Clare FM

Two of Clare's brightest young traditional musicians are celebrating after a landmark year for his group, Aistear.   The eight-piece ensemble, made up of musicians from Clare, Galway and Tipperary, claimed the prestigious Craobh Siansa Gael Linn title earlier this year, before recently coming together in Ennis for a special night of music and celebration with family, friends and fellow musicians. ...

They say you can tell a lot about a business by the state of its toilets, and now one company is putting that theory to the test.   Drainage specialists Dyno-Rod have relaunched their SuperLoo competition, a nationwide search to find Ireland's best publicly accessible toilet.   Businesses from cafés and hotels to libraries, offices and garages are being invited to enter, with the winner taking the...

Time for another Taste of the Week, on Thursday’s Morning Focus Alan Morrissey was joined by Danny Lynch, Chef from Le Cheile in Barefield. Danny told us a recipe for an Alan Morrissey inspired burger. Image (c) Clare FM

Sometimes it's the smallest things that can mean the most.    Staff at Carraig Donn in Ennis are hoping to reunite a customer with a very special handwritten letter that was accidentally left behind in the store.   It's a personal letter from an elderly woman to a dear friend living with Alzheimer's, and the team is now appealing to help get it back to its rightful owner.   With Alan Morrissey ear...

A Lahinch woman has once again done Clare and Ireland proud on the international stage.     Marie O'Connor returned home from the European Transplant Games in the Netherlands with an impressive haul of one gold, one silver and one bronze medal, helping Team Ireland secure 28 medals despite the competition being cut short due to extreme heat.     Marie, who underwent two life-saving kidney transpla...

Clare Libraries is inviting children across the county to enjoy reading this summer with the return of the popular Summer Stars Reading Programme, themed Haunt the Library.  The free national initiative encourages children of all ages and reading abilities to read for pleasure during the school holidays, with books, graphic novels and audiobooks all counting.    Funded by Clare County Council’s Cr...

It's one of the highlights of the summer calendar in West Clare, bringing together the very best of farming, horses, local crafts and family entertainment.  The West Clare Horse Show returns to Kilrush this Saturday, the 4th of July, with a packed programme featuring show jumping, cattle classes, Connemara ponies, a dog show, vintage displays, food, music and plenty of activities for all ages.  Jo...

A new Community First Responder group is now providing potentially life-saving support to communities across north Clare.     The Ruan-Dysart group, established by emergency medical response charity CRITICAL, is the organisation's third Community First Responder service in the county.     Made up of 20 local volunteers, the team is trained to respond to cardiac arrests in the crucial minutes befor...

County Clare has a proud reputation for its Irish culture, traditional music and strong network of Gaelscoileanna, yet it's one of just ten counties in Ireland without an independent Gaelcholáiste.   That means many students who begin their education through Irish are unable to continue learning through the language at second level.   A new open letter to local TDs is calling on the Government to...

Shannon has long been known as a welcoming and diverse town, and that community spirit was on full display recently when members of the local Filipino community rolled up their sleeves to give something back.   Forty-two volunteers joined Shannon Tidy Towns for a clean-up and weeding project along the road from Ballycasey Roundabout towards Shannon Airport, as a way of thanking the town for the we...

For the next six months, Ireland is at the centre of European decision-making as it holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time since 2013.   The Government says its priorities will be competitiveness, values and security, but it also inherits some of the biggest challenges facing Europe—from negotiating the EU's next long-term budget and the future of farm payment...

It's being argued that the West Clare Railway Greenway could be "bigger than Moneypoint" in terms of its economic impact. Clare County Council has confirmed its submitting the first section of the long-awaited project to An Coimisiún Pleánala for development consent. The local authority has also commenced steps to acquire lands for the Kilrush to Kilkee stretch. Kilrush Independent Councillor Ian...

