Council inviting President Obama to use airport

SHANNON Town Council are inviting President Obama to use Shannon Airport during his visit to Ireland next month.

Councillor Sean McLoughlin proposed issuing the invite this week, saying it would be great for Shannon to have him use the airport. “You’re all well aware that the President of the United States is visiting Ireland and it would be a great boost if we could get him to use Shannon coming or going and spend an hour or two here.”
Shannon’s status would be boosted, he added. “Wherever the President of the US goes, the world’s media follows and it would put Shannon back in its rightful place as the lead airport for the West of Ireland.”
Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn said if President Obama used the airport it would be “a stamp of approval” for Shannon.
Councillor Patricia McCarthy said that if he visited Shannon, the President “would back up his words with action”.
Welcoming Enda Kenny to the US on St Patrick’s Day, the President said, “We want to thank him for the operations at Shannon that are so vital for us moving our troops into Afghanistan. It is a testimony to Ireland’s friendship to us.”
A number of other councillors also backed the proposal.
Many US presidents have used Shannon while in office, including John F Kennedy, Ronald Regan, George W Bush and Bill Clinton.
Should the president come to Shannon, it would spark a massive security operation, the like of which hasn’t been seen since the visit of Mr Bush in 2004.
Mr Obama passed through Shannon in 2008, on his way to the Middle East. However, should he use the airport now, there is no doubt that his visit would see major protests by groups such as Shannonwatch, who have been campaigning against the use of the airport by the US military for several years.
Recently, Shannonwatch spokesman Ed Horgan claimed Ireland has been involved in the slaughter of people around the globe, through allowing the use of Shannon. “People aren’t being killed here in Shannon but we are directly complicit in the killing that is going on in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Gaza and elsewhere,” he said.