A FILE is to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions after a veteran peace activist allegedly attempted to approach US military planes on the tarmac at Shannon Airport yesterday morning.
The man in question has been very active in the campaign against the US use of the airport and he is a former member of the Irish army. On Saturday morning he was due to travel to the UK to attend a conference organised by the Veterans For Peace organisation.
A spokesman for peace group Shannonwatch, with which the man is associated, claimed that he had seen four Hercules aircraft parked close to the runway with no apparent oversighted and felt obliged to inspect them for weapons.
The man was detained initially by Airport Police, before the Gardai were called.
Shannon has seen a number of similar incidents over the last number of years, including one involving TDs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace last summer. A case involving the two deputies has been heard in Ennis District Court and a judgement on it is set to be delivered on Wednesday.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.