The Shannon Airport Group insists it has the space available to cater for more airlines, flights and destinations amid a growing capacity crunch at Dublin Airport.It comes as the DAA is warning the possibility of breaching it's controversial passenger cap this Winter is imminent.The Dublin Airport Authority currently awaits the verdict of a plannin…

A Clare General Election hopeful claims this county has been asked to shoulder a disproportionate burden when it comes to housing asylum seekers.Former Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association General Secretary Eddie Punch has announced his candidacy for Independent Ireland in the upcoming General Election,.The Cratloe native ran unsuccessfully f…

The Government is being urged to address the ongoing pollution of Clare's waterways as a matter of urgency.It comes as Minister of State Malcolm Noonan has announced the Water Action Plan 2024 which is described as "Ireland's roadmap to protect and restore our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwaters".It's claimed the plan will see…

Clare writer Nell Hensey has won a Zebbie Award for Best Short Film Script at the 17th Writers’ Guild of Ireland (WGI) Zebbie Awards. Nell, from Barefield won the award as co-writer of Good Chips with Brigid Leahy. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by Nell Hensey.Photo (c): Nell Hensey via Facebook…

Episode 5 - Taibhse by Clare FMPar Clare FM

In the first of a new series on The Colum McGrath Breakfast Show, Colum tries his hand at working in a takeaway! He was invited by Dan at the award winning Ryan's Fish & Chips in Ennis to come try his hand and cutting chips, battering fish and serving the customers. Check out how it all went!Par Clare FM

A Burren-based artist will exhibit a new body of work inspired by her travels in Iceland at a gallery in Co. Mayo later his month. The exhibition by Kaye Maahs, entitled Iceland, will be on show at Claremorris Gallery from the 14th of September. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Kaye Maahs.Photo (c): http://www.kayemaahs.com/about.html…

Common Knowledge is behind a new traditional singing session. The evening of traditional singing, called ‘Tuan’, will take place at The Common Knowledge Centre, located in The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Global Geopark. To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by Aoife Hammond, Community Project Manager at Common KnowledgePhoto (c): https://booking…

This month is World Alzheimer’s Month, with World Alzheimer's Day taking place on the 21st of September. More than 55,000 people in Ireland are living with dementia. To mark the month, Bluebird Care, in partnership with Dunnes Stores, is bringing its Dementia Bus to Ennis today.The Dementia Bus - a first-of-its-kind virtual simulator, lets people e…

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Noel Wallace, who hails from Bunratty, shared his cancer story with us.To raise awareness around blood cancer, the symptoms and the month itself, Alan Morrissey was was joined by Noel Wallace. For more information, visit https://www.multiplemyelomaireland.org/…

The Department of Transport is facing increased pressure to ensure Shannon Airport's available space is utilised amid capacity issues at Dublin.Minister James Lawless is due to meet Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary today to discuss alternative options over warnings that airfares will hit record levels this Christmas, with airlines forced to divert from …

Obair is set to expand its meals-on-wheels portfolio further into Clare.The service provided by the Newmarket-On-Fergus based charity currently delivers free hot meals to over 300 people aged over 65 in this county every week. Tonight, Obair will host a meeting at half 7 in Inagh Community Hall as part of its preparations to roll out a new route se…

Beyond Belief returns for its Summer break during August. Over the next 2 weeks Fr Gerry Kenny and Stpehen Fletcher look at pilgrimage. This week Fr Gerry has an interview with the French Canadian theologian André Brouillette SJ who talks about the theological significance of pilgrimage.Par Clare FM

Clare Senator Martin Conway has withdrawn from Fine Gael's selection convention for the general election.The move means Clarecastle native Leonora Carey will face tomorrow night's convention uncontested, meaning it will be the first time in 80 years Fine Gael run a single candidate in the Clare constituency.Senator Conway meanwhile, who's been a me…

A campaign group that has long advocated for the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor has expressed hope that Crusheen Railway Station will come back into use sooner rather than later.It comes as the findings of an extensive investigation into the potential for the defunct railway stop to be reinstated have been presented to the public.Once a con…

On Thursday’s Morning Focus Alan Morrissey was joined by Paul Knapp, The Firefighting Chef, from Killaloe.This week Paul shared a delicious recipe for Sweet Potato And Spinach Daal.After a busy few back to school days, how about An easy and quick and not to mention comforting spinach and sweet potato dahl that’s packed with flavour.This plant based…

