Featured on today’s edition of The Afternoon Show was a discussion with John Stewart from the INOU – Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed. John and Gavin discussed the latest Live Register figures for Ireland and Clare. The number of Clare residents claiming unemployment benefits has fallen for the third successive month. While over 9,500 people remained on the county’s dole queues at the end of April, this figure fell by 336 in recent months. Falls were recorded in each part of the county, with the largest drops in Ennis and in North Clare.
Ronan Lyons is an Economist with Daft.ie and also joined Gavin on the show to talk about how rents are up an average of 80 euro a month across Dublin. That’s according to the latest report from property website Daft.ie, which looks at data from the first three months of the year. The average national rent is up 2.7 percent on last year’s figures, and has risen for three consecutive quarters for the first time since 2007. Rent nationwide now stands at an average of 815-euro, compared to 794-euro a year ago. Here in Clare and in the Mid West region we have bucked this trend.
Dr. Tofail Syed from MSSI – the Materials and Surface Science Institute at the University of Limerick also spoke to Gavin about some exciting news for staff and students at the college. Dr Tofail together with UL scientists have been awarded €5.4 million to develop a nanoscope which will allow the screening of patient cells for Alzheimer’s disease. In Ireland, over 44,000 people are affected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. There are 7.7 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying that there is a new case of dementia somewhere in the world every four seconds. At present there is no test to screen for this disease.
Janet Cavanagh is the organiser of the annual Fr. Ted Festival in North Clare and joined Gavin to talk about this year’s plans. The festival takes place in Kilfenora this weekend and will include an official opening ceremony with the Chinese Mayor of Kilfenora, a Father Ted quiz, the Brick Fada (how far can you throw Father Jack’s Brick?), Are Those My Feet? Spot Chris the Sheep and many more events. Many episodes of the hit comedy were filmed in and around Kilfenora and nearby Ennistymon. See for example the scenes with the ‘Chinese pub’, the ‘Lovely Girls competition’, the bomb-laden milk float, the song sequence about ‘My Lovely Horse’, the caravan park at Fanore – and of course the ‘Parochial House’, which is in Kilnaboy.
Principal of Gaelcholáiste an Chláir and Ennis Community College – John Cooke was also a guest of the show today as the Gaelcholaiste is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The school opened its doors to students in September 1993 and has gone from strength to strength in the 20 years following and at present has an enrolment of almost 150 students coming from all corners of the county. To mark this milestone, the Gaelcholáiste is planning a Celebration Evening in the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis on Friday 3rd May at 8pm.
Stephen McDermott, our Clare FM Movie Reviewer also discussed what to see in the cinema this Bank Holiday weekend, including one of the best ever family movies – Finding Nemo. The new 3D version will be in cinemas from this weekend.
To contact the show please email afternoon@clare.fm
