Chris Macey is the Head of Advocacy at the Irish Heart Foundation. He joined Clare FM’s Gavin Grace on The Afternoon Show to discuss how the Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society have told the Oireachtas Health Committee that in Ireland, the tobacco industry is being allowed to earn substantially larger profits than in many other EU countries. Tackling this could net the Government €150 million a year and curb the tobacco industry’s ability to recruit young smokers. Last year total cigarette tax take in Ireland was €1.36 billion. But, according to the Department of Health, at current smoking rates tobacco-related illness will cost the State €23 billion over the next 10 years – almost a billion a year more than is received in tax.
CEO and Founder of the Jack & Jill Foundation, Jonathan Irwin also joined the show to talk about how one Clare community have gone above and beyond in helping them raise vital funds for the services they offer. Also speaking to Gavin was Ben Costello who was involved in the organising committee for the fundraising events. There will be a presentation on Friday night next 16th November at 8pm in the Dagger’s Pub (previously the Blackwater Inn) of the proceeds of a recent table quiz and golf classic – currently in excess of €25000 – to Jonathan Irwin. The fundraiser was a phenomenal success. The money raised is an acknowledgement to all those who supported them and to further raise the profile of Jack & Jill who do great work in supporting families in Co. Clare and further afield. If you’d like to make a donation to the Jack & Jill Foundation you can see their website www.jackandjill.ie or text the word “Clare” to 57304 to make a €5 donation to services within the county.
Aoife Rigney is a Social Media Commentator and she spoke to The Afternoon Show following an unusual news report. The issue of customer complaints hit the headlines in recent days, after a patron at a restaurant in the Ranelagh area of Dublin sparked a twitter feud because his order was delayed. It descended into name-calling – which the company has since apologised for. As a result we’re being urged to lodge any gripes that arise while out for meal with the business owner as soon as they happen. Aoife is a self-confessed social media addict and she also works with businesses on a consultancy basis helping them establish a digital marketing strategy
Author and artist Pete Hogan also discussed his new book – The Log of the Molly B. The story begins in Vancouver, Canada in the early 1980’s when Dubliner Pete Hogan finally gets it together to build his own boat. His dream is to sail away into the sunset and be like his heroes, the famous single-handed sailors Knox Johnston and Taberly. It does not quite work out like that, but he does build his boat, the Molly B, and sails it engineless and on a shoestring down the coast of California, through the Panama Canal, and across the Atlantic to Ireland, with numerous adventures along the way. Ten years later he sails it around the world. He meets a girl. The boat sinks in the Mediterranean in a storm. Pete is lucky to survive. The official launch of the book takes place tomorrow night and features his own artwork and illustrations.
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