Clare Fm - Podcasts

A very big occasion is coming up soon for St. Flannan’s College, and particularly some of its former pupils. The occasion in question is the 50th anniversary of those students who sat their Leaving Cert at St. Flannan’s in 1974. To take a trip down memory lane, and find out details on the planned reunion for those students, Alan Morrissey was joined by members of the organising committee, Pat Breen and Pat Daly. Picture (c) St Flannan's via Facebook

The Clare-based Chair of Sadaka, the Ireland-Palestine Alliance, believes it'll soon be "political or logically" impossible for Ireland to have any dealings with Israel. The comments come as the Taoiseach has told the President of the Palestinian Authority that Ireland's decision to recognise the Palestinian state was to keep hopes for a two-state solution alive. Following the announcement that Ireland, Spain and Norway will formally recognise the state of Palestine next Tuesday May 28th, Israel has acted swifty by recalling its envoys to Ireland and Spain for "urgent consultation". The Israeli foreign ministry warned in advance of the decision that recognising the state would "only fuel extremism and instability", while the country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has characterised the move as a "prize for terrorism". Taoiseach Simon Harris is standing firm however and says Israel shouldn't be surprised by the decision. It comes in a week when the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Cour

A daily non-stop service linking Shannon to New York will return to the skies this weekend for the first time in five years. Delta Airlines, will resume its direct route to JFK Airport at 12.50pm on Saturday and will be the only operator in Ireland providing such a service. A Boeing 767 aircraft will be deployed for the route, meaning there will be space for 3,024 passengers to travel between Shannon and New York each week. Delta Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, Matteo Curcio says they're expecting huge demand.

There are calls for more new social housing schemes to be spread throughout West Clare as a matter of urgency. It comes as over 400 households in the region are awaiting an offer of social housing from the local authority. There are currently plans to construct 17 social honmes in Kilrush by 2025, with a further 61 units due to come on stream between Kilkee, Doonbeg and Kilrush during 2026. Quilty based Fianna Fáil local election candidate Michael Shannon believes these developments are not being spread wide enough.

Former pupils from St. Flannans College have a momentous occasion edging closer on their calenders. Its the 50th anniversary of those students who sat their leaving cert at the Ennis based school in 1974. The planned reunion is set to take place at St. Flannan's College on Friday night where the former students will take a nostalgic tour through the college re-living some old memories. Member of the organising committee Pat Breen says, it will be very nostalgic for former students to see the changes made to the college over the past 50 years.

On Thursday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Fiona Duffy and Barry Duffy, the co-organisers involved with a charity cycle taking place this Sunday, the 26th of May. Participants will cycle over 900km, with all proceeds going to four different charities. You can find the GoFundme link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/amanda-boylan-nee-duffy Picture (c) by Solovyova from Getty Images Pro via Canva

Ireland will formally recognise Palestine as an independent state from the 28th of May. The Taoiseach, Simon Harris says it's important Ireland is on the right side of history. He noted how important independence was to Ireland and wants to extend this to Palestine in its darkest hour. However, Israel’s reaction was quick, with its foreign minister immediately announcing it is recalling its ambassador to Ireland – claiming the announcement sends a message that terrorism pays. To discuss this further, on Thursday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Kilmaley native, Éamonn Meehan, the Clare-based chair of Sadaka; the Ireland-Palestine Alliance and Donnacha Ó’Beacháin, a Professor of Politics at DCU and Newmarket on Fergus Native. Photo (c) by Pok Rie from Pexels via Canva

On ‘Clare Women in Business ‘ this week, Pat Flynn meets retired nurse and Nordic Walking instructor Joanne Burke.

Clare County Council insists all efforts will be made to replace any parking lost to developments under the Ennis 2040 strategy. It's after a heated meeting at Áras Chontae An Chláir yesterday, in which the Ennis 2040 DAC stated the Abbey Street project could create 141 permanent jobs and would be profit making within seven years of completion. According to the local authority, the Abbey Street building, which would remove 128 parking spaces, will be tailor made for the market demand of a modern corporate entity. Clare County Council CEO Pat Dowling is adamant town centre parking will still be delivered elsewhere to attract people to live and work in the town.

The UL Hospitals Group is being urged to outsource MRI scans to the private sector in the MidWest in order to alleviate chronic waiting lists. New HSE figures show that 6,720 patients are currently on a waiting list for an MRI scan at University Hospital Limerick, with 44% waiting longer than 18 months. Works to extend the Radiology Department at UHL to add a third MRI machine are currently underway, but are not expected to be completed until 2026. HSE Regional Health Forum West member Lahinch Green Party Councillor Liam Grant says alternative solutions must be identified as soon as possible.

