Clare Fm - Podcasts

As unbelievable as it might sound, one driver was arrested seven times for intoxicated driving last year...a year in which 184 people died on our roads. This statistic comes from the annual report from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, which forensically tests driver samples. According to their report, 265 drivers were arrested for intoxicated driving more than once. To discuss this in more detail, Alan Morrissey was joined by Killaloe Fianna Fáil Cllr, Tony O’Brien and co-founder of Better Ennis, Síle Guinnane. Photo (c) Lisa Fotios from Pexels via canva.com

Seomra Spraoi is bringing its comedy night, Ennis The Menace, back to The Copper Jug in Ennis this Friday evening, October 4th, from 8:30 to 11pm. After two successfully sold out shows already, the venue has become a favourite for Ireland's leading travelling comedy club. To find out what’s in store, Alan Morrissey was joined by comedians, Jojo Blake and Fiona O'Mahony. Photo (c): https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/ennis-the-menace-tickets-878783885257

Budget 2025 is the most talked about thing in the country right now. Clare FM’s Katie McNamara has been pounding the streets of Ennis, getting reaction from the public to the Budget. For further insight on the impacts of Budget 2025, Alan Morrissey was joined by President of Clare's SVP branch, Denis Carty, Quin based Digital Ambassador for Active Retirement Ireland, Eugene Phillips and Clare Mother, Deborah Kett. Photo (c): Clare FM

It's claimed Clare's tourism operators will have to fundamentally reduce their offering and scale back services to survive following a "really disappointing" Budget 2025. As expected, there was no reduction to the 13.5% hospitality VAT rate, while the minimum wage rose by 50c to €13.50 per hour, meaning employers will face an additional annual bill of over €1,400 for each staff member earning that amount. The Government did introduce a €170m energy subsidy scheme, though, which it claims will support over 39,000 hospitality and retail firms. But Clare Tourism Advisory Forum Vice Chair and Manager of Durty Nelly's Bar and Restaurant in Bunratty Maurice Walsh fears the industry's viability is at risk.

Over 6,000 people left University Hospital Limerick's Emergency Department last year before their treatment was complete. Newly-published HSE figures show that across 2023, 6,198 patients left the ED at the region's main hospital before completing their treatment, with just 667 returning within 30 days. The HSE says that "Emergency Departments and their associated hospitals must clinically prioritise those who must be treated first", and that "where a patient is seriously ill or injured, their needs will be prioritised above those with less serious conditions". Regional Health Forum West member and Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Antoinette Baker-Bashua doesn't believe it's good enough that people in Clare are being told to consider alternatives to presenting at the Emergency Department.

Clare FM's Derek Dormer spoke with some of those involved in the Clare Forestry Rally, which is being run in the county for the first time in 42 years

Preview Of TUS Clare SHC And IHC Semi Finals With Andrew Fahy

Budget 2025 is set to be announced in the coming minutes. TDs have been filing into the Dáil chamber, ahead of Jack Chambers' first budget as Finance Minister. It's the biggest budget in the history of the State and has a Late Late Show feel to it with something for everyone in the audience. Jack Chambers will get to splash the cash like few before in his first budget and along with Paschal Donohoe they'll deliver a pre-election giveaway. There's 12 euro a week increases for those on social welfare, A 1.5 billion euro package of one off payments to those on social benefits, A baby bonus of 420 euro for parents of newborns, Cuts to income tax and the USC, 250 euro worth of energy credits, Free schoolbooks for children up to Leaving Cert, As well as extra funding for the big picture items like housing, health and childcare, And that's all before they announce what they plan to do with 17 billion euro from the Apple tax and AIB shares money. The finer details are on the way, with Jack Chambers taking

'You Are' is the first release of 2024 by future folk singer-songwriter Patrick Stefan following on from his debut album, Wayfare, pre-empting his follow up album set for release in 2025. Patrick Stefan joined Alan Morrissey, on Tuesday's Morning Focus. Photo (c) Niamh Barry

The lack of a wheelchair accessible bus stop between Ennis and the Cliffs of Moher has been slammed as 'unacceptable' by the Clare Leader Forum. It comes as the disability rights group taken the decision not to participate in the annual 'Make Way Day' and has called for meaningful change to public infrastructure and service accessibility instead. The sound of Bus Eireann's 350 Ennis to Galway route pulling in to collect passengers at Ennistymon before it continues its onward journey to Lahinch, Liscannor and then the Cliffs of Moher. The bus stop is located between Pot Duggan's and Unglert's Bakery on New Road, which is just 200m away from the Church Hill Housing Estate, but despite this, not all residents can avail of the local service. Although a designated wheelchair space is available on board, the bus stop itself does not have the 3m footpath width required by NTA standards, meaning wheelchair users cannot board in Ennistymon. Local resident, Trish McNamara who works in the Cliffs of Moher Visitor C

