There are hopes that DEIS School cuts announced in the budget will be reversed after indications from Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn yesterday
Sean McMahon, Clare INTO representative and Mullagh NS Principal spoke with Marian Egan on Friday’s Morning Focus
He also discussed fears raised late last year that further small national schools in Clare could be facing the threat of closure after the government confirmed its looking at the viability of two in the west of the county
Clare FM understands that Scropul National School, near Mullagh and Baltard National School in Doonbeg- which between them have less than 20 pupils, are both in the firing line.
Today is Friday 13th – Dr Margaret Humphreys, Folklore & Ethnology Department at University College Cork explained the superstitions about this day and their origins.
John Hill of Sheils Motors in Ennis had a word about business being slightly up this year
He says that some people don’t want a ’13 on car registration and this may put some people off purchasing new cars next year.
In the latest edition of the Lonely Planet Kilkee was been compared to the Caribbean with the white powdery sands of its beach
The Mid West comes in for further praise with Limerick described as having welcoming locals and an intriguing castle
However overall the travel guide found that going to a pub in Ireland is apparently the greatest experience a tourist can have here
Cillian Murphy, Chairperson of Loophead Tourism and Che festival organiser and arhcitect Tom Byrne said that while the plug in the Lonely Planet is fantastic, the comparison with the Caribbean may be slightly overdoing it.
Residents will be legally entitled to use reasonable force when defending themselves against intruders – under a new law that comes into effect today
The Criminal Law – Defence and Dwelling Act 2011 – provides for the use of reasonable force to protect people in the residence from assault, to prevent the commission of a crime – and to protect the property.
The Act says that a person who uses reasonable force cannot be sued for damages by a burglar and will not be guilty of an offence
Ireland’s independent human rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has criticised the “lax” provisions on home defence that have been signed into law by Minister Alan Shatter- Marian had a word with Director Mark Kelly.
Noellette Hanley is a Dromeen native and Chief Officer of the Luton-Irish Forum
Yesterday Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the centre as he was in London to meet with British prime Minister David Cameron
The forum assists Irish people to settle in Luton and provides rehousing support, welfare assistance, clubs, Irish language group and other activities
They recently redeveloped the centre Cathleen Connolly house into three floors – Enda Kenny officially opened it yesterday.
The third Monday in January has become known as "Blue Monday," or the most depressing day of the year, due to a combination of poor weather, the post-Christmas blues and mounting debt
Whether or not this is the most depressing day of the year, January can be one the months most associated with a low mood and the disorder known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Symptoms of SAD may consist of difficulty sleeping or difficulty waking up in the morning, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, irritability and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities; all of which can lead on to depression and a feeling of hopelessness
Dr Abbie Lane is a leading provider of mental health services and treatments in Ireland and can offer some advice on dealing with the disorder
Dr Lane, Consultant Psychiatrist at The Stress Clinic based at Saint John of God Hospital had some advice and tips.
Eilish O’Halloran is a second year student at Scarriff Community College
She spoke with Marian from the Young Scientist Exhibition about her project entitled A Study on the effect of changing the bridge height on a fiddle
She is entered in the category of Physical, Chemical and Mathematical
The Shannonside Winter Music Weekend kicks off this weekend
John Ruddle – Shannon Heritage CEO and an accomplished musician – joined Marian in studio.
Aidan Courtney of the Ennis Bookshop looked at some ‘first in the series’ books on today’s Book Focus.
Contact the Morning Focus team by emailing Focus@clare.fm
