Morning Focus began with a look at the ever-looming talk of Garda Strike Action. With just two days left until a planned Garda strike, the Garda Representative Association is due to attend the Labour Court later today (Weds. Nov. 2). Both the AGSI – which represents middle-ranking Gardaí – and the GRA, have rejected pay proposals put forward by the Department of Justice aimed at averting the action. As tension builds ahead of the planned strike by 12,700 gardai on Friday, the Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has warned members of the force who take part in industrial action that they will have their pay docked. Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has written to every gardai directing them to turn up for work on Friday, and cancelling all leave. Unless agreement is reached between all parties by tomorrow, gardai will withdraw service for 24 hours from 7am on Friday, and for the remaining three Fridays in November. Gavin was joined on the line by John Downing, Independent News & Media.
Gavin then turned to the topic of depression. There are calls for an increase in services for pregnant women with depression. A new study by Trinity College Irish Obstetric Services, shows that one in six pregnant women attending maternity services in Ireland are at probable risk of depression. Ireland has the second highest birth-rate in Europe – yet this is the first time data has been collected about depression among women giving birth in Irish hospitals. June Shannon, Health Journalist, came on the line to discuss the data.
You might be heading out to do your grocery shopping later today and if you are, you've probably honed your eye for a bargain. If you're in charge of the household shop, you'll no doubt have noticed the value – and indeed the range of prices – on basic products like meat and dairy. So while there are bargains to be had for the consumer, farmers are concerned that they're losing out. Martin McMahon, Clare County Chair ICMSA, joined Gavin on the line to give his opinion.
Disappointment has been expressed over the low level of women availing of the chance to detect breast cancer. The most recent figures from BreastCheck, the country's national screening programme, show just over 70 per cent of women in Clare attended a clinic for a mammogram between 2012 and 2013. The BreastCheck mobile unit is due back in Clare in March next year and will screen women there for one year. Gavin was joined on the line by Ann Murphy, oncology nurse (survivor of ovarian cancer).
A striking image of a writer Francis Stuart laid out at his home in Fanore is among a collection of photographs published by my next guest. Eric Luke, an award-winning photographer working with the Irish Times, has just published 'Looking Back', which contains images from four decades of Irish life. Included is a photo of the author Francis Stuart which Eric took after he was sent to Fanore to photograph the author's wife Finola Graham. When he arrived at the couple's home in Fanore – to take a photo of Finola ahead of an exhibition – she told him her husband had just died, at 97. Eric helped in laying out the famous writer, and asked for permission to photograph him before the wake. He came on the line to tell us more.
Next on the show we had an Inagh woman who is trying to break the world record for knitting the world’s largest blanket, which if successful would be able to cover an Olympic size swimming pool. She’s put out the call all over the world asking knitters to donate a 6” square of knitting to make up the blanket; she’ll need around 70,000 squares to do it. Valery Larkin is her name and she joined Gavin on the line to talk about her attempt.
If you’re a lover of comedy then you’ll want to take yourself down to the Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick next week for the hilarious ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’. It’s under production by the College Players Theatre Company now but in the past it has wowed audiences in London’s West End and on Broadway. Gavin was joined live in studio by Aodán Fox, lead actor of the play.
A beauty pagent with a difference will take place at Treacy’s West County Hotel, Ennis on Saturday next (Nov. 5) at 8pm. Featuring men from across the county, it's in support of Rape Crisis Midwest. All the men will dress in their best outfits, answer questions on stage and then perform a party piece. Gavin was joined live in studio by Tony Cogan, Dainty Daisies MC from Miltown Malbay and Gda Niall Donegan, Dainty Daisies contestant.
Jury's Inn have compiled some research on the different nightmares people experience and created a list of the most common ones Irish people have when they make the trip between their sheets. Not surprisingly, one in four people have been jolted from their slumber by a feeling that they're falling… whether this can be considered a nightmare is debatable as this is known as a hypnic jerk and it affects approximately 10% of the world's population every night. But more scarily, 23% of people report that they have nightmares about being chased, sometimes by an unknown pursuer. Other nightmares that are experienced frequently are teeth falling out (13%), being trapped (12%), being unprepared for an exam (11%) and missing an important event (10%). So how common are nightmares among Irish people? Well, according to the people studied, 83% of them experience nightmares with around 33% of them having a bad dream in the past two months. Up to 7% of people experience one or more nightmares a week. To discuss the findings, and to chat about dreams, in general, Gavin was joined by Mairín Ni Nualláin, Galway-based Jungian Analyst.
Aidan Courtney is an Irish freelance cartoonist and writer based in County Clare. He has for the most part been published in newspapers and magazines in Ireland but has had some work published in the United Kingdom, France, United States and Canada. He is also the founder of Coimicí Gael, an Irish language comic publisher with help from Foras na Gaeilge. He is editor of Rí-Rá, the first magazine anthology comic the company is bringing out featuring a selection of cartoonists from all over the island of Ireland and some European strips translated into Irish. Aidan kindly joined Gavin live in studio to discuss his work.
Morning Focus finished with our weekly segment with John Underhill, from Burren Vets.
