Morning Focus – Wednesday 15/08/18

Today’s Morning Focus began with coverage of the thing on everyone’s lips and everyone’s minds. The Leaving Cert results.

Morning Focus’ Fiona McGarry attended the Clare Youth Service Leaving Cert breakfast to gauge the mood of young people ahead of the big moment.

Then we asked the question is Ireland a welfare state? Yesterday (August 14th) the front page of the Irish Examiner reported that we’re in danger of becoming a welfare nation according to the Department of Finance. A pre-Budget report found that we spend €20 billion on social welfare with almost every single person in the country receiving some form of payment. The report also outlines a number of options the budget could take to reduce spending on welfare. Dr Micheál Collins, economist from Ennis and assistant professor of social policy at UCD talked about the situation more in depth.

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From Micheál to Michael, we spoke to Michael Hudson, the CEO of Hannan Metals about the possibility of a zinc mine opening in the Quin area. Michael and his team have been analyzing 35,000 hectares of land to try and find a viable zinc mine years but Michael says there’s still years of work to come.

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Moving into the show’s second hour we heard from Dr. Robert O’Connor, Head of Research for Irish Cancer Society. Irish Cancer Society is taking this week to urging anyone who has worries to get checked. People have cited worries such as embarrassment and financial troubles as reasons to not see the GP according to a new study. In addition Irish Cancer Society is putting on two special conferences for those affected by cancer, one in the Clayton Hotel in Ballybrit, Galway and another in Clayton Hotel in Silver Springs, Cork. These special events cover a number of topics from advances in cancer treatment to intimacy after a cancer diagnosis. The aim is to support people with cancer and give them practical advice.

For more information or to register to attend a conference you can email [email protected], call the Cancer Nurseline on 1800 200 700 or click here for the website.

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Then we heard from Heritage Officer for Clare County Council, Congella Maguire. Heritage Week will begin this Saturday August 18th with 108 different events planned up to Sunday August 26th. All of these focus on the theme: ‘Discover the past. Build the future’. Congella has organized these events with the Heritage Council, Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Some events to highlight are a kayak tour of Bunratty, a look around Ennis Friary and reconnecting with celtic trees in Shannon. Details can be found on heritage.ie or in brochures available at Clare County Council offices.

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Earlier this year, we met Faye Bradley and Marina Murphy who told us of how they had won over 100 prizes in competitions in the space of a year.  They didn’t put it down to luck, but rather the power of positive thinking, and especially the use of vision boards in which they outlined what they want, visualise it happening, and then (it seems) see it come true.

In the months since we met the girls, the Ennis couple have won even more competitions and they told Gavin of how the rate of their success is on the up, and how it could even lead to a business idea.

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