Month: July 2006

FINE GAEL Clare TD Pat Breen has called for the Government to publish passenger lists for all “suspect” US flights passing through Irish airports, including Shannon.

The deputy, who in the past has said he is prepared to take the word of the US government and believes that Shannon Airport is not being used for flights of extraordinary rendition, said this week that European states had to be prepared to ask questions.

“No state should be allowed to hide behind complacency when it comes to upholding human rights,” he said.

Deputy Breen made the suggestion while addressing the Council of Europe in response to the report by Swiss Senator Dick Marty. The highly critical report accused the Irish Government of “negligent collusion” for allowing Shannon Airport to be used as a stopover point for CIA flights after alleged rendition operations, when the planes no longer had detainees on board. Deputy Breen said he and the European People’s Party group welcomed the report into the operation of rendition flights in European territories.

“Senator Marty’s report contended that 14 European states colluded with the CIA in different degrees and that there was evidence that secret prisons were operated in Poland and Romania. He deserves our full support after completing what was a difficult exercise over seven months. It is perhaps true to say that his life has become more difficult since then.”

Deputy Breen said that while Senator Marty’s conclusions might make for unpleasant reading, it was important for member states to face up to the accusations in a rational manner and re-affirm their commitment to the Convention on Human Rights.

“This report will inevitably have long-term repercussions, but we must ensure that they lay the foundations for a new beginning for Europe and the US, and that the fight against global terrorism remains a just one.

“In the interim, the Government should set about publishing the passenger lists of all suspected flights,” Deputy Breen concluded.

Following the debate, a resolution was passed by the Council of Europe endorsing the conclusions of the inquiry.

ALMOST 1,800 new jobs were created by Shannon Development in 2005 and there are now almost 20,000 people employed in Shannon Development assisted companies.

That’s according to figures revealed in the development agency’s annual report, which will be officially published today.

The report shows that sales are up 6.5 per cent and exports up by seven per cent. There was €11 million sunk into regional economic infrastructure, most notably with the opening of the Information Age Park in Ennis last year.

Shannon Development spent more than €1 million on tourism marketing in key markets.

The development agency secured more than €4 million in tourism grant aid for product development in the region, leveraging a total investment of over €12.8 million.

The day visitor attractions and evening entertainment run by Shannon Heritage, the Shannon Development tourism subsidiary, proved as popular as ever last year, with more than 620,000 people attending.

The report promises that the Shannon Free Zone’s “strong pipeline” will deliver “significant jobs” this year.

Employment in Shannon Development-assisted companies in December 2005 in the Shannon Free Zone were down 289. But in the region generally, there was a net gain in jobs, with 339 extra posts after job losses and gains were totted up.

Speaking earlier this year, Kevin Thompstone, Chief Executive Shannon Development, said that the “key priority for Shannon Development in 2006 will be delivering on the new mandate given to the company by Government.

“Our strategy will be to maximise the regional economic development potential of the Shannon Region, and thereby contribute to the development of the emerging Atlantic economic counterpole to the east coast.”

Mr Thompstone said that achieving balanced regional development was “both a national goal and a regional imperative, and Shannon Development will continue to press for the speedy implementation of National Spatial Strategy and Transport 21 proposals for this region and for the wider Atlantic Corridor”.

The key targets outlined for the rest of this year for the development company include continuing to “develop a strong focus of vibrant economic development in the Shannon Region, as part of a wider economic counterpole to the east coast, to realise the potential of the less developed areas of the Shannon Region, to ensure that the more developed areas of the Shannon Region reach their full development potential and to help stimulate market demand for Shannon International Airport.”

CALLS have been made for management and unions at Aer Lingus to pull out all the stops to prevent next Thursday’s planned industrial action at Shannon Airport.

Fine Gael Councillor, Madeleine Taylor Quinn has warned that the action risks causing travel chaos if it cannot be averted.

Aer Lingus flights arriving or departing from Shannon and Dublin Airports between 9.45 and 11am will be affected on Thursday if staff walk off the job in order to attend a meeting, in protest at unresolved issues over the State airline’s privatisation plans.

Councillor Taylor Quinn says if tourists to this region are caught up in the dispute at Shannon, their visitor experience here will commence badly.

Olivia Mitchell TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Transport, also called on Aer Lingus workers to rethink the threatened stoppage.

“Such a protest can only cause huge inconvenience and stress for passengers, further endanger Aer Lingus and make it less attractive for potential investors,” she said.

The deputy added that “the workers are naturally concerned for the future of the airline, but there is an on-going process of negotiation between their unions and the management of the company and this process must continue. Industrial action at the height of the summer sends out the wrong message. It is one of unreliability to its customers and to its future investors”.

SIPTU has planned a compulsory meeting of members on Thursday. This would mean passengers at Shannon and Dublin would not be able to check-in, board flights, or put their luggage on the plane. Significant disruption and delays are expected as a result of the action. One union member predicted that it would “take Aer Lingus most of the day to catch up.”

