On today’s show Kieron Brennan, CEO of the Irish League of Credit Unions joined Gavin Grace as the institutions raise concerns about the number of people resorting to money-lenders to pay their monthly bills. It follows the release of their latest survey of how much people have left at the end of every month. The latest “What’s Left” survey found;
• 1,855,000 left with €100 or less at the end of the month after essential bills are paid (increase of 35,000).
• 70% of people are unable to save money, the highest level to date.
• Half of all adults now struggling to pay their bills on time – the highest level this year.
• 42% of consumers have had to borrow money to pay bills in the last 12 months, increase on June figures.
• Utility bills are now the second most expensive essential bill
Sr. Bernadette MacMahon is the Director of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice Ireland and spoke to Gavin about how she is not surprised by these figures. The VPSJ offer free online budgeting tools to help people plan ahead with their finances. Please see www.misc.ie for details.
Also on The Afternoon Show;
Gabriel Sheridan, Clare Handball Manager joined Gavin to discuss the county’s success at the World Handball Championships. Clare comes home with a total of 18 medals – 10 gold and 8 silver, from 10 days of competitions at the World Handball Championships. For full details of medal winners see clare.fm/sport
Donal Geoghegan is the Programme Director for The Wheel. He discussed how there’s just two days to go until the old analogue TV service is switched off. The Wheel and Irish Rural Link are calling on the public to check that neighbours and relatives have made the switch to digital. The two community and voluntary groups, are reminding everyone that from Wednesday at 10am – those still using an aerial will see their TV screens go blank. The Wheel and Irish Rural Link have spearheaded a massive community outreach programme throughout the country, in a bid to help those who needed it to make the switch.
Author and Archaeologist Hugh Carty let listeners know about the North Clare Historical Society’s monthly lecture, which will take place tonight. The illustrated talk is entitled "Monumental Burren – Middens to Martello towers – A contextual description of monument types from the Mesolithic to the Late Medieval." Hugh is currently guiding tours of sites in the west of Ireland. The venue for the talk is the Courthouse Gallery; Ennistymon at 8pm. Admission is €5.
Mary Noonan, PRO of the Cooley Collins Traditional Festival gave us the details on all that’s on offer in Gort this bank holiday weekend for the annual festival.
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