Clare Fm - Podcasts

A protest will take place outside the Dáil today to highlight chronic overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick. The demonstration will take place at Leinster House at 1pm and coincides with the fourth day of the inquest into the death of Shannon teenager Aoife Johnston at UHL in December 2022. The sixteen-year old passed away from bacterial meningitis after waiting 12 hours on chairs in the Emergency Department, and a doctor who treated her on the night has told the coroners court the ED "was not a safe environment". Organiser of today's protest, Mike Daly says services in the MidWest are nowhere near good enough.

A call has been made for the demolition of the Ennis Market Building. Built at a cost of €1.75m in 2016, the covered facility was intended to accommodate traders and farmers markets, while providing car-parking in its downtime. The site has struggled to attract vendors though and in December, Clare County Council contracted a private security firm to monitor the premises due to concerns for public safety, stemming from persistent instances of anti-social behaviour. Labour local election candidate in the Ennis Municipal District, Seamus Ryan, believes the structure should be knocked to the ground and repurposed rather than draining public funds.

125 Transition Year students from St.Flannan's College in Ennis will climb Croagh Patrick tomorrow to raise much needed funds for local charities. The money raised by the students will be donated to Cahercalla Community Care, Milford Hospice and Cancer Care Galway. Over €2,300 has already been raised by the students through various fundraising campaigns. Edel Vaughan, teacher at St.Flannans's, says the cause is very important to all at the school.

It's claimed Ennis and County Clare has lost one of its most genial and hardworking public representatives. It follows the passing of former Mayor of Ennis and Fianna Fáil Councillor Raymond Greene. Raymond was first elected to the town council in 1991 and was elected as the county town's first citizen the following year. Clare Fianna Fáil PRO Michael McTigue has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that Raymond was a man who never sought acclaim for his achievements and always put the needs of others before his own.

There has been a surge in support for the reopening of the Crusheen Rail Stop. In March, Clare County Council commissioned Repucon Consulting to conduct a feasibility study to examine the socio-economic benefits of re-instating the North Clare rail stop. Within the first two weeks, the survey has already received over 1,000 public submissions weighing in on the prospect of reinstating the line that closed to passenger traffic in 1976. Colman O'Raghallaigh from West On Track believes the reopening the station is inevitable.

A Clare farming representative believes the exodus of young people from agriculture is driving down the price of land. New data from the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and Teagasc has revealed Clare has the lowest average price for farmland in Munster and the fifth-lowest nationwide. The agricultural sector supports 12,000 people in Clare, or roughly 20,000 of the county's population, and the average age of a farmer here is 59. O'Callaghan's Mills Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association representative Martin McMahon has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons he believes land prices will fall over time if young people aren't incentivised to purse a career in the sector.

A Clare community worker has claimed that the ability to vote in local elections enables greater integration in communities. In the past fortnight, 12 Clare based community organisations have come together to help marginalised groups to register ahead of the upcoming local and European elections in June. The initiative will continue into early May and aims to provide assistance to people living in emergency accomodation and direct provision centres. Alina Senkova, Community Development worker with the Clare Local Development Company, says refugees need time to become familiar with their local representatives.

Over the past week, more European medals have come to Clare, with Odin McNulty of the West Clare Taekwon-Do Club picking up bronze in the patterns section of the Euro championships in Poland. The club is one of the fastest growing in the area, and members are now regularly featuring on national squads. Ahead of travelling to the championships, Clare FM's Derrick Lynch spoke with Odin and some other members of the club to find out how things are going.

It’s a busy weekend for the Cheese Press, Ger Woulfe, a musician from Cork, will play the Cheese Press in Ennistymon this Saturday. American artist Casey Black will also play there on Monday night. On Wednesday's Morning Focus, Ger and Casey joined Alan Morrissey to discuss the upcoming concerts. Ger plays Sat 27th 8pm and Casey is playing with support from his friend Mick Flannery, who plays April 29th 8pm. Picture (c) cheesepressennistymon.ie

Transition Year students from St. Flannan’s College are getting ready to take on a big challenge, in aid of local charities. Tomorrow they will climb Croagh Patrick to raise vital funds for Cahercalla Community Care, Milford Hospice and Cancer Care Galway. To find out more about the climb, Alan Morrissey was joined in studio by Transition Year Students, Maggie Murphy and Alex Furey, and teacher, Edel Vaughan from St Flannan's. To donate, please visit: https://gofund.me/ddfd86b7

This year’s Darkness Into Light will take place on the morning of Saturday, 11th of May at 4:15am. The early morning event by Pieta, billed as “the most important sunrise of the year”, is a huge fundraiser for suicide prevention. Its launch will take place tomorrow. To find out more about the event, Alan Morrissey was joined by Mary Howard, Ennis Municipal District Fine Gael Councillor & Darkness Into Light Committee member on Wednesday's Morning Focus.

