Tag Archives: shannon

MORE than 500 jobs have been lost at Molex in Shannon. Management held a meeting with staff this afternoon (Tuesday) where it was confirmed that the job losses would be effective from the first quarter of 2020. All jobs will be phased out next year. In a statement, the company said that “following a review of product lines manufactured at its facility in Shannon, Molex today (Tuesday) Molex has announced its intention to close that facility by the end of 2020, subject to an employee consultation process.’ “This decision in no way reflects on our Shannon employees, who have made an invaluable contribution to our business over many years,” the statement added. There will be more detail in Thursday’s print edition of The Clare Champion.

A staff meeting with management is due to be held of Molex staff in Shannon at 3pm, amid fears that jobs may be lost. Approximately 510 people are employed by Molex which has been based in Shannon since 1971. The company makes electronic components and laid off 100 staff a decade ago.

REVENUE officers seized just over a kilogram of herbal cannabis, following a search, under warrant, of a premises in Shannon on Monday. The illegal drugs, with an estimated street value of €21,000, were discovered as a result of an intelligence led, joint operation conducted by Revenue’s Customs Service, members of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Clare Garda Drugs Unit. A 24 year old man was arrested at the scene and is currently being detained in Shannon Garda Station under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996. Investigations are ongoing. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding the smuggling or illegal sale of tobacco products or drugs, they can contact Revenue in confidence on free-phone number 1800 295 295.

TEN-year-old Shannon boy Alex O’Shaughnessy is currently in Essen, Germany, receiving Proton Beam Therapy. It’s a cutting edge treatment for rare disease Embroyonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, which Alex was diagnosed with earlier this year. The family arrived in Germany on August 13 and on Wednesday, Alex’s mother, Agnes, said he had received 20 sessions of the Proton Beam Therapy, with 11 more left. He has also had a cycle of chemotherapy while in Germany and will have another before he returns to Ireland. “It’s only about half an hour a day for the treatment. There is one day-a-week where he sees the doctors and there are a couple of dressing changes. It’s just one day-a-week when we’re there for most of the day,” said Agnes. Alex has coped quite well with the treatment. “He’s good. There have been some minor side-effects. He’s having it near his throat, so there are some little issues but they are well on top of things here …

IT now appears that US Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to the Banner County will be happening earlier than planned and he will stay for two nights in Doonbeg. While Mr Pence had not been expected until next Friday, his European trip has now been brought forward, with him firstly travelling to Poland, in place of President Donald Trump. He is now expected to arrive in Ireland on Monday, and be taken to Doonbeg after arriving in Shannon. From Doonbeg he is expected to Dublin on Tuesday for meetings, but to be back in Doonbeg again on Tuesday night, before leaving the country on Wednesday. At this stage little information available, and even official sources have few details, however it is thought that the Vice President will not now travel to the Cliffs of Moher during his time in Clare

HE has taught at St Caimin’s for more than 30 years and now Alan Cunningham has taken on the big job, succeeding Claire Knight as principal. “I’m following in a long line of leaders in St Caimin’s and my hope is to do as good a job as they did,” he says of his promotion. Alan was dealing with a family bereavement earlier this week but still generously made himself available to talk about his new responsibilities. Virtually his whole career has been at St Caimin’s, as he went there straight from college. “It was back in the ’80s. There wasn’t much around but this school was built the year before I qualified. I came in part-time, bits of hours here, bits of hours there. I was two years doing bits and pieces.” A native of the town, he went to national school at St Conaire’s and second level at St Patrick’s Comprehensive. The elevation to principal comes after four …

MORE than €6.1 million was spent on residential properties in Shannon within the first six months of the year. Figures from the Irish Property Price Register show that there were 38 sales between January and June within the town, with a total of €6,132,803.29 being spent. This means that the average price paid in Clare’s second-largest town was €161,389.56. The most expensive property was 29 Tullyglass Crescent, for which a sum of €295,000 was paid. This deal was finalised on January 22. Thirteen of the transactions were for more than €200,000 but there was also plenty of more affordable accommodation in the town. Just €59,100 was paid for number 29 Rossbracken but it is understood that in this instance, full market value was not paid. There was a sum of €60,000 paid for number 81 Bru na Sionna, while in all there were six transactions where the property value was less than €100,000. At the moment, there are 44 units …

ON a lovely autumn day almost 21 years ago, the biggest shock in the lives of Alice and Denis Myers arrived, when their beloved son Jack died in an accident as he made his way home from St Aidan’s National School. Little Jack is now going to be commemorated on a sign that is being erected near the school. Alice and Denis are very warm people, who generously welcomed this writer into their home last Friday, spoke freely about their son, their terrible loss, their grief and are very pleased that this new memorial to their little boy will now be a feature of the town. Jack was one of four sons in a family that lived in Finian Park in the heart of Shannon. He loved The Lion King movie and trips to Coole Park. He was in senior infants at St Aidan’s in September 1998, when terrible news arrived at the Myers’ door. School principal Ger Loughnane and …