Clare Fm - Podcasts

The deferral of scheduled care at Ennis Hospital, UHL and other Midwest facilities this week has been described as "completely unacceptable". It's now two days since the HSE took the decision to cancel elective and day surgery as well as outpatient appointments for an indefinite period of time across UL Hospitals Group facilities. The Emergency Department in Dooradoyle remains open 24/7 while Injury Units and medical assessment units at Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's are all operating as normal. Irish Hospital Consultant Association President Gabrielle Colleran has been telling me the people of the Midwest have been abandoned "by virtue of what their postcode is".

An Ennis principal says he wants to see a secondary school admission process similar to what operates in the county town rolled out to south-east Clare. Education Minister Norma Foley has confirmed a centralised admission process for post-primary schools will be introduced in several high-pressure towns and suburbs for the 2025 school year. The system is already in place in Ennis and Limerick City where parents submit one form on which they indicate their preference of the local second-level schools instead of making individual applications. Ennis CBS Primary School Assistant Principal Colm Davoren says towns and villages on the Clare/Limerick border would benefit greatly from such a system. [CLIP] Additional first year places have been created for September in the likes of Greystones, Maynooth and Cellbridge, and it's believed these will be among the areas where a centralised admission process will be first introduced. Former INTO President and Corofin Fianna Fáil Councillor Joe Killeen believes the sy

It is time for the ninth episode of our newest feature on Morning Focus, Energising Clare. This new feature will be about educating you, the listener, on renewables. On this week’s episode, Alan Morrissey was joined by Policy Manager with Wind Energy Ireland Caoimhe McCarthy, to discuss offshore wind energy.

It is time for the twenty-fifth episode of our newest feature on Morning Focus, Village Tour, where Alan Morrissey paid a visit to Ballyvaughan. 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.

The Clarecastle Show will take place this coming weekend. The popular event will be held on Sunday (11th August). To fill us in on what we can expect, Alan Morrissey was joined by Susan Finnerty. Photo (c): The Clarecastle Show via Facebook

Aer Lingus is being urged to reconsider its decision to close its cargo base at Shannon Airport. The IAG group has confirmed it will cease operations at the facility at the end of the year. It’s understood around 18 people are employed at the facility and the International Airlines Group says it will commence a consultation process with staff representatives to explore options. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe and SIPTU Aviation Sector Organiser Niall Phillips. Photo (c): Pat Flynn

It's claimed a new funding boost from the Government will allow Meals on Wheels services to be spread further in West Clare. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, announced this week that an additional €10m will be made available for meals on wheels services with every branch able to apply for funding of up to €25,000. The scheme, which is operated by Obair, has grown from having ten people availing of the programme along one route to now providing services to eight routes with upwards of 40,000 meals issued annually countywide. Service Co-Ordinator for Obair in Clare, Eimear Murphy, says the availability of extra funding enables them to expand their services further across the county.

It's claimed those responsible for facilitating Clare's drug trade are not receiving the harsh sentences deserved for inflicting severe damage on local communities. New Figures obtained by Aontú show 659 drug related arrests were made in the Clare/Tipperary Garda Division between January and July. Within the first three months of this year, 15 arrests were made in Clare relating to the possession of drugs for sale or supply; which is an increase of 50% in the space of twelve months. Aontú MidWest PRO, Eric Nelligan, believes the Government needs to clamp down hard on those enabling drug culture.

The HSE claims procedures have been cancelled at Ennis Hospital to allow University Hospital Limerick to "reset" amid another overcrowding spike. Elective and day surgeries as well as outpatient appointments have been deferred at UHL, Ennis, Nenagh, St. John's and Croom Hospitals as 120 admitted patients were waiting for a bed at the Dooradoyle facility this morning. Among the exceptions to the scheduled care deferrals are time-critical surgery, cancer services, cardiology services and dialysis. Regional Executive Officer of HSE Mid West Sandra Broderick has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons appointments have been postponed at Ennis to free-up beds for patients who don't need to be at UHL.

Aer Lingus is being urged to reconsider it's decision to close its cargo base at Shannon Airport The IAG group has confirmed it cease operations at the facility by the end of the year as "Cargo volumes at Shannon have declined by half in recent years and haven't recovered post Covid". It's understood around 30 people are employed at the facility and the International Airlines Group says it will commence a consultation process with staff representatives to explore options. Clare Senator and Oireachtas Transport Committe Member Timmy Dooley has been telling Clare FM's Daragh Dolan that ideally Aer Lingus should aim to retain the service, its vital the workforce receive fair treatment.

