Shannon

GIVEN how long it took to replace Rose Hynes, and how long it took to find an alternative after the appointment of Aaron Forde as chairman of Shannon Group fell through, there was shock this week when it was announced as Conal Henry got the nod to replace Pádraig Ó Céidigh. On those previous occasions it took months for a replacement to be found, but in this case it took a mere six days. Inevitably, given how quickly it happened and how much disappointment there is at the Ó Céidigh resignation, the fact that such a quick decision was made will be seen as an attempt to quell any controversy. On Tuesday, Minister Eamon Ryan announced that Mr Henry would be next to be appointed. “Given the important role of Shannon Group to the economy of the Midwest region and nationally, I am pleased that Conal Henry is willing to accept the position of Chairperson of Shannon Group. “Conal has …

A REDEVELOPED astroturf facility was officially opened last week at St Patrick’s Comprehensive, with much praise for the generosity of Ei Electronics, who funded it. Ei Electronics has made substantial contributions to numerous local organisations over the years, doing a huge amount to improve the social fabric of Shannon and the wider region. St Patrick’s Comprehensive principal Mary Costello said the school community was very grateful for the support. “Ei Electronics are market leaders in fire and gas detection but they are also world leaders in their incredible social consciousness and community efforts,” she said. “Ei is renowned for their vision and commitment to their local community and we are humbled that we were chosen to benefit from that generosity.” Speaking about the development of Shannon, the Comprehensive and Ei Electronics, Ms Costello said, “St Patrick’s Comprehensive school was the first comprehensive school in the country, established in 1966 and like Ei has committed to quality, innovation and partnership. “The …

RECRUITS about to finish their training as part of the Shannon Airport Fire Service/Police climbed Croagh Patrick recently while wearing full fire kit, to raise money for Milford Care Centre. Nine people took part including Mark Kirwan, who said several of the group had an attachment to the chosen charity. “As a group we decided to do something for charity and we chose Milford Care Centre because a number of us would have had someone who went through there at some point. “The transport and food was organised by the airport itself, we left the airport at around 7am and arrived up there around 10am. It took us about two hours to get to the top.” While the weather was quite good, it was a very tough challenge. “It was pretty tough with the fire gear and the boots, but there was an awful lot of support from other people going up and down. In total it would have taken …

United Airlines has resumed its daily nonstop seasonal service between Shannon and New York/Newark for the first time since October 2019. The service is set to operate until October 29 2022 and departs daily at 12.30pm. Welcoming the restart of the New York/Newark service, Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Group said: “United Airlines is a very valued airline partner of Shannon, and we are delighted to welcome them back to our airport as they restore this vital transatlantic service. “With its hub status and onward connections, the Newark service is extremely important for our business passengers and is a key component of our transatlantic connectivity for our region and the broader west of Ireland.” “We are delighted to return to Shannon Airport in 2022 and resume nonstop services to the United States,” said Martina Coogan, United’s Sales Manager Ireland. “With the return of service to New York/Newark, our customers in the west of Ireland can take advantage of a direct …

FOR the first time since 2019 the people of Shannon were able to come out to see their town’s St Patrick’s Day parade. Derek Clune of the Love Shannon Community Council said that it had been a great success. “I think it was the biggest parade we’ve had in Shannon and the biggest turnout of spectators and floats that we’ve ever had. “It was a brilliant day and everything went so well. Everyone was really happy and we got some brilliant feedback. Everyone enjoyed the day, the weather was lovely, so it all went well.” He said that there was far greater interest given the restrictions that dogged life over the last few years. “There’s no doubt about it, there was a huge amount of interest because of the last two years. Because of that the turnout was bigger than normal, we were expecting that. Everyone was mad to go, the turnout was huge, bigger than we expected and I’d …

A SHANNON business is raffling an official Euro 2020 Match Ball, signed by Ronaldinho to raise funds for the Ennis GOAL Mile for Ukraine. Explaining how her company got the ball, Karen Finley of FHB Building Supplies said, “My son Peter has been living in Dubai for the last six years, he’s a social media influencer. “He’s sponsored by a lot of big names, Samsung, Adidas, all of them. He comes across some interesting people. “We had a jersey last year from Mo Salah, they’re the kind of people he crosses paths with. He interviewed Ronaldinho and during it he signed a ball for Peter.” The Special goal mile for the victims of the war in Ukraine will take place in the Fairgreen Ennis on March 27 between 11 and 1.

PARKRUN, the free, community-based, volunteer-led event will begin in Shannon on March 26. The event happens on Saturday mornings at 9.30am in many countries around the world, with over 100 in Ireland already. People can register online, print out a barcode and then take part in a 5km event in their local area. When they finish the course, by running or walking, their barcode is scanned and they have a time they can aim to improve upon if they wish. The nearest ones to Shannon until now have been at Lees Road in Ennis, Clarisford Park in Killaloe and UL and Mungret in Limerick. At the start of 2020 there were moves to initiate one in Shannon but Covid intervened and the plans were derailed. However the first Illaunmanagh parkrun will now take place on the morning of Saturday, March 26. The route, which highlights some of the fine amenities available in Shannon, starts on the path near the Illaunmanagh …

In the wake of last week’s jobs announcement, Owen Ryan spoke with Ei Electronics CEO Mick Guinee about the company’s evolution and expansion THE TAOISEACH visited Shannon last Friday, officially opening Ei Electronics new Group Headquarters, with the company planning to hire another 200 people over the coming year. The development comprises a 10,000m2 facility, with additional manufacturing capacity along with Research & Development and office space. It underpins its long held strategy of maintaining 100% of manufacturing in Shannon, in addition to the co-location of other key functions on a single site. The Taoiseach was full of praise for one of Shannon’s greatest industrial success stories. “I’m pleased to be here to witness first-hand the continued expansion of Ei Electronics, one of Ireland’s largest and most successful manufacturing and electronic companies. For over five decades the company has made a remarkable contribution to Shannon and the Mid-West region and its ambitious plans for future growth and job creation are …