Joining Clare FM’s Gavin Grace on The Afternoon Show today was Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent. They discussed the release of an OECD report on the Irish pension system, which was published yesterday. The reports says private pension coverage in Ireland needs to be increased urgently – and recommends the introduction of compulsory pensions. The OECD also says that the pensionable age should be increased to reflect the increase in life expectancy.
Daryl McNamara, a fire officer based at Scariff Fire Station also joined Gavin on the Afternoon Show to discuss the positive news that the Government is to introduce legislation, which ensures that Clare’s part-time fire-fighters will be allowed to retain social welfare payments. The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton will include a clause in new legislation so that a part-time fire fighter’s duty to remain close to a station does not bar them from unemployment benefit.
Tor Cotton is one of the organisers of Dingle’s Fungie Festival which takes place this weekend to celebrate how thirty years ago Fungie the Dolphin decided to make Dingle Harbour his home. First spotted by lighthouseman, the late Paddy Ferriter in 1983 Fungie has become synonymous with Dingle town. Consequently as part of West Kerry’s contribution to The Gathering, a major celebration marking the anniversary of his arrival is taking place on the last weekend of April.
Molly Muldoon is the Deputy Editor of Irish Central in New York and spoke to Gavin about the news stories that are affecting the Irish Community in the United States – including the Boston Marathon Bombings and the capture of Dhokhar Tsarnaev.
Marie Walsh is a Science Lecturer at LIT and is the co-ordinator of SciFest@LIT, which takes place on Wednesday, May 1st at 9.30am. She let listeners know what’s happening on the day. Post-primary school students from Limerick, Clare and Tipperary will be showing off their scientific knowledge at the regional SciFest fair which will be taking place at LIT Moylish Campus. SciFest is an all-inclusive, all-island science competition where second-level students showcase their science, technology and maths projects at a series of one day science fairs held in the 14 regional Institutes of Technologies and the University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Derry. The winners from each science fair will go on to compete at the national final in November.
To contact the show please email afternoon@clare.fm