Rural emigration is being seen to have a major impact on social life in North Clare. Opportunities for employment elsewhere and a lack of affordable housing and local facilities mean that rural areas of North Clare have seen steep population decline in recent years. A symptom of this is being seen in the local Ballyvaughan-Fanore GAA club which is facing a fight for its existence after being a pillar of the community for over 100 years. Vice-Chairman of the Ballyvaughan-Fanore GAA Club, Kieran Linnane, is worried that continued population decline would signal a 'death nail' for the local community.

Cusack Park is awash with excitement this week as the 4th running of the Clare Sports Partnership Autism Spectrum Disorder Cul Camp is held at the county grounds. 60 children are once again participating in this years event, with a range of activities designed to ensure that everyone who takes part gets to enjoy a fun filled morning. Clare FM's Derrick Lynch went along to meet some of those involved, starting with Finance and Governance Manager with Clare Sports Partnership, Catherine Ryan, to find out how this idea all came about.

On Thursday’s Morning Focus Alan Morrissey was joined by Paul Knapps, The Firefighting Chef, from Killaloe. This week Paul shared a delicious recipe for vegan oreo cheesecake. Recipe: Ingredients Oreo Biscuit Base: 300g Oreo cookies 75g dairy free spread/ plant based butter (salted or unsalted both are ok) Oreo Cheesecake Filling: 400 g vegan cream cheese 100g icing sugar. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 100 g vegan/dark chocolate melted and cooled slightly. 200 ml vegan cream 150 g Oreo cookies roughly crushed. Method To make the biscuit base: Mix the crushed Oreos (pop them into a plastic freezer bag and smash up or pulse in a food processor) add the melted dairy-free spread until moistened and holds itself together and then press the Oreo crumbs into a base lined 23cm springform tin until compact and put to one side while you make the cheesecake filling. To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk the vegan cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth and now we cab fold through

We are out and about across County Clare, experiencing some exciting adventures this summer. We have teamed up with Fáilte Ireland to help you experience the ‘Best Daycation Ever’. To get a sample of what is on offer, Colum McGrath has been visiting attractions across Clare for inspiration on how to plan your Best Daycation ever, and experience the feeling of a holiday all in one day, see discoverireland.ie This week, Colum visited Vandeleur Walled Garden. Photo (c): vandeleur walled garden via Visit Ennis

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 children going back to school.

The beautiful Gold Coast in Australia is the location for the 2024 World Lifesaving Championships. The event is set to take place from the 20th of August until the 8th of September and there will be plenty of Clare representation on the Irish team. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by three of the four Clare team members, Ferdia Hayes, Leanna Liddane and Oisin O’Grady.

An athletics club from Clare enjoyed plenty of success at the National Masters Championship over the weekend. Shannon Athletics Club managed to secure 9 medals at the event, which was held in Tullamore. To find out more about the Championship and the club itself, Alan Morrissey was joined by Eamonn Cleary, the chairperson of Shannon Athletics Club. Photo (c): Shannon Athletics Club

Today's show began by focusing on the issue of dangerous driving. This follows complaints of dangerous driving in a housing estate in Shannon. To find out the extent of the problem, Alan Morrissey spoke with Paula Daly, who witnessed a car run a red light in Shannon, and Fine Gael Cllr Tony Mulcahy, Shannon MD. Photo (c) by vitalli from Getty Images

A North Clare councillor says it was a "no brainer" to come to the conclusion that wastewater treatment issues are to blame for the region's water quality problems this week. The HSE has issued an advisory not to swim at Lahinch Beach after routine bathing water samples showed elevated levels of bacteria. It comes in a week when a number of homes and businesses served by the Ennistymon Public Water Scheme have reported taste and odour issues as well as discolouration in their drinking water. Ennistymon Fianna Fáil Councillor Shane Talty insists Uisce Éireann has the power to stamp out persisting problems by addressing legacy wastewater treatment deficits.

On this podcast: Clare FM's Derrick Lynch & Tommy Guilfoyle preview this weekend's opening round games in the TUS Clare SHC & Clare IHC