Clare FM

Judy Beck from Clonroad Garden Centre, Ennis was back on Monday’s Morning Focus to answer all your gardening queries. As the weather gets colder, Judy gave us tips on how to prepare your garden for the longer spring days. If you have any questions for Judy, contact the show on 0818 400 964 or send a text or WhatsApp to 086 1800 964. Image (c) Clonroad Garden Centre

A new report from the National Oversight and Audit Commission is highlighting a number of challenges around housing and homelessness in Clare.   The figures include the proportion of people in emergency accommodation who are considered long-term homeless, vacant social housing units, the time and cost involved in bringing council homes back into use, and the condition of private rental properties....

Sustainable Development Goals Week is underway across Clare, with a series of events aimed at helping communities take practical steps towards a more sustainable future.     Among them are three events with the Clare Community Energy Agency, focusing on energy, switching electricity suppliers and saving energy at home.     Joining Alan Morrissey to discuss the week and what people can do locally w...

Ennis Rounders has got off to a flying start, with a fantastic turnout for its first training session last week.   The club is now hoping to build on that momentum, but there’s one important piece missing — a permanent home, ideally with lighting, where members can train safely.     Kate Holland, co-organiser of Ennis Rounders, and Michael Sheahan from Munster Rounders joined Alan Morrissey to tal...

On Monday’s Morning Focus, it was time again for our Arts Slot with County Art’s Officer Siobhán Mulcahy. Siobhán provided our listeners with all the details of this week’s live events for entertainment lovers in Banner County. Photo (c) Clare FM

Illegal dumping is causing frustration in Shannon, with volunteers from Shannon Tidy Towns recently collecting 15 bags of rubbish dumped along local roads, with several more trailer loads still to be removed.   The waste included household rubbish, food waste, cans and bottles.   Alan Morrissey was joined by Derek Clune from Shannon Tidy Towns to discuss the problem and what can be done to tackle...

The Irish Wheelchair Association's Annual Fundraising Day will take place on Thursday, 24th September.  Alan Morrissey has been chatting about this with coordinator of the Irish Wheelchair Association's Ennis branch, Breda Garry, and branch member Christy Slattery. Photo (c) annastills via Canva

A Kildysart fundraising effort for hospice care has received national recognition, with local fundraiser Frankie O’Shea presented with a Together for Hospice National Super Host Award.   Frankie has been raising funds for almost 25 years, continuing the work he began with his late wife Philomena and her cousin Sheila.   Over the past 12 years alone, the fundraising has raised almost €30,000.   Joi...

Construction of a new three-storey fashion outlet is set to get underway in Ennis. Penneys has issued a commencement notice, indicating its intent to begin building its new development on Harmony Row. The company estimates the new store will generate €14m in revenue by 2029, but is expected to open before then. Ennis Chamber CEO Margaret O'Brien is confident it will benefit all traders in the town...

The representative body for Home Care providers is demanding action on Clare's waiting lists. Home and Community Care Ireland's 2025 report shows that 651 people were waiting for services at any given time in the MidWest last year. Clare and Limerick combined continue to have the greatest waiting list relative to population size with 2% of all over 65's across the region included. HCCI CEO Joseph...

It's claimed high blood pressure is a "silent killer" in Clare. The local authority has confirmed it will explore the establishment a blood pressure monitor lending initative at libraries countywide. According to the Irish Pharmacy Union, more than half of people over 50 are living with the condition. Ardnacrusha Councillor Fianna Fáil Rachel Hartigan proposed the initiative and believes it would...

It's hoped Clare's older population will have access to a free shingles vaccine in the near future. Health Minister Jennifer Carrol McNeill confirmed the vaccine was being considered following a push from Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee states the vaccine should be considered for those aged over 65 due to the 'greater burden and severity of the disease'....