The Ennis Town Bus Service will commence from September. Under the system two routes will traverse the county town every half hour connecting Clarecastle to Ballymaley and the Lahinch Road to the Tulla Road. Clare County Council is currently installing bus stops to accelerate the programme. Responding to Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal at the Oireachtas Transport Committee, NTA Director of Public Tran...

On this week's Atlantic Tales, Pat Flynn visits the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Miltown Malbay and meets acclaimed concertina player Liam O’Brien who will tell us about his work digitising and cataloguing Clare-related materials currently housed in ITMA’s extensive collection in Dublin.

Over 12,500 Clare people remain on an at risk public drinking water supply. According to the EPA's latest annual report, both the old and new Water Treatment Plants in West Clare continue to experience issues managing trihalomethanes. Measures aimed at combatting the problems are not expected to be implemented until 2032 and 2030 respectively. Environmental Protection Agency Programme Manager Noel...

The Kilkee Brontë Festival returns later this month, celebrating the unique connection between one of the world's most famous literary families and the West Clare seaside town where Charlotte Brontë spent part of her honeymoon.   This year's festival, running from the 17th to the 19th of July, features talks from leading Brontë experts, along with art, local history and guided tours.   Joining Ala...

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is urging the Government to make tackling child poverty and the rising cost of living its top priority in Budget 2027.   In its pre-Budget submission, the charity is calling for higher social welfare payments, greater supports for families, more affordable childcare and measures to ease the burden of housing and energy costs.   Gerardine Power is President of Cla...

This year’s County Clare Show is looming large on the horizon.  The show, which has played an important part in the agricultural heritage of the Banner County for well over a century, will take place at the Ennis Showgrounds on Sunday, 12th July.  Joining Alan Morrissey to fill us in on what we can expect from this year’s show was Joe Lilis, Chairman of the County Clare Show. Image (c) Co. Clare A...

If you have been affected by this story, or need support, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123, Call Pieta’s 24-hour Crisis Helpline on Free Phone 1800 247 247, or Text 'HELP' to 51444, or you can visit Your Mental Health for information on mental health services in Ireland. An investigation by The Journal has uncovered that a suicide forum, which has been restricted in the UK, remains freely...

The Government has agreed to extend the current reductions in excise duty on petrol and diesel until the beginning of September, with the tax relief then set to be phased out gradually over the following months.     While Ministers say the move will avoid a sudden jump in fuel costs and help keep inflation down, farming organisations have consistently warned that high energy prices continue to pla...

Nurses and midwives at University Maternity Hospital Limerick took to the picket line yesterday in protest over what the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation describes as critically low staffing levels.   The union says frontline posts have been lost, workloads have become unsustainable and patient safety is under increasing pressure.   The HSE, however, says staffing levels comply with agreed s...

The Housing Minister claims responsibility for progressing two long-awaited Clare wastewater projects lies with Clare County Council and Uisce Éireann. Responding to a parliamentary question from Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe, Minister James Browne says he's approved funding for the Broadford and Cooraclare sewerage schemes under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme. He says this funding "...

Clare's opposition TD is calling on her fellow Oireachtas members to oppose the planned strategic gas emergency reserve in the Shannon Estuary. A two-hour debate on the controversial project proposed for Cahiracon near Kildysart has taken place in the Dáil. The final Strategic Gas Reserve Bill has yet to be debated but has been subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in the Oireachtas Climate Committe...

The lineup for this year's Cusack Cup final will be finalised this evening. Miltown and St. Breckan's do battle in Miltown for the right to compete for the first piece of silverware on offer this season. Lissycasey await the winners in the final, after securing direct passage courtesy to topping the group. Clare FM analyst Derek Dormer says every side left in the competition will be looking to car...

Clare camogie joint captain Abby Walsh says the squad are relishing the opportunity to perform in front of a number Clare crowd in the All Ireland Quarter Final. Eugene Foudy's side take on Tipperary in the last six having come through their group campaign with four wins from five games. The game forms part of a double header with the senior hurlers, All Ireland Semi Final against Limerick. The Sc...