Clare Fm - Podcasts

The very first recognition ceremony honouring our diaspora either living with or lost to HIV/AIDS will take place later this year. It will happen in London on the 1st of December, which is World AIDS Day. Clare’s very own own Bernard Lynch, who, through his roles over forty years as a priest, author and activist, has worked for the rights of LGBT people... Bernard spoke with Alan Morrissey on Monday's Morning Focus.

Hundreds of local residents have signed a petition calling for urgent safety upgrades on the main road linking Ennis to West Clare. It follows a serious road traffic collision which occurred just outside McNamee's Londis on the N68 last Friday, which left one person hospitalised. Since 2007, four people have been killed in road traffic incidents along the 2km route between Darragh's North Cross and Bansha Cross. Clare FM's Daragh Dolan visited McNamee's Londis and spoke to a number of local residents. Photo (c) Clare FM

We’re delighted to announce a brand-new feature starting today on Morning Focus, which will also broadcast each evening on The West Wind for 26 days. The feature, titled “Traditional Greats,” is presented and produced by Therese McInerney. This captivating 26-part series celebrates the enduring legacy of traditional Irish music in our county. Each episode pays tribute to a legendary Clare musician who has passed on but whose influence continues to inspire generations. Therese speaks with musicians from across the county, exploring how these iconic figures shaped their musical journeys and contributed to Clare’s unique cultural heritage. Throughout the series, the timeless sounds of these greats are brought vividly to life, weaving their legacy into the very fabric of Clare’s musical identity. Listeners will enjoy a rich and heartfelt journey through the melodies, stories, and traditions that define our county’s proud musical history. In the first part of “Traditional Greats”, Therese pays tribute to Pac

As Halloween approaches, new research from Ireland’s leading dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust, has revealed that more than half of dogs (55%) show signs of fear when they hear fireworks. To help pet owners prepare for the spooky season, Alan Morrissey chatted to Paulina Padlo, Communications Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland. Photo (c) Dogs Trust via dogstrust.ie

This Friday, the 24th of October, the people of Ireland will go to the polls to elect our next President. The electorate will decide whether Independent candidate, Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys succeed Michael D Higgins in Áras an Úachtaráin. The name of Jim Gavin, Fianna Fáil’s candidate who withdrew from the race on the 5th of October, remains on the ballot paper. That means there will still be three names on the ballot, even though only two candidates remain active in the campaign. For some guidance ad advice on all this, Alan Morrissey spoke to Art O’Leary, Chief Executive of An Coimisiún Toghchain on Monday's Morning Focus. Photo (c) An Coimisiún Toghcháin

An inquest into the death of a Clare woman at University Hospital Limerick a day after suffering a miscarriage was told her family are “haunted” by fears that suspected sepsis was not acted upon in a timely manner. Leona Cusack, from Ballycasey in Shannon died on the 18th of February 2024. The 33-year-old was just over five weeks pregnant following IVF when she came to the maternity hospital in the early hours of 15th February. The inquest heard the clinical markers for sepsis were present when she presented at the hospital on the morning of 17th February, yet she did not receive broad spectrum antibiotics until 4pm, which doctors acknowledged was a breach of protocol. Alan Morrissey was joined by Damien Tansey, Solicitor for the Cusack Family on Monday's Morning Focus.

Clare farmers are set to receive €23m in advanced payments. According to the Department of Agriculture approximately 5,596 herds in this county have qualified for the Basic and Complementary Redistributive Income Sustainability Support Schemes. The new CRISS scheme works by redistributing CAP payments from large farms to small and medium holdings. Clare ICMSA Secretary Martin McMahon says the payments are particularly vital at this time of year.

On this week’s Atlantic Tales Pat Flynn visits Killaloe to hear about the town’s most famous son, an intelligent tactician and deadly warrior, leader of the Dalcassian Army and High King of Ireland. He reigned over a thousand years ago however the story of the legendary Brian Ború will never be forgotten.

The national planning body is said to be "flatly ignoring" passenger safety advice by allowing wind farms to be built close to flight radar in Clare. Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has told the Taoiseach that in spite from advice from the Irish Aviation Authority, wind turbines are being granted planning permission in the vicinity of radar infrastructure. This, he says, distorts the signal of where the aircraft are and "jeopardises passenger safety". Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Crowe says expert advice must be heeded.

