Tag Archives: service

ONE of the principal organisers of a protest in Kilkee, aimed at highlighting concerns relating to the Irish Coast Guard in the town, has claimed that locals are not confident with regard to the local unit. “There is a big lack of confidence in the current service in Kilkee and that was borne out this summer. They only got a couple of call-outs. I got two call-outs to go out and pull people in and the dive centre got one call-out, instead of them ringing the coast guard,” Manuel Di Lucia revealed. Almost 50 people attended a second public protest in Kilkee on Sunday. It was emphasised that a year on from the tragic death of volunteer, Caitríona Lucas, the Kilkee unit of the coast guard has been largely land-based, with members not allowed beyond St George’s Head. “Most incidents happen way outside the bay, up and down the coast,” Kilkee Marine Rescue founder Di Lucia said. That service was …

Shannon Airport has welcomed the announcement by American Airlines to expand its Shannon to Philadelphia service in 2018, as the airline continues to build on the growing demand for flights between Shannon and its Philadelphia hub. Welcoming the increased capacity, Andrew Murphy, Managing Director Shannon Airport said: “The airline’s decision is significant and shows that the service is popular with passengers both sides of the Atlantic. We are delighted with the increase which will add an additional 50 return flights and 7,000 passengers. It is a service that continues to grow, with a 60% increase in capacity already added since 2013. “The additional capacity will not only have a positive impact for inbound tourism for the West of Ireland providing a boost for the tourism industry along the Wild Atlantic Way, but will also provide increased opportunities for business connectivity as people using the service will be able to connect at the American Airlines leading hub airports. It is also …

AN East Clare woman gave birth in an ambulance in Scariff on Monday afternoon. The woman, who lives in Whitegate, had been driven to the medical centre in Scariff, who in turn called the ambulance service dispatch. The Scariff ambulance was immediately on the scene and the woman gave birth minutes after being placed in the ambulance. The incident follows concerns recently raised at the regular redeployment of ambulances from Clare stations to Nenagh and Limerick. A number of county councillors have stated the incident on Monday highlights the value of having an ambulance centre in Scariff and stressed the need for that service not to be further diluted or stretched. “The ambulance crew based at the Scariff Ambulance Centre received the call on Monday afternoon at 5.10pm. They were informed that a young mother was in labour and required assistance. The ambulance crew were on scene within minutes to assist the young woman. The crew immediately identified that the …

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 …