The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
LESS than six months ago aviation entrepreneur Pádraig Ó Céidigh was appointed chairman of the board of Shannon Group to widespread approval, but he resigned on Wednesday due to mounting frustration.
When approached on Wednesday Mr Ó Céidigh declined to comment following his sudden exit after such a short period of time, but other sources have said he was quite disillusioned.
It is understood that there were differences of opinion between the new chairman and other senior figures attached to Shannon Group, all of whom were in place before his appointment.
One person said that Mr Ó Céidigh felt he was “frozen out” since his appointment and was having difficulty pursuing changes that he felt were important for Shannon.
Mr Ó Céidigh was only appointed in late September of last year, and while he was clearly enthusiastic at the outset, his tenure has proved to be an extremely short one and yet again the process of finding a replacement must begin.
Shannon Group issued a short statement following his departure, thanking Mr Ó Céidigh and wishing him well.
On Friday Fianna Fáil senator Timmy Dooley said that questions must be asked about his decision to resign.
“I was hugely impressed by the enthusiasm and vigour he showed when he was appointed. I’m at a loss as to what has happened in the intervening period.”
He said that Shannon will lose out as a result. “It’s a very significant loss to the airport, he was one of the few on the board with aviation experience, one of a very small number associated with Shannon who had an entrepreneurial spirit and the loss of that is significant at a time of great change in aviation.”
Clare TD Cathal Crowe also said that the reasons for the Ó Céidigh departure must be teased out.
“I’ve written to the chairperson of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell, to suggest that we urgently summon Mr Ó Céidigh, Mary Considine and Fintan Towey, Assistant Secretary for Aviation in the Department of Transport, to appear before our committee to discuss the reasons behind this resignation and the pathway forward in terms of a replacement.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
