A state owned commercial building in Shannon that had been tipped for use as International Protection Applicant Accommodation will be repurposed.The Department of Transport has confirmed that Unit 153 in the Shannon Business Park will become the site of its new vehicle registration and motor tax office.Previously, plans had been drawn up to provide…

A protest taking place in Ennis this weekend will push for greater community consultation on a development which organisers of the demonstration have deemed "insane".A group of retailers, local representatives and community activists are highlighting their opposition to the proposed Abbey Street development as part of the Ennis 2040 Spatial and Eco…

Clare's longest ever serving politician insists preventing the decline of rural Ireland should be the greatest priority for future governments, as his career comes to a conclusion.PJ Kelly attended his final meeting of Clare County Council on Monday after a fifty year tenure, which spanned ten council terms and 114 colleagues.The Lissycasey Fianna …

One of Ireland's longest running food festivals makes a return in North Clare this weekend.The Burren Slow Food Festival makes its anticipated return this Sunday at the Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna, with the theme of "Wellness in the Burren"It offers a wide variety of nutritious cullinary delights ranging from artisanal cheeses to freshly caught seafoo…

To talk about metabolic health and why it is so important, on Thursday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Smaranda Maier.Smaranda is the owner and Founder of Authentic Health, a Qualified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with a Background in Healthcare.Cooking for life masterclass, which focuses on metabolic health, is taking place on …

On Thursday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke to Clinical Child Psychologist, Dr. Toby Sachsenmaier about Neurodiversity.By Clare FM

On ‘Clare Women in Business ‘ this week, Pat Flynn chats the founder/owner of the Shannon Estuary Way Retreat and Academy Rosie McMahon.By Clare FM

Lark in Ennis, which aims to be the premier summer camp in Ireland for adult players of traditional Irish music, will begin with orientation this coming Sunday, the 19th of May with classes starting on Monday, the 20th of May.To find out more, Alan Morrissey was joined by Danese Cooper, Organiser of Lark in Ennis.…

Noel McInerney is a filmmaker from Killaloe. He has worked in the film industry over the past six years, rubbing shoulders with some Hollywood heavy hitters. Noel has directed a short film, called Baps and Buns, which won an award at this year’s Chicago Irish Film Festival. He is now taking Baps and Buns to the Fastnet Film Festival in Cork!To tell…

The US Justice Department told a federal judge on Tuesday that Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed it to avoid criminal prosecution after those two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft.To find out how significant a development this is, On Thursday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Naoise Ryan.…

Over €1.2m in funding has been secured for the development of two affordable housing schemes in Ennis. The grant will support the delivery of 11 homes at Acha Bhile on the Lahinch Road by the end of the year and a further 10 homes at Doire na mBláth on the Tulla Road by June 2025. The properties will be sold at rates beginning at €280,000, but as t…

The Department of Integration has confirmed it's considering an offer of accommodation for International Protection Applicants at the Abbey Hostel. It comes almost two weeks after 50 Ukrainian refugees, residing at the Ennis Hostel for up to two years, received letters from the Department, telling them to prepare for relocation. Some of these resid…

A decision by the council executive to defer a meeting of the Ennis 2040 board has been slammed by an outgoing public representative. Ennis 2040 DAC, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Corrigan was due to appear before the council on Monday, but the engagement was cancelled by Council CEO Pat Dowling as it clashed with the visit of Minister Heather Hump…

Clare's Shane O'Donnell insists the squad are taking nothing for granted ahead of this weekend's pivotal clash with Waterford in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship. The Banner come into the contest with no new injury concerns after a three-week respite from their second round victory over Cork in Páirc Uí Caoimh, and needing a win to boost the…

A Clare business fears new supports for small and medium enterprises are merely "plugging a hole" in the short-term.Grants of up to 5,000 euro for small retail and hospitality firms are among a package of supports announced for small retail and hospitality firms today.By Clare FM

There's a push for the level of public transport connectivity at Shannon Airport to be brought in line with that of other international airports.Clare County Council is currently engaging with Irish Rail on the possibility of including a rail stop at Shannon Airport in the Ennis to Limerick service.The National Transport Authority has also recently…

