On today's Morning Focus with Gavin Grace
Officials from Irish Rail will join representatives of the NBRU and SIPTU in a last ditch attempt this morning, to avert a drivers strike tomorrow (Friday). Talks reconvene at 11.30 after they were adjourned shortly after 3 o'clock this morning at the Workplace Relations Commission. Train drivers are planning to strike for three hours during the morning rush-hour tomorrow and on November 6th, in a row based on past productivity. Martin Wall, Industrial Relations Corr for the Irish Times spoke to Gavin the train strikes.
Brendan O'Brien, the Investigative journalist is aslo the author of 'The Pocket History of the IRA from 1916 Onwards' and 'The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Féin from Armed Struggle to Peace Talks' spoke to Gavin about 1916 and his books.
We've heard a lot about signs of economic recovery and a new survey – which finds that over 70 percent of employers plan to give pay rises next year – seems to be further proof of that. Ibec's Head of Industrial Relations and HR, Maeve McElwee, believes that most workers will feel the recovery in their pay packets next year. She's also warming though that we mustn't lose the hard fought competitive gains of recent years. Maeve McElwee the Head of Industrial Relations and HR, Ibec spoke about the possibiliy of pay rises with Gavin.
Rural isolation and mental health are closely connected as we know here in Clare. The Gardai, the ICSA and the Samaritans have been working intensively on the issue and a meeting in Kilrush last week saw a huge turnout. Another meeting is planned for Ennistymon next month and the ICSA says it will be there once again to highlight the problem of rural isolation and mental health in farming and to listen to farmers' concerns. Eddie Punch from Cratloe is the General Secretary of the ICSA spoke about this issue on Morning Focus.
Most of us enjoy the simple things in life – like ordering lunch in a restaurant – without giving it a second thought. If you're one of the estimated thousands of Irish people who are allergic to common foods like peanuts, eating out is a minefield and could fatal consequences. We learned last week that trained members of the public are to be allowed administer life-saving rescue medicines in emergency situations, under new laws signed by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar. The change will allow for the wider use of adrenaline epipens to treat people suffering severe allergic reactions, glucagon for low blood-sugar levels experienced by diabetics, and naloxone to treat cases of drug overdose. Other emergency medicines covered by the new regulations are salbutamol for the treatment of asthma attacks, glyceryl trinitrate for unstable angina, and entonox, a gas mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen used by mountain rescue teams to manage severe pain. Mr Varadkar has also expanded the vaccines that can be administered by pharmacists. Both measures have been brought in through statutory instrument. Emma Sloan was 14 when was out for a meal with family in Dublin. Unknowingly, she ate a sauce containing peanuts and suffered a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Emma tragically passed away on Dublin’s O’Connell St because she did not receive a life-saving injection of adrenaline in time. Caroline Sloan, Emma's mum joins us this morning to tell us the heartbreaking story that broke the heart of everyone in the country. Since the tragedy, former Ennis councillor Paul O'Shea has been campaigning tirelessly alongside the Sloan family. Clare FMs Edel Bane met a student in Mary Immaculate College who is allergic to nuts, Catherine Buttimer, in The Buttery in Limerick. Catherine explained her day-to-day life and how she has to read labels of everything she buys and has to be careful when eating out.
Community Games is a very important community-based organisation providing sports and cultural activities for up to 70 communities around the county. It provides children aged from under 8 to under 16 with up to 50 events ranging from art to music to athletics to debating to swimming to quiz to recitation to rugby, spike ball, skittles etc. It's unique in that no other organisation provides such a diversity of activity. Sponsors of the games in Clare St Francis Credit Union is also an important community body. Kevin O'Loughlin, Radio PRO Clare Community Games and John Wall, Chairman of Quin/Clooney Community Gamesspoke about the Games with Gavin. Quin/Clooney were last week crowned the Best Involved Area in the county and go on to the National Finals at the end of November.
Teachers could lose their licence to teach under recommendations by the Ombudsman for Children. Dr Niall Muldoon has said that the long-promised fitness to teach hearings for education professionals should be introduced immediately. He made the comments at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection yesterday, saying that the hearings are needed to improve accountability in schools. Peter Quinn, of ASTI and St Flannan's spoke about teacher accountability.
David Falconer from Ennis, aged 10, suffers from the very rare condition, ichthyosis en confetti. Gavin went out to the Falconer's home to meet David and his parents Ian and Lizzie. They spoke about David's daily routine and all the different treatments he has to use.
Willie Keane was Doonbeg's best known personality and a great exponent of traditional dancing. This weekend sees the 16th annual Willie Keane Memorial Weekend with a wealth of events and activities planned in Willie's memory. Gerry Lineen was on the accordion, Noel Birmingham played banjo and Tommy Comerford is a committee member of Comerford's of Doonbeg joined Gavin and played a few tunes.
