Today marked a very special edition of Morning Focus as we broadcasted from Kaffeine on Abbey Street in Ennis this morning as part of Ireland’s largest coffee morning in an effort to support Cahercalla Hospice.
The show opened with Pat Doyle the CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust. The organisation is currently working to combat homelessness especially in rural Ireland. They’ve put forward eight new measures including piloting a rural Housing First programme and a new multi-disciplinary homeless day service. They are also calling on the government to put an empty homes network in place and to expand HAP top-ups on a national business.
Then Melanie Power returned to the show to update us on her campaign for women affected by a very common vaginal mesh after child birth. While the Health Minister halted these procedures concern has arisen over the fact all complaints made to the Health and Products Regulatory Authority were made by members of the public and none came from surgeons.
Then it was time to discuss Ennis’ future. More specifically the Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy which is aiming to attract investment to Ennis and develop Ennis for the future. Director of Services for Economic Development and Planning for Clare County Council Liam Conneally discussed the specifics of the plan.
Moving into the second hour we had a panel discussion on revitalising Ennis including Diarmuid McMahon – the President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce and MD Sherry Fitzgerald McMahon, Mary Kelly of Hallmark (cards and newsagents) on O’Connell Street, Padraic McElwee – Head of Enterprise for Clare LEO and Darragh McAllister – Clare Chair Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI).
Also in the second hour Morning Focus producer Fiona McGarry talked to the tight-knit community of residents and traders along Parnell Street. The street of old historic buildings and laneways once boasted more business but now has a number of vacant premises and frequently sees people footballing on the street. It’s hoped the street will see a revitalisation in the future.
Listen back below:
The last hour of the show had a major focus on Cahercalla Hospice and the work they do. First we heard a number of interviews Gavin did with those who’ve lost people who spent their last months at Cahercalla.
Listen back below:
Then we spoke with Mary Moloney the Fundraising Manager for the hospice and following that Mayor of Clare Michael Begley. They both emphasized the work of Cahercalla Hospice and hospices in general.
The show rounded out with some live music from Ennis singer-song writer Susan O’Neill. After completing her debut album ‘Found Myself Lost’ in Sun Studios in Dublin Susan has been touring with a brand new show which features a combination of guitars, harmonicas, trumpets and a loop pedal station along with her powerhouse vocals. Her next show will be tomorrow (Friday, September 21st) for Culture Night at 8pm at 16 Lower Market Street. You can visit www.scealeilebooks.ie for more information.
