Tag Archives: taoiseach

ENNIS town centre has been suggested as the focus of a government pilot project aimed at bringing buildings back into residential use. Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara, who presented the proposal to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dáil Éireann this week, said that many business premises which once had families living over them now lie empty over ground level for a variety of reasons including particularly building regulations and insurance costs. Addressing the Taoiseach in the Dáil, Deputy McNamara said, “Ennis, like other market towns in Clare and like market towns all over the country, has streets full of fine old buildings where there is a retail unit at ground level and in many but not all cases, they are vacant over ground level. A century ago, there were families living in them.” “I don’t underestimate the difficulty of converting those back into residential use. There are regulations, there are issues around financing, but it would offer many benefits not …

AN Taoiseach Micheál Martin was in Shannon today for the official opening of MeiraGTx Holdings new manufacturing facility. The facility, online since earlier this year and stretching over 150,000 square feet, is the first commercial-scale gene therapy manufacturing site in Ireland. It currently employs around 100, but there is potential for that to increase to 300. The MeiraGTx site contains three facilities, one built to be flexible and scalable for viral vector production for clinical and commercial supply, in addition, there is a facility to manufacture plasmid DNA – the critical starting material for producing gene therapy products – and thirdly, a Quality Control (QC) hub performing advanced biochemical quality control testing for MeiraGTx clinical and commercial programmes. The formal unveiling marks a critical step in MeiraGTx’s mission to develop and deliver potentially curative treatments for patients living with serious diseases. The Shannon site allows MeiraGTx to accelerate the development and delivery of gene therapy treatments to patients facing a …

TAOISEACH Micheál Martin praised the contribution that Ei Electronics has made to Clare, when he officially opened its new Group Headquarters in Shannon on Friday. The company has announced that it plans to hire another 200 people in the coming year and its new 10,000 square metre facility includes significant additional manufacturing capacity, Research and Development, and office space. The expansion underpins a strategy of maintaining 100% of manufacturing in Shannon, in addition to the co-location of other key functions on a single site. The Taoiseach said: “I’m pleased to be here to witness first-hand the continued expansion of Ei Electronics, one of Ireland’s largest and most successful manufacturing and electronic companies. “For over five decades the company has been a remarkable contribution to Shannon and the Midwest region and its ambitious plans for future growth and job creation are very welcome. “Ei Electronics is an outstanding Irish-owned company creating solutions with a global reach and I commend Michael and …

TAOISEACH Mícheál Martin was at EI Electronics in Shannon today, where he officially opened the company’s new 10,000 square metre facility. The company are locally owned and one of the biggest employers in Clare, while they expect to add around 200 more staff over the coming year. When construction on the new facility began in 2020 they predicted that the development would allow them “to significantly expand our teams and current production capacity over the coming years, as well as deepening our ties with the local community and region.” The new development provides provides additional Manufacturing Capacity, R&D, and Office Space. The continued success of EI Electronics was lauded by Clare TD Cathal Crowe, who welcomed the fact that its headcount will increase once again. “Today’s announcement by Chief Executive of EI Mick Guinnee is a hugely positive endorsement of Shannon, Clare and the Midwest region as a whole,” said Deputy Crowe. “The Shannon Free Zone is proving time and …

TAOISEACH Micheál Martin has come under fire after an impatient response when quizzed about the future transfer of Shannon Heritage properties to Clare County Council. Responding to questions from Deputy Michael McNamara, the Taoiseach said if the council wanted to take over the sites, they should just get on with it. A due diligence process regarding the transfer of the assets, (including Bunratty Castle, Knappogue Castle and Craggaunowen) began last summer, but with the 2022 tourist season approaching, it still has not been concluded. It is understood that Clare County Council is looking for a commitment that it will receive around €9 million in capital funding over a few years if it takes over the assets, with significant improvement and maintenance works set to be required in the coming years. Clare TD Michael McNamara raised the future of sites with the Taoiseach on Tuesday, asking him for a commitment to provide Clare County Council with the backing it needs. “I …

THE legacy left by founding leader of Fianna Fáil Éamon de Valera was lauded by An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, at the 40th annual commemoration of his statute in Ennis on Sunday. Flanked by Deputy Cathal Crowe and Senator Timmy Dooley, Mr Martin laid a wreath at the foot of the de Valera memorial in front of Ennis Courthouse to mark this commemoration. A second wreath was laid by former Clare Deputy and Senator, Brendan Daly, who is one of the surviving members of the local committee that organised and secured funding for the statue, which was erected by Kilbaha-based sculptor, Jim Connolly. The 1916 Proclamation was read by Clare Fianna Fáil Comhairle Dáil Ceantair secretary, Rita McInerney, and this ceremony was hosted by the local ceantair. De Valera commanded the Boland Mills garrison during the 1916 Rising. After the surrender of the main leaders, he was sentenced to death, but later it was decided to sentence him to life imprisonment. …

THE Taoiseach will be in Ennis on Sunday week (December 5) for the annual Éamon de Valera Commemoration. Micheál Martin has attended previous gatherings at the de Valera monument in the town park at Ennis Courthouse, in his capacity as Fianna Fáíl leader. This visit has added significance due to Micheál Martin’s role as Taoiseach, and the event will be attended by members of the party faithful from Clare as well as the upper echelons of Fianna Fáil. The event will be the 40th annual commemoration of the founding leader of Fianna Fail, Taoiseach and President of Ireland. The ceremony will be hosted by Clare Fianna Fáil Comhairle Dáil Ceantair. The statue of Éamon de Valera, by Jim Connolly, was unveiled in 1981 and has been the focal point for commemorative events for the last four decades.

TWO Clare women have described the failure to set a date ahead of the Dáil summer recess for a Citizens’ Assembly on the biodiversity crisis as “hugely disappointing”. As the Dáil rose, Emma Karran from Doonbeg and Emanuela Ferrari from Ennis were among those supporting the Climate Case Ireland (CCI) group in writing to the Taoiseach to outline their frustration. Last month CCI and more than 20 other civil society organisations wrote to the government calling on it to treat the biodiversity crisis like a real emergency and announce the date for the long-promised Citizens’ Assembly before the beginning of the summer recess. “The Citizens’ Assembly on the Biodiversity Crisis was promised over two years ago,” Emma and Emanuela said, “yet the government still has not set a date for it to convene. The Dáil declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency on May 9, 2019, so the pandemic can’t even be used as an excuse. Declaring an emergency and then …