Shannon

SUPERMARKET giant Aldi has said the decision to deny it permission for a store in Shannon was unfortunate for the town, but it hasn’t indicated whether it will make another application. Colin Breslin, Regional Managing Director, ALDI Ireland, said, “ALDI Ireland is extremely disappointed at the decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for our proposed new store in Shannon. “This application has been six years in the making and we have gone to considerable lengths to meet all that was asked of us by planners and others. “We will be reviewing this decision by An Bord Pleanála carefully, as it is really unfortunate news for the people of Shannon, Clare and the entire mid-West.” “The cost-of-living crisis is impacting every household and we are very aware what it means for our customers. Being able to offer our customers the best value at locations most convenient to them matters more than ever. Against this backdrop, the decision of …

AFTER many years as a youth worker serving Shannon, Thomas O’Hara is moving into the world of academia. Thomas, who worked with Clare Youth Service in Shannon from 2006 to 2008, and again from 2011 until this year is taking up a position with TUS in Limerick (formerly Limerick Institute of Technology). Speaking to the Champion, he said he had really enjoyed working with the young people of the town, and found the level of community spirit in Shannon to be very strong. “The people there, the sense of community is absolutely amazing. Once people find out you are doing anything in the area they’re very quick to support it, I’ve found, and that was always an advantage to me in working with young people.” “It was a great way of showing young people how community supports itself, how to get involved in your community. “Sometimes that’s one of the key things for young people; where do I fit into …

DAMIAN O’Rourke has organised a number of live performances at the Swive Stage in Shannon Town Centre. “We had the first one on September 7, the next one will be on the 21st and it’s every second Wednesday until October 19,” said Damian.  He said it is following on from the Wings festival, which was held in the summer. “We had a good reaction to that and this ties in with Phase 4 of the Live Local Performance Scheme  from the County Council. Instead of doing one big event I thought it’d be nice to have a continual thing, where people can come mid-week and look forward to the next one.” There will be a diversity of performers, he added. “The first night we had two acts, the next three events we will have three performers per night. There will be a nice mix of poetry, music, storytelling, tunes, songs and stuff. There will be an array of performers that …

ILLEGAL drugs, with an estimated value of €50,000, were seized with the assistance of detector dog Harley at Shannon Airport. Revenue officers, seized approximately 2.5kgs of herbal cannabis at the airport as part of routine operations. The drugs were discovered in a parcel that originated in the United States and were destined for an address in County Galway. Investigations are ongoing. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the importation of illegal drugs. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.

SHANNON Golf Club was the winner of the 25th JB Carr Diamond Trophy Tournament, played recently. The over-60s Scotch foursomes took place in Wicklow with over 2,000 players competing from early April across all four provinces. Over five months, more than 4,000 rounds of golf were played, with the finalists welcomed to Woodenbridge in September after a two-year break due to the pandemic. The four provincial winners – Royal Curragh, Shannon, Castlebar and Dunmurry – were piped over the iconic bridge at the parklands course on the first evening, following their managers who were holding high their respective provincial flags. The draw took place that evening, pitting Castlebar against Shannon and Royal Curragh against Dunmurry. Castlebar was the only team to have previously reached the finals. The Saturday morning brought very wet and challenging conditions, with other courses in the locality closing. At Woodenbridge, the gladiators competed manfully, with Shannon overcoming the conditions and Castlebar 3/2 with the final match …

A CLARE construction company has appealed against a €70,000 condition attached by Clare County Council to the granting of permission for a Shannon housing development. Woodhaven Developments Ltd has appealed against the condition attached to its recent permission for a 55-unit housing development at Smithstown. The condition in question stated that before work begins a Special Development Contribution would be paid to the local authority towards the upgrading of a section of the L-3172 as well as a contribution towards lighting a section of it. In line with Clare County Council’s provisions, the current cost would be €70,000. The appeal document states, “No justification or breakdown of the works or associated costs are available on the Council online portal as regards the planning file. “No location identified, no drawings submitted, no scope of works set out, no detail costings submitted (Bill of Quantities). The basis for the calculation of the condition is not explained in the planning decision.”

The first passengers to fly from Shannon to Paris Orly on the new Vueling service today were treated to a taste of France at the departure gate area before they boarded. Freshly made crêpes by a French chef were served in celebration of the new service, along with a Parisian-themed cake to celebrate the launch of the twice weekly service which will operate on Mondays and Fridays from today.   There was an air of excitement at the departures gate for passengers bound for Orly Airport, as the first flight to Paris took off for the city of lights.   Shannon’s new carrier Vueling is part of the IAG group that owns Aer Lingus. Orly Airport is the nearest airport to the centre of Paris, just 13km from the city. It is the second largest airport in France and provides onward connections to major European cities and Middle Eastern countries.  Minister of State for Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “I am delighted to be …

FRIDAY, September 16, will see the Clare launch of former IRA prisoner Jim (Jaz) McCann’s memoir 6,000 Days at the Oakwood Hotel. On the night the author will be in conversation with Donna McGettigan. Arrested at the age of 20 after attempting to kill a police officer, McCann was sentenced to life imprisonment and he remained in custody from 1976 until 1994. He was one of hundreds of Republican prisoners who refused to wear a prison uniform, claiming they were political prionsers, which led to them being locked in their cells, wearing only a blanket, for more than four years, in grim conditions. The death of the hunger strikers in 1981 was a huge historical moment, and he knew several of them. In the book he also recalls life in the IRA, the deprivation of the years spent in prison, the relationships with friends and comrades including the hunger strikers, his role in the prison breakout of 1983 which saw …