Clare musical duo Phoenix and Wolfe are releasing their new single. Slí na Fírinne is the latest effort from Amanda Shannon and Cairo Rocha. For more on their new single, Alan Morrissey was joined by Amanda Shannon and Cairo Rocha of Phoenix and Wolfe.Par Clare FM

Episode 4 - Cailín Beag Sea Mise by Clare FMPar Clare FM

Last year’s inaugural Brontë Festival in Kilkee was clearly a great success, because it is making its return for 2024! The second Brontë Festival will take place from the 13th to the 15th of September in Culturlann Sweeney in Kilkee. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Yvonne McGann.Photo (c): Kilkee Civic Trust via Facebook…

On Thursday's morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Caroline Rushe, AKA My Crazy life Caroline. Caroline will be joining us on a regular basis on Morning Focus, to answer your questions and discuss the latest trends!Whether you have a question for Caroline on style, family, women’s issues or whatever you fancy asking her about, send it in by …

Epidode 3 - Bán Chnoic Éireann Ó by Clare FMPar Clare FM

A stalwart of the Clare traditional music scene for almost forty years will be laid to rest today. Born into a musical family, Cyril carved out a reputation for himself as one of the finest singers and accompanists in traditional Irish music, playing with bands such as Fisher Street, Damp in the Attic and Providence. In recent years, Cyril has been…

Sean Clifford has just broken the record for running all of 275 Ireland’s mountains. The Kerry native who now resides in France, took just 21 days to run all of the mountains over 600 metres, known as the Vandeleur-Lynams Challenge. To find out how much work went into completing this challenge, and to see what his experience of running Clare’s moun…

Morning Focus listener Paul Coughlan got in touch with us in relation to Kilrush Convent.He has claimed the convent is “slowing disintegrating before our eyes”. The convent is supposed to be a protected building, but it has been left wide open to the elements, and all the windows have been broken and the shutter opened.To find out more, Alan Morris…

A new policy proposal put forward by Irish doctors is aiming to significantly improve Clare's healthcare offering. It comes as the Irish Medical Organisation has launched its pre-budget submission which is calling on the Government to provide an additional 5,000 inpatient beds and to fully digitise the health service by 2030.Clare currently has the…

An overwhelming majority of people in the Crusheen catchment area are strongly in favour of re-opening the village’s defunct railway station. Repucon Consulting has launched the findings of its socio-economic appraisal of the benefits of bringing the rail stop closed to passengers since 1976 back into use. The analysis conducted on behalf of Clare …

Shannonwatch has lambasted the Government for failing to guarantee plans transporting weapons for the IDF are not flying through Irish Airspace. New flight records obtained by the Ditch have revealed that at least six planes carrying munitions for the Israeli military contractors or the Israeli police have flown over Irish sovereign territory, sinc…

It's claimed there's a "pep in the step" of priests in the Diocese of Killaloe as three new vocations have been recorded.For just the second time in 20 years, three men in this Diocese will be entering the seminary at Maynooth later on this month.One candidate is from Tipperary while the remaining two are from Clare - with former Ennis Fianna Fáil …

On Wednesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Tommy Corbett from Carey Corbett Financial Solutions, to review what happened in the markets in August.Par Clare FM

National mental health organisation Aware has announced the second annual Big Splash for Aware. They are urging people all over the country to come together for a swim or ‘dip’ on Saturday week (14th September) in support of mental health. Register online at www.aware.ie/splash/ and join the big splash at Spanish Point beach at 9:15am.For more on t…

The man chosen to represent the United States in Mr Universe is none other than a Clare man! Ennis’s Cormac Murphy, the Ballybeg fitness coach and model representing New York, has been crowned Mr USA and will now go to represent the country at the annual contest. Cormac, who is the son of legendary Clare Musician Liam Murphy, fell into a long battl…

A petition has been launched by parents, in a bid to get the Houses of the Oireachtas to overrule the Education Minister on the pilot school bus scheme that is now underway in South-East Clare. Parents in Sixmilebridge, Cratloe and Newmarket-on-Fergus have been expressing concerns around health and safety, traffic congestion and value for money, ev…

