Tag Archives: Donna McGettigan

PLANS to house refugees in an industrial building in Shannon have been criticised by local elected representatives. Last week the Office of Public Works (OPW) said it had made Unit 153 at Shannon Business Park (a large building close to where Molex had been located) available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and that it is being adapted for emergency accommodation. In a statement to the Clare Champion the Department acknowledged it is working with the OPW “to develop proposals/design to use a state-owned property in Shannon Free Zone to accommodate International Protection Applicants.” However, it contradicted the OPW’s claim that it is currently being adapted for the use of refugees, saying that engagement between the two bodies is ongoing and contracts have yet to be agreed or signed. Unit 153 is a large building that is not currently in use. Speaking to The Champion on Tuesday, Clare TD Cathal Crowe said he doesn’t believe that …

A NEW centre for housing refugees is to be opened in Shannon, despite local elected representatives and residents having been left uninformed about the matter. The OPW confirmed to the Clare Champion that it had made Unit 153 in Shannon Business Park available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and that it is currently being adapted for emergency accommodation. Prior to Christmas, in a briefing document, Maurice Buckley, chairman of the Office of Public Works said that the OPW “has made a large property in Shannon available to the DCEDIY (Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth) which is currently being adapted for emergency accommodation.” After coming upon this the Clare Champion contacted the DCEDIY, but it made no comment. The OPW was also contacted and confirmed that Unit 153 had been handed over. The Clare Champion spoke to Deputy Cathal Crowe on Wednesday afternoon and at that stage he was unaware that a building …

THE difficulty recruiting full time firefighters has the potential to leave the town exposed in an emergency with one councillor calling the situation “alarming”. It is understood that on a recent weekend just four firefighters were available for duty in Shannon. Such low numbers could have meant the service was well below what is required, but arrangements were made to bring firefighters from other areas to Shannon. Councillor Donna McGettigan said it is imperative that the situation improve. “To have so few in a town with an airport and chemical factories, it is very alarming. There must be a lot of stress on the staff too to cover shortages, and they’re under immense pressure.” She said that the reason for the lack of cover goes beyond the Council. “I know they have been trying their best to recruit, but something needs to be done to make sure it is done. I can’t blame them here, they have been trying, but …

NO properties in Shannon were available to rent on daft.ie or myhome.ie last Thursday or Friday, reflecting an extraordinarily tight market, in which supply is almost non-existent and prices are high. Councillor Gerry Flynn said that the local housing situation is really poor. “It’s abysmal, there’s no doubt about it. Since the Council took over Shannon (it assumed responsibility for the town from Shannon Development in 2004) it has received total saturation of social housing. That’s all Shannon has got, social housing from Clare County Council.” “Shannon Development used always make areas available for private housing. That in turn helped a lot of people who wanted to buy their own house. This policy is in place since September 2004 and this policy is coming home to roost. “They (the Council) saw Shannon as a luxury of sorts, to get over 100 acres of residential land, already zoned, and they were focusing on Shannon as being the solution to social housing …

SHANNON County Councillor Donna McGettigan has been returned unopposed to the Sinn Féín Ard Comahirle, following the party’s Munster AGM. She said the party hopes to decide next month on a strategy for Clare in the next general election. It is the third year in a row that Councillor McGettigan has been selected to represent party members in Munster on the party’s administrative body. There are around 30 people on the Ard Comhairle, with four elected from each province along with executive members. Speaking about the role of the Ard Comhairle, Councillor McGettigan said, “It’s mostly policy making and then the overseeing of the party as a whole. Our policies come through Ard Fheis, from the grassroots up.” Sinn Féin is the party performing best in opinion polls and she claimed it is more in tune with the times than its rivals. “We are on the rise and it’s time now for change. We are always hearing from people about …

A PLAQUE has been erected at the bandstand in the Town Park, in memory of the late Mike McKee. Mr McKee was a member of the Shannon Town Council for many years, while in 2014 he was the first Sinn Féin representative elected to Clare Council Council since the 1970s. While he retained his seat in 2019, he was seriously ill by the time of the election and died that November. Donna McGettigan was co-opted onto the Council in his place, and she said the plaque honouring Mike is a very suitable gesture. “It was proposed by PJ Ryan, just before I came onto the Council, he proposed naming the bandstand after Mike, which was very appropriate considering Mike was involved with music. “Mike worked hard with his Council colleagues to get that park going, so it’s very fitting.” Due to Covid restrictions only a small number of people attending the unveiling of the plaque, but she said it went …

Reservations over funding ‘private company’ and possible neglect of other districts CLAIMS and counter claims were expressed by county councillors during heated exchanges before a controversial €10 million loan was approved for the Ennis 2040 Designated Activity Company (DAC) by a majority vote. Ennis 2040 Designated Activity Company (DAC) has been registered as a company to assist in identifying opportunities for development and employment in Ennis and making the town an attractive place to live and work. While councillors support investment for Ennis, several expressed grave reservations about the new funding mechanism proposed by the council executive at a meeting on Monday, and the lack of a similar package for rural Clare. The loan was passed by 23 votes to five, with Councillors Tony O’Brien, Gerry Flynn, Donna McGettigan, P J Kelly and Susan Crawford officially recording their opposition. Some of the remaining councillors who supported it – Pat Burke, Joe Killeen and Ian Lynch – did so reluctantly. Councillor …

A DRAFT of the new masterplan for Shannon was shown to local councillors on Tuesday. While there have been numerous plans for the town over the years, they have so far failed to deliver a proper heart to Shannon, while local anger has been bubbling over the last five years about the town’s lack of facilities, the lack of investment in it and the fact it is possibly the only Irish town without a streetscape. One previous plan proposed a light rail system running through the town, but that proposal, along with virtually everything else in that plan, came to nothing. However, hope springs eternal, and Councillor Donna McGettigan said there are things to be positive about in the draft that was shown to the Councillors this week. She said it could see Bóthar Mór become a focus for new development, potentially giving the town a main street for the first time. “Bóthar Mór would be the main focus of …