Fr Brendan Quinlivan presents this Sunday's Beyond Belief which includes a report from the Installation of Tulla native, Bishop Ger Nash as Bishop of Ossory, which took place in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny city last weekend. There’s also a piece on the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J Sheen which takes place in St. Louis Missouri on Thursday next 24th September.

Fr Gerry Kenny leads our Sunday Prayer for Sunday 20th September 2026 the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

A Clare TD claims specialist Irish teachers need to be installed in schools to prevent students becoming functionally illiterate. A meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth this week heard that the Irish language has experienced systemic decline since the turn of the millenium. Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth, Meelick Deputy Cathal Crowe, claims children...

A new half a million euro investment in rescue equipment for Clare's Fire Service has been hailed as transformative for the force. Ten sets of new battery-operated rescue equipment have been provided for the service to use during call outs. It comes after the local authority announced that the project to deliver a new Ennis Fire Station headquarters has moved to the next stage following the appoin...

Coming up on this weeks show we preview the TUS senior football quarter finals along with looking ahead to the semi finals of the Clare Credit Unions senior camogie championship

Dan Egan is an Irish folk/indie singer-songwriter from County Offaly whose music blends heartfelt storytelling with energetic acoustic arrangements. Influenced by artists such as Noah Kahan and Mumford & Sons, Dan combines honest lyrics with memorable melodies to create songs that feel both intimate and uplifting. After completing a Law degree at the University of Limerick while performing across...

Alan Morrissey was joined by Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch to preview the weekend’s sporting fixtures. ~ T.U.S. Clare Senior Football Championship Quarter-Finals ~  - Kildysart vs Lissycasey (Saturday, Ennis, 3pm) - St. Josephs Milltown Malbay vs Ennistymon (Saturday, Ennis, 5pm)  - Doonbeg vs Kilmurry Ibrickane (Sunday, Cooraclare, 2pm) - Eire Óg vs St. Josephs Doora Barefield (Sunday, Ennis, 4:40pm)...

Mushrooms, herbalism, traditional healing and community care are all at the heart of the Mushrooms & Roses Festival, taking place from October 2nd to 4th at Common Knowledge, outside Kilfenora and Lisdoonvarna.   The festival, presented by Savage Craic, brings together practitioners, artists and community organisers to explore traditional and emerging approaches to healing, nature and ecological c...

Former Clare GAA joint President Naoise Jordan has passed away.     The Whitegate native, who later lived in Parteen, was elected joint President of Clare GAA in 2020, having given more than seven decades of service to the association.     He played senior hurling for Clare during the 1960s and was also involved in preserving and recording the history of Clare hurling.     Naoise Jordan will be la...

More than 13,000 Clare drivers currently have penalty points on their licences, with speeding accounting for almost two-thirds of penalty-point offences nationally.    And with road deaths continuing to be a major concern, there are also financial consequences for motorists, with penalty points potentially affecting insurance premiums.    Alan Morrissey was joined by Garda Superintendent Eddie Gol...

Just 13% of 25- to 34-year-olds in rural Ireland attend Mass weekly, according to a new Ipsos/B&A poll, despite 57% of people saying they consider themselves religious.     At the same time, priest shortages are forcing changes to parish life and prompting renewed calls for a greater role for women and lay people in the Church.   To discuss what these figures tell us about the future of the Cathol...

Ireland’s agricultural heritage will be brought to life at Bunratty Folk Park this Sunday for a Traditional Harvest Day.  Visitors can step back in time with vintage tractors and machinery, traditional crafts, music, dancing, storytelling and a demonstration of the age-old tradition of threshing.  Joining Alan Morrissey was Marie Brennan, Events Manager at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, to tell us...

Bees and biodiversity will be in focus in Corofin next week, as the Corofin and Ruan Tidy Towns committees come together to host The Plight of the Bumblebee.  The documentary explores the vital role bees play in our ecosystems, while also looking at their place in Irish folklore, culture and history. It will be accompanied by a live traditional Irish music score.  Joe O’Connell from Corofin and Jo...