Clare Fm - Podcasts

Fr Brendan Quinlivan leads our Sunday Prayer for today the 30th June 2024, the 13thSunday of Ordinary Time.

Clare Residents are being urged to apply for a newly expanded free public transport scheme. It comes as the Government has announced it will be extending the Free Travel Scheme to those living with either epilepsy, a long-term health condition or disability and have been declared medically unfit to drive for at least a year. Those eligible must hold a Public Service Card and submit a new Travel Application form, signed by their GP before July 29th. Clare Public Participation Network member Theresa O'Donohue says it's unbelievable that it has taken this long to finally happen.

A Clare Auctioneer is urging the government to expedite its review of the planning system. It comes as new figures show 529 homes to received planning permission in this county over the past three years, came with a condition that prevented multiple sales to a single buyer. Currently, 385 homes proposed for Clare are held up by judicial reviews and planning appeals. Liam Browne from Paddy Browne Real Estate Agents in Ennis says the delays are seriously hurting the chances of first time buyers.

Clare FM Sideline View Friday June 28th Coming up on the show we will be looking ahead to Clare's All Ireland intermediate ladies football quarter-final showdown with Tyrone in Cusack Park We will also hear about the Clare girls hoping to secure international silverware for Ireland on the volleyball circuit, and we talk hurling in west and north Clare with a new tournament aimed at continuing the development of the game in those areas

A West Clare Councillor is imploring the Government to prioritise water infrastructure upgrades in rural Ireland with the same urgency as the capital. It comes as Cabinet has this week approved a €4.5bn project to extract 2% of the River Shannon's average flow each year, to address water supply deficits in the Greater Dublin area. Uisce Eireann says the project is neccessary as currently 1.7million people in Dublin are served by a single water source at the River Liffey. Doonbeg Fianna Fáil Councillor Rita McInerney says it's unacceptable that West Clare has to live with near daily outages, while Dublin flourishes.

An Ennis political economist has claimed that consumers will see an increase in buying power this year and into 2025. The Economic and Social Research Institute is predicting earnings should rise by more than 4% this year and almost 5% next year while inflation is forecasted to fall to 2.3% this year and 1.9% in 2025. As a result The ESRI is forecasting an increase in workers earnings of 2.2% in 2024 and 3.1% next year. Ennis native and Assistant Professor of Social Policy at UCD, Dr Micheál Collins says although its a modest increase, its a big difference to what has been experienced by consumers in recent years.

An East Clare Village will host the latest popup Gaeltacht in this county next Wednesday evening. Nuala's Bar & Restaurant in Tuamgraney is the location for the event facilitated by Conradh na Gaelige. Scarriff, Feakle and Mountshannon have all previously played host to the event which caters to people with all levels of Irish. Organiser of the event Brenán Baguio believes conversation is the best way to preserve the language.

Clare's newly-appointed Seasonal Dog Warden says she'll strive to make the county's beaches safe spaces for all this summer. The local authority has bolstered its beach patrols for the summer bathing season in order to combat issues such as dog fouling and dog attacks. Clare FM's Seán Lyons reports. ===== With the summer bathing season now well underway, Clare County Council has vowed to take a dogged approach to beach safety. From May 15th up to September 15th, a host of beaches across the county are monitored for dog control. The monitored areas are Ballyalla Lake, Ballycuggeran, Killaloe, Bishopsquarter, Brew's Bridge, Cappagh, Carrigaholt, Doolin, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Querrin Pier, Quilty, Seafield, Spanish Point, Trá Leathan, White Strand Doonbeg and White Strand Miltown Malbay. To facillitate these patrols, Annette Kenny has been appointed as Seasonal Dog Warden for the county. She says her role isn't to prevent people from enjoying the summer months with their canine companion

The Paul McNamara Memorial Walk returns for a second year this July after a hugely successful inaugural walk in 2023. The 8km Memorial Walk, which takes place on Sunday, will start from New Quay. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Mina McNamara, Organiser and Widow of Paul McNamara and Joe Queally, Historian and Author from Fanore who is involved with the Ennis Fundraising Branch for the RNLI. Photo (c): Galway Advertiser

It is time for the third episode of our newest feature on Morning Focus, Energising Clare. This new feature will be about educating you, the listener, on renewables. On this weeks episode, Alan Morrissey was joined by Dr. Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures in UCC to discuss the impact of renewables on electricity price.

