Clare Fm - Podcasts

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke to Fergal O’Keefe, host of the Travel Tales with Fergal podcast. On this week’s Travel Tales, Fergal discussed Andalusia and locations that are worth a visit in Córdoba and Seville.

Spanish Point will be the location for what is being described as a “series of special immersive, sensory & bilingual experiences by the sea” this coming weekend. Soundscapes and Seascapes, which takes place from Friday to Sunday, will allow participants to connect to our sense of place through our connection to the landscape and weaving in the Irish language. To find out more about what will be happening, Alan Morrissey was joined by the organiser, Sionnáin Michelle Shannon, on Tuesday's Morning Focus.

It's claimed a state acceptance of poverty is leading to detrimental outcomes for disadvantaged children in Clare. It comes as the Ombudsman for Children's report for 2023, shows 14 complaints were made over public services for children in this county, with almost 1,800 complaints lodged nationwide. 46% of complaints related to TUSLA or health services, 40% involved education with issues such as bullying and access to school transport arising, while 7% related to local authority housing. Coordinator of the West Clare Family Resource Centre, Mary O’Donoghue has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan the lack of adequate services is seriously affecting the future development and well-being of vulnerable children.

An academic in this region expects the issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Government figures to have significant political and legal consequences. Joe Biden has described the ICC Chief Prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, as well as senior Hamas leaders, as "outrageous" and claims there's "no equivalence" between the actions of Israel and Hamas. Tánaiste Micheál Martin say it's not appropriate for the US President to criticise the ICC that the accusation of war crimes against Israel is hard to dispute. Human Rights Professor at the University of Galway Professor Ray Murphy say it's not surprising Netanyahu and Biden have reacted negatively to the ICC's decision.

Clare's Dog Warden is issuing a renewed warning after an incident involving visitors to a popular West Clare beach. On Sunday, a boxer dog at Doughmore Beach in Doonbeg was judged to have posed a danger while a group of photographers and family with young children were on the beach. A €300 fine was subsequently issued to the owners under the Control of Dogs Act. Clare County Dog Warden Frankie Coote says people need to be aware of the potential public safety risks of their dogs.

A Clare-born writer is set to have her legacy secured in this county with the renaming of a library in her honour this evening. An event taking place later on will officially mark the renaming of Scariff Public Library to the Edna O'Brien Library, following a unanimous decision by East Clare local representatives earlier this year. Born in Tuamgraney on December 15th 1930, Edna O'Brien has long been considered one of Ireland's most gifted, groundbreaking and provocative creative figures. Before embarking on her literary career, she attended the National School in Scariff, the Convent of Mercy at Loughrea and the Pharmaceutical College in Dublin. No stranger to controversy, her first novel "The Country Girls" was banned in Ireland for its sexual imagery and national critique, but has been credited with breaking the silence on sexuality in Ireland. For her work, the Tuamgraney native has been appointed to the state-supported association of Irish artists, Aosdána and has been bestowed the organisation's hig

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 the benefits of being a teacher and gave advice to those seeking a career in teaching.

Clare’s Gillian Donnellan is continuing her preparations, as she gets ready to represent Clare at the Blue Jean Country Queen Festival. The Blue Jean Country Queen Festival, which has been held in Athboy, Co. Meath, since 1987, is a volunteer-run festival organised by Meath Macra na Feirme. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined in studio by Gillian Donnellan.

On Tuesday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke with the Principal of Kildysart National School, Kathleen Ryan to discuss the urgent road safety issues impacting their community. Kathleen shares insights on the challenges faced by students and parents, and outlines the school’s initiatives to promote safer streets. Picture (c) Kildysart NS Parents Association via Facebook

Clare Minor Hurling Manager Brian O'Connell After Munster Final Loss

The HSE has told Clare County Council that 15% of patients are responsible for accessing 50% of available services in the MidWest. It comes as HSE MidWest Regional Executive Officer Sandra Broderick held a behind closed doors meeting with elected representatives yesterday to discuss local service deficits, including ambulance response times and emergency capacity. It's understood a commitment was made at the meeting on the provision of an additional 50 acute beds in the region per year. HSE Regional Health Forum West Member Kilkee Fianna Fáil Councillor Cillian Murphy says the region's unique age profile is challenging the healthcare system.

Flooding on farmland is said to be one of the foremost concerns of people in West Clare. Following excessive rainfall in recent months, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine has recently told the Dáil it would be "premature to consider providing a grant scheme to farmers to develop land drains on their boundaries". 12,000 people, or roughly 20% of Clare's working population, are currently employed in the agricultural sector. Ballyea resident and Green Party local election candidate Susan Griffin says as extreme weather events become more commonplace, it's up to legislators to provide defences to protect farmers.

Niamh Blake, a primary school teacher from Kilbaha, will be hosting a fundraiser later this week. The event in Kilkee will take place on Friday, starting around 9 pm in the Central Bar in Kilkee. It is in aid of the West Clare Cancer Center and Nurture Africa. To Find Out more Alan Morrissey spoke with Niamh on Monday's Morning Focus.

Fear has been expressed that renters in Clare will be unable to save for their own homes as the monthly price of tenancies continues to heavily outweigh its mortgage equivalent. According to Daft.ie's latest report, the average price of renting a two-bed home here is now €1,035, but the same property would cost just €520 in monthly mortgage repayments. Since December last year though, the average cost of renting in Clare has fallen by 2.5% which is the largest drop in Munster, where just 240 homes were available to buy since January. Report Author and Economist Ronan Lyons has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that the best chance of getting on the property ladder at the moment, is availing of grants to build your own home.

The Clare branch of Samaritans claims even a short phone call with one of its volunteers can be of "tremendous help" to someone in difficulty. The charity's newly-published Impact Report for 2023 has revealed that its 1,500 volunteers answered 400,000 phone calls last year, and has called for additional government support to bolster its services. A deal with six major telecom companies has been extended this week meaning the charity's 116 123 helpline will remain free of charge for at least the next five years. Director of Clare Samaritans Pat White says the contribution made by each volunteer is invaluable.

A European election candidate for this region believes Ireland needs to opt out of the EU migration pact to retain control over the number of Asylum Seekers entering the country. In March, Justice Minister Helen McEntee received approval to opt into measures of the pact which will include a greater emphasis on returning unsuccessful International Protection Applications to their country of origin. Under the Lisbon Treaty, Ireland is one of three member states that can opt-out of EU laws on freedom, security and justice, unless it voluntarily decides not to. Leader of Ireland First and Ireland South Candidate, Derek Blighe says the Government is losing all control of the situation.

On Monday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrisssey was joined by Tom Stewart from Keane’s Garden Centre in Kilcolgan. This week, Tom gave listeners advice on how to grow lavender at home in the garden. 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 Monday’s Morning Focus, it was time again for our Arts Slot with County Art’s Officer Siobhán Mulcahy. Siobhán provided our listeners with all the details of this week’s live events for entertainment lovers in Banner County. This week, Siobhán discussed the Don Quixote Film, the Circus, the Tuamgraney Festival and much more!

Clare FM's Syl O'Connor & Tommy Guilfoyle call the action as Clare beat Waterford in a dramatic Munster SHC tie in Cusack Park

The Ancient Parish of Moynoe nOrbraighe County Clare is the title of the latest book by Gerard Madden. It will be launched in Scariff this Friday, on the 24th of May at McNamara’s Bar, at 8pm. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by author, Gerard Madden on Monday's Morning Focus.