Tag Archives: shannon

TWO Clare students have been selected to receive prestigious scholarships. Annie Reeves from Mountshannon, who is studying mobile communication and internet security at the University of Limerick, has been named among the recipients of Intel’s Women in Technology scholarship programme. Also Intel Shannon has presented a Paul Whelan Memorial Scholarship to Tim Hannon, a computer science student from Ennis. 15 years ago Intel in Ireland launched its Women in Technology scholarship program for the first time. The scholarship program aims to encourage a new generation of high-achieving women to take up the challenge of a career in science and technology and to empower them by fostering educational opportunities. The scholarship program offers a monetary grant, valued at €3,000 per annum, as well as opportunities for work placements at the Intel Leixlip and Shannon campus’. Each scholar is also assigned a mentor who is an Intel employee to assist and provide advice on managing their academic career. Since the Intel Women …

SHANNON Gardai are investigating an incident in which it appears a shot was fired in the Illaunmanagh area of the town on Wednesday morning. A video clip has been in circulation in which a dark car is seen following a white van, before the sound of a gunshot is heard. Gardai are anxious to speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious or who may have relevant dashcam footage. They can be contacted at 061 365900. The Gardai are also investigating damage that was done to caravans parked at Illaunmanagh on Sunday.

REVENUE officers seized 1.1kg of herbal cannabis at Shannon Airport on Wednesday. The smuggled drugs had an estimated value of €22,000 and were discovered concealed in large packets of sharing crisps, that were contained in a parcel that had originated in Spain and were destined for an address in Limerick City. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the importation of illegal drugs. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.

TULLYVARRAGA’S Denis Bates, a retired teacher, has received an award for volunteering work with Ireland’s largest aid agency, Concern Worldwide. Denis received a silver medal for his involvement with its national debating competition, Concern Debates, which he has been involved with since 1985. Hundreds of schools take part in the nationwide contest each year with students going head-to-head in debates about world and development issues – with volunteer judges like Denis deciding who wins each one. Denis was also a mentor for student teams at CBS Sexton Street in Limerick city when he worked there over many years. He has also adjudicated at many debating contests involving Clare schools like St. Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon and Coláiste Muire in Ennis. He became involved after having returned to Ireland after spending six years in East Africa. “When I came home I still had an interest in the developing world. There wasn’t much opportunity in Ireland in those days to express that …

A TREE of Hope planted in Shannon Town Park in October was vandalised last weekend. The tree was planted by the local Darkness Into Light group and its chairperson Brenda Leahy was very upset by the vandalism. “Devastated, absolutely devastated. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to say it had been damaged and there were kids seen around the park. It’s terrible.” Each year Shannon, like many other towns and villages, hosts a Darkness Into Light Walk in aid of Pieta House, but with that being cancelled, the Tree of Hope was planted instead. “Some people were concerned that it might be damaged but we said we’d go ahead with it, and hopefully it wouldn’t be. It was just to give a symbol of hope, it was some place for people to go and remember their loved ones or to reflect.” Having lost her husband to suicide, Brenda said the tree had a special personal meaning to …

FOR some it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for other it’s just the most expensive and stressful. Christmas is when the Mary Immaculate Conference of St Vincent De Paul in Shannon is at its busiest, helping the many local people who struggle to meet the financial demands of the season. Mary Corry has been involved in it for the last 25 years and she says that 2020 has posed very difficult challenges. “We’re not really doing visits at the moment, we just send vouchers to people. It’s much more difficult because we don’t meet to discuss cases or that sort of thing. Yet people’s needs remain the same, they’ve increased a bit I’d say. “ We haven’t been able to have a collection which is a huge drawback for us. We won’t be able to get food, we used to get an amount of food from the schools and the Giving Trees (positioned at local churches). We …

THE crew of Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, were on standby during the early hours of Monday morning to assist the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. After the launch, Brendan Meehan, Chief Crewman Standards with Rescue 115, told The Clare Champion, that the Shannon crew were prepared to rescue the four astronauts on board in the event the mission was forced to abort before making it into orbit, and touchdown in the Atlantic Ocean anywhere between 50 and 200km off the Clare coast. “It’s quite an unusual event, and I suppose the chances of us being called to action were probably slim. Nonetheless, we were ready to fly out to rescue the astronauts on board. We had been briefed on the make-up of the capsule, how the hatches open and how it would be sitting in the water. “Our job would be to fly out to the capsule, collect the astronauts and bring …

SHANNON based councillor Donna McGettigan is recovering from Covid-19, and she feels that the stigma around the virus is a barrier to effectively dealing with it. Speaking on Monday, Councillor McGettigan said that herself and her husband have been confined to home for the last two weeks, and she was diagnosed on the weekend before last. By this week, she was well on the way to becoming healthy once more. “I’m back now, I feel a good bit better, but I get very tired very quickly, the energy levels aren’t where they were. I still get a mad headache every day, a mad blast of a headache, but I know it’s coming. Honestly, I didn’t get it as bad as some people had, I just had three bad days. I was very, very lucky.” Her husband is in a high risk category, but has also managed to recover from the virus. Councillor McGettigan had a few days when she was …