Shannon

CLARE County Council has granted planning permission for a 30-metre communications mast on the grounds of St Senan’s Rugby Club. Objections had been made to the development and residents living nearby claimed it was completely unsuitable.

PROJECT Forest, a programme for transition year pupils, was launched at St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon this week by RTÉ personality Éanna Ní Lamhna and Minister of State Tony Killeen. The programme is designed to take a broad approach to learning about trees. Its objectives are to create an understanding of the nature of woods and forests, to create an awareness of the role of forests in human existence, to encourage a sense of ownership of the forest environment and to encourage appreciation of wood as a material.

A CURRACH-BUILDING workshop will be taking place in SkyCourt from this Monday until October 2. Shoppers will be able to watch progress being made on the construction of a three-hand West Clare fishing currach as it takes place in a unit within the shopping centre.The workshop is part of a skills-sharing initiative to keep traditional currach building skills alive in the county. Greg Duff is chairperson of local heritage group Dúchas na Sionna, which is backing the project. “It’s part of a West Clare Currach Club initiative to build 10 currachs throughout Clare. We have facilitated the building of one in Shannon with the co-operation of Pat Kelly of SkyCourt.“People might remember where the Paddy Power outlet was in SkyCourt, it’ll be built in there.”He said that Kilrush man James Madigan would be leading the project and showing how a currach should be built. “There is a lot of skill involved. James had the skills passed down to him from …

AN TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will be in town on Monday, September 28, having taken up an invitation from Shannon Chamber president, Ian Barrett.

SHANNON took 273 marks from a possible 400 in this year’s Tidy Towns Competition, the results of which were published this week. Adjudicators visited the town in June and they had a broadly positive view of Shannon, awarding it nine marks out of 10, in the general impression section.

AS part of their three month Equality and Diversity programme, which is being funded by a European Commission programme, Shannon and District Chamber will host a breakfast seminar in Westpark on Tuesday from 7.30am to 10.30am.

THE controversy over the closing of rights-of-way at Cluain Airne and the building of housing on a green area there was up for discussion at Monday’s meeting of Shannon Town Council and a group of protestors gathered outside to make their feelings known.

THE right-of-way, which residents objected to being blocked at Cluain Airne was not registered, Shannon Town Manager Bernadette Kinsella told this week’s meeting of the town council, although she accepted that things hadn’t been done correctly.At the meeting, Councillor Cathy McCafferty put forward a motion calling for the council to examine if correct procedures had been used in relation to the temporary extinguishment of the right-of-way between Cluain Airne and Illaunagowan Point and asked for a guarantee from the manager that the right-of-way be reinstated following the temporary extinguishment.