Bernie Ruane of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and a teacher at St. Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon spoke to Clare FM’s Gavin Grace as around 2,000 teachers are expected to protest in Dublin this afternoon – over potential budget cutbacks.The demonstration is being organised by the three main teaching unions – the ASTI, the TUI and the INTO. Members will voice their anger over the lack of equal pay for newly qualified teachers – they say the pay difference between young teachers and their senior colleagues could reach a quarter of a million euro over the course of their career.
John Kennedy is the Editor of Silicon Republic. He joined Gavin to talk about another aspect of the digital switchover – RTE’s Aertel service. RTÉ has confirmed the Aertel information service will be available in an updated format on RTÉ Aertel and on Saorview and UPC. It will also be available to mobile users on m.rte.ie/aertel and the original version will remain for Sky users. The Aertel service has, according to TGI’s latest report from September 2012, more than 1.2m users on a weekly basis. For queries in relation to the switchover contact the helpline on 1890 940 980
Mary Dillon of Europe Direct also joined the show to discuss a competition for those interested in debate. Youth is wasted on the young – is the topic for this year’s national Soapbox Competition. The competition is open to all ages – the western region heat (which includes Clare) takes place on November 1st and is chaired by Jim Higgins MEP. Entrants are given 3 minutes to discuss the topic and the Western finalist will go through to the final in Farmleigh on the 20th November. The competition is being run by Europe Direct – an initiative launched in 2005 by the European Commission in partnership with the Library Council of Ireland to create a network of accessible, local information centres around Ireland. Entry forms for the competition will be available in all public libraries and also online at www.europedirect.ie. Entries must be made in advance, there is no entry fee and the closing date is October 29th 2012.
The one and only Sharon Shannon also spoke to Gavin today. The Ruan native and world-renowned accordionist and legendary Irish musician, might be best known for her love of music, but what many may not know is that she is a passionate animal lover who works tirelessly and enthusiastically for animal rescue. Sharon Shannon now joins a host of other Irish celebrities in backing a new ARAN campaign. Figures released by the Department of the Environment to ARAN for the year 2011, show that over 5,000 dogs were destroyed in Irish pounds. This is a quarter of the figure is was ten years ago, thanks to growing awareness. The new ad campaign, featuring Sharon Shannon will be sent viral through social media and online websites encouraging people to adopt from their local pound or shelter.
Bridget Barry is the Event Co-ordinator of the Burren Winterage Festival – she spoke to The Afternoon Show about this weekend’s events. The festival is a community led event celebrating this unique farming tradition, supported by The Heritage Council under the Burren Community Charter Project. The Weekend consists of over 30 different events between 26th and 28th October in various locations across the Burren region. The full programme is available on www.burrenwinterage.com
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