It's predicted Irish workers will be seeing their incomes rise in real terms this year and in 2025. The Economic and Social Research Institute's (ESRI)’s Summer Quarterly Economic Commentary is putting this down to falling inflation and ongoing increases in wages. The ESRI is forecasting that on average earnings should rise by more than 4% this year and closer to 5% next year. But this will be offset by inflation which will drop this year to 2.3%, before decreasing further to 1.9% in 2025. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Dr Micheál Collins, who is an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at UCD. Photo (c) jordan_rusev from Getty via Canva.com

Clare’s Blue Flag beaches have received a big boost, with the news that additional dog control patrols will be in place at Clare’s beaches. Clare County Council has assigned an additional dedicated Beach Dog Warden, who will dog control during the bathing season. For more details on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Frankie Coote, County Dog Warden and Annette Kenny, Seasonal Dog Warden.

The Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills will make its return later this summer. The festival, which is due to take place in mid-August, has been described as ‘an intergenerational festival of lost skills celebrating and showcasing the knowledge of older people in our communities that can help us all to live a truly sustainable life’. To talk about the festival and what we can expect from it, Alan Morrissey was joined by Aoife Hammond, the Organiser of The Rekindle Festival of Lost Skills.

On Thursday’s show we spoke about the situation affecting the Ukrainian refugees who were living in Phoenix House in the Shannon Town Centre, but who now have been relocated to Lisdoonvarna. A similar issue has cropped up in the Loop Head Peninsula, where Ukrainian refugees living in the local community have been issued with a relocation notice. The shocked local community have responded by calling an Emergency Meeting to take place in Halla Eoin, Kilbaha this evening. To explain this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Mags Cotter, the Nominated Community Spokesperson.

A Clare Oireachtas Health Committee member has criticised the Health Minister for his failure to provide a timeline on an upcoming review of the region's main hospital. Minister Stephen Donnelly announced in May that a HIQA-led review of University Hospital Limerick would be conducted which would consider the case for a second emergency department in the Midwest as well as other reforms. The announcement came one week after an unannounced HIQA inspection found the Dooradoyle facility to be non-compliant with three of four key safety standards. Speaking in the Seanad, Ennistymon Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway says the public have lost patience and deserve answers.

The incoming Mayor of Ennis insists building consensus around the Ennis 2040 proposals will be of pivotal importance during her tenure. Fianna Fáil Councillor Clare Colleran-Molloy has been chosen to wear the mayoral chain of the county town for the coming year, while her party colleague, newly-elected Councillor Antoinette Baker Bashua, will serve as Leas Cathaoirleach. Candidates campaigning against Ennis 2040 received over 7,500 first preference votes in the recent local elections, although Ennis 2040 board members Mary Howard and Clare Colleran-Molloy got the second and fourth-highest amount of votes, respectively. Clarecastle Fine Gael Paul Murphy meanwhile, who's expressed broad support for the proposals, was third over the line. With a broad range of opinions existing with Ennis Municipal District on the developments in the county town, Mayor Colleran-Molloy says democracy must prevail.

Almost 7,000 patients have left the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick without receiving treamtent in the last year. New figures released by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly through a parliamentary question show a total 6,722 people left Dooradoyle without completing their full episode of care since last March. According to the HSE, emergency admissions at UHL have increased by 13% in the last year, with attendances from those aged over 75, up by 15%. Clare Independent TD Violet Anne Wynne has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that services for older people, such as GP practices need to be prioritised in the MidWest.

A Clare Green Party Senator claims the introduction of a night bus between Ennis and Ennistymon would be a huge benefit to people who are "restricted to what they can do at night" The latest bus to Ennistymon currently leaves Ennis at 6:30pm, but additional services will now be added from 8pm to 11pm. The service, operated by Locallink, aims to provide regional balance to rural areas and safe transport to and from Ennis later at night. Inagh Green Party Senator Roisin Garvey says the service provides an option for people who would otherwise be unable to travel.

On Thursday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Petrina O’Halloran for Parenthood in Focus. Petrina is the founder of Mama’s Boobie Box, mum blogger and writer for online magazine Boobingit.com. This week, Petrina talked about Summer Holiday Safety.

On ‘Clare Women in Business‘ this week, Pat Flynn meets Lissycasey based career and life coach Emma Lynch.