Clare Fm - Podcasts

Clare dog owners are being reminded it only takes 10 minutes for a dog to die if left in a car. The County Dog Warden was alerted to a situation in recent days in which two dogs were left in the back of a van for a lengthy period of time in 23-degree heat. Dogs that are overweight, of advanced age or have lung or heart disease are especially at risk of heat stroke or death as their respiratory systems are already suppressed. Clare County Dog Warden Frankie Coote says dog owners need to be aware that their pets can do little to fend off extreme heat when locked in a vehicle.

Controversy over GAA GO continues, with Simon Harris now entering the debate. The Taoiseach remarked that the GAA have "gotten this wrong", while Tánaiste Micheál Martin said "I've huge concerns about it, I don't understand it, in terms of the promotion of the game of hurling”. The Taoiseach was among those criticising the streaming service in the aftermath of last weekend’s classic Munster Hurling Championship clash between Cork and All-Ireland champions Limerick, which was available only on GAA GO. To discuss this further Alan Morrissey spoke with Derrick Lynch, Clare FM Sports Editor. Rory Hickey, Clare FM Football Analyst and Timmy Dooley, Clare member of the Oireachtas Media Committee Senator on Tuesday's Morning Focus.

Ger Staunton will be bringing his unique brand of comedy to Clare this summer. The stand-up comedian and actor, hailed as “one of the best comedy writers in Ireland” by the International Comedy Club, will perform at Glór on the 6th of July, in what will be his first-ever show in the Banner County. Alan Morrissey was joined by Comedian and Actor, Ger Staunton on Tuesday's Morning Focus. Picture (c) Glór.ie

Micheál Garrihy from Lisdoonvarna has recently graduated from a US college, where he was on a soccer scholarship. Micheál, who was also awarded Student Athlete of the Year, joined Alan Morrissey on Tuesday's Morning Focus.

You will have heard Colum McGrath reference a very scary incident involving his children on the Breakfast Show on Monday. Colum took his daughter and youngest son, along with a friend of his daughter swimming in Lahinch over the weekend. However, what should have been a lovely day out at the beach for all concerned almost ended in unspeakable tragedy, only for the help of some alert surfers. It has raised the issue once again of lifeguards at Clare’s beaches. To tell us what happened, Colum McGrath joined Alan Morrissey on Tuesday's Morning Focus. Alan was also joined on the line by Richard Brangwyn, a Lahinch Surf Instructor, Liam Grant, a Lahinch Green Party Councillor & Former Lifeguard and Ollie O’Flaherty, Owner of Ollie’s Surf Academy in Lahinch.

Clare County Council is calling on the Government to address the "huge failures" of reconfiguration and the HSE in the MidWest. It’s after a proposal was passed with cross-party support at this week’s meeting of elected representatives; just four days after the Department of Health announced a review to determine if a second Emergency Department is needed in the region. HSE MidWest Regional Executive Officer Sandra Broderick is due to appear before the council next Monday for an in-camera workshop to discuss local service deficits. Shannon Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn says the HSE must recognise that serious action is needed here now.

It's predicted Clare's primary schools will have to ramp up their fundraising efforts due to cuts to their funding from Government. The Department of Education has announced that the annual grant for primary schools has been cut by €16 per pupil - down from €96 to just €80. It comes one year on from the roll-out of the free schoolbooks scheme which was introduced for all primary school students for the 2023/24 year, meaning over 563,000 benefitted. Clare INTO representative Brendan Horan suspects the Government hasn't thought about the long term repercussions cutting funding will have on certain schools.

Avenue's Conor Mullen After Winning CDSL Premier Division Title

The Minister for Rural and Community Development predicts a major funding boost will make an East Clare town a more attractive place to live, work and invest in. As part of a €164 million funding announcement today, Scariff has been granted over €8.7 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. The allocation will go towards the almost €11 million Scariff Integrated Rural Regeneration Project, which will see the renovation of an existing vacant building as a community and enterprise hub, as well as the enhancement of the Market Square. Speaking at the launch of the newly-refurbished Loop Head Lighthouse Visitor Experience today, Minister Heather Humphreys has been telling Clare FM’s Seán Lyons the Government is committed to addressing vacancy and dereliction throughout rural Ireland.

A Clare developer is predicting a major change in building practices in order to stem the housing crisis. It follows a recent report, which found Ireland's competitiveness is at risk, due to the current state of the property market.

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 plants to grow in shaded areas. If you have a question for Tom, contact the show on 0818 400 964 or send a text or Whatsapp to 086 1800 964.

The Government is being criticised for dragging its heels on a major renewable energy project off Clare's coast. Under the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce plan, the state is aiming to harness 30 GW (Gigga-Watts) of offshore green energy and to create 50,000 jobs in the region by 2050. Despite being launched last year though, no projects in the Shannon Estuary Maritime area have been zoned for wind energy development. Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Chair Barry O'Sullivan says local authorities should have the power to zone offshore sites to expedite the process.

To discuss the latest in the entertainment world, Alan Morrissey was joined by Clare FM’s Colum McGrath, on Monday’s Morning Focus. This week, Colum discussed the results of this year's Eurovison Song Contest and much more!

The students at St. Anne’s Community College in Killaloe are hosting their inaugural arts and music festival later this week. The Fresh Eyes Festival, which will take place on Thursday (16th May), is a youth led arts and music festival that has been organised by and is being run by the college’s Transition Year students. To find out more about the event, Alan Morrissey spoke with students Aisling O'Connor and Sara Lancaster.

On Monday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke to William Cahir of Cahir & Co. Solicitors, in our weekly legal slot. This week, William provided some advice on family law & pre-nuptial agreements.

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about the emotional well-being of parents before, during, and after pregnancy. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Petrina O’Halloran, the founder of Mama's Boobie Box, mum blogger and writer for online magazine Boobingit.com. Alan was also joined by Lisa Joyce, Gentle Birth Instructor and pregnancy yoga teacher and Christine Lane, Nurse & Midwife and Clinical Governance expert in Women's Health and Menopause Coach.

Clare's IFA Chair is confident new funding supports could soon come on stream following a response issued by the EU to Clare County Council. The local authority wrote to EU Commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen in April demanding that no further regulations be placed on farmers along with stand-alone funding for biodiversity initiatives on farms. In response, the Commissioner's Office confirmed it would continue to monitor the position of farmers in this county and that it "may consider additional proposals." Feakle farmer and Clare IFA Chair Stephen Walsh fears there will be a food crisis if the sector is not supported.

It's claimed Uisce Eireann is not displaying any sense of urgency when it comes to legacy sewerage deficits in North Clare. In recent months, housing developments in both Ennistymon and Lahinch have been put on hold due to inadequate wastewater capacity in the region. The preferred option for Uisce Eireann is to enhance the capacity of the existing Lahinch treatment plant and an indicative completion date has been set for the final quarter of 2029. But Ennistymon Labour local election candidate Denis Vaughan believes the matter is not being treated as a priority issue by the utility.

Avenue United Manager David Russell After Winning League Title

On this week's Atlantic Tales Pat Flynn visits the Caher Valley in the Burren in North Clare where Carl Wright has created the most magnificent garden in what was once dense hazel and blackthorn scrub and an area with little or no soil.