Fear has been expressed the number of patient deaths will grow at University Hospital Limerick without an urgent enhancement of services at Ennis General. New HSE figures show that 239 patients have died in the Emergency Department at UHL since 2019, which is more 22% above that of the next busiest facility on the Western Seaboard, Galway University Hospital. Earlier this week, HSE MidWest Regional Executive Officer Sandra Broderick told the local authority, that the Community Healthcare Organisation of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary has by far the oldest demographic in the country. Friends of Ennis Hospital Spokesperson Deirdre Culligan has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that services for older people and Local Injury Unit hours need to be scaled up as soon as possible to alleviate pressure.

A member of Clare County Council's housing committee claims government policy has failed middle income earners in this county. It follows an independent report from the housing commission which estimates that 56,000 homes need to built from next year until 2034 in order address existing deficits and meet future demand. Last month, construction commenced on 188 new one-off houses in Clare, which is the highest total here since records began in 2014. Clarecastle Sinn Féin local election candidate Tommy Guilfoyle insists though the lack of affordable housing is locking a generation out of home ownership.

A Shannon shopkeeper has hit out over litter levels in the area, describing the situation as "unmanageable". Fresh calls are being made for additional bins to be provided in the town, amid complaints of consistent and widespread littering. Shannon is the latest community in Clare where littering, illegal dumping and fly tipping are being reported. The Drumgeely area, which consists of houses, apartments, as well as a number of businesses, is currently benefitting from improvement works as part of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The works have resulted, however, in the temporary removal of a number of bins, which locals say has led to a spike in littering in the vicinity. Sean Moran is the owner of the Daybreak shop in Drumgeely and he claims it's impossible to keep a handle on rubbish outside his business. The frequent sight of rubbish on the ground in Drumgeely has partially been attributed to crows swooping down and tearing bins apart. Cathaoirleach of Shannon Municipal District, Sinn Féin Counc

A Clare business is hoping to claim a prestigious national accolade for its efforts to help people suffering from drug addiction. Ennis based Atlantic Clinical Packaging will be representing the county in the finals of the National Enterprise Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin tomorrow evening. The company specialises in one-use harm reduction products which will help drug users to avoid illnesses such as HIV and Hepatitis. Michael Considine, Managing Director of Atlantic Clinical Packaging says their goal is to assist people on the road to recovery.

2024 is the year that sees Clare Camogie celebrate its 90th anniversary, with a programme of events planned for the coming months to mark that milestone. This weekend sees Clare begin the All-Ireland senior championship with a home tie against Down in Cusack Park, and ahead of that, Clare FM's Derrick Lynch was joined by a host of guests to reflect on the journey Clare Camogie has been on, and where it plans to go.

It is time to bring you another weird and wonderful tale, which means it is time for another edition of Seanchaí Corner. Seanchaí Corner sees the renowned author, storyteller, lecturer, and broadcaster Eddie Lenihan regaling us with a memorable story from his extensive collection of old Irish tales and fables. In our latest installment of Seanchaí Corner, Eddie Lenihan brings us a strange tale about the priest and his encounter with the black dog.

The Woodstock Hotel will be the venue for the Connecting Communities Expo taking place this Thursday, the 23rd May from 4pm – 7pm. The Expo offers attendees a unique opportunity to discover how they can make a difference in their communities through volunteering. To find out more, on Wednesday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Sarah Ferrigan, from Clare PPN and Agnes O’Shaughnessy, Assistant to the CEO at Clare Local Development Company.

Littering, illegal dumping, and fly tipping are issues that seem to persist in parts of Clare and in Shannon, which has proven to be both a consistent and widespread problem. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey spoke with Cllr. Donna McGettigan, Cathaoirleach of Shannon, MD and Sinn Fein Local Election Candidate. Alan was also joined by Keith McNamara, an Independent Local Election Candidate, and Sean Moran, Owner of Daybreak in Drumgeely.

A Clare TD is arguing Ireland can't afford to turn its nose to any type of housing following a damning report by the Housing Commission. The expert body, which was established by the Housing Minister to examine housing issues, has submitted its report which calls for a "radical strategic reset of housing policy" to the Department. Based on population growth projections, the report indicates an annual average of 23,500 homes would have to be delivered between 2025 to 2034 to address the housing deficit. Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe believes to meet housing demand, going forward, all types of housing need to be on the table.

Elected representatives in Ennis are being called on to stop "grandstanding and name-calling" and instead focus on working for the town's future. The comments from local election candidate Hillary Tonge come ahead of Ennis 2040 DAC's presentation to Clare County Council, which was due to take place last week, but has been deferred to this afternoon. Ennis Municipal District is currently divided on the issue of the Ennis 2040 developments, with Councillors Mary Howard, Clare Colleran-Molloy and Ann Norton all members of the board. Councillor Paul Murphy also in favour of the proposals, while Pat Daly and Tom O'Callaghan against the plans. Following recent clashes between councillors, Ennis Social Democrats candidate, Hilary Tonge insists being "at eachother's throats" will achieve nothing.