Morning Focus – Friday 21/02/20

Today on Morning Focus, we were joined in studio by our Friday Panel where we discussed the major news headlines from the past week.

Our panellists this week were, Michael Vaughan, Lahinch hotelier, Bernadette Kenny, CEO Blue Box children’s charity and Diarmuid McMahon, Sherry Fitzgerald McMahon as we discussed the 33rd Dáil Stalemate, how median income figures show rural Ireland being left behind and Caroline Flack’s suicide, social media and the critical eye of the media.

If you missed it, you can listen back below:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

To begin the show, Fianna Fáil Cllr Cillian Murphy joined us on the line as he says CSO figures show that tourism isn’t enough to support rural communities and that coastal areas have income levels that are in some cases significantly lower than the median household income. According to Cllr Murphy, this shows that the tourism industry has work to do to back up its claim that it’s a real economic driver.

Next, Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey joined us on the line to discuss the 33rd Dáil sitting yesterday as the first sitting failed to elect a Taoiseach. Leader of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are to meet next week for explanatory talks. The current government will continue until a new one can be formed, with the nest sitting of the Dáil being on the 5th of March.

Then we heard from Actress, Rose Henderson as she told us all about a show which is set to take place in glór tonight. It looks at the personal impacts that an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can have. Take Off Your Cornflakes centres around a married couple, Tom and Trish, who celebrate their Silver Wedding Anniversary shortly before Tom forgets who his wife is. Trish is played by Fair City and Father Ted actress, Rose Henderson who herself has family experience with the illness.

To wrap up today’s show we spoke to Adam Lambert, Organiser, as he told us about the third All-Ireland gathering of musicians and enthusiasts of Old Time Appalachian music – which they say is the source of folk, country, blue grass and a much of pop music.