SIPTU is taking the action in relation to a pay and conditions deal which the company is offering to its 3,800 staff. The deal includes lump sum payments, pay increases, contributions to the pension fund and guarantees about job numbers in return for co-operation with privatisation.

SIPTU national industrial secretary, Michael Halpenny said that Shannon and Dublin “will definitely be involved while there is a possibility that staff in Cork may be involved as well.”

It’s expected that the airline will put in place contingency plans to lessen the effect of the strike but major disruption is expected to ensue.

IT is not everywhere you see the cream of Irish traditional music walking around in shorts and designer sunglasses. But the spell of fine weather has brought the talented men and women into Miltown Malbay for the Willie Clancy festival, and their white legs out.

During the first few days of the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, the umbrellas were packed away as visitors, musicians and students enjoyed the festivities, which began on Saturday last.

Dubbed Ireland’s largest traditional music summer school, the festival has commemorated the late piper Willie Clancy, annually since 1973.

During the week, more than 1,000 students from every part of the world attend daily classes taught by experts in Irish music and dance. In addition, a full programme of lectures, recitals, céilithe and exhibitions are run by the summer school.

For many, the event is a family affair with parents dropping their children at the morning workshops before making their way to the set-dancing classes. This year, as with every other, there is something for everyone.

As old friends meet up at the worldrenowned workshops, many look forward to the informal sessions later in the day in the local pubs. For those who prefer a more “select” session, Mullagh and the Crosses of Annagh provided a popular location.

And this year the word among the musicians is that the “Bellbridge Hotel in Spanishpoint is the new Mullagh” – the new place for a “small session”.

“People are even known to travel as far as Quilty for a good session,” one musician told The Clare People .

For the more discerning music lover, there is a recital every evening, with Ireland’s foremost musicians displaying their talents. The many street stalls add to the festival feeling.

The 34th Willie Clancy Summer School is worth millions of euro to the local economy.

Accommodation is booked out up to a year in advance, as people return to the craic and ceol that is the Willie Clancy Festival.

EIGHT people were arrested after a “near-riot” broke out in Lahinch on Saturday night, as rocks and bottles were thrown, windows on houses smashed and cars vandalised.

Householders were left in fear during the incident, which began early in the night and culminated at 3am, as revellers poured out of nightclubs.

Gardaí were forced to call reinforcements from Miltown Malbay, as all hell broke loose.

Gardaí say that the panic arose initially when a group attending a birthday party in a holiday home, refused to turn down the music, when ordered to do so by gardaí at 10pm, on foot of complaints from neighbours.

“Gardaí called to the house a number of times, but they did not turn down the music. A group of up to 30 people spilled out on to the street and started obstructing traffic. There was a lot of anger and things got really dirty,” said a Garda source.

The situation became more tense after the nightclubs closed, as groups of youngsters hassled doormen. Bottles were smashed on the street and rocks thrown through windows, while youths taunted each other and yelled obscenities at passers-by.

“People started to joined in. There were plenty of rows going on at the same time. People were frightened. Thankfully the situation was eventually contained. It could have turned into a real battlefield,” said one local.

Locals say the level of noise emanating from house parties is an ongoing problem and is leaving elderly people “intimidated and frightened.”

Two years ago, locals voiced concerns about public disorder in the town and objected to what they said was the high number of nightclub licences being granted.

The local community council says if there is a reoccurrence of incidents such as that on Saturday night, locals will go to court to close nightclubs.

“There are major concerns here with the way our town is going. It is unreal that a near-riot situation broke out at the weekend,” said community council chairman Donogh O’Loghlin.

He said while locals were not blaming disco owners, they must be more selective about who was admitted.

“We are one of the few existing disco towns in Clare. We are not on for closing down discos, but we want people to be more responsible. We are asking the publicans and people who rent houses to be more responsible,” he added.

North Clare Garda Superintendent Eamon Dolan told The Clare People that he was happy that sufficient gardaí were available in the area, at the weekend.

EMPLOYMENT, Trade and Enterprise Minister, Micheal Martin, is expected in Shannon later this month to announce over 300 new jobs for the Shannon Free Zone, The Clare People has learned.

The jobs at US e-commerce firm Digital River follow last week’s announcement of 285 jobs for the free zone in existing companies, Halifax Insurance Ireland and SYKES Enterprises Inc.

A Shannon Development spokesperson confirmed that further significant job announcements “were expected in the near future for the Shannon Free Zone.”

Digital River is currently in temporary accommodation in the free zone. But the company, which builds and manages online businesses for more than 40,000 software manufacturers, distributors and online retailers, has already announced its presence in Shannon on its company Web site. The company is also establishing a European subsidiary in Luxembourg.

“The launch of our European subsidiaries represents an important part of our long-term strategy to extend our global footprint,” said Digital River’s CEO, Joel Ronning, in a statement on the Web site. The company’s senior vice-president of global operations, Tim McCauley said that Shannon Development had been very supportive and had provided “a favourable business climate for us to grow our international operations.”

The triple jobs coup by Shannon