The funeral mass of a seven-year-old boy from South-East Clare who tragically passed away after getting into difficulty in a hotel swimming pool, will take place today. Shay Lynch from O'Briensbridge was pronounced dead at University Hospital Limerick on Saturday afternoon following the incident at the Lakeside Hotel in Killaloe. He was a first class pupil at Scoil Seanain Naofa in Clonlara and a member of Clonlara GAA Club, which have both paid tribute to him as a talented, loved and valued member of their communities. Shay will be laid to rest in St.Thomas' Church Grounds in Bridgetown after 11am funeral mass in St.Senan's Church Clonlara. He is survived by his parents James and Tania and sister Abi. Clonlara Co-Parish Priest and Chief Celebrant Fr.Pat Mulcahy says Shay was a child full of goodness and happiness.

Residents of Miltown Malbay area are said to be sleeping in fear due to fire risks presented by malpractice from mobile fast food vendors. It follows concerns raised by constituents in the electoral area relating to flammable and hazardous products being discarded in residential settings following festivals and events. Clare County Council has confirmed it's exploring solutions in two towns where there have been consistent breaches of casual trading bye-laws. Miltown Malbay native, Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn says there are serious public security concerns.

Clare Manager Michael Neylon Ahead Of Cork Clash In Munster U20 Football Championship

It's claimed Ballyvaughan is at risk of becoming a ghost town due to the proliferation of guest houses and hotels now housing International Protection Applicants. It follows a meeting held between community representatives and the Department of Integration last night over the imminent arrival of Asylum Seekers, comprised of family units, to Drumcreehy House in the village.

Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has announced his intention to contest the European election in the Ireland South Constituency. The Scariff deputy has respresented this county in the Dáil since the 2020 general election and previously from 2011 to 2016. Citing immigration as one of his key issues, along with agriculture and renewable energy, he's criticised the Government for ceding on key areas of national sovereignty to Brussels. Deputy Michael McNamara has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that too many important policy decisions affecting the MidWest are being made in Europe without accountability.

An award-winning Clare family carer is calling for the practice of medical gaslighting of women to be brought to an end. It follows the launch of the new €11 million phase of the Government's action plan for women's healthcare. Bringing the total women's health funding allocation since 2020 to over €140 million, the Women's Health Action Plan 2024-25 is aimed at expanding and developing priority initiatives as identified by the Women's Health Taskforce. This includes the expansion of the Free Contraception Scheme from 31 to 35 years, a renewed focus on women at midlife and older, increased capacity for endometriosis services, enhanced screening services and increased investment in Termination of Pregnancy services. Mental health services have been special given attention with the establishment of 11 Specialist Eating Disorder Teams, six multidisciplinary teams in perinatal mental health services, and perinatal midwife posts across 13 sites. 2022 Netwatch Clare Family Carer of the Year and Ennis resident,

The Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland is hoping to bring attention to the daily "slaughter" occurring in Gaza ahead of a talk in Clare this week. Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid will be speaking at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point this Thursday at 8pm to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories. It comes as international governments are being urged to resume funding to UNRWA after an independent review has found Israel has provided no evidence of any wrongoing within the organisation. Her Excellency says it's crucial that people grasp the level of devastation being perpetrated on innocent civilians on a daily basis.

To discuss the latest in the entertainment world, Alan Morrissey was joined by Clare FM’s Colum McGrath, on Tuesday’s Morning Focus. This week, Colum discussed Taylor Swift’s new album, the IFTAs, and Hozier who joins Sinead O’Connor, U2 and Gilbert O’Sullivan as only the fourth Irish artist ever, to have a No. 1 in the US on the Billboard 100 song charts with 'Too Sweet'.

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by John Burns, retired Deputy Principal at Rice College and Director of the Burns Study Centre in Ennis. This week, John discussed when grinds are needed, getting the most out of grinds, and how to choose the right grind for you.