Tag Archives: shannon

ALL over the country, Sinn Féin’s vote has been growing for years but it was last weekend that the party really started to see results in the Banner County. Perhaps the biggest result of the weekend was Mike McKee’s victory in the Shannon Electoral Area, giving the party its first seat on Clare County Council since PJ Burke triumphed in West Clare in 1974. Patricia McCarthy, who bowed out of the Shannon political scene at this campaign, said she wasn’t overly surprised with the McKee triumph. “Once I saw the way Sinn Féin were going nationwide and the way the polls were going, I had pencilled him in as a possibility.” She felt McKee would get a sizeable amount of number ones due to his years on Shannon Town Council. However, he exceeded her expectations and she hadn’t realised he would draw support from around the municipal district. “I initially thought he might have between 500 and 600 votes that …

On a day when it was announced that there is to be a 100-job expansion at WIPRO in Shannon, concern has been expressed for the small firms sector in general. In fact, a leading figure involved in supporting  small enterprises, has said radical changes in a number of key areas, such as finance, taxation and public procurement are needed too increase employment in the small business sector. Speaking at the Small Firms Association National Conference this Tuesday, the chairman, AJ Noonan said, “Despite the horrendous impact in the years since 2008, there are still 200,000 small firms in Ireland, employing 655,000 people. In 2000, the small business sector created 100,000 jobs. In fact, over a 10 year period we created 800,000 jobs. We have done it before and we can do it again. “Entrepreneurship is alive and well, but must be nurtured and developed with a renewed focus from both agencies and government.” Noonan highlighted that the SFA’s Spring Business …

By Owen Ryan THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was the subject of stinging criticism as a foul smell plagued Shannon in 2013 and the organisation has now been berated in the Seanad as “another example of the watchdog falling asleep at the wheel”. Senator John Whelan made the claim as he spoke about the Enva plant in Portlaoise, which, he claimed, is causing serious pollution there. There have been complaints of odours at the Portlaoise plant. Enva also has a plant in Shannon. Speaking in the Seanad under privilege, Senator Whelan said, “I have documentary proof that the harmful and hazardous emissions, some of which are carcinogens, from the Enva Ireland plant in Portlaoise measure up to 32 times and in some instances up to 1,000 times more than the accepted levels as set down by the Environmental Protection Agency and other authorities.” He also claimed, “the EPA is colluding with the company in what is a cover up of …

By Owen Ryan SHANNON is being neglected, the April meeting of the town council heard. Complaints arose after a letter was sent to the council that ruled out bringing a motor tax service to Shannon. At a previous meeting of the town council, a motion was passed requesting that the county council open a motor tax service locally. However, the letter from the council ruled that out. “Motor tax services are available online at www.motortax.ie. Year-on-year, the county-wide take-up of online motor taxing is growing, with a 46% increase in the proportion of online usage between January 2011 and January 2014. “For the month of January 2014, 13,715 motor tax transactions for County Clare were processed, of which 56% were handled online, with the balance transacted by post or over the counter in Ennis or Ennistymon. “The delivery of motor taxation nationally is currently being reviewed, as part of the national service efficiency reform agenda. Until the direction of national …

By Owen Ryan CLARE County Council has confirmed it is investigating claims that asbestos has been improperly disposed of at a handful of locations in parts of the Shannon Electoral Area. This follows revelations some weeks ago that asbestos had been dumped at a number of locations around West Clare. In a statement issued this week, the council confirmed that it is looking into complaints in the Shannon area, but that no asbestos has been found to date. “One additional site with intact pipes which need to be removed has been identified at Clonmoney Reservoir near Shannon. A complaint regarding three additional sites in the general Shannon area is still being investigated. No asbestos material has been located at these sites yet,” the statement read. Clare County Council has also said that clean up work is progressing in West Clare. “Of the nine sites phase one works on four sites are substantially complete, it is expected that the phase one …

By Owen Ryan ELEMENT Six is to expand its operations at Shannon over the next 18 months. At the moment it is unclear how many if any new jobs will be created, but at the very least it secures the future of the local operation. In a statement issued to The Clare Champion on Wednesday afternoon, the company outlined the position. “Element Six can confirm that following a strategic review of the company’s global production operation the company has decided that, in order to best meet future customer requirements, and to improve company-wide operational efficiencies, the existing Shannon production activities will be expanded over the coming 18 months. “The planned investment will allow the company to realise a more efficient and responsive operation better serving the needs of their global customers. Further details of the expansion will be made available early in 2015.” The news follows the company’s  recent announcement of the closure of a plant at Robertsfors in the south of …

ENNIS has been invaded by Vikings. However, this time it is not gold these Vikings were after but knowledge of how to set up Family Learning classes. 24 Norwegians visited Clare Family Learning Project work last week with their ultimate goal to set up Family Learning programmes in their region in Norway similar to what is being done locally in Clare. While here, the group gained valuable ideas through visiting classes in action, meeting parents who have already attended classes, and meeting family learning tutors and the partners that Clare Family Learning Project work with. The visitors from Nedre Eiker Municipality in Norway included 11 adult education teachers, two primary school principals, three kindergarten teachers, the head of all schools and kindergartens in the region, a volunteer co-ordinator, a cultural leader, a pedagogical leader and others interested in the notion of family learning. Principal of the Adult Learning Centre in Nedre Eiker Elizabeth Engeset visited the Clare Family Learning Project …

By Owen Ryan THE only sitting female county councillor in Clare has announced she will not be running in May’s local elections. Councillor Patricia McCarthy has been a fixture on Clare County Council for 35 years and has been on the soon-to-be-scrapped Shannon Town Council since it was founded in 1982. On Wednesday she announced she won’t be running again and speaking to The Clare Champion she said that when she retained her seats in 2007, she suspected it would be her last time her name would appear on a ballot paper. “It’s been on my mind. After the last election I had indicated to my campaign team that I was standing them down, that I most likely wouldn’t contest the next election.” She left it late to make an announcement in case she had a rethink. “I suppose I had my mind made up but I was just making sure that I wasn’t going to change it, I was …