WITHIN weeks, pupils who completed all their secondary education during recession will sit the Leaving Cert.Ciara Guinan and Meadhbh Halton of St Patrick’s Comprehensive and Aislinn Keogh and Gearóid McMahon of St Caimin’s Community School are among the tens of thousands who are going through this rite of passage.Three of the four started secondary school in September of 2008, just weeks before the ruinous bank guarantee, while another had just one year of second level done at that stage.All four are planning to go on to third level and with finances under strain, they are conscious of the cost of further education. The money Gearóid earned last summer, cutting silage and working for a builder, has been left largely intact and set aside for his education, while Meadhbh says she is thinking about taking a year off to work, before going on to further study.Gearóid hopes to study engineering at UL and after speaking to people working in the field, …
Read More »Marty’s boxing clever
HAVING called time on his own boxing career, Marty Hannan established the Shannon Boxing Club late last year and the next Katie Taylor or Bernard Dunne may be training in Smithstown under his direction. Having been involved in amateur boxing for many years in clubs in Ennis and Limerick, Marty finally turned professional but couldn’t make a living because the crowds buying tickets for fights were way down. “Within six months, four shows were called off. When you’re a professional boxer, you’re self-employed, your work is your training and you’re relying on the fight night to get paid and if it’s called off, you get nothing. That happened so many times and to be honest, I fell behind in bills,” he says of his abortive pro career. He is now self-employed, running a company that works with fitness instructors and personal trainers. And since last year, he has been working on bringing boxing to Shannon. “Marie Rowland would always …
Read More »Standing tall on the ideal of European unity
SHANNON has been awarded the European Diploma of the Council of Europe in recognition of the town’s efforts to promote the ideal of European unity.
Read More »Planning sought to extend business park
AN extension of planning permission is being sought for the demolition of two houses and the construction of an industrial development in the townlands of Caherteige and Drumgeely.
Read More »Mayor’s Ball boost for Clare Crusaders
THE Clare Crusaders are set to benefit from this year’s Mayor’s Ball, which was launched on Wednesday afternoon.
Read More »Knockout night of kickboxing success
HUNDREDS arrived at the Oakwood Arms last Saturday night for Shannon Kickboxing’s fight night, which saw Joshua Vincent win the Irish cruiserweight belt and numerous other local fighters in action.
Read More »Chamber president seeks broader approach to industry
WHILE the development of an International Aviation Services Centre in Shannon is welcome, there needs to be a focus on having other industries too, according to Shannon Chamber president Kevin Thompstone.
Read More »‘Mushroom treatment’ over land ownership
THERE have been a number of enquiries regarding the future of a site at Shannon Town Centre, which is owned by Shannon Development and which has been earmarked for community use.
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