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Shannon

Hotel college marks 60 years

DOZENS of graduates returned to Shannon College of Hotel Management last Friday as it celebrated its 60th anniversary.Retired North Clare hotelier Eamon Vaughan was in the second class that enrolled at the college. “It was good, it gave us the basics. We used to work for the summer in the kitchens and other parts of the airport, although I used to go home and work in Vaughan’s Hotel. Then I went on to Germany and on to London. In the original days, it was so different, we didn’t learn anything about food costings or anything like that. You thought all you had to do to be a hotel manager was to walk around,” he said of his days at the college.There were 21 in his class and he was the only one from Clare and he said the students met many celebrities of the day there. “I remember I spent half an hour talking to Nat King Cole one night, …

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GE acquiring FMC Tech

GE has announced that it is intending to acquire ­Shannon company FMC Tech. GE is one of the biggest companies in the world and Bob Gilligan CEO-digital ­energy for GE Energy ­Services, welcomed the move. “With the acquisition of FMC Tech’s portfolio, GE will be able to provide a new level of grid intelligence to utilities, improving decision-making and streamlining operations with real-time information on power ­outages and available capacity on power lines.”He said the move should drive quicker ­development of technology. “FMC-Tech’s expertise in online power ­management and fault detection combined with GE’s ­distribution management expertise will drive faster technology ­development, ­implementation and broader-based ­solutions, which will enable a broader portfolio of utility management solutions.”FMC Tech will become part of GE Energy Services Digital Energy Smart Substation business and all ­employees will remain in Ireland. The acquisition is expected to be completed by July.  FMC-Tech Ltd, was set up in August 2001 for the ­purpose of developing a new …

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Chris qualifies for World Championships

SHANNON swimmer Chris Bryan has met the criteria for entry to this summer’s World Championships in Shanghai. Chris competes in open water swimming over 10km and at a competition in Israel, he recorded a time of 1.53:01.The 21-year-old trains at the University of Limerick and his coach, Ronald Claes said he performed well.“There are a series of European open water events as part of the overall European competition. Israel is probably one of the bigger ones and it’s the first of the year. Swim Ireland set out two criteria to qualify for Shanghai; he had to finish in under two hours and within 10 minutes of the winner. He did both.”Chris managed this despite having to overcome a significant obstacle. “The field was very big so they split it into two groups and put the entrants from the stronger swimming countries in the first one. There would have been a big advantage in being in the first group, so that …

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Hannan warms up for pro boxing debut

SHANNON boxer Marty Hannan is going to make his professional debut on June 18 in Galway.The 29-year-old light middleweight is fighting English boxer Ryan Casey and he doesn’t believe he’s too old to be turning pro. “The way I look at it, I took a break from boxing for a few years so I’m still very fresh. I’m always training, I look after my diet. A lot of people might think that at 29, I’m a bit too old but I don’t think like that at all. I’m still flying fit. At the club that I’m training in (Our Lady of Lourdes in Limerick), I’m sparring European champions like Willie Casey. “I’m sparring lads who are great, great boxers, who have been around the world and I’m able to compete with them in the ring. My trainer is Shane Daly and he turned Andy Lee professional, he turned Willie Casey professional. He thought I’d do well at it so he …

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Golf club remembers Seve

Memories of the Shannon Golf Club Pro-Am events in the late ’70s were recalled this week when news of the death of Seve Ballesteros was announced.The Spaniard was one of the leading attractions at the Shannon event that was played on the Monday after the Irish Open. In the mid-’70s, Christy O’Connor Junior was attached to the Shannon club and he was instrumental in getting many of the leading professionals to play in the Shannon Pro-Am, which raised money for various charities.In addition to the late Ballesteros, winner of 87 titles during his career, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Greg Norman also visited and played the Shannon course. Norman holds the record of having the longest drive and a special stone was erected on the 18th fairway to mark this.“Back then, the Irish Open was staged the week prior to the British Open. The field of competitors in the Shannon event would do justice to any of the majors,” recalled …

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McLoughlin seeks county council seat

WITH the election of Tony Mulcahy to the Seanad, opportunity may be about to knock for Sean McLoughlin. Councillor McLoughlin was heavily involved with his party colleague’s bids for election to both the Dáil and the Seanad. Now, with Senator Mulcahy going to the upper house, he may take his seat on Clare County Council.The abolition of the so-called dual mandate some years ago means that a member of the Oireachtas cannot sit on a county council or a town council and so Fine Gael will co-opt new members.Following Mulcahy’s election, McLoughlin threw his hat into the ring. In a statement, the two-time Mayor of Shannon congratulated the new Senator and announced his interest in taking the county council seat.“Seventeen years ago in Shannon the Fine Gael branch reformed. I was proud to be a member of that group. That branch has performed well, subsequently ensuring a greater vote and representation for the party in all elections. This success has …

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