Shannon

THE provision of a crematorium in Shannon has become a possibility once again. A proposal to dispose of a piece of land to a man who wants to develop it, is set to come before Clare County Council. If it happens, it will be the first crematorium in the county and, indeed, the first in the West of Ireland. Originally proposed a number of years ago by the late Sean Hillery and Tony McMahon, both former county councillors, the use of a site at Illaunmanagh, close to the cemetery in Shannon has been controversial since the idea first arose. The matter resurfaced at Wednesday’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District Councillors. While most of the members were supportive of the development, Shannon-based Councillor Gerry Flynn likened the council executive to a previous government who, he claimed, had kept putting referendums before the people until they got the answer they wanted. On the other side, Sinn Féin’s Mike McKee said he wants …

THE last in the series of autumn/winter lectures of Shannon and Clare Archaeological and Historical Societies will be held next Wednesday night at the Oakwood Arms Hotel at 8pm and the subject will be the Dúchas na Sionna oral history project on the town. This project is entitled Between Old World and New World and was prepared by Olive Carey. Speaking about the oral history, Ms Carey said, “We started in March 2011 and we launched the report in June of last year. What it involved was researching anything that had been written about Shannon before and conducting the interviews with the earliest residents of Shannon.” In all, around 40 interviews were conducted and next Wednesday night there will be excerpts played from six of them. Regarding the six excerpts to be used, Ms Carey said, “It’s divided between people who were here before the town was built and then some from people who came right at the very beginning …

WEAPONS have been routinely carried through Shannon by the US military, it was claimed at Ennis District Court on Tuesday, during a hearing into a case against TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly. During evidence, Irish Times security analyst, Tom Clonan played a recording taken from a plane at Shannon, which advised soldiers to leave their weapons on board. Also, a former Irish army officer warned that missiles that were brought through the airport on one occasion could have resulted in it being blown up, along with much of the adjacent Shannon Industrial Estate. Mr Wallace, 59, of Clontarf Road, Dublin 3, and Ms Daly, 46, of Elmwood Drive, Swords, Dublin, are accused of climbing a perimeter fence at Shannon Airport and entering a part of the airport to which they were not permitted on July 22 of last year, contrary to the Airport Bylaws of 1994. While the case is being contested, neither have denied that they entered restricted …

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan will visit Shannon on Thursday to address the  local chamber on the organisation’s strategy and plans for the region. Speaking in advance of the lunch  time event at Dromoland Castle, Shannon Chamber’s chief executive, Helen Downes said, “The business community in the Shannon area will be keen to hear how the IDA plans to position the region to attract investment, particularly with the new focus on regions announced recently by Minister Richard Bruton. “Regional development is about turning regional strengths into opportunity, identifying, building on and realising the potential offered by a particular place and its geography or location. It’s also about organisations pulling together to make things happen. Shannon Chamber and its members are ready to participate in this initiative. We already have a successful CEO Forum which is focussed on generating further growth in Shannon by building on strengths and resolving barriers to further investment.”

A BID to have the proposed National Diaspora Centre based in Bunratty has come to nothing, after the Government announced  that the project will not go ahead. Clare County Council had worked in partnership with Shannon Heritage and tourism advisers Sherwood and Associates to prepare what it called “an ambitious and detailed bid” for the project, which it wanted to build in Bunratty, which it claimed was an ideal site close to Shannon Airport and the M18 with an established tourism infrastructure. After learning this week that the Government has decided not to proceed with the project, Council Director of Services for Planning, Community, Enterprise and Economic Development Ger Dollard said, “The council has been advised that the process underway for the selection of a National Diaspora Centre has now been terminated. “This is disappointing in that a very detailed proposal had been prepared by the council, supported by Shannon Heritage and the Shannon Group. We will continue to work in …

INDEPENDENT County Councillor Gerry Flynn said his Dáil ambitions could be thwarted by the State’s method of funding politics, which prioritises established parties over new entrants. He feels he would need at least €20,000 of a war chest at the start of a campaign and while he is very keen to run, he won’t do so unless he feels he has at least a reasonable chance of winning a seat. Mr Flynn also said that Shane Ross, who is attempting to put together an alliance to contest the next general election, has sought to make contact with him but there have been no discussions between them as yet. Councillor Flynn said he is still assessing his level of support but that financial considerations are also a major issue for him, as he considers running for the Dáil. “If I run in the general election, I’m not going to put my name down just to make up the numbers. If I …

WHEN Aer Lingus announced it was removing Heathrow slots from Shannon in 2007 it was a hugely controversial move, strongly opposed by business and political interests in Clare. At the time there was speculation that the move was being made due to a secret agreement hammered out by the Government, as part of the peace process. There was little explanation from the airline itself, beyond saying that it was a commercial decision, something that many in Clare didn’t accept given the relatively high numbers that were using it. However, when Willie Walsh came before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications last week he indicated that Aer Lingus took the decision because a competitor, presumably Ryanair, was being offered more favourable terms. Mr Walsh referred to the matter, saying it may be the reason for the current concern about connectivity. “I can understand the concern that has been expressed, particularly the concern expressed in Shannon because of what happened with …

IN the run up to Willie Walsh’s appearance at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications it was noticeable that while IAG were offering to guarantee that the Aer Lingus Heathrow slots would be used on Irish routes, they were making no commitments to serve Shannon or Cork. However that changed last Thursday, as after a little pressure, Mr Walsh confirmed that he was offering guarantees of five years of connectivity for the two airports. Mr Walsh also said that as it stands Shannon or Cork have no such guarantees, and that a takeover actually gives them greater certainty. While some of the Committee members asked him about giving an even longer guarantee, he insisted there is absolutely no way that he will do so. Early in the sitting Mr Walsh rubbished claims that any guarantees on connectivity would not be enforceable. “I have heard people say they are not worth the paper they are not worth the paper …