Morning Focus 20/02/17

Over the weekend, all eyes have been on three members of Fine Gael – current leader Enda Kenny and two main contenders Minister Simon Coveney and Minister Leo Varadkar. Group Political Editor of Independent News and Media Kevin Doyle assessed the latest developments in the battle to lead Fine Gael.

 Former Clare FG TD & Senator Madeline Taylor-Quinn joined Gavin to discuss what the future holds for Fine Gael. Madeline has more than 20 years experience in the Oireachtas with the party.

 In recent days, Clare Fire Service’s been called out to two fires caused by stoves, prompting them to issue a warning about their installation. The service says that stoves have become more popular in recent years, with poor installation posing a significant fire hazard. Some of the fires the service has attended have caused substantial damage and they’re warning that about correct installation. Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer Denis O’Connell spoke to Gavin about the issue.

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 Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Joe Downey joined Gavin in studio for Garda Focus.

 Most of us aren’t Monday fans, but there’s no doubt that the day goes better if you’ve had a good night’s sleep. More than one third of us will be walking around today with six hours sleep or less. New research shows that 36 percent are missing out on the recommended eight hours, and some of that is down to bad bedtime habits. Two out of  three of us admit to watching TV before bedtime, with just over half (54%) claiming that they check social media, and almost a quarter (23%) are playing computer games before hitting the hay. Morning Focus spoke with sleep expert with Sleep Matters Lucy Wolfe.

 Tomorrow (Tue Feb 21) is International Tourist Guide Day, when guides give something back to the local community and, in this county, 25 people from all over Ireland will be in the Burren, doing their bit to boost sustainable tourism. They’ll be working in conjunction with the Burren Beo Trust. Hon. Secretary, The Association of Tourist Guides of Ireland Paul O’Donnell filled Gavin in on all the details.

 Community Development Worker West Clare Family Resource Centre Sue Considine joined Gavin to discuss the issue of job creation in rural areas. There’s general agreement that we need to be more innovative to bring sustainable jobs outside of our towns and cities. With a view to doing just that, the West Clare Family Resource Centre (supported by Clare Local Development Company) will hold a series of free workshops for women, focused on developing tech skills like blogging and coding. The workshops get underway next week and, for participants with basic computer literacy, aim to prepare them for work in the tech sector.

 Clare FM’s own Derrick Lynch and the Clare People’s Eoin Brennan were live in studio for the Monday sports panel.

Morning Focus spoke to Fine Gael Cllr Joe Cooney spoke to Gavin about the parking tickets issued at yesterday’s Clare v Kilkenny match at Cusack park.

Doonbeg Drama Group’ Mary Egan, Ken Blowers and Declan Honan joined Gavin in studio to tell us about their production of ‘The Night Alive’. After opening the West Clare Drama Festival, the group goes to Roscommon, West Cork, Claremorris , Claregalway, Scariff and Charleville in  their bid to qualify for the All-Ireland Finals in April. The West Clare Drama Festival runs from March 4 – 13