This article is from page 10 of the 2007-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE 220 people who attended the Ennis Chamber Annual President’s Dinner in Dromoland Castle on Fri- day night heard a spirited defence of Shannon Airport from Chamber President John Madden.
Mr Madden called on all public representatives and election candi- dates to secure from the Govern- ment the promised debt-free status for the airport, along with the nec- essary marketing budget to allow the airport to succeed in an Open Skies environment.
He said he is hopeful that airport staff will accept the revised restruc- turing offer. He stated that if the restructuring package is agreed, Government must then guarantee that Shannon is properly and rapidly constituted as an independent entity with debt-free status, as promised in crystal-clear language by the former Transport Minister, Seamus Brennan.
“The marketing plan proposed by the Mid West Regional Authority must then be agreed by Government. This includes the provision of €44 million for marketing the airport and a further €9 million for route devel- opment,’ he added.
He also said that the Chamber is actively promoting the concept of a Festival Co-ordinating office for En- nis, and expressed concern about re-
cent closures of businesses in Ennis.
Guest speaker was Mary Ann O’Brien, of Lily O’Brien’s Choco- lates, who was awarded the title of Image Businesswoman of the Year this February.
Ms O’Brien spoke about the work of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation,
which she and her husband Jonathan Irwin set up to provide help for fami- lies with children up to the age of four who have severe developmental delay and require extended care.
The Foundation, a registered char- ity, raises money to provide care and acts as an advocate for the families.
The inspiration for the Foundation came from their son Jack Irwin, who was born healthy in 1996, but suf- fered an invasive trauma two days later. There were no services to care for him, and the family looked after him at home with the help of many JGuLOILO KS
In the past 10 years, the Foundation has helped over 700 children. Cur- rently it is assisting eight children in Clare and 11 in Limerick.
Auctioneer Philip O’Reilly spoke about the work of Gorta, the Free- dom from Hunger Council of Ireland, which his company 1s supporting.
Mr O’Reilly then held an auction to raise funds for both charities. In the space of a few minutes, the eight items donated by local and other companies were disposed of for €6,500.