A government minister claims he's unable to give a timeline on the construction of a new school in North Clare.

Approval was granted to Mary Immaculate Secondary School Lisdoonvarna in January 2022 for the construction of a new school with the new development expected to cater for over 400 students.

Responding to a question from Ennistymon Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway in the Seanad, Minister of State Dara Calleary has confirmed a number of site options are being considered for the new school.

The Minister says however "commercial sensitivities" mean no further information can be given on the development at this time.

On Tuesday's Morning Focus, we heard from an organisation that is advocating for a ‘No’ vote in the referendums.

The group is called The Countess, and Alan Morrissey was joined by their spokesperson, Sorcha Nic Lochlainn to discuss this more in detail.

Picture (c) https://thecountess.ie/

Clare County Council will write to Environment Minister to request that all proposed windfarms here are suspended until new guidelines on wind energy development are published.

It follows a peaceful protest held in the council chamber yesterday over plans to construct 66 turbines in East Clare.

Clare FM's Daragh Dolan Reports

Clare County Council will write to Environment Minister to request that all proposed windfarms here are suspended until new guidelines on wind energy development are published.

It follows a peaceful protest held in the council chamber yesterday over plans to construct 66 turbines in East Clare.

The National Guidelines for Wind Energy Development in Ireland have not been update since 2006 and back then a large wind turbine was considered to be anything over 100m in height.

Orsted Onshore is proposing to construct eleven three-blade turbines in Oatfield and although the project will aim to generate up to 50MW (Mega-Watts) of Green electricity, all of the turbines will be between 176m to 180m in height.

The Principal of a North Clare Primary School is calling for urgent assistance to progress expansion works at the facility.

In August of 2022, Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna received approval for a new school on the Bog Road, capable of catering for 400 students.

The town has seen a rapid population growth in recent areas, with almost 1,100 Ukrainian Refugees and Asylum Seekers now residing there, however construction work has not yet commenced.

Principal of Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna, Mona Hynes says the expansion is urgently needed.

A Shannon councillor insists the Minister for Justice is "delusional" if she thinks the current policing model in Clare is working.

Following claims that Clare residents were feeling "vulnerable" due to a perceived shortage of Gardaí on the ground, a number of the county's local representatives wrote to Minister Helen McEntee last month calling for the merger of the Clare and Tipperary Garda divisions to be revisited.

The Minister's response has stated the merger brings positive changes such as "more front-line Gardaí, increased Garda visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area".

Shannon Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn however believes people aren't even bothering to ring the Gardaí anymore because of the pressure their services appear to be under.

Clare people are being encouraged to make their pancakes "with love" today.

With the long-awaited day upon us, a new study has found that lemon and sugar remain the most popular toppings in Ireland closely followed by Nutella.

It's also emerged that the cost of making pancakes has risen by 3% this year with increases noted in the cost of flour and eggs.

Owner of Oly's Bakery in Ennis Olegas Ivanovas says it's important not to overthink it and to "keep it simple".

To discuss the latest in the entertainment world, on Thursday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Clare FM’s Colum McGrath.

Colum discussed the Superbowl, Taylor Swift's relationship with Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelcie and Zac Efron's new movie, The Iron Claw.

On Tuesday’s Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey spoke to Fergal O’Keefe, host of the Travel Tales with Fergal podcast.

This week, Fergal gave us advice on travel cost saving tips, spoke about new travel routes and discussed the latest travel trends in 2024.

Jean Duffy, an artist who lives in Ennistymon, has an exhibition called ‘Musings’ later this week in the Courthouse Gallery.

The exhibit of Jean’s work, which takes place this Friday (16th February), is in aid of RNLI.

To find out more about the exhibition, Alan Morrissey spoke to Jean Duffy on Tuesday's Morning Focus.