Shannon

THE Alitalia plane crash of 1960, in which 34 people were killed, was commemorated at Clonloghan Cemetery on Wednesday evening.The Italian ambassador to Ireland was represented at the event by Dr Fabio Bartolozzi, while Canon Reuben Butler gave a talk on the history behind the event.The crash occurred in the early hours of February 26. The plane had made a 45-minute stop at Shannon, having been en route from Naples and Rome to New York. However, shortly after leaving the tarmac in Shannon, it crashed at the cemetery in Clonloghan, killing most of those on board.Vincent McInerney of Stonehall is a member of the Clonloghan Cemetery Group but he was just a schoolboy at the time of the crash, which he remembers well.“The plane must have come in very low because it hit the top of the headstones and it went through the graveyard and crashed into the next field. There was a lot of wreckage and it was burned …

ST Senan’s hoisted their sixth green flag last week, for work done on environmentally-friendly travel.School principal, Sally O’Neill said it was a proud moment for the school. “Róisín Ní Gháirbhith of An Taisce would have visited a few times during the year. In other years, we wouldn’t have had a representative coming, just the assessors. In the last two terms, we were doing Walk on Wednesday. Teachers would have met children at different points and walked to school with them. Parents were involved in it too. We had a bike shelter installed in front of the school and there is a cycling event taking place on June 16 and we’ll be involved in it.”Parents and grandparents of the children were also involved in the work, while retired teacher Mrs Kirby, who was involved in getting the Green Schools Programme going at the school, was invited back for the flag-raising last Thursday.Ms O’Neill said that there was a great atmosphere at …

SMALL and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) need to be supported and can be a vital part of economic recovery, according to Minister for Trade and Commerce, Billy Kelleher.Deputy Kelleher was in Westpark, Shannon on Tuesday morning, where he addressed a seminar organised by Shannon Chamber on accessing and using EU Innovation supports.In his address, he said, “SMEs are the backbone of the Irish economy. Over 97% of businesses operating in Ireland today are small, operating over half of the total workforce in this country. The ability of small companies to compete and grow is something that merits a lot of attention, as Ireland’s future economic growth relies on the development of our indigenous enterprise sector.”The minister claimed that promoting innovation is a priority for the Government. “Over the past 10 years, the Government has trebled the level of investment in research and development and is working towards reaching its target of achieving a national R&D investment of 3% of GDP, public …

ANTI-social behaviour at the pathway to the rear of Tullyglass Crescent is causing a major problem for local people, this week’s meeting of Shannon Area Councillors heard and members expressed support for closing the right of way there.

On Tuesday, as she collected her son, Joanne Hinsley from Ballycasey said that safety had been compromised. “It’s just about health and safety. It’s so dangerous. We’ve got the playground here, the school beside it, there are cars coming in all the time and when the carnival is here there are trucks and lorries. That one of them would knock over a child is my biggest concern.”She said this wasn’t the first time the arrival of a carnival had caused problems and they had been very disappointed to see the problem arriving again this year. “We were all angry last year but no one seemed to do anything. This year, when we saw it coming back again it was different. The circus was over behind the Comp and we thought, great, it won’t be here anymore. “Then when the carnival came in the other day we couldn’t believe it. No matter how many times you tell them, the kids will …

Fifty years of a limousine service that opened up Waterford and the South-East to the flow of American tourism and investment from the Shannon transatlantic gateway was marked with an anniversary re-enactment.Now heading the country’s oldest family-run limousine operation, Jim Falconer was behind the wheel when repeating the Waterford to Shannon run that he first completed 50 years ago. This time round, he was driving one of the Falconer fleet of Mercedes.Jim recalled his debut as a chauffeur. “Back in 1960 I was driving a 1952 metallic silver Ford V8 and I can even remember the registration of ZF 4320,” he said.Jim has good reason to recall every detail and the precise date, because May 4 is his birthday. “I was still at school at Waterford de La Salle and it was on my 17th birthday that I got my licence and my father gave me my first assignment.”To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Jim received a presentation from Shannon Airport …

BUSINESS and academic communities should be aware of the funding being provided by the EU for research & development (R&D), according to Helen Downes, chief executive of Shannon Chamber.“With Ireland aiming to win €600 million in EU R&D funding by 2013, the West and South-Western business and academic communities should equip themselves to avail of a greater share of this funding than heretofore,” said Ms Downes ahead of a one-day seminar entitled Accessing and Using EU Innovation Supports – the Whys and Wherefores being held at the Westpark Business Campus on Tuesday, May 25.The seminar is being hosted by the chamber in conjunction with the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) and is co-hosted and supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Enterprise Europe Network in Ireland and Bank of Ireland.“It is an ideal opportunity for businesses, policy makers, regional authorities, regional development agencies, higher education institutes, innovation centres, consultants, chambers of commerce or other such entities in the West or South-West …

Denis and Mena Hayes will celebrate their 80th birthdays this summer and they are two of the longest-serving Pioneers living in Shannon.