The decision to accommodate up to 27 International Protection Applicants at a West Clare B&B has been slammed by a Clare TD. It comes as the owner of the Central in Kilrush has signed a one-year contract with the International Protection Accommodation Services. The Department of Integration says the majority of residents will be new arrivals and wo…

A former West Clare councillor says he has "zero sympathy" for Dublin despite claims the capital city is "running out of options" in terms of resolving water capacity issues. It comes as Uisce Éireann has reiterated its stance that the controversial Shannon tor Dublin water pipeline project - which would see 2% of the River Shannon's flow diverted …

Clare FM's Derrick Lynch is joined by analysts Tommy Guilfoyle & Derek Dormer to preview a huge weekend of final round action in the TUS Clare SHC & TUS Clare IHCPar Clare FM

The County's dog warden has expressed concern that the trend of dog attacks in the county shows no sign of slowing down following two seperate incidents in Lisdoonvarna and Ennistymon where dogs were killed as a result of an attack.In Lisdoonvarna a dog was killed by an unmuzzled German Shepherd, while in Ennistymon a dog died from the injuries suf…

A Clare teachers' representative is calling for overcrowded classrooms to be "consigned to history".Department of Education data has revealed that one in four classrooms in Clare are considered "oversized" with 1,476 primary school students in the county in classes of 30 or more.More than half the classes at St Joseph's National School in Miltown M…

The sales window for Oasis's two Irish reunion gigs in Croke Park opened at 8am on Saturday morning and within minutes, 500,000 had joined the queue - all looking to get their hands on one of the 160,000 available tickets.Although tickets had been advertised as being priced from €86.50 subject to service charges, some tickets appeared to almost tri…

With students having just gone back to school, a former Clare educator is warning that mobile phone usage will have a negative impact on students grades.Last month Minister for Education, Norma Foley, announced that she would be pushing for the implementation of a ban on mobile phones during the school day. A Chicago based study carried out in Febr…

In this week’s History in Focus, Alan Morrissey is joined by local historian and author Colm Liddy to discuss the Elizabeth Regime.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.Par Clare FM

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 Co…

Episode 2 - Clóca Le Nóra by Clare FMPar Clare FM

Clare Animal Welfare is running its spay and neuter campaign. The scheme is available to those who are living in County Clare and are struggling with the cost of neutering their pets. To tell us more about this is and to further discuss the proposed ban of XL-bullies, Director/Treasurer with Clare Animal Welfare, Stiofán MacGabhann, joined Alan Mor…

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by John Burns, Retired Deputy Principal and Educational Consultant.This week, John spoke about the potential phone ban in schools, first days back in school, and what happens to those who cheat during the leaving cert exams.Par Clare FM

A big charity event for Palestine will be held in the capital next week. Dublin’s City North Hotel will be the venue for the launch of FAJR Ireland, which will include a celebration of the resilience of Irish & Palestinian culture through art, music & storytelling. Dublin footballer Jack McCaffrey will be the MC on the night for an event that will …

The Tánaiste Mícheal Martin is among those calling for legislation to be brought in to stop dynamic ticket pricing. Oasis fans were left disappointed at the weekend as some tickets for the Croke Park gigs starting at 86 euro shot up to over 400 euro. The UK Government has promised a review into dynamic ticket pricing with its Culture Secretary Lisa…

It's claimed it's "crucial" for Clare farmers that VAT on vaccines is abolished in the upcoming Budget.Senior IFA representatives have addressed the organisation's Clare County Executive in Ennis in a wide-ranging talk covering topics such as TB payments, deer management and access to vaccines.One of the IFA's key asks in its pre-Budget submission …

A Clare Councillor is calling for a life saving overdose reversal drug to made available over the counter from local pharmacies.Nalaxone can be administered to someone suffering a drug overdose to reverse and reduce the effects of the opiods, but is currently only available via prescription.Ireland currently has one of the highest drug fatality rat…

A submission calling for Ennis General Hospital to be equipped with an Emergency Department has been lodged with the Health Information and Quality Authority. It comes as HIQA has commenced it's indpendent review to determine reforms to emergency and urgent care reform in the MidWest. Clare FM's Daragh Dolan Reports === The 30-page document compile…

A block in the system is said to be forcing some people in Clare to become "entrenched" in homeless accommodation for years.The number of adults in this county availing of emergency accommodation rose to 75 at the end of July - while the number of homeless children across Clare and Limerick has increased to 191.Nationally, Department of Housing fig…