Pyrite affected homeowners in Clare could receive uplift payments before Christmas. It's understood opposition parties have decided to waive the pre-legislative scrutiny element of a bill that will enable households that previously received compensation under lower redress limits to be topped up. Last October the maximum payment under the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme was increased from €420,000 to €462,000. Kilrush Independent Councillor Ian Lynch met with Housing Minister James Browne on the matter.

The parameters of a scheme offering subsidised painting works to Ennis businesses are to be announced in the coming weeks. Ennis Municipal District has confirmed that as the public realm works near completion, it expects to be in a position to progress the scheme early next year, with the painting to be carried out in the early spring. Mayor of Ennis Fine Gael Councillor Mary Howard proposed the scheme in October 2024 as a means of supporting businesses impacted by the public realm enhancement works. She believes having their premises painted at a discounted rate will be the "cherry on top" for traders.

Fr Brendan Quinlivan presents this week’s Beyond Belief which has a focus on mission, in a programme that brings us to Africa, South America, India, Corofin, Toomevara and Labasheeda.

Fr Brendan Quinlivan leads our Sunday Prayer for this morning Sunday 19th October 2025, the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Dáil has heard that people in West and North Clare are being "priced out of their own towns" due to the demand for holiday homes. Bodyke Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney has told the Minister for Housing that locals in Kilkee, Doolin, Quilty, Carrigaholt, Kilbaha, Fanore, Spanish Point, Lahinch and Ballyvaughan are unable to buy homes in their native areas as a result of their popularity as tourist destinations. The average price of a home in Clare in the period of July to September was €285,000 which was unchanged from the same period of last year. Deputy Cooney says if "sustainable rural development", more homes must be built in these communities.

A meeting of Clare County Council has heard that University Hospital Limerick is "embarrassingly unsafe" for patients. It comes as the local authority has passed two proposals calling for a model 4 hospital to be built in this county. The Health Minister has promised to make a decision on the matter in December and while the first of three planned 96 bed blocks opened at Dooradoyle this week, its still seen an average of 80 patients on trolleys every day since. Clonlara Independent Councillor Michael Begley says services must be established in Clare.

On this podcast: Clare FM's Derrick Lynch looks ahead to the 2025 Clare Premier Intermediate hurling, Intermediate hurling and Junior A hurling championship finals.

Clare FM's Derek Dormer speaking with Inagh-Kilnamona and Truagh-Clonlara ahead of the 2025 Clare Credit Unions senior camogie final

Irish singer/songwriter, Conor Byrne, began songwriting at a young age, taking inspiration from the catalogs of Damien Rice, James Morrison, Coldplay and The Killers. His distinctive vocals and richly poetic lyrical style launched him into the music industry, where he first caught the attention of Gamper and Dadoni resulting in 'Island In The Sun', a collaboration that has amassed over 50 million streams. Following his early successes writing for other artists he signed his solo artist deal, which saw him release a number of solo singles including the epic 'Bloodstream', the deeply personal 'Growing Pains' and 'Girl On The Internet', which charted top 5 in the home charts of Ireland. While on a break from releasing his own music, Conor has established himself as one of the next key singer/songwriters having lent his pen to a number of other incredible artists including The Script, James Blunt, James TW, Arthur Hill, Sam Fischer and many more. His passion for songwriting can be heard across all his work, wh

It's claimed new guidelines are restricting Clare Special Needs Assistants from helping children in the classroom. It comes as the Department of Education has also been requested to carry out a full review of additional needs school spaces in this county. A circular issued by the Department of Education in May states the role of the SNA is to support the care needs of a child and that responsibility for the overall progress of students lies with the classroom teacher. A recent report by the he National Council for Special Education has also indicated that SNAs should have no role in assisting children with behavioural difficulties, causing outcry in Clare. The local authority has now requested that Minister Helen McEntee calls for an urgent meeting with the NCSE to resolve the issues. Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor and SNA, Antoinette Baker Bashua believes it's a glaring policy error.

It's claimed small and medium enterprises in Clare are losing the equivalent of 58 working days every year in unnecessary HR tasks. A new report from HR Locker estimates that companies are spending an average of €22,000 annually due to inefficient administration. The responses from over 100 firms nationwide indicate that businesses are spending at least 16 hours a week on wasteful errands. HR Locker CEO Crystel Robbins Rynne says outdated information systems are preventing progress.