On today's Morning Focus with Gavin Grace
Yesterday in Mayo, Taoiseach Enda Kenny relaxed his line on the date for the General Election – saying that he wouldn't rule out going to the people before Christmas. The Taoiseach said yesterday that his decision on when to call the general election will be “made in the best interests of the country” but declined to say exactly when the contest will be held. When asked on previous occasions, the Taoiseach has said he saw no reason to change from his original intention to have the election early next year, most likely around February or March. There’s been increasing speculation over the past week that the general election will be held next month, and Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said the Taoiseach has two windows available to him – before or after Christmas. Political Correspondent for INM Niall O'Connor spoke to Gavin about Enda's comments on the election.
Denise Dunne of Clare Haven spoke about Women’s Aid, the national agency supporting women and children affected by domestic violence, which has just launched its ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ public awareness advertising campaign to encourage women to speak up about domestic abuse. The campaign urges women living with domestic abuse to call the Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline 1800 341 900. One in five women in Ireland is affected by domestic abuse but we know that over one third of those will never speak to anyone about it.
Michael Brassil, a Newmarket-on-Fergus resident, lives around half-a-mile on the Ballycar side of Newmarket. He has a particular problem when matches are held in the local GAA pitch and people park along the road and the entrance to the pitch. At times, the road is effectively blocked and people, like Michael, who have livestock, have to travel miles out of their way to get to their land. There are also concerns in the area that an ambulance might be unable to gain access, in an emergency situation. Michael feels that the GAA isn't doing enough to address the issue.
John Lowe, The Money Doctor spoke to Gavin about greater reliance on the State pension in the future, insolvency service increases debt forgiveness by 75%, house prices up 2.3% in August and tax relieve for the 'squeezed middle' – tax to fall below 50% for 1st time in 6 years.
Getting involved in your child's online life is the key to keeping your child safe on the internet. That's the view of Quin-native and Forensic Psychologist, Dr Maureen Griffin. Maureen will speak at Clarecastle National School this evening on the issue of internet safety. In advance, Dr Griffin spoke to Clare FM's Fiona McGarry and she began by explaining that not all parents are fully aware of the risks that children can run into online.
Rita Kierce, a mouth Cancer Survivor, from Kilnaboy, Burren, was diagnosed with mouth cancer when she was 3 months pregnant with her daughter. The symptom – a blister on her tongue – was deceptively minor, but turned out to be cancerous, and Rita with given just months to live. After treatment however, Rita beat the odds and went on to make a full recovery. Today, Rita is in good health, and she's back to one of her great loves – running – but she's left with ongoing bills for her dental care. Rita is one of many cancer survivors around the country who – while grateful for their recovery and good health – face thousands of euros in ongoing medical costs.
John Whyte, from Motivation Weight Management and Shane O Donohoe from The West County Gym joined Gavin and Clare FMs Denise Quinn, who is on the road to getting fit and healthy, to discuss weightloss and getting fit.
Tomas McConmara, from Tuamgraney, spoke about a lecture taking place in Ennis. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) Clare Archaeological and Historical Society present a lecture called ‘A Secondary Opinion – Cumann na mBan in Revolution and Memory’ at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis. The lecture will explore the role of Cumann na mBan in the Irish War of Independence and broader revolutionary period with a number of examples from county Clare. It will also examine the way in which women have been treated by historians and where they feature in the memory of the period. The speaker has recently completed his first book which is based on over 200 oral history interviews across County Clare, which explored the social memory of the Irish War of Independence in County Clare.
