Clare Fm - Podcasts

One of The Banner's intercounty camogie backroom staff says Truagh Clonlara have paved the way for a future club All Ireland title in Clare. The south east Clare fell to defeat against Sarsfields of Galway as they tried to become the first side from the Banner to take home senior club All Ireland honours. The McGrath sisters proved too much for the Clare and Munster champions, notching 1-12 between them, Siobhan scoring 1-5 with Niamh adding a further seven points in a player of the match display. Clare camogie selector Ann Marie McGann says Truagh Clonlara ran into a juggernaut in Sarsfields, but that they will prove an inspiration for Clare sides going forward.

Work is underway to address a dearth of public outdoor amenities for children on the southern side of the county town. Ennis Municipal District has confirmed it's looking to identify suitable lands on which to build a public recreation area, and that it will assess funding streams once a site has been chosen. It follows a motion tabled on the subject by Fine Gael Councillor Mary Howard at this week's meeting of the Ennis region's elected representatives. She says many families have approached her to highlight the difficulties posed by the lack of such facilities on their side of town.

It's feared there will be a fatality in an East Clare housing estate unless legacy issues with public lighting are dealt with. Houses 37 - 46 in Arda na Deirge, Killaloe do not fall under the remit of Clare County Council and although the relevant poles are in place, its understood the bulbs have not functioned for six years. At the latest meeting of the local authority, outgoing Chief Executive Pat Dowling said the council must "redouble its effort" to resolve the matter, particularly coming into the Christmas period. Killaloe Fianna Fáil Councillor Tony O'Brien says there have already been close calls and the situation can't afford to get worse.

In this week’s programme we hear from Juleann Moran, General Secretary to the Irish Synodal Pathway about progress in synodality n both the Irish and Universal Church. Bishop Fintan shares some reflections on his recent visit to Ethiopia as part of a Trócaire delegation and Sr. Ann Crowley from Kilkee gives us a reflection for this Gaudete Sunday.

Fr Gerry is joined by the Kilrush Folk Group to present this Sunday Prayer.

It's claimed the Queens Hotel has a better surveillance system than most of the county town's public areas. The comments have come from Clarecastle Sinn Féin Councillor Tommy Guilfoyle who's requested that CCTV systems in housing estates across the Ennis area be "fully operational" over the Christmas holidays to deter anti-social behaviour and criminality. The local authority says it's currently assessing what upgrades, replacements and additions to the town's surveillance system are needed, and that councillors will be notified as soon as there are further updates. Councillor Guilfoyle says everyone would feel safer if they knew that surveillance cameras were in operation at all times.

A Clare cancer survivor is urging the Government to introduce a fast-track medical card renewal process for people living with critical illnesses. As it stands, an individual or couple under the age of 66 are eligible for a medical card if they're earning between €164 and €266 per week, but must periodically satisfy a means test when their card expires. There is currently an expedited application system in place for Ukrainian Refugees, while those in need of urgent and ongoing care, can also apply for emergency cards. Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Antoinette Baker Bashua who overcame Breast Cancer in the past says it needs to be expanded.

Ahead of the All Ireland club camogie final, Clare FM's Derrick Lynch travelled to O'Shea's Bar Clonlara to speak to members of the Truagh Clonlara club and preview their historic Croke Park showdown with Sarsfields

An investment of over half a million is set to enhance the capabilities of Clare's fire service. The Ennis unit has this week taken ownership of a state of-the-art Class B Appliance, built by HPMP LTD in Carlow on the chassis of an 18 tonne Scania P360. 2024 has seen several upgrades to the county fleet with two Incident Support Units provided for Killaloe and Kilrush Fire Brigades earlier this year. Chief Fire Officer Adrian Kelly says the service is dealing with a level of call-outs now that hasn't been seen for decades.

A West Clare fishing representative claims the EU fish quotas agreed this week highlight the need for a designated Fisheries Minister in the next Dáil. It comes as European Fisheries Ministers have reached agreement on quotas for Irish and EU fishers for 2025. Speaking after the agreement was finalised, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said the Government's priority was to secure Irish fishers' ability to catch mackerel and herring "in addition to the traditional white fish stocks". Carrigaholt-based Chair of Irish Charter Skippers Association and representative on the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, Luke Aston, says the fisheries sector has never had proper representation in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Scariff Community College is set to electrify audiences next week with its much-anticipated production of We Will Rock You. The musical, inspired by the music of Queen, kicks off a three-night run in the Scariff Community College Hall from next Tuesday. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by Megan Tuohy, as Killer Queen, Malachy Ó Gnímh Chung, as Galileo and Ella O'Shaughnessy as Ga Ga Girl. Photo (c): https://scariffcommunitycollege.ie/school-musical-we-will-rock-you/

Laura O’Connell is well on the road to achieving her dreams in the world of motorsport. The 25-year-old Clare woman has been competing in the first-ever Formula Woman Nations Cup qualifiers in Dubai. Laura, who hails from Broadford, is among a select group of fifty female racing drivers drawn from 25 countries across the world who have been competing at the inaugural event. To tell us more, Laura joined Alan Morrissey on Friday's Morning Focus. Image courtesy of Laura O’Connell.

