Shannon

THE Shannon bike sharing scheme is set to be back in action this week, after having had to be paused due to vandalism. CoMotion, the company that provides the bikes, initially opted to suspend the scheme at night-time in a bid to cut off the anti-social behaviour. However, when that didn’t work and the problem persisted, the decision was taken to close the scheme down temporarily, while new security measures were arranged. Jarlath Ganly, CEO of CoMotion said, “We had some instances of anti-social behaviour so we temporarily paused the scheme, we’re introducing some new security measures within the app. “We’re having younger teenagers accessing the scheme, and we just need to put in some extra security measures so we can verify their age before they sign up. We’re developing that and we hope to reactivate it quickly, back to full capacity.” It is understood that a very small number of people were involved in the anti-social behaviour, and that …

RESIDENTS of a Shannon neighbourhood are crying ‘foul’ at being kept awake at night by ‘talking’ signs urging dog owners to clean up after their pets. A meeting of the Shannon Municipal District heard that there are “sleepless nights in Drumgeely” with residents disturbed by the signs which were installed to help prevent dog litter on the streets. The signs play pre-recorded messages reminding dog walkers to obey the law when it comes to dog litter, however according to Councillor Gerry Flynn the message is being heard late into the night in the homes of residents. He told the meeting that he has been contacted by people living in the area about the issue saying, “This is a very settled community with older people living there, people can’t sleep at night.” He continued, “It’s a disgrace these signs have been put in an inappropriate place next to the pioneers that made Shannon.” Tom Mellett, senior executive engineer stated that the …

TEN years after the vision of a multifunctional arts venue for Shannon was floated, the directors of the Shannon Venue Limited have facilitated the transfer of their site at the Town Centre to Clare County Council. In a statement the directors said the sale of the site “has been completed to enable the Council to develop the One Shannon Hub, an iconic, multi-functional civic and community facility in the heart of Shannon Town Centre.” Recent years have seen much disillusionment regarding the lack of recreational facilities and amenities in the town, and the fact that the Venue never got the support required to see it come to pass was a very sore point for many local people. However, the directors of the Shannon Venue Ltd (which was designed as a not for profit company formed to deliver the project) say that the One Shannon Hub will finally deliver what they had hoped to provide. “In essence, this facility is exactly …

WOODHAVEN Developments Limited has received planning permission for the construction of 55 houses and a childcare facility at Smithstown, Shannon. The County Council granted planning permission subject to 28 conditions, three of which require the developer to make separate payments, which, added together, come to over €600,000. One of the conditions requires “a contribution of €311,801 to Clare County Council in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority that is provided for, or intended to be provided by or on behalf of the authority in accordance with the terms of the development contribution scheme under Section 38 of the Planning & Development Act 2000”. A separate requirement is for a cash security of €275,000 until the development is taken in charge by the Council or until there has “satisfactory completion of the development”. Separately before work starts a Special Development Contribution must be paid to Clare County Council, towards the upgrading of …

A BIKE sharing scheme introduced to Shannon in July is having to be scaled back already due to anti-social behaviour. While it is not being scrapped, it has been suspended while improvements are being made.  “We have had some instances of anti social behaviour so we have temporarily paused the scheme, we’re introducing some new security measures within the app. We’re having younger teenagers accessing the scheme, and we just need to put in some extra security measures so we can verify their age before they sign up. We’re developing that and we hope to reactivate it in the next week to ten days, back to full capacity,” said Jarlath Gantly, CEO of CoMotion, the company that provides the bikes. Shannon has experienced extensive problems with anti-social behaviour in recent years, with numerous complaints made to authorities about vandalism and intimidatory behaviour.  Councillor Donna McGettigan said that many people have been using the bikes, but that the actions of a …

A transatlantic passenger jet made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport yesterday evening after the crew reported “fumes in the cabin.” United Airlines flight UA-941 was travelling from Heathrow Airport in London to Newark, New Jersey in the United States at the time. There were 171 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 767-300(ER) jet. At around 5.30pm, while the flight was about 100 kms northwest of Mayo, the flight crew declared an emergency and advised air traffic controllers they wished the divert to Shannon Airport. The crew had been in contact with the airline’s dispatch centre to discuss a course of action for the emergency divert. It was decided that Shannon was the best option for the aircraft to divert to. On the ground in Shannon emergency procedures were put in place. This involved alerting the HSE, National Ambulance Service, local authority fire service and An Garda Síochána. Units of the Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon …

SHANNON councillors are urging Transport Infrastructure Ireland to make a move in the right direction and erect road signage that would show people the way to the Shannon Aviation Museum and Educational Centre. Councillor PJ Ryan, speaking at a meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, pointed to the growing popularity of the attraction as he called on the council to request TII to erect the signage on the N18/M18 and N19. He said that museum acts as both a tourist attraction and a place of education with colleges and schools visiting the centre to introduce young people to aviation. “Shannon has had a lot of firsts in aviation and the public like to be able to relate to that,” he said adding, “we need to be able to direct people towards it.” Anne O’Sullivan, senior executive engineer, told the meeting that Councillor Ryan’s request has been forwarded to TII for consideration and response. Councillor Ryan stated, “Hopefully there will be …

A SHANNON councillor is calling for ‘Action’ in promoting the positives of the town. Councillor Donna McGettigan has proposed that the Shannon Municipal District create a video showcasing Shannon and involving community volunteer groups, drone and photo footage. “Our town has some beautiful spots such as the loop and pump track for people to come to visit,” she said at a meeting of the Shannon Municipal District. The councillor stated, “A lot of time people tend to focus on the negative, but we need to focus on the positives.” She pointed out that Shannon has a number of community groups “who help make our town what it is” including Tidy Towns and Meals on Wheels who could be featured in the video. She added that Shannon is also home to sporting world champions who could also make an appearance in the video “and talk about growing up in Shannon.” She said the video would be a means of “showing Shannon …