On today's Morning Focus with Gavin Grace
Gardaí are being given more resources to tackle rural crime – in the form of 260 high powered cars and motorbikes to patrol motorways. The Justice Minister has confirmed 5.3 million euro is being spent on the new vehicles, to clamp down on gangs using the country's motorway network to carry out burglaries and other crimes. Frances Fitzgerald says the investment will help tackle the scourge of these highly mobile gangs. To see if the news has reassured the people of Clare, our own Edel Bane took to the streets of Ennis yesterday to get the opinions of the people in Clare.
Listeners in Ennis will be familiar with works going on along the Tulla Road. From Saturday next (October 24), the road will be closed for a week, until Sunday, November 1, to facilitate works by Irish Water – in partnership with Clare County Council. Consultations with the community have been ongoing and another information session will take place at Aras Contae an Chlair tomorrow (Thursday) evening from 5.30 to 7.30pm. Tom Tiernan is a Senior Engineer in Clare County Council and he talked to Gavin about the roadworks.
Drug use is a controversial issue around the world, but many countries take a more liberal approach. Moves are afoot to have the government consider decriminalising the possession of drugs for personal use – as happens in Portugal. The Oireachtas Justice Committee is to urge the Government to “seriously consider” a Portuguese-type system in the future. Clare Senator Martin Conway is a member of the Justice Committee and, following a visit to Portugal, he favours a more liberal approach. Senator Martin Conway, Fine Gael, spoke to Gavin about what decriminalising drugs could mean.
The tragic fire at a halting site in Carrickmines, which killed ten people, has put the issue of Traveller accommodation – and our attitudes to the community – into stark focus in recent days. Emergency accommodation for survivors has been challenged in a bitter stand-off with some residents of Rockville Drive close to a site proposed as a temporary measure. One of those who says he hasn't been surprised by the response is former Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh. Famously, between 2000 and 2005, Dr Walsh invited Traveller families unable to find accommodation, onto the grounds of the Bishop's palace. Clare County Council is one of 25 local authorities across the country which has failed to meet traveller accomodation targets over a five year period. Figures obtained by the Irish Traveller Movement show that of the 84 units proposed by the council between 2009 and 2013, only 42 were delivered. Local authorities must develop a plan every five years for the provision of Traveller accommodation before applying to the Department of Environment for funding to progress identified sites. Dr Willie Walsh, Former Bishop of Killaloe spoke about the Carrickmines tragedy.
It is Back to the Future Day! In the 1989 movie – part 2 – Marty McFly and his friends travelled in time to October 21, 2015. While director Robert Zemeckis and his crew were wrong in their prediction that everyone would their pockets inside out, they got an impressive amount of details right. The highlights of their most accurate predictions include smart watches, hoverboards and virtual reality headsets. To discuss the 'science' behind predicting the future, we're joined now by Futurologist Dr Ian Pearson. Dr Pearson has delivered more than 1000 provocative talks about the future of many aspects of our daily lives – from work to leisure, and fashion to climate change
Comhairle na nÓg are child and youth councils in the 34 local authorities of the country, which give children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies. In light of the fact that Comhairle na nÓg is for young people under the age of 18 and who therefore have no other voting mechanism to have their voice heard, Comhairle na nÓg is designed to enable young people to have a voice on the services, policies and issues that affect them in their local area. Every Comhairle na nÓg holds an Annual General Meeting in September or October, to which children and young people are invited from local schools and youth groups. Attendance at AGMs ranges from 80 -150 young people, depending on the size of the city or county. At the AGM, the young people work on identifying the topics of most importance to them.
The Burrenbeo Winterage Weekend begins on Friday next (October 23) and runs until next Sunday. This unique harvest festival is a celebration of the importance of farming not only for food but also for our landscape, heritage and culture. Events include open farms, sheepdog demonstrations, farm walks, a food fayre and the famous Burren winterage cattle drive. This year’s festival also includes an international conference on ‘High Nature Value Farming’ which will include a Dept. of Agriculture presentation on the new ‘Locally Managed Schemes’ measure of the RDP.
Author Alice Taylor lives in the village of Innishannon in County Cork, in a house attached to the local supermarket and post office. Since her eldest son has taken over responsibility for the shop, she has been able to devote more time to her writing. Alice Taylor worked as a telephonist in Killarney and Bandon. When she married, she moved to Innishannon where she ran a guesthouse at first, then the supermarket and post office. She and her husband, Gabriel Murphy, who sadly passed away in 2005, had four sons and one daughter. In 1984 she edited and published the first issue of Candlelight, a local magazine which has since appeared annually. In 1986 she published an illustrated collection of her own verse. To School Through the Fields was published in May 1988. Her latest book is The Women – a celebration of the generations of women who went before her, the forgotten, ordinary women who were the backbone of Irish society.
Gavin got to relive his childhood when he spoke to Bosco! Bosco is performing in Glor this coming week and Gavin spoke to Bosco about the show and Halloween Costumes. Bosco will be dressing up as Batman.
Caroline Collins Of Ennis Bookshop reviewed the following books for Morning Focus:
The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower by P.J. Lynch. This is a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book, which tells the story of a young English boy called John Howland who travels from England to the new world in America in 1620 on board the pilgrim ship The Mayflower.
1916 Portraits and Lives edited by Lawrence William White and James Quinn. Through a selection of forty two biographies, this book tells the story of the 1916 Rising and its impact.
