Shannon

FOLLOWING a recent high-profile tragedy, a Shannon company has drawn attention to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

SINCE its foundation, Celtic has had firm links with Ireland and with a large number of people originally from the North living in Shannon, the Glasgow giants have long had a big local support base.

While Mayor of Shannon Tony Mulcahy is set to run, Patricia McCarthy has ruled herself out of the upcoming general election.

FR Bennet Tierney was ordained a priest on Christmas Eve, 1985 and he marked the 25-year milestone by celebrating the 12.15pm mass at Ss John and Paul Church last Sunday.He is a son of Nancy Tierney from Coill Mhara and a brother of Maeve Kirwan. Although he has lived abroad for over 30 years, Fr Tierney is still a regular visitor to Shannon.While he has worked and lived in many countries, Germany is now his base. “I’ve been there for the last 12 years and I love it, although it’s very hard work. I’m responsible for family pastoral in four dioceses, basically that means anything to do with the family,” he says.In PR terms, the clergy have taken a battering over the last few years but Fr Tierney says he is still very glad he signed up.“I’m absolutely thrilled that I joined and I’ve never been as convinced about my vocation and the priesthood. I love what I’m doing and …

ECONOMIC conditions may be as bad as has been seen in more than a generation but there are always a few people willing to try their luck with a new business.Ger Finan is in this bracket having just started his own business, Process Improvement Ireland, which he is operating between Shannon and Limerick.He was motivated to start the company after losing his job in Dell, where he had worked for several years.“I had worked for Dell and, after I was made redundant in April, I realised I had skills that were valuable and I said I’d try to use them to help companies to improve their efficiency and reduce costs. It’s about bringing the skills of big multinationals to smaller companies,” he said.The supports made available to those who lost their jobs in Dell made things easier for him.“I was very lucky in that I got some of the EGF funding that was going after the job losses in Dell. …

WHILE the redevelopment works took longer than expected, Shannon Leisure Centre reopened this summer and received a good response from the local community.Difficulties between the leisure centre and the contractor resulted in the reopening being significantly delayed and led to a protest outside the March meeting of Shannon Town Council. Seán O’Callaghan was one of those involved in organising it and he said there was quite a bit of local interest about it. “We’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the non-availability of the leisure centre facility and we felt that something needed to be done about it. We decided we’d set up a Facebook page. The turnout is incredible but this is an issue that has been exercising a lot of people over the last couple of months,” he said.However, the €1.4 million redevelopment was completed in the summer and all facilities there were free on July 3, when its doors opened once again. Councillor Patricia McCarthy is …

FOR the second year in-a-row, Shannon is freezing through the countdown to Christmas.

ODDS on a white Christmas have been slashed and after a very cold winter to date, concerns have been expressed about the quality of water meters and the possibility of further damage being caused by freezing conditions.At this week’s meeting of Shannon area councillors, Councillor Patricia McCarthy put down a motion asking “the owners of all housing developments not taken in charge be contacted to establish (a) if they have correctly installed the water metres and (B) carried out remedial works where problems have been identified”.Also at meeting a letter was presented claiming the materials that the local authority puts in place itself are in order. The communication from the council’s water services engineer stated, “The meter box/stopcock systems Clare County Council have been installing in the Shannon Electoral Area are Talbot Matrix boxes. These comply with current standards, part of which requires that the device can withstand a temperature of minus 15 degrees centigrade for 15 days. “These devices …