First up on this morning's show we heard about new paternity leave proposals. An Irish MEP has welcomed the new Paternity Leave legislation – but has warned that the experience from Europe has shown that fathers simply don't take it. Deirdre Clune says that when Sweden introduced the leave for fathers, over 40 years ago the take up rate was under 1% – with other countries like the UK and Germany reporting similar results. From this September Irish fathers will be entitled to two weeks' paid paternity leave under a new bill being published today. MEP Deirdre Clune spoke to Gavin and explained her caution in welcoming the legislation.
There's been a guarded welcome for the final report of the housing and homelessness committee – of which Clare's Independent TD, Dr Michael Harty is a member. The 157-page document says the Government needs to build 50,000 social homes in the next five years and find a way of breaking EU rules to fund it. The final report makes some 70 recommendations for Government. Various organisations say the report is welcome – but action is needed now. Minister Simon Coveney's promised that action plan by September. Among those to make submissions are the Clare and Limerick Homeless Alliances. Each of these is an umbrella organisation bringing together those involved in providing services in their respective counties. Triona O'Connor chairs both of these alliances and she made an oral submission, in May, on their behalf to the Oireachtas committee. In her submission Triona told the committee that there are different needs when it comes to addressing urban and rural homelessness. She said people in rural areas need to come into towns for services and noted that in Clare, people have to come from places like Kilkee and Kilrush to access services to access the county's only hostel – a 12-bed unit. Jackie Bonfield from Midwest Simon told gavin what they made of the report.
Next we heard how the new chairperson of Dail Eireann has vowed to crack down on the use of mobiles by TDs in the chamber. Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail has described members of the house texting or making phone calls during debates as the 'height of bad manners' and a practice he's prepared to stamp out. The Kildare South TD says the the relationship between politicians and is 'unhealthy' and he's compared it to that of his own teenage children with their devices. Clare FF TD Timmy Dooley feels strongly about this particular topic, saying that mobile devices enable deputies to get important work done while waiting to speak in Dail Eireann. He says that with up to 500 emails coming in every day, he makes use of his time to address constituency issues. He also points out that significant money was spent 'e-enabling' the chamber and providing lap tops for members. He says the advent of mobile technology has made those obsolete. He does agree that it can be a problem when deputies make calls in the chamber during debates and acknowledges that phones interfere with microphones (particular at committee meetings). Dep Timmy Dooley, FF Spokesperson on Communications, the Environment and Natural Resources took a call from Gavin to explain his position on the issue.
On the Money Doctor this week, John Lowe, Independent Financial Advisor, discussed the changes in Child Benefit payments. He also answered questions from our listeners. http://independentfinancialadvice.ie/blog
Opportunities for Clare in emerging marine industries will be explored at a talk tomorrow (Wed.s, June 22) evening in Kilkee. The local Civic Trust will host an address by Eoin Sweeney, Head of Ocean Energy Development with SEAI (the Sustainable Energey Authority of Ireland). Mr Sweeney is responsible for developing research and test facilities, funding industry research and prototyping and assisting development of planning and permitting frameworks for the sector. Eoin Sweeney Head of Ocean Energy Development, SEAI Talk Title: Challenges and Opportunities for Marine Ireland Talk Synopsis: Exploring the Drivers for Marine Research and Technology, Emerging Marine Industries, plus ongoing and developing activities in Ireland, and scenarios for the future. Eoin spoke to Gavin and outlined some of topics in the talk. It takes place in Kilkee Bay Hotel on Wednesday June 22 at 8pm. Admission is free.
The school holidays are here at last and newspapers, magazines and travel shop windows are filled with family holiday offers. However, most of the deals are for two adults and two or three children; but what do you do if you're a single parent? For a long time you just had to bite the bullet and pay a surcharge. Now, however, a Clare resident has set up a travel company exclusively for one parent holidays. Rose Butler is Co-Founder of One Parent Holidays, based in Kilkishen, East Clare and she was in studio to tell Gavin more.
Next up, Frankie Coote, Clare County Dog Warden, was in studio for his weekly animal welfare slot.
A dog in mourning, madcap parrots, and a fiercely protective drake; these are just some of the stories in Animal Crackers, a new book just published. Written by best-selling author Colm Keane and RTÉ newsreader Una O'Hagan, the book tells the tales of extraordinary Irish pets up and down the country. Some of the stories are funny, others sad, all remarkable; it's a must-read for any animal lover. Co-authors Colm Keane, former Broadcaster, and Una O'Hagan, newsreader with Radio Telefís Éireann, were on the line and they shared some of the stories from their book with Gavin.
Then we heard about First Communion money. Do you know the average amount received by Irish children who made their Communion this year? Would it surprise you to learn that it was a grant total of €546? Well, it did surprise some people on the streets of Ennis and they spoke to our reporter, Cian Kearns.
Are you going to Spancihill Fair? In 1641, King Charles II granted the first official charter for the Spancihill Fair. Over 350 years later, one of Ireland and Europe's oldest horse fairs continues. Over the next few days, visitors from at home and abroad are expected to make their way to the Clare town for horse-trading, family fun events and just to soak up the atmosphere. Pat Hannon, a member of organising committee, came into studio to tell Gavin exactly what's going on.
Finally today we heard how you can now ride a giant wave on the Wild Atlantic Way from your own home! While surfing giant waves off the Cliffs of Moher is an experience usually reserved for an elite few, a new initiative is opening it to everyone. Fáilte Ireland's latest plan to promote the Wild Atlantic Way sees them offer immersive Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 degree videos of different activities along the coastal stretch. In Clare, that meant surfing under the Cliffs. To get the footage, however, someone had to ride the wave while holding onto a specialised camera which films in every direction at the same time. Ollie O'Flaherty, big wave surfer from Ollie's Surf Academy, and Daragh Anglim, Head of Marketing with Fáilte Ireland, told Gavin how the video came about.