A countywide series of mental health promotion events are taking place across Clare this afternoon. As part of the nationwide 'Hello How Are You' campaign, launched by Iarnróid Eireann and Mental Health Ireland, communities will be encouraged to reconnect in safe spaces to promote open connversations on health and well-being.This afternoon, the Cla…

On this week’s Sport in Focus, we are taking a trip to Cooraclare to the West Clare Sports and Fitness Club. The club boasts a cross county running course along with a covered sprinting track, with plans in the pipeline for further development in the coming months. Clare FM's Derrick Lynch spoke with club secretary Dermot Galvin and treasurer Geral…

On Wednesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Tommy Corbett from Carey Corbett Financial SolutionsThis week, Tommy provided Alan and our Morning Focus listeners with advice on how to recognise financial fraud.By Clare FM

The Cliffs of Moher will play host to a special charity event later this month, where much needed funds will be raised for three County Clare organisations. Sláinte an Chláir, Brothers of Charity Services Clare and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) Clare Branch have been chosen as the beneficiaries of the Cliffs of Moher Charity Fun Day. To fin…

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Day will take place this Sunday. There are approximately 40,000 people in Ireland living with inflammatory bowel disease or IBD.On Wednesday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Sarah O’Connor, from Crusheen who has been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease to discuss World IBD day.Picture (c) worldibb…

The Taoiseach insists forward planning is taking place with regard to healthcare bed capacity in the Midwest. It's over a month since the Health Minister announced up to 25 step-down beds would be brought on stream in Clare between July and September of this year but the tender for this project remains open. No clarification has been given from the…

Clare County Council is set to review its procurement policy following a motion inspired by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. It follows the formation of a new protest group here, BDS Clare, which has launched a campaign urging local stores to discontinue carrying Israeli products and register as Apartheid Free Zones. Over 35,000 Palestinians have been…

The Pope has nominated a Killaloe Priest as Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan.Monsignor Séamus Horgan, who will be based in the city of Juba, is also appointed by Pope Francis to the titular See of Árd Sratha - Ardstraw, CoTyrone.A native of Tobarteascáin near St. Flannan’s College where he completed his secondary schooling, Monsignor Horgan entered …

On this week’s History in Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by local historian and author Colm Liddy to talk about the 1400s and castles in Ireland.If you have any stories you would like to share with Colm about your town, you can contact him at colmliddy@eircom.net or Clare FM at focus@clare.fm.By Clare FM

An MEP for this region claims the European Union should be held responsible for prolonging Wars in Ukraine in Gaza.It comes as a new front has opened in the North-East of the country after Russian troops were able to make territorial advances due to delays in western military aid reaching Ukraine.While on March 1st, 393 of the 543 sitting MEPs vote…

Clare dog owners are being reminded it only takes 10 minutes for a dog to die if left in a car.The County Dog Warden was alerted to a situation in recent days in which two dogs were left in the back of a van for a lengthy period of time in 23-degree heat.Dogs that are overweight, of advanced age or have lung or heart disease are especially at risk …

Controversy over GAA GO continues, with Simon Harris now entering the debate. The Taoiseach remarked that the GAA have "gotten this wrong", while Tánaiste Micheál Martin said "I've huge concerns about it, I don't understand it, in terms of the promotion of the game of hurling”.The Taoiseach was among those criticising the streaming service in the a…

Ger Staunton will be bringing his unique brand of comedy to Clare this summer.The stand-up comedian and actor, hailed as “one of the best comedy writers in Ireland” by the International Comedy Club, will perform at Glór on the 6th of July, in what will be his first-ever show in the Banner County.Alan Morrissey was joined by Comedian and Actor, Ger …

Micheál Garrihy from Lisdoonvarna has recently graduated from a US college, where he was on a soccer scholarship. Micheál, who was also awarded Student Athlete of the Year, joined Alan Morrissey on Tuesday's Morning Focus.By Clare FM

You will have heard Colum McGrath reference a very scary incident involving his children on the Breakfast Show on Monday.Colum took his daughter and youngest son, along with a friend of his daughter swimming in Lahinch over the weekend. However, what should have been a lovely day out at the beach for all concerned almost ended in unspeakable traged…

Clare County Council is calling on the Government to address the "huge failures" of reconfiguration and the HSE in the MidWest. It’s after a proposal was passed with cross-party support at this week’s meeting of elected representatives; just four days after the Department of Health announced a review to determine if a second Emergency Department is…

