On Monday's edition of Morning Focus with John Cooke
Elder residents in East and West Clare are facing into a period of time without daycare facilities, after the HSE made the decision to close the centres in Regina House and at Raheen Community Hospital. Mary Cassidy of the Support Group for Raheen Hospital says the HSE's decision to temporarily close the daycare centres in Tuamgraney and Kilrush will upset many service users and their families. She spoke to John Cooke.
In a statement, the HSE says the decision has come about because of a lack of nurses, and that this is caused by factors including annual leave, sick leave and the unavailability of agency staff. Long-term residents at the two nursing homes are being prioritised, with available nursing staff being used to cater for their needs. The statement also insists the closure will be for "a couple of weeks", but gives no exact date on when they will re-open. East Clare TD Michael McNamara says a large number of people will be affected while Deputy Timmy Dooley is concerned that it was not possible for alternative staffing arrangements to be arranged both TDs joined us in studio this morning. The HSE says it will look to restore the Day Care services as soon as possible, and Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen is optimistic this will occur. He says the situation will be reviewed later this week – He also spoke to us on the matter.
Martin Hally from Kilrush called the show regarding a recent visit from what he was led to believe was a worker from Irish Water to his home, to carry out some work on their behalf. Martin was unaware that Irish Water were due to his home so this visit came as a surprise. After investigating it further and receiving confirmation that there were no record of anyone being directed to carry out work at the house, Martin and his wife were advised to contact Gardaí as he may be a fraudster. On speaking with Gardaí, there was a suggestion that because Martin had previously spoke to Morning Focus about issues with Irish Water work, someone may have used their story as an opportunity to take advantage of them.
Niall Maloney, Operations Director at Shannon Airport gave us the details for the upcoming Air Show Spectacular taking place at the Airport this coming weekend. The line-up for the Shannon Air Display to mark the 70th anniversary of the first transatlantic commercial flight at the airport has been turbo-boosted with the announcement that the renowned Swedish jet, the Viggen Saab, has been added to a growing list of aircraft set to enthral 40,000 people at the July 18th event. Niall gave further details regarding entertainment, to John as well as some advice for those attending the event.
Garda Focus next with Joe Downey Crime Prevention Officer Ennis Garda Station joined us in studio – Appealing for your help in solving recent local crime.
Historian Sean Treacy, Spanish Point contacted the show following much investigation and discussion on who the oldest Irish person in history is – with many possibilities from County Clare!. Today Seàn tells us about Mrs. Annie Armstrong died at Shepardhill, midway between Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point, on 1 March 1898 having almost completed her 117 year. She was born in 1781 and although not a native of Clare she lived there for upwards of 90 years.
Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald has backed his side to bounce back from the disappointment of their championship exit. Five unanswered points in the closing ten minutes of Saturday's All Ireland Qualifier saw Cork bring the curtain down on 2015 for the Banner, winning by 0-20 to 0-17. Fitzgerald has two years left to run on his current deal as Clare senior hurling manager and says he'll hold talks with the board before deciding on his next move. Derrick Lynch Clare FM Sports joined us in studio To disect the weekend's events and joining us on the line, Team selector Mike Browne gave his thoughts going forward.
Wildlife Expert John Murphy of the Clare branch Birdwatch Ireland joined us in studio to answer your birdwatching and wildlife queries
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