News

LOCAL woman Brid Casey is part of the first all-female team that will compete in the GRIMP North America competition which will be held in Los Angeles next month. It is an international rescue skills challenge and will be hosted on the Battleship Iowa. GRIMP is a competition that originated in Belgium in the mid 2000s for rescue teams to pit their skills against one another. “Some of them are fire service, some of them work in industry and come together, some of them are rescue teams from different mountains, there’s cave rescue,” explains Brid. “The competition goes over four days, there are different scenarios set, everyone competes on those and there’s a winner announced. GRIMP North America is a spin off from that. “It was on in LA in 2019 and initially they planned to have it every second year, but Covid interfered with that. This is going to be the second year of it. “Twelve teams compete, it’s …

WHILE Clare County Council CEO Pat Dowling last week said that he couldn’t leave the local authority exposed by taking on the Shannon Heritage sites in Clare (including Bunratty Castle) without due diligence, the Taoiseach has said they should not hang around. A report presented to county councillors said that the Council couldn’t go ahead until a national funding package was provided to it, and in the Dáil Clare TD Cathal Crowe asked his party leader to help provide such a package. “Last June, Cabinet signed off on a proposal to transfer Shannon Heritage sites to local authorities. “Clare County Council is currently undertaking due diligence on the transfer of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Knappogue Castle, Craggaunowen and a retail outlet at the Cliffs of Moher. “The due diligence is extensive but it has thrown up the matter of the incredible costs involved in taking over these sites.  “The thatch is falling off the roofs in Bunratty, as I …

THE new US Ambassador to Ireland who was appointed this month paid a visit to Shannon Airport on Monday. During her visit Ambassador Claire D. Cronin met with Pádraig Ó Céidigh, Chairman, Shannon Group, and Mary Considine, Shannon Group CEO and was briefed on activities at Shannon Airport and across the Shannon Campus. It was her first visit to Shannon since presenting her credentials to President Michael D Higgins earlier this month. Welcoming the Ambassador to Shannon Airport, Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group said; “Shannon has a proud tradition of welcoming visitors from all over the world. Statesmen and women, movie stars, celebrities and every US president since John F Kennedy have been welcomed at Shannon Airport over the years. “We were delighted to continue that tradition by welcoming the first female US Ambassador to Ireland since Jean Kennedy Smith in 1998, who was a regular visitor to Shannon. “The visit of Ambassador Cronin was timely as we look forward …

EDUCATION and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) have released new market research which it says shows strong public support for the programmes its members deliver. The education and training programmes delivered by ETBs nationwide, include those presented by Limerick and Clare ETB. The findings show that over a third of people want education and training options that are free, co-educational, multi-denominational, and located close to their home. The release of the research coincides with the official launch of the organisation’s strategy statement – which outlines its ambitions for the coming three years. Representatives from Limerick and Clare ETB recently attended an online event, ‘Stronger Together: ETBs for the Future’, which explored the opportunities and challenges for the ETB sector in the delivery of education and training programmes. Paddy Lavelle, General Secretary of ETBI, welcomed the findings and said it endorsed the organisation members’ offerings. He said, “Our research findings show the public’s preference for education provision that is community-based, free and …

CLARE gardai have reiterated warnings about cyber crime and fraud after a recent incident in the county. During the week a woman received an email claiming to be from Electric Ireland and telling her that she was due a refund of €101.89. The communication instructed her to click the link on the email where it asked for her bank details. Luckily she didn’t enter any details – Anyone who rings, texts or emails you out of the blue and requests personal information such as bank details, they are not to be trusted. Do not click into any links they send you or call the number they contact you from or that is stated in their email.   If you think you have been scammed stop communication immediately, contact your bank if you have sent money and don’t be afraid to report it to the Gardaí – you will be treated with total confidentiality. Don’t click on a link or download …

THE new Shannon Estuary Economic taskforce will report on strategies and actions to maximise the waterway’s potential in October The terms of reference for a new taskforce to assess the strategic strengths and comparative advantages of the Shannon Estuary were published recently. Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar laid out the scope of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, following Government approval for its establishment. By October it is to have produced a report, specifying the actions which can be taken to create jobs and opportunities in the region. Mr Varadkar said the Estuary has a lot of advantages to offer. “The Shannon Estuary has the people, connectivity and natural resources to become an economic powerhouse. There is huge potential for economic development and job creation in the region, in areas such as wind, hydrogen and solar energy for example. “The newly established Technological University of the Shannon will add to the talent pool and research and …

CLARE gardai mounted a number of operations in the past week seizing over €6,000 worth of illegal drugs. On Tuesday, February 22 at 8 pm detectives and uniformed gardaí from Ennistymon and Kilrush conducted a search under warrant at a house in the Lahinch area of the county. During the course of this search €4,600 worth of suspected Cannabis Herb was seized. A male in his late 20s was arrested at the scene and detained at Kilrush Garda Station. This man has since been released from custody and a file is now being prepared for submission to the DPP. The following evening at at 9pm, the Divisional Drugs Unit stopped a car in the Ennis town area and conducted a search of the vehicle. During the course of this search suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of €1,500 was seized. A man in his late 20s was arrested and detained at Ennis Garda and was later released from custody …

Dan Danaher on plans from a Clare-based group at the leading edge of change in aviation Providing air taxis for players and patrons attending the 2027 Ryder Cup in Adare Manor is an achievable target, according to a new Shannon-based aviation consortium. This is one of the exciting enterprises planned by the new group piloting a revolution in how air taxis and unmanned drones will completely change aviation over the coming years. Skyports, Future Mobility Campus Ireland, Avtrain and Shannon Group have joined forces to establish Ireland’s first passenger and cargo vertiport at Shannon’s FMCI campus, encouraging participation and investment in Ireland’s Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) industry. Their goal is the establishment of Ireland’s first air taxi service and routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The consortium includes Skyports, the world’s leading passenger air taxi and cargo drone vertiport provider; Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI), Ireland’s first test bed for future mobility located next to Shannon Airport; …