While Donald Trump has been performing strongly in the race to become the US presidential campaign, his interests in County Clare could be under threat. Plans to build a 20 metre-wide wall to protect his Doonbeg golf course from coastal erosion have hit a hitch that could threaten the future of the resort. An objection to the rock armour is being made by Friends of the Irish Environment who’ve slammed it as ‘a monster sea wall’. The consultants on the coastal protection project have warned that turning down the application would have dire consequences for West Clare. Tony Lowes, Director of Friends of the Irish Environment, joined Gavin on the line this morning to discuss the objection.
In the letter to all newly-elected TDs, the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) is calling for a Tallaght Strategy-style consensus from all of our politicians to urgently address Ireland’s struggling health system. It says that the current five-year electoral cycle cannot hope to deliver any meaningful positive change to the current system. Especially for a country attempting to recover from a major economic crash, our health should be our wealth – and it should be prioritised as such. The Association continues to underline the fact that the current hospital-focussed system of Emergency Department care has failed and the focus must shift to a primary-care model to keep patients out of hospitals as much as possible. It calls for a shared vision for the delivery of healthcare, in the form of a 10-year consensus plan. Dr Yvonne Williams, from the NAGP National Council spoke on the show this morning.
Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor for the Irish Independent, spoke on Morning Focus today about a potential rise in motor insurance. Motor insurance could be going up again, following a court ruling this week (Wednesday, March 3rd). The Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland appealed a High Court ruling which said the group had to assume responsibility for 90 million euro worth of liabilities from the collapse of Setanta Insurance last year. However, the Court of Appeal rejected it. There are now concerns that motorists will be hit with higher premiums as insurers pass the costs to their customers. Meanwhile, it’s been revealed that over half of motorists (54 percent) say insurance costs are the biggest obstacle to affording a car. Forty percent say they’re not satisfied with their current premium and almost half say they don’t fully understand car finance options. Half of those questioned by Carzone.ie say they intend to sell their car within the next year.
Next on the show John Flanagan, a resident of Doonbeg, gave his view on the wall at Doonbeg golf course. John believes that the village will be washed away without it and was angered by the reaction of Tony Lowe.
Ed Farnan spoke next on the show about the American election. In the US, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have this week won the most states in the biggest day of the race for the American presidential nomination. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have secured seven states, in Super Tuesday elections, which is the biggest day of the primary campaign. Bernie Sanders has won four, Ted Cruz has secured two while, Marco Rubio claimed one.
Gavin was joined this morning by numerous people to talk about Enterprise Week in Clare. Tina O’Dwyer, independent tourism consultant; Peadar Casey, Ogonnello Exchange; and Padraic McElwee, Clare Local Enterprise Office spoke on the show about the ‘Netwalking’ event. The focus of Enterprise Week in Clare will be on developing local and global business of various scales across the county. On Monday next (March 7th) as part of the week-long programme of events, an East Clare NetWalk will take place at the Annacarriga Estate in Killaloe, followed by a seminar entitled ‘How Can Our Diverse Enterprise Community Build Successful Businesses’. The event is free of charge and runs from 9.30am (registration) – 4.30pm.
The 55th West Clare Drama Festival will begin next Saturday, March 5th and run until Monday, March 14th at Doonbeg Community Hall with a celebration of national and international drama with groups from around the country. Over half of the programme of plays will be performed by Clare groups, carrying on the strong tradition of drama in the county. In addition, the West Clare Drama Festival will welcome groups from Tipperary, Cork, and Galway. Gavin was joined in studio today by Rita McInerney, one of the organisers of the festival. They were also joined by Dympna Shalloo, Siobhan Griffin, and Sean Rooney, members of the Amphitheatre Company Kilkee. The group performed an excerpt from Deirdre Kinahan’s ‘Passage’.
Later on the show, we heard from Retired Munster and Ireland prop from Clonlara, Marcus Horan, about medics appealing for a ban on tackling in schools rugby. More than 70 health experts, including doctors and academics, have written an open letter, saying full- contact rugby shouldn’t be played in schools in the UK and Ireland. They say it’s too dangerous and that two-thirds of rugby injuries happen during a tackle. The signatories say studies show the risk of injuries to teenagers is “high and [that] injuries are often serious”.
Kelley Cousins, Communications Officer for Engineers Ireland, spoke next on the show about Engineers Week in County Clare. Engineers Week, the annual campaign to inspire the next generation of engineers, has kicked off in Clare. The event will run until Saturday next (March 5th). The week-long series of activities across the country, now in its 10th year, is held annually to promote engineering as a career and highlight the importance of the profession in Ireland. This year local organisations include Atlantic AirVenture Aviation Centre, Clare County Council and many more will be participating in Engineer’s Week.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers will conduct the Chatsworth Spring Fine Art Sale in their auction rooms at Chatsworth Street, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny on Tuesday next (March 8th). The auction will include an interesting collection of antiques, fine art and rare artefacts, which can be viewed on Sunday (March 6th) and Monday (March 7th) next. George Fonsie Mealy, Director of Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers spoke to Gavin about the auction. The sale, which comprises of over 700 lots, has been formed from a variety of private sources and offers fine Irish furniture, silver and other curiosities. The MacNamara family, who resided at Moyriesk and Ballyline, Co. Clare, have graced this collection with the surviving four of six, mid-17th century MacNamara family portraits, together with other important family heirlooms.