‘On the Boards’ is a new book on the History of Music in Ennis from 1950 up to the present time. The book launch is on Thursday, the 10th of October at 7pm in the Old Ground Hotel. It covers all genres of music, from the Big Bands of the early 1950’s, through the Showbands at Paddy Con’s in the 1960’s, on into the rock scene, right up to the present time. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined in-studio by the author, Ollie Byrnes. Photo (c): Clare FM

In this week’s History in Focus, Alan Morrissey is joined by local historian and author, Colm Liddy to discuss the 1641 Rebellion. If you have any stories you would like to share with Colm about your town, you can contact him at colmliddy@eircom.net or Clare FM at focus@clare.fm.

The Clare Leader Forum has voiced its opposition to the annual 'Make Way Day' event which highlights the effects of illegal parking, dog fouling and general obstruction on footpaths and its knock-on impact on those with disabilities and visual impairments. However, Clare's campaigners have become frustrated as what they see has become a day of lip service and a photo-op, rather than a commitment to year-round action to address physical barriers in the workplace, housing, public transport and public infrastructure. To find out more, Clare FM's Daragh Dolan traveled to Ennistymon where he spoke to Trish McNamara and Co-Founder of Equality Not Care, Anne-Marie Flanagan. Photo (c): MakeWayDay.com

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Pat Clarke Browne for the regular tech slot. Pat runs Munster Business, based in Shannon. This week, Pat gave us all the insight into the new iPhone 16 and Airpods 4. Photo (c) by bankkgraphy from Getty Images via Canva

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by John Burns, Retired Deputy Principal and Educational Consultant. This week, John answered a variety of questions from parents and students. If you have any questions for this, email focus@clare.fm Photo (c): Clare FM

This week is Fire Safety Week. The theme for this year’s event is “we didn’t start the fire”. The focus for fire safety week is preventing fires in the home by understanding their common causes and taking steps to stop them before they start. To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Assistant Chief Fire Officer of Clare County Council, Kieran Greene. Photo (c): Clare FM

New rehabilitation services being introduced at Cahercalla Community Hospital today are expected to be "a start" when it comes to easing pressure on University Hospital Limerick. The board of Cahercalla, along with the HSE, have announced that new community-based rehabilitation services will be commencing at the Ennis facility today. With additional capacity being introduced which is expected to amount to 25 beds by the end of January 2025, the step-down service will allow patients to leave UHL and Ennis General "after their acute illness has been treated but still requiring rehabilitation before returning home". Chairman of the Board of Cahercalla Dr Michael Harty believes the initiative will, to some extent at least, improve health services in Clare.

It's claimed Clare's disabled community has been severely hindered by a failure from national and local governing bodies to remove physical barriers to housing, workplaces and recreational areas. This time of year would traditionally coincide with 'Make Way Day, which is often endorsed by local authorities to highlight the effects of parking, dog fouling and obstructions on footpaths to wheelchair users and those with visual impairments. The Clare Leader Forum has refused to participate though, stating the campaign has merely become an annual photo-op , while legacy issues of substandard public infrastructure and lack of access to public transport remain unchanged. Ennistymon based spokesperson and Co-Founder of Equality Not Care Anne-Marie Flanagan insists they want to see meaningful change, not lip service.

A former Mayor of Ennis insists the High Court's decision to allow Supermac's to press ahead with contentious plans for a motorway plaza on the outskirts of the town must be welcomed. A protracted 10-year planning process came to an end on Friday after a judicial review stalling the development was quashed. When Pat McDonagh first lodged his planning application for a motorway plaza on the outskirts of Ennis in December 2014, it's unlikely he could have predicted the swings and roundabouts to come. An Bord Pleanála would later refuse permission and after this two more applications were withdrawn in 2016 and 2018, before the board finally gave the project the green light in 2022. This decision was soon challenged in the High Court by Kilfenora Engineer Michael Duffy, who raised concerns over the impact it would have on special areas of conservation, however the case was rejected on Friday. In the intervening years, multiple objections were lodged to the development by local businesses who feared the large

A post-pandemic surge in remote working coupled with insufficient housing supply is said to be causing a rise in Clare's house prices. The latest report from leading property website Daft.ie has found that the median price of a home here between July and September was €269,229 which was more than 47% above pre-pandemic levels. The average price paid in the third quarter of the year in Clare was 10% higher than in the same period last year while by contrast, prices nationally were up by just over 6%. Economist at Trinity College Dublin and author of the Daft.ie report Ronan Lyons has been telling Clare FM's Seán Lyons that the number of homes being built in Clare isn't sufficient to cater to the level of demand from people looking to move to the county.