Earlier this week, we spoke on Morning Focus about the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule in Syria. Rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) played a key role in leading the ousting of Assad, which ended a 50-year family dynasty in a swift takeover, following 13 years of civil war. Meanwhile, Syria's new interim prime minister has pledged to protect minority rights, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Jordan on Thursday to urge an "inclusive" transition after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. The end of the Assad regime was greeted with jubilation by Syrians both home and abroad. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Razan Abdel Wahed, who arrived in Ireland as a Syrian refugee in 2017 and now lives in Ennistymon. Picture (c) by omersukrugoksu from Getty Images Signature via Canva

JJ Machota, who comes from Shannon, goes by the stage name JJ VRSE. The 14-year-old has been working on music for the past three years or so. For more on this, and to hear his latest song "Eyes Wide Shut", JJ Machota joined Alan Morrissey on Friday's Morning Focus.

Anthony Daly has been inducted into the Munster GAA Hall of Fame. The Clare legend and two-time All-Ireland winning captain is this year’s inductee into the Provincial Hurling Hall of Fame. He joins former Cork footballer Larry Tompkins in being honoured this year. The pair will be presented with their Hall of Fame awards at this Saturday’s Munster GAA awards function in Cork. Alan Morrissey spoke with Anthony Daly to find out what his induction means to him.

It's claimed Clare is well-placed to experience a housing boom and with it an attractive buyer's market, provided infrastructure and planning hurdles can be jumped. It follows a new ESRI survey which has found house prices nationwide are overvalued by as much as 10%. The ESRI analysis, which has focused on prices, disposable incomes, interest rates and the supply of housing for those aged 25-44, has found property prices are now 14% above the Celtic-Tiger peak. In Clare alone, the average price of a home is now more than €266,000, which is up 11% in the last year. In addition, a 2023 High Court challenge was brought against the largest ever housing scheme proposed for Ennis, which plans for 289 units for the Lahinch road. 50 towns and villages in this county, meanwhile, remain without connection to wastewater infrastructure. Diarmuid McMahon of Sherry-Fitzgerald McMahon Real Estate Agents in Ennis says that compared to other counties, Clare's connectivity is unmatched and believes if infrastructure and

A Clare Fianna Fáil TD says he'd be "more than happy" to answer the call to become a Minister - but insists is isn't a given that this county will have a representative in Cabinet. Government formation talks are ongoing today and the Labour Parliamentary Party is meeting in Leinster House this afternoon to discuss its approach to any further negotiations. Clare elected two Fianna Fáil TDs for the first time since 2007 in the recent General Election, while the county recorded the highest proportion of first preference votes for the party nationwide at 37.8%. Tulla Deputy Timmy Dooley has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons discussions are still in a relatively early stage but admits one "or both" of the county's Fianna Fáil TDs would gladly assume a ministerial office if the offer came their way.

Clare County Council has confirmed it received a number of complaints in relation to "an unauthorised mural development" and subsequently issued the building's owner with a warning notice. It's not the end of the road though, as the business can apply for retention permission, which would allow the applicant to submit a valid planning application to regularise any potential breaches of the planning code. Clarecastle Sinn Féin Councillor Tommy Guilfoyle says it's vital the mural is preserved and he believes there's a strong opportunity for the local authority to embrace it as a major tourist attraction.

An incumbent Clare Senator has defended the Seanad as a valid and worthwhile forum, ahead of the upcoming election. The upper house of the Oireachtas has come in for widespread criticism over the 11 seats appointed by the Taoiseach, which has been branded as a bargaining chip for coalition formation talks and a safety net for unsuccessful Dáil candidates. There are currently three Clare candidates in the race, namely Independent Anne-Marie Flannagan and Fine Gael's duo of Councillor Tony Mulcahy and Senator Martin Conway, while it's understood the party's Clarecastle General Election candidate Leonora Carey is also seeking nomination. Conway says if returned, one of his chief priorities will be to establish a national strategy for preventable sight loss.

The Ennis-based Chief Executive of FASD Ireland is urging prospective fathers to play their part in ensuring their child isn't born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The HSE estimates that up to 7.4% of the population live with FASD, which is associated with a range of physical, mental, educational, social, and behavioural difficulties. Studies show that no amount of alcohol is safe to drink in the six weeks prior to conception, or at any time during pregnancy. Launching the organisation's annual Christmas appeal, CEO of Ennis-based FASD Ireland, Scott Casson-Rennie says staying alcohol-free prior to conception is essential, not just for the mother.