled with mortgage payments in recent times, it may hurt people with money on deposit.

A Clare TD running for European Parliament claims farmers feel abandoned by both national and EU government. It comes amid continued frustration from the agriculture sector over reduced CAP payments for environmental schemes, the loss of the Nitrates Derogation and over-regulation. In 2022, an EU Commission report identified Ireland as having large capacity to develop an effective biomethane energy sector, however the Government failed to apply for any EU funding. Scariff Independent Deputy and Ireland South Candidate Michael McNamara says farmers are not being taken seriously by government.

A European candidate for this region has spoken out against the narrative that environmental measures such as the nitrates derogation are anti-farming. It's after the Tánaiste has issued a statement confirming his party is "absolutely committed to applying for and securing the nitrates derogation at European level", following comments made by Fianna Fáil's Barry Andrews which indicated he didn't support the directive. The nitrates derogation allows farmers to farm at a higher stocking level if they take measures to support the environment. Engineer Independent candidate for the Ireland South constituency Christopher V.S. Doyle insists the derogation is intended to support the entire population in the midst of a climate crisis.

On Thursday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrisssey was joined by Tom Stewart from Keane’s Garden Centre in Kilcolgan. This week, Tom gave listeners advice on summer flowering shrubs. If you have a question for Tom, contact the show on 0818 400 964 or send a text or Whatsapp to 086 1800 964.

On this week’s History in Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by local historian and author Colm Liddy to talk about his unique t-shirt collection. If you have any stories you would like to share with Colm about your town, you can contact him at colmliddy@eircom.net or Clare FM at focus@clare.fm. The t-shirts are available here: https://www.shopinireland.ie/sellers/colm-liddy/categories/fashion

On Thursday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Canadian chef and owner of Randaddy’s in Lahinch, Randy Lewis. This week, Randy shared a delicious recipe for Greek Salad.

On ‘Clare Women in Business‘ this week, Pat Flynn meets Aimee Keller, owner of Peaceful Paws pet crematorium in Ennis.

One of Clare’s gems on the festival calendar will make its return later this month. Cosmic Garden Fest will take place on Saturday, the 15th of June. The festival, located in Inagh, first began during the Covid-19 pandemic, to provide an outlet for bands from Clare to play. A host of great acts are promised for the event. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by the organisers of Cosmic Garden Fest, Stax Green and Debbie Green.

On Thursday’s Morning Focus, Alan welcomed Kieran McMahon onto the show for the Fitness and Wellness slot. Kieran is an online personal trainer and is also the founder of KM Fitness and the Be A Better Man online coaching mentorship. This week, Alan Morrissey spoke with Kieran to raise awareness about men's health month.