It's predicted Clare's primary schools will have to ramp up their fundraising efforts due to cuts to their funding from Government. The Department of Education has announced that the annual grant for primary schools has been cut by €16 per pupil - down from €96 to just €80. It comes one year on from the roll-out of the free schoolbooks scheme which…

Avenue's Conor Mullen After Winning CDSL Premier Division TitleBy Clare FM

The Minister for Rural and Community Development predicts a major funding boost will make an East Clare town a more attractive place to live, work and invest in.As part of a €164 million funding announcement today, Scariff has been granted over €8.7 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.The allocation will go towards the almost …

A Clare developer is predicting a major change in building practices in order to stem the housing crisis. It follows a recent report, which found Ireland's competitiveness is at risk, due to the current state of the property market.By Clare FM

On Monday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrisssey was joined by Tom Stewart from Keane’s Garden Centre in Kilcolgan.This week, Tom gave listeners advice on plants to grow in shaded areas. If you have a question for Tom, contact the show on 0818 400 964 or send a text or Whatsapp to 086 1800 964.By Clare FM

The Government is being criticised for dragging its heels on a major renewable energy project off Clare's coast. Under the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce plan, the state is aiming to harness 30 GW (Gigga-Watts) of offshore green energy and to create 50,000 jobs in the region by 2050. Despite being launched last year though, no projects in the S…

To discuss the latest in the entertainment world, Alan Morrissey was joined by Clare FM’s Colum McGrath, on Monday’s Morning Focus.This week, Colum discussed the results of this year's Eurovison Song Contest and much more!By Clare FM

The students at St. Anne’s Community College in Killaloe are hosting their inaugural arts and music festival later this week.The Fresh Eyes Festival, which will take place on Thursday (16th May), is a youth led arts and music festival that has been organised by and is being run by the college’s Transition Year students.To find out more about the ev…

Occasionally you meet people who are 10 steps ahead of the general population and think in ways most of us are unable to fathom. Mike Manning is one of those people. I was privileged to be involved in this enthralling discussion where Mike goes deep on all things AI and what it means for the future of work. Great chat with an even better person - t…

On Monday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke to William Cahir of Cahir & Co. Solicitors, in our weekly legal slot.This week, William provided some advice on family law & pre-nuptial agreements.By Clare FM

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about the emotional well-being of parents before, during, and after pregnancy.For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Petrina O’Halloran, the founder of Mama's Boobie Box, mum blogger and writer for online magazine Boobingit.com. Alan was also joined by Lisa Joyce,…

Clare's IFA Chair is confident new funding supports could soon come on stream following a response issued by the EU to Clare County Council. The local authority wrote to EU Commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen in April demanding that no further regulations be placed on farmers along with stand-alone funding for biodiversity initiatives on farms. In re…

It's claimed Uisce Eireann is not displaying any sense of urgency when it comes to legacy sewerage deficits in North Clare. In recent months, housing developments in both Ennistymon and Lahinch have been put on hold due to inadequate wastewater capacity in the region. The preferred option for Uisce Eireann is to enhance the capacity of the existing…

Avenue United Manager David Russell After Winning League TitleBy Clare FM

On this week's Atlantic Tales Pat Flynn visits the Caher Valley in the Burren in North Clare where Carl Wright has created the most magnificent garden in what was once dense hazel and blackthorn scrub and an area with little or no soil.By Clare FM

It's been suggested a masterplan for a south-east Clare village would pave the way for funding and growth opportunities in the years to come.As of the most recent Census, Newmarket-on-Fergus has a population of 1,887, making it the fifth largest area in the county.Sixmilebridge and Kilrush have both benefitted from the Department of Community and R…

Uisce Eireann is confident that recent works completed across Clare will bring legacy supply issues to an end.It comes as the utility has replaced 3km of damaged water mains with new modern pipes across Ennis, Creegh in Kilrush and Ennistymon. Uisce Eireann is currently progressing with similar works on a 670m stretch in Balinoosky, Newmarket-On-Fe…

The Mayor of Ennis believes a Henry Kissinger-like figure is needed to facillitate meaningful consultation on the controversial Ennis 2040 plan.At this week's monthly meeting of representatives in the county town, Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat Daly has raised a motion seeking a "concilitation and arbitration type process" to give greater input to indi…