Shannon

DRUGS with an estimated value of €50,000 have been seized at Shannon Airport with the assistance of detector dog Harley. Revenue officers seized 2.5 kgs of herbal cannabis concealed within metal cans manifested as “Jasmine Tea”. The consignment had originated in the US and was destined for an address in Cork. Separately, at Dublin District Court Revenue officers were granted a three-month cash detention order by Judge John Campbell. This followed the seizure on 18 February 2022 of €10,000 at Dublin Airport. The cash was discovered when, as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers stopped and searched a passenger prior to boarding a flight to Instanbul, Turkey. The cash is suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and is detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation. Investigations into both seizures are ongoing. These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting organised crime groups and the importation, sale and supply …

PASSENGERS who were on board a Ryanair flight from Shannon have shared details of the terrifying experience they endured on the service to Birmingham. Last Friday was a day to forget for the unfortunate passengers who were flying to the UK city. After boarding their aircraft in stormy conditions, they were then left waiting for hours before the plane finally took off. After going to Birmingham, it was judged that they could not land safely and there was uncertainty for some time as to where they would go instead. Ultimately the flight was redirected to Prestwick outside of Glasgow. After landing there, the passengers were told they had two options, neither appealing. One choice was to take a bus to Birmingham, which could take in the region of eight hours. Their other option was to stay on the aircraft, which was going to take off once again, but they were told there was only a 50-50 chance that it would …

A major multi-agency emergency operation, also involving an RNLI lifeboat, was put in place in Clare this morning for a cargo aircraft which declared a Mayday over the Atlantic. The Cargolux Boeing 747-400(ER) jet, which was travelling from Miami in the US to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, was about an hour west of Ireland when the crew declared a Mayday reporting a possible fire in a hold. There were three crew on board. Once the crew of flight CV-92F had notified air traffic controllers here of their emergency, a major multi-agency response was mounted at Shannon involving the airport’s own fire and rescue service; local authority fire service, National Ambulance Service and Gardaí. The Irish Coast Guard and RNLI were also alerted. The flight crew advised controllers that they had a fire alarm on the main deck but they were unable to conduct a visual inspection to confirm whether there was actually a fire on board. The flight was cleared …

SHANNON Commercial Properties has lodged a planning application for an Air Cargo hub and logistics/distribution facility, along with an office area. Part of the Shannon Group that owns and manages the Shannon Free Zone, Shannon Commercial Properties lodged the application for a one-storey, high-bay building. In the past Shannon Group has held talks with Amazon about the company opening a distribution facility in Shannon, but as yet it is unknown whether this proposed development is to accommodate them. In a statement to the Clare Champion a spokesperson for Shannon Group said, “The upgrade of our cargo facilities is part of our overall plans to enhance the facilities Shannon has to offer to cargo operators using the airport. “The 2,705m2 distribution facility will be located on a three-acre development site on what is regarded as one of the airport’s most prominent locations and will incorporate an additional 335m2 of office accommodation. This facility will provide direct landside/airside access. “The distribution facility …

CYCLING enthusiast Joe Noonan leads a group of cyclists on Wednesdays mornings from the Old Lodge, as they head out to Quin and back. The cycles go at 10am and Joe says he wants to give people the chance to share his passion for cycling. “It’s going well, usually there’d be six or seven people. It’s open to everyone over 18. “I took up cycling as a hobby in 2010, I didn’t really have a hobby before then, I’d have played hurling when I was younger but I had stopped playing sport. “I bought a bike through work and joined a cycling club, the Clare Crusaders in Ennis, a guy called Ollie Hayes helped to get me into it, and he was kind of doing what I’m doing now.” He is delighted to be helping people to get more exercise and to develop their fitness. “I was looking online and I saw there was a course you can do. I …

THE progress of Ei Electronics is one of the great success stories of Clare business, with the company now employing 1060 people in Shannon and still seeking to add to that figure. This week saw it publish its first Annual Sustainability Report, charting its progress over the last 12 months as it seeks to become carbon neutral by 2030. Writing in the report company chairman and CEO Mick Guinnee said that sustainability is vital to the company’s future. “I have set the Ei Electronics Group the ambitious target of being Net Zero Carbon by 2030. In some ways this is a daunting taks – however I believe it is not only achievable but is an essential contribution by this company to the preservation of the planet for future generations. “We will be focusing on the identification and reduction of carbon emission sources – from the design of our products to how we manufacture, where we source our components, our energy …

WHILE Shannon Airport has faced numerous crises over the last 20 years, one of its steady sources of revenue has been the ongoing business provided by the US military. How clearly this military use meant the alignment of Ireland with US policies has been hotly debated, with many protestors arguing it has left Ireland implicated in numerous human rights abuses, while successive Governments have argued neutrality is not compromised. Every Government that has allowed the US military use has been led by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, but as time goes by it looks like that may not happen after the next election, with opinion polls showing Sinn Féin are likely to be the biggest party. The party is a staunch critic of the US military use of the airport, and while other parties have raised concerns before entering Government, if Sinn Féin does enter government it is very likely to be as the senior rather than junior party …

THE cost of providing military assistance to gardai for duties at Shannon Airport has come to nearly €800,000 over the last three years, writes Owen Ryan. In the Dáil Deputy Catherine Connolly asked Minister for Defence Simon Coveney for details on the expenditure and in reply he said that in 2019 it came to €214,213, in 2020 it was €270,708 and last year €273,027. Mr Coveney said, “Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested. “I am satisfied that there is ongoing and close liaison between both An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, and between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality regarding security matters generally, including the Defence Forces ATCP roles.” He said costs relate to security duty allowance paid to members of the Defence Forces, rations and fuel.