Today on Morning Focus, the Health Minister says a decision on St Patrick’s Day parades will be made in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Locally, the Fanore St Patrick’s Day parade has been cancelled. Clare FM’s Ben Sweeney spoke to a member of the Fanore St Patrick’s Day parade committee, Anne Pilkington to gauge her reaction and Kilrush Cllr Ian Lynch also joined us on the line to further discuss whether St. Patricks’s Day Parades should go ahead.
You can listen back below:
To open the show, we heard from Dr Billy O’Connell, Miltown Malbay GP, as he addresses the latest Cornavirus details. A new Cabinet committee will meet today (9th March) to discuss the coronavirus outbreak, as 21 cases of Covid 19 are confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. Two new cases were confirmed last night which include a female in the east of the country and a male in the south of the country. He’s being treated at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork and a risk assessment’s underway.
Next on the show, we heard from Transition year students who took part in a week’s work experience in Clare FM last week. The station teamed up with Learning Waves to give 10 students the opportunity to get a week’s work experience here in Clare FM. Their mentor Colum, from the Colum McGrath Breakfast show is with us also as they told us all about the experience they had.
After the news headlines we were joined in studio by Sergeant Tríona O’Rourke, Clare County Prevention Officer, as Clare Gardaí asked for you help to solve local crimes.
Next on the show, we were joined in studio by, Donal Ó Lionsigh, Presenter of Cúl Caint and Michael McCaughan, Returned to Irish, Clare County Council Irish Officer, as we head into the second week of Seachtain Na Gaeilge. The annual two week festival celebrates the Irish Language. We’re all being encouraged to use the ‘cupla focal’ on air as much as we can, but we talked about whether two weeks of sporadic Irish enough to properly promote the language and is it the best way to try and go around revitalizing the Gaeilge?
We were also joined on the line by Eoghan Corry, Editor of TravelExtra.ie to speak about the effects the Coronavirus has on air travel.
Finally, to finish up Morning Focus, we looked back on the latest action in sport with Tommy Guilfoyle, Former Clare Hurling captain, Clare FM’s hurling analyst and Rory Hickey, GAA Referee, Clare FM’s updates for LGFA game v Cavan. Some of the county’s sports action St Flannans are into the last four of the all-Ireland Croke Cup. The Harty Champions took a significant win over reigning Champions St Kieran’s of Kilkenny in the quarter-final of the competition on Monday. They’ll face St Raphael’s of Loughrea in the semi next Monday, with the winner going through to the final. Elsewhere, Clare’s Camogie side lost by a goal to Waterford. That result was a frustrating one for the Banner after they had a goal disallowed earlier in the game. And the Clare Ladies Footballers went down to Cavan who they welcomed to Doonbeg.
If you missed it, you can listen back below:
