Tag Archives: Shannon Group

The possibility of Clare County Council’s Chief Executive joining the board of Shannon Group was raised at a meeting of the group and the local authority. While Conal Henry said he hadn’t given the idea much thought, he wasn’t supportive of it. “The job of the board is to promote the interests of the entity to which it is the board. The job of the Chief Executive (of Clare County Council) is to promote the interests of Clare. They’re generally the same, but not always.” Mr Henry said it would create some potential for conflicts of interest. “It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the interests of Clare County Council and the people of Clare at the forefront of our minds. “It means from a corporate governance point of view everybody on the board of Shannon should be thinking first and foremost about the interests of Shannon. “That’s not Pat’s (Clare County Council CEO Pat Dowling) job, Pat’s job first and …

THERE are reasons to be confident about Shannon’s recovery from the downturn caused by Covid-19, but it is not a given and ongoing support will be required, Conal Henry, the incoming chairman of Shannon Group told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications this week. A Belfast native now based in Dublin, he said that he does have a good understanding of issues in the Mid West. “It is important to stress that I have spent a significant amount of time in the Mid-West over the years. As well as running enet in Limerick for 12 years, I also served two terms as a director of the Shannon Foynes Port company. So, I think have a good understanding of the challenges associated with the region, and the region’s economic issues as well.” He said that there are reasons for optimism about the future of Shannon Group. “Over the years Shannon Group has contributed significantly to economic activity and growth …

ONE young Shannon girl got to see her vision for a biodiversity garden come to fruition last week. Ten-year-old primary school student Molly McPhillips was on hand to cut the ribbon at the launch of Shannon Group’s new community biodiversity garden and see her winning design in full bloom. Last year, Molly, a fourth-class student at St Senan’s National School won a competition to design a new biodiversity garden in Shannon, after her proposal was selected as the popular vote on social media. Last Tuesday, Molly, along with her classmates, returned to see her inspiring garden design in full bloom during a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the community garden on the Shannon Campus. After exploring the garden and seeing her inspirational design blossom into this new community amenity, Molly said, “I love all the wildflowers and the nature all around here. I am really happy, excited and proud. “I planted a tree and I got …

CALLS for an upgrade of the Quin Road Business Park, described as “very broken and piecemeal”, have been made by local councillors. Councillor Johnny Flynn has urged the Ennis Municipal District, Clare County Council and Shannon Group to “urgently look at upgrading the park” in terms of its customer, worker and business owner experience. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he outlined, “Quin Road Business Park, Ennis is a very busy and important economic centre in which businesses provide essential retail services to County Clare customers and significant employment. The businesses in the park generate annual revenue to both Clare County Council and Shannon Group in rates and service charges.” He suggested that upgrades to the site could include the creation of a biodiversity/recreational park on vacant sites at the left hand side of the entrance for people visiting and working in the business park and to assist in the use of the adjacent Fergus River …

ACCORDING to Shannon Group’s annual report, it experienced a degree of financial recovery in 2021. It states “The Group recorded a consolidated profit of €26.0 million (post-tax) (2020: loss of €28.2 million, post-tax and exceptional items) and consolidated turnover for the year was €40.5 million (2020: €34.3 million).” This came after a year in which airport passenger numbers increased by 30,000 and the number of visitors to Shannon Heritage sites went up by 193,000. The report states that “Group EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for the year, before exceptional items, is €8.6 million (2020: €1.2 million). This result is considered satisfactory in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a devastating impact on the Group’s business during 2020 and 2021. “During 2020 the Group incurred exceptional charges of €27.9 million in respect of a non-cash impairment of Airport assets and a group-wide voluntary severance scheme. No such exceptional charges were incurred in 2021.” Regarding Shannon Group’s …

AS first reported in the Clare Champion last month, Ryanair has today opened its first aircraft heavy maintenance facility in Ireland at Shannon Airport, which will create 200 high-skilled jobs in the locality, including licensed engineers, mechanics, and support staff. The airline will invest €10 million in this state-of-the-art three-bay facility, leased from Shannon Group, to support the maintenance of Ryanair’s fleet as it grows to 600 aircraft by 2026. Ryanair Director of Operations, Neal McMahon, said, “We are delighted to announce the opening of our new aircraft maintenance facility at Shannon Airport – our first heavy maintenance facility in the country. This facility will create 200 high-skill jobs, demonstrating Ryanair’s continued growth & commitment to Ireland. “Ryanair creates opportunities for highly skilled engineering jobs, with our industry leading rosters and the youngest fleet in Europe. Shannon is an ideal location with opportunities to attract, train and employ local talent to support this new facility.” Shannon Group CEO, Mary Considine, …

WHILE 2021 was more promising than 2020, it was still a very difficult year for Shannon Group, according to its newly published annual report. Writing in the report Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine stated that while there are some grounds for optimism, there are also threats present. “The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact Shannon Group during 2021, contributing to another challenging year for the Group. “Throughout the year we focused on the recovery and rebuilding of our businesses, with positive developments in the second half of the year providing grounds for future optimism. “However, while air travel demand continues to recover, the Group is mindful of current geopolitical uncertainties and their potential influence on business performance during 2022.” While the Group’s financial performance did improve, she claimed that Shannon Airport will need State support for some time to come. “Shannon Group delivered an improved financial performance for 2021, with an increase of 18% in turnover to €40.5 million (2020: €34.3 …

In an exclusive interview with the Clare Champion, Conal Henry says he aims to get Shannon Group and the airport out in front of the challenges it will face in future PÁDRAIG Ó Céidigh lasted less than six months before resigning in frustration as chairman of Shannon Group, while his predecessor Rose Hynes faced often scathing criticism during her time in the role. Clearly being chairman of Shannon Group is a role that exposes one to widespread scrutiny. While someone with Conal Henry’s background certainly can’t have been convinced to take up the role for the money, why has the Belfast man accepted the role that Mr Ó Céidigh branded “the most challenging job in Irish aviation”? “First of all, and this sounds crass, but I really mean it, you don’t do things for money, you do things to deliver better outcomes, to effect change that benefits people. “I’m very happy getting involved in a project like Shannon, I find …