Tag Archives: Cathal Crowe

CLARE TD Cathal Crowe has this morning said he is stunned at the Ryanair decision to close its Shannon base for the winter. “Last week Ryanair’s Eddie Wilson came before the Oireachtas Transport Committee demanding that Ireland fully adopt the EU ‘traffic light system’ for a safe return to international flying. It was understood that this would allow Ryanair to begin to more properly plan routes and schedules for the months ahead. “The ‘traffic light system’ and Ryanair’s major ask has been met; but now, within a few short hours, they are announcing this closure. They clearly intend to use the new EU protocols to fly the more lucrative routes in/out of Dublin, Stansted, but not Shannon and Cork,” concluded Deputy Crowe. Fine Gael’s Joe Carey said ““This is extremely disappointing news and yet another blow for Shannon Airport. Ryanair’s decision will result in job losses at Shannon Airport and will further reduce our connectivity as a region.”

IRISH aviation has become more and more unbalanced over the last decade with Dublin increasingly dominant, leading to many calls for new national policy. Speaking this week, Clare TD Cathal Crowe explained that there are options available, which have been successful in distributing traffic in other countries. “I think we need to leverage support for Shannon and the other airports, we are battling for Shannon but this for all airports. We either leverage funding off them, so the flights in Dublin are levied with a fund that goes to other airports. Another option, and I believe they have done this in a number of other countries, is that if an airline wants a landing slot in the capital, they can get it, but on condition that once or twice a week they also fly out of one of the other airports in the country. I think we could do that.” He said that such a policy would help to spread …

AER Lingus has been operating “pseudoflights” from Shannon, allowing people to book tickets for flights that aren’t actually going to operate, Clare TD Cathal Crowe claimed in the Dáil. The Meelick man said that the commitment of both Aer Lingus and Ryanair to Shannon is questionable, while he criticised Aer Lingus in particular, for dubious practices. “Aer Lingus is operating pseudoflights out of Shannon. One can book three flights a day, but they will be cancelled and one might have to wait four or five months to get a refund. There is something immoral about that. Aer Lingus is either committed to flying out of Shannon and to having its aircraft there or it is not. I want the Government to intervene so that this will be solidly nailed down for the months ahead.” Deputy Crowe said that Shannon has been hard hit by Covid-19, while he also raised the replacement of Rose Hynes, who has just concluded her term …

IT would be something of an understatement to say that a lot has happened in the months since Monday, February 10. It snowed in North Clare on the day that Cathal Crowe was unveiled as a new TD, after a General Election count fraught with drama. And while many thought hell would freeze over before Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would coalesce, and join with the Greens in a history-making new administration, that is what has transpired, against the backdrop of a global pandemic. Ten days later Deputy Crowe took his seat in the Dáil, and received the keys to his new office on the third floor of the Leinster House 2000 building. Since then, he has been putting in gruelling 14-16 hour days and, after the protracted process of government formation, he believes he has found his stride as a national representative. “As a first-time TD, you’re on a very steep learning curve,” he said. “It’s like Fresher’s Week …

Clare Fianna Fáil TD  Cathal Crowe is calling for a new transport system to be implemented for Thomond Park as part of a planned €40 million redevelopment of the area around the iconic stadium. Plans have been unveiled for a development including an arena with capacity for 5,000 including a large hotel adjacent to it and further transport options. Deputy Crowe believes there is a key opportunity here to utilise Clare’s proximity to Limerick City in terms of transport options. “I’ve made this call before but I really believe now is an opportune time to consider putting a transport system in place given the level of investment being put into Thomond Park at present,” said Deputy Crowe. “There’s huge scope for a park and ride system in Parteen for example, which would pull a lot of that match traffic out of the system that so many of us rugby fans have endured over the years. “There’s also the option of linking up Thomond …

CLARE Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe is calling for “strong commitment” from all sides to keep the iconic Shannon Heritage sites open for the remainder of this year. He says that he will seek financial input from government, which Shannon Group say is necessary to keep the Shannon Heritage sites operational. COVID-19 has seen the rug effectively pulled from the 2020 tourism season, leaving many with an uncertain future, including Shannon Heritage. A figure of €4m is needed from government to keep the sites, which include Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John’s Castle, open into the autumn and winter. “I was among a strong crowd at Shannon Airport on Monday, taking part in a rally calling for Shannon Heritage sites to remain open year-round,” said Deputy Crowe. “There are dozens of people in this county whose jobs will be lost if this is not the case, not to mention the countless B&Bs and pubs and cafés and restaurants …

WITH a range of challenges mounting for Clare, there was disappointment this week, as not only was the county denied a seat at the Cabinet table, there won’t even be a representative from the wider Mid-West Region. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Mary Howard said that while ability should be the first criteria, the lack of West of Ireland representation in the new Cabinet is striking. “The other night, when you looked at the map and there wasn’t a senior minister from Donegal down to Limerick, it wasn’t a nice thing to see. I’m hoping that the west of Ireland will have the majority of the junior ministries now. “It was glaring when you saw there was two ministers in Wicklow, three in Cork, six in Dublin and nothing at all from Donegal down to Limerick.” At the moment the Mid-West’s health services are a shambles, Shannon Airport seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, while there are fears that …

Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has expressed alarm at today’s (Friday) announcement by Aer Lingus that 500 jobs are to go at the airline. The flag carrier has blamed the global halt in air traffic due to COVID-19 on the move and Deputy Crowe is seriously concerned for workers at Shannon Airport. In a statement to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Aer Lingus outlined plans for redundancies for these workers, pointing to the fact that they are operating at less than 5% their usual capacity. “Management at Aer Lingus has been cavalier with Shannon staff,” Deputy Crowe said. “Unions haven’t been given sufficient time to engage with the workers here and to date, no acknowledgement has been made of the fact that many of the Shannon-based staff rank higher in seniority than their counterparts in Cork and Dublin. “The process appears not to be ‘last in, first out’, but rather a targeting of Shannon-based staff. “My …