Tag Archives: shannon

SHANNON’S Fergal Barry has been appointed president of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. On Tuesday, he said, “I’m delighted with the appointment. It’s very rare that opportunities like this come up to influence the development of an organisation at the heart of so many people’s lives, futures and dreams. It’s an organisation that has an excellent educational history, really passionate staff and it’s playing a central role in the reform of our higher education system, which is part of the reform of our public services as a whole.” Fergal is the son of Tess Barry of Fearnóg and the late Pat Barry. He attended St Senan’s National School and St Patrick’s Comprehensive School and currently lives with his wife, Deirdre in Limerick City. Tess is extremely well known in Shannon, being involved in various local organisations. “The stones on the road would know my Mum,” Fergal jokes. “The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree and I bring with me …

SHANNON’S first airshow in 25 years drew tens of thousands of spectators to the Clare airport this afternoon. Approaches to the airport were clogged for some hours in the late morning and early afternoon, and shortly before the airshow began organisers said they expected the crowd to be quite close to the 40,000 capacity. While weather conditions were blustery and overcast, fears that rain would mar the show proved unfounded. Four kilometres of fencing was installed to transform Shannon’s airfield into one of the biggest outdoor venues of the Irish summer and proceedings got underway at 1pm when members of the Irish Parachute Club dropped from the skies. Perhaps the most entertaining performance of the afternoon came from the Ravens, a UK-based formation acrobatic display team, whose various stunts left the large crowd awe-struck. Witnessing the phenomenal speed of the Saab Viggen was another one of the afternoon’s highlights, while the sound of its engines rang out for miles. Limerick man …

AN Aeromexico Boeing Dreamliner, flying from Mexico to Paris reportedly declared an emergency due to a fire in the cargo hold, before making an emergency landing at Shannon this afternoon. Emergency crews were awaiting the arrival of the aircraft when it touched down. Shannon is a designated airport for emergency landings and remains open 24 hours a day in case the facilities are needed at any point. “Shannon Airport can confirm that the emergency response that was activated for the arrival of a diverted Aeromexico flight this afternoon has now been stood down. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was en route from Mexico City to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed safely at Shannon at 14:50pm. All 193 passengers and crew were disembarked and the aircraft subsequently assessed at a remote location,” an airport spokesman said.

DESPITE Shannon Airport’s much vaunted recovery, Shannon Group is about to seek redundancies from staff, with talks between management and unions set to begin next week. Shannon Group is a commercial semi state, with Shannon Airport as its core and also encompassing Shannon Commercial Enterprises (formerly Shannon Development)Shannon Castle Banquets and Heritage Limited (formerly Shannon Heritage) along with the International Aviation Services Centre. In a statement to the Clare Champion on Wednesday evening Shannon Group claimed that the redundancies are required to help its competitive position. “The necessity to address the cost base of the Shannon Group business units has been known for some time. In recent times it has been referenced in the Shannon task force report and subsequent annual reports. We are exploring options to address this including a voluntary severance scheme. This will make for a more sustainable business model going forward.” No details of what terms will be offered to staff looking to depart have been …

HAVING been a member of the Pioneers since she was a teenager, it’s no surprise that Bridie Hendrick describes herself as “very loyal” to the organisation. Bridie will receive her 60-year pin at a ceremony on June 12 at SS John & Paul Church, while others who have also reached certain landmarks will be recognised. Speaking about her decision to throw her lot in with the organisation, she says, “I joined it when I was 14 in Armagh. At that time, you’d go into the probationers and the Pioneers when you were 16. There were eight in my family and we all joined. One of them broke his pledge but all the rest of them stayed Pioneers. Non-smokers and non-drinkers the whole lot. In those days, there were no women going into pubs or things and you didn’t see drink much. It was easier for people than it is now.” While times have changed since her Armagh childhood in the …

WITH the Government this evening announcing the sale of the State’s stake in Aer Lingus, a Fine Gael source this evening told the Clare Champion that Shannon-US services will be enhanced as a result of the transaction. It is understood that British Airways (which is owned by IAG) will continue to use Shannon’s US  Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facilities, and in the future it may actually pick up passengers at Shannon, effectively extending the range of US services from Shannon, something that would be welcomed by local business interests. While IAG CEO Willie Walsh had previously ruled out increasing a five year commitment to maintaining Shannon-Heathrow connectivity, this will be increased to seven years. It is understood the assurances have calmed at least some political nerves in Clare, but the issue is still set to provoke local and national debate in the coming days. The chairman of Shannon Group plc, Rose Hynes, has  welcomed the proposed IAG takeover of …

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang touched down at Shannon Airport this afternoon, where he was met by Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Shannon Group officials. Speaking shortly after welcoming him, Mr Noonan said,”It’s a very important visit. The Chinese Prime Minister is on his way to an extensive visit of South America where he is visiting four countries. We’re very pleased that as part of that trip they decided to stop over in Ireland and I’m particularly pleased that the stop over is in Shannon. Premier Li is the second most powerful man in China, President Xi Jinping when he visited Ireland also came to Shannon and he concentrated on this part of the country. There’s no doubt for historic reasons they have a particular interest in the Shannon Region, in Clare and in the west of Ireland.” There was a significant Garda presence at Shannon as the Chinese Premier arrived and there will also be a major security operation …

ST Patrick’s Comprehensive were represented at PE Expo 2015 at Trinity Comprehensive, Ballymun and took the prize for best overall project. The school was represented by fourth-year students, Lauryn Dooley, Elora McFall, Cliodhna McNeilis, Clara Moore and Jenny Power with their project entitled Skill Components of Fitness in Rugby and Gaelic Football, Specifically Co-ordination and Punting. The study initially involved an analysis of video-recorded matches to identify the use of the six skill-related components of fitness in both rugby and Gaelic football. Its second phase required the students to use their knowledge of PE theory and applied maths, as they used mathematical formulae to calculate the range and velocity of punts taken using the knowledge that the ideal angle of projection for such a skill is 45o. The findings illustrated that both sports require the use of all skill components of fitness and that the ideal 45o angle of projection elicits the punt with the greatest distance. The girls received …