News

By Owen Ryan   THE effects of the extreme weather of January and February are just a memory for most people now but in one corner of Newmarket-on-Fergus parish, a number of people remain marooned in their homes because the flooding has yet to subside. Hilary Gough, who lives in the townland of Ballycar, says the level of flooding in the area has only recently started to drop, nine weeks on from the storms that wreaked havoc across the county. At the moment, there are four houses, one unoccupied, that are inaccessible because of flooding on either side of the approach roads. Until recently, a fifth house was also inaccessible. Ms Gough is critical of Clare County Council’s handling of the problem, accusing them of having “never tackled the issue (flooding), despite being aware of it for years”. “There’s a huge health and safety issue here. The council has a duty of care to the residents that they’re not fulfilling, …

By Owen Ryan ELEMENT Six is to expand its operations at Shannon over the next 18 months. At the moment it is unclear how many if any new jobs will be created, but at the very least it secures the future of the local operation. In a statement issued to The Clare Champion on Wednesday afternoon, the company outlined the position. “Element Six can confirm that following a strategic review of the company’s global production operation the company has decided that, in order to best meet future customer requirements, and to improve company-wide operational efficiencies, the existing Shannon production activities will be expanded over the coming 18 months. “The planned investment will allow the company to realise a more efficient and responsive operation better serving the needs of their global customers. Further details of the expansion will be made available early in 2015.” The news follows the company’s  recent announcement of the closure of a plant at Robertsfors in the south of …

SHANNON Airport’s route promotion endeavours have won international recognition again as it claimed the ‘Highly Commended’ award for Airports under 4m passengers at the Routes Europe Airport Marketing Awards in Marseille. The only Irish airport shortlisted for what are the most prestigious awards in the aviation industry in Europe, Shannon received the recognition for its exploits in marketing the airport over the past 12 months. The City of Airport Bremen was the outright winner of the awards, with Shannon ‘Highly Commended’ in its category ahead of John Paul II International Airport, Kraków-Balice, Poland; George Enescu International Airport, Bacau, Romania; Begishevo Airport, Russia; and David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport, Georgia. The awards provide the airline community with the chance to have their say as to which airport or destination they think provides the best overall marketing activities to them. The Awards took place at Routes Europe Networking Evening in Marseille, France and were hosted by Marseille Provence Airport. Shannon also …

FIANNA Fáil Transport and Tourism spokesperson Timmy Dooley has called on the Government to speed up legislation to establish the body that will oversee business development in the Shannon-Limerick region. The laws will see the establishment of the Shannon Group, which will act as an umbrella organisation for Shannon International Airport, Shannon Heritage, the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC) and Shannon Development. “I have been apprehensive in the past about the establishment of this new entity. Shannon Development has had its core ripped from it and handed over to another organisation, and it’s still unclear what sort of remit this new group will have. The lack of Government progress on this issue has led to a vacuum developing, and an effective stalling of the project. “A draft Bill to pave the way for the new entity was approved by the Transport and Jobs Ministers last July, but the legislation has never been published. We need to see this Bill so …

In a departure from its normal type of event, Shannon Chamber joined forces with mobile telecoms operator Three to host a morning conversation between rugby stars, former Irish and Leinster winger,  Shane Horgan and Munster’s Dougie Howlett in Dromoland Castle Hotel. In true rugby style, former All Black Dougie Howlett answered a last-minute call up to step into Ronan O’Gara’s shoes due to Ronan’s unfortunate unavailability for family reasons. A former Munster captain, Howlett was forced to retire from the professional game at the end of last season due to a shoulder injury. He has remained in Cork with his family and is now working as a Corporate Ambassador with the Munster Rugby’s Commercial Board. Undaunted by the task Howlett enthralled the audience with his recollections of playing for the All Blacks, his move to Ireland to join Munster Rugby, and his views on how the skills and disciplines amassed during a rugby career prepare players for the next phase …

  IRISH rugby legends, Killaloe duo Anthony Foley and Keith Wood have put their shoulder to the wheel so to speak by endorsing the forthcoming Cycle Against Suicide. Both are happy to spread the message that ‘it’s ok not to feel ok and it’s absolutely ok to ask for help.’ The duo will be on home ground this Friday night at 8.30pm to lend their support to the Cycle Against Suicide at a press event in Wood Brothers, Main Street, Killaloe. This year’s cycle will take in the entire island of Ireland over the course of two weeks, stopping in Newcastle West, Limerick and Ennis on May 2 and 3. A large group of cyclists from Killaloe, led by locals Pádraig Egan, Timothy and Joss Lowry, will make their own mini-Cycle Against Suicide starting from Killaloe to Limerick on May 3.  There, they will link up with the rest of the pelethon at Crescent College Comprehensive in Dooradoyle.  At that point, up to …

By Owen Ryan SHANNON Airport representatives were in New York to promote Aer Lingus’ first year round service to the Big Apple since 2009. Shannon Airport Chair Rose Hynes and Marketing Manager Marie Slattery led the delegation and during the four-day visit they held meetings with New York based business interests and investors with regard to the activities of the wider Shannon Group. Ms Hynes said that the American market for services into the West of Ireland is heating up. “We have had a tremendous response from the trade, which is our key audience this week, as well as US media. There is a particular demand from the US for services into the western half of the country and Shannon because of the uniqueness of the product we have. “Shannon is, of course, the only airport on the entire Atlantic coast with direct access from the US and we are delighted to have strengthened the services this year again. The …

CLARE Labour TD, Michael McNamara, will this afternoon chair a parliamentary hearing in Strasbourg on mass surveillance, which will include a live video-link from Moscow with US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The video-link at the hearing on mass surveillance takes placethis afternoon at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Other participants at the hearing include the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service Hansjarg Geiger, who wants to regulate intelligence activities between friendly states, and London-based international law professor Douwe Korff. Deputy McNamara said: “Edward Snowden has triggered a worldwide debate on whistleblowers and that debate has fed into our internal discussions here. Given the recent controversies surrounding the practice of whistleblowing in Ireland, I hope to glean some interesting insights from today’s hearing in general. I’ll also be using the session to ask about the ECJ’s recent judgment on the invalidity of the data retention directive in Ireland and the implications it …