MORNING FOCUS WEDNESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER
Over 40 per cent of people say they've felt unsafe in Ennis at some point over the last 12 months. The finding is contained in a – Do you feel safe in Ennis study.The question was posed to over 400 people in the research conducted through the University of Limerick and Clare County Council.Three groups were surveyed as part of the work, the general population, students at two secondary schools and users of Clare Youth services.The findings were presented to Ennis Municipal District Cllrs yesterday and a representative of local Gardaí.Cllr James Breen (Ind) who chaired yesterdays meeting and Cllr Ann Norton (Ind) discussed the issue of safety in Ennis with John.
A group of Senators have published legislation they say would guarantee all adopted people a right to their original birth cert. Under the measures the adoption authority would also act as an agency if parents and children wanted to contact each other. Similar legislation has been in Scotland since the 1930s, England and Wales since the 1970s and Northern Ireland since 1987. Senator Fidelma Healy Eames who has adopted children and who co-sponsored the bill spoke to John about the proposed new legislation.
Con McCluskey from the Federation of Irish Sport spoke to John about the importance of PE in schools. The Irish Heart Foundation & the Federation of Irish Sport have called for more post-primary schools to provide recommended two hours PE each week. . Against a backdrop of 295 people dying from cardiovascular disease in Clare in 20131, the Pumped Schools' Video Awards, supported by Bayer in partnership with the Irish Heart Foundation and the Federation of Irish Sport, have been launched to encourage young people to create mini-movies on a heart health theme. The competition invites participants to unleash their creative juices and explore the science behind physical activity, diet and smoking, the impact of these on health and well-being, and produce compelling 90-second videos that inspire viewers to act.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live with a severely debilitating medical condition, whilst trying to live the life of normal 28 year old young Irish woman? My Journey with Spina Bifida: Me and My Backbone is the coming-of-age story of Siobhán Mungovan, a tenacious country girl from Clare whose motto in life is "Keep Smiling Always". The book is written with Clare-based, award-winning, journalist Carol Byrne. Through her comedic turn of phrase, we learn it is not all that different to anybody else's life. What is different is Siobhán's unique ability to grab life with both hands and live in the moment. Carol and Siobhain were in studio to tell John about their story.
A new report by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), led by Trinity College Dublin, has shown that the mental health of mothers suffered as a consequence of the emigration of their children during the recession. The study showed that mothers experienced increased depressive symptoms and greater loneliness than mothers whose children did not emigrate. The researchers found, however, that with the exception of fathers aged over 65, fathers did not suffer an equivalent decline in mental health following the emigration of one or more of their children. Prof Alan Barrett of TILDA outlined the results of the study with John.
North Clare has another world first – with the Cliff of Moher now holding the record for the world Largest ever moustache.The giant moustache, which was photographed last week by local photographer David Olsthoorn, was projected onto the would famous heritage site to mark the beginning of Movember – the month long awareness event for male cancers. David along with Neil Rooney Movember Ireland country manager joined John and spoke about the project and the concept behind Movember .
If you have a story, comment or query for Morning Focus email [email protected] or write to us – Morning Focus, Clare FM, Francis Street, Ennis, Co. Clare.
