News

AERCAP, a Dutch company which employs 50 people in Shannon, is about to complete the acquisition of International Lease Finance Corporation and plans to re-domicile billions of euro worth of assets to Ireland. The company, when contacted on Wednesday, wasn’t in a position to say how the move would impact on its Shannon operations. When the separation of Shannon from the Dublin Airport Authority was announced last December, it was predicted that 3,000 to 5,000 jobs would be created within five years in aviation related industries. On Tuesday, Patrick Edmond, director of Group Strategy for Shannon and managing director of the Shannon International Aviation Services Centre, tweeted a link to a news story on the plans to re-domicile the ILFC fleet to Ireland, which is understood to include 1,000 planes. He also tweeted a correction regarding another news story, which stated that Aercap is Dublin-based rather than Shannon-based. Ratings agency, Fitch released a statement about the takeover on Monday, which …

FALLEN trees blocked roads in the Kilmaley area on Wednesday, as torrential rain, backed by strong winds, hit County Clare.   A number minor of accident were reported on  roads around the county, while the deluge also caused some flooding, as drains were unable to cope. In Cork City took a heavy hit from the storm force conditions that  prevailed in many parts of the country.  A considerable section of the roof of the main bus station was blown off. Met Éireann had earlier issued a weather alert and storm-force winds and rain are expected to continue overnight. Motorists have been advised, if they have to venture out, to drive with caution.

FURTHER honours are on the way for Clare hurling manager, Davy Fitzgerald, who has been selected as the Clare Person of the Year for 2014 by the Clare Association in Dublin . He will be presented with his award at the association’s annual dinner next month in The Clyde Court Hotel, the venue also used by the Clare team for their post-match celebrations after winning the All-Ireland senior hurling replay. Well-known sociologist and Sixmilebridge parish priest, Fr Harry Bohan, who is prominently linked with Clare hurling, will receive the association’s Hall of Fame Award for 2014 at the same function. The latest personalities to be honoured by the Clare Association were named by Liam O’ Looney, chairman, at a function to launch the association’s annual yearbook in the Addison Hotel, Dublin on Tuesday night. He said that they were delighted to honour Davy Fitzgerald, who with his players and management, made it another special year for Clare. As well as …

A NEW free to caller number for the Samaritans was launched this week at the Clare branch in Ennis. The number, 116123, is being trialled in Clare and a few other areas around the country before being rolled out nationwide next year. Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins and Mayor of Ennis Mary Coote Ryan joined Samaritan volunteers for the launch. Angharad Harding, director of the Clare and Ennis branch, said; “This is a very welcome initiative for Clare. Our experience has been that the worry of the cost of phone calls prevents people in distress from calling Samaritans. Many of the people who contact us are not suicidal, but may be struggling to cope with their problems and our volunteers provide a safe space for them to talk. “Despite the strong public response to our existing number, it is still not as widely known as we would like it to be. 116 123 is an easy number to remember and …

THE fifth annual community Christmas Day Dinner will be held in Gort on December 25. Anyone who is on their own and would like some company on Christmas day is invited to come along. Organisers are also seeking volunteers to help out on the day and donations to support the event. “I originally started the community/family dinner when I myself was alone at Christmas, and wished I wasn’t. The feeling of family/community is very important, so that it doesn’t feel like an organised event, rather a friendly gathering every Christmas. I have people who have attended every single year. I am now married, but still feel strongly about continuing the dinner, as I feel there is a great need for such events. People don’t realise how many people are alone and lonely out there. You may be homeless and sleeping in a car, you could be a retired couple who haven’t the strength to cook and nowhere to go, a …

A TOTAL of 24 local charities are to benefit from the proceeds of the 2013 district court poor box, which added up to €31,450. Twelve charities that did not benefit from the court poor box last year received donations this year. Clare’s District Court Judge Patrick Durcan recently assigned the funds to the relevant charities and they receive their cheques in the coming days. The charity to benefit most from this year’s poor box donations is Kilrush St Vincent De Paul, which has received €6,000, with St Vincent De Paul in Ennis benefiting receiving the second highest donation of €4,000. Three charities benefited to the tune of €2,000 each; East Clare Outreach Programme, Clare Youth Service and Cahercalla Hospice. Donations of €1,000 were made to Ciúnas Centre, Feakle; District Day Care Centre, Clarecastle; Enable Ireland, Ennis; Accord, Ennis; Tuamgraney Handball Club; Clare Crusaders; Poor Clares, Ennis; The Samaritans, Ennis; ClareCare; Clare Haven Refuge; Pieta House; Shannon Flyers (Special Olympics Club); …

SHANNON Chamber has warned that the growing east west imbalance in tourism will continue unless actions are taken to redress the issue. Responding to a specific set of questions raised by the Government in its Tourism Policy Issues Paper, Shannon Chamber also recommended that tourism be treated as a defined sectoral activity, in terms of economic performance and value to the economy, in the same way as other sectors are recognised. “This may require collaboration between government departments who are supporting parts of the sector, but not regarded as mainstream providers. A Tourism Satellite Account, which will monitor and provide statistics on how tourism impacts the economy, would be an essential first step in this direction,” said the chamber’s chief executive Helen Downes. “Ireland is an island economy so we have to view it from a tourist’s perspective to maximise its performance. Visitors come to see multiple products in a single destination; getting them to move east west and west-east …

WITH Christmas being a high-risk period for fires and accidents in the home, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service have issued a warning in respect of safety measures. In the event of a fire in your home, Clare Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly has warned, “Get out, stay out and call the fire brigade out”.  The fire service can be contacted by dialling 999/112. The annual campaign comes as the Fire Service confirmed that brigades throughout Clare were mobilised to 44 incidents during the 2012 Christmas period, representing a third successive drop in festive fire callouts since 2009. The call-out figures for the period December 20, 2012 to January 3, 2013 were less than those recorded during the corresponding periods in 2009, 2010 and 2011 when the fire service was mobilised to 81, 64 and 48 incidents respectively. The majority of emergency call-outs were attended by Ennis Fire Brigade with 20, followed by Shannon at 13, Killaloe with three, Ennistymon …