Mornning Focus opened with a report from Gavin on a meeting this week (Tue.) on the state of Parnell Street in Ennis.
Owners of vacant properties in Ennis Town Centre look set to be offered incentives to keep their buildings in order.
Council Cathaoirleach James Breen has informed a meeting of traders on Parnell St. that the plan will be discussed at Monday's Council meeting, although further details have yet to be unveiled.
Vacant and unsightly premises on Parnell Street was one of the issues highlighted at yesterday's event, which was attended by over fifty people.
Figures released to TheJournal.ie show that the local authority in Clare has paid more than €1,100 to provide burial plots in cases where there was nobody else to cover the cost.
Morning Focus looked at the issue because of its relevant to a number of sensitve cases in Ennis, inlcuding that of Marek Skiba, who was found dead in his home on Christmas Day. His body lay in a mortuary for a week as there was no money for a funeral. The cost of Mr Skiba's funeral was jointly covered by undertaker Cyril Cusack and the comedian Brendan O'Carroll. A number of members of the wider Clare community, including artists and musicians, attended his funeral after an appeal from Mr Cusack and those who had known Mr Skiba.
Mr Skiba was friendly with the late Josef Pavelka who came to national prominence in 2013 after it emerged the homeless man was sleeping in a public toilet. He was found dead in an Ennis laneway two months later.
Gavin was joined by Michelle Hennessy of Journal.ie and by Ennis undertaker Cyril Cusack
The theme of Rural Isolation in the Loop Head Penninsula was discussed with Kilrush Garda Superintendent Martin McGonnell. The meeting takes place in Carrigaholt Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday, April 14.
The Minister for Sport says that he expects there will be an investigation into the death of a Portuguese fighter who died after a Mixed Martial Arts event in Dublin at the weekend.
João ( Pron: Jhew-ow ) Carvalho ( Car-val-yo) was rushed to hospital after telling medical staff he felt unwell after the bout with Irish fighter Charlie Ward.
Cystic Fibrosis Ireland's 65 Roses Day takes place this Friday (April 15) as part of Cystic Fibrosis National Awareness Week (April 11-17), and that people can donate at www.cfireland.ie
Gavin spoke to young Miltown Malbay woman Lisa Talty. Lisa is 25 and has a rare CF gene, which affects around 600 people in Ireland. Treatments like Orkambi don't improve her condition and she's not optimistic that she'd get government funding if there was a breakthrough to treat her and others like her.
At the moment, Lisa says that she's going throug a rought patch. She got the flu in February and is still struggling with it. She avoids hospital as much as possible, but says the CF team in UHL, and her consultant, are a fantastic support. Lisa is treated as often as possible at home and says that her mother, boyfriend and seven-year-old niece are a huge support with her IV treatment. Lisa says she's also one of the first CF sufferers in Clare to have been able to access home Ivs.
Lisa says that 2015 was a tough year for the Clare CF branch, with a number of members passing away. However, she believes it's essential to focus on the positive side. She says her choice is to sit in the corner and let life pass her by or to play the cards she's been dealt and see what she comes out with. She's already been to Australia and America and hopes to travel again this year. She's a qualified Business Studies teacher, but is curently on a year off.
He also spoke with Philip Watt, CEO Cystic Fibrosis Ireland
From Killaloe to Kilrush, Lisdoonvarna to Shannon, from Labasheeda and Quilty to Bodyke and Corofin the final calls are going out to the young ladies across the banner county in search for the next Rose of Tralee.
The people of Clare are being asked to nominate a daughter, sister, cousin friend or colleague or even themselves as a rose in this years rose of Tralee.
The Clare rose centre are holding an Information evening this Sunday (April 17) at 5pm at the Inn at Dromoland to help these young ladies true the process while informing the public of the new changes to the festival which will see the Clare rose going directly to Tralee. Gavin spoke to Ciaran O'Connell about the search for a Clare Rose.
An icon of ‘Our Mother of Perpetual Help’ is visiting a number of Cathedrals around Ireland this year and tomorrow (Thurs. April 14), it comes to Ennis.
The event is aprt of the Year of Mercy, and the icon will travel from April 4 – May 15, to celebrate 150 Years of Redemptorist Devotion. The icon will be at the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, Ennis on Thursday April 14 with a Mass, healing and prayer on Friday April 15. Gavin spoke to Redemptorist Fr Seamus Enright
This year’s Burrenbeo Trust’s Burren in Bloom festival will run from the April 28 – May 18. It includes a great range of walks and talks. The draft programme is now available on www.burreninbloom.com. The events include walks and talks on the Burren’s built, natural and cultural heritage and will feature inputs from Patrick McGurn, Gordon D’arcy, Una Fitzpatrick, Ros O’Maolduin, Alex Copland, Michael Lynch, Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, Paul Clements, Sharon Parr and Stephen Ward along with Burren farmers, John Marrinan, JJ Keane, Michael Keane and Robert Cassidy.
Gavin was joined in studio by Richard Morrison, Director of Burren Beo Trust.
Tributes have been paid to Joao's Carvalho after he passed away following two days of treatment at Beaumont Hospital.
MMA's world governing body the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation have said that they're gathering information about the fight and awaiting the outcme of medical records.
The Total Extreme Fighting Championship who ran the event say that the 28 year old was assessed by medical staff on site after the fight – and it was them who determined he should be moved to hospital.
The Health and Safety Authority says they're examining the circumstances of the fight to see if they'll have a role to play in any investigation into the death.
To discuss the issue, Gavin spoke to Ben Keily os SportsJOEdotie (www.sportsjoe.ie).
John Underhill of Burren Vets joined Gavin to talk about hip problems in animals and what owners and vets can do to help.
Kilkee basking sharks
A wildlife conservationist has described the sight of up to 20 basking sharks feeding off the Clare coast as "incredible".
It's reported that Andrew Power spotted the sharks – which can reach up to 10m in length – swimming close to the shore near Kilkee on Monday morning. Gavin spoke to Andrew, a wildlife conservationist.
