Shannon

INTERVENTION by a professional mediator is to be tried out on a once-off pilot basis to help in resolving disputes and problems in Shannon housing estates.

SHANNON Town is anything but under the spotlight at the moment. With winter evenings closing in, Shannon councillors directed their fire at the ESB when told that approximately one in every 40 of approximately 2,500 public lights in Shannon town are not functioning.

SHANNON councillors and county officials are to open up the options for the town art centre, which has run into difficulties in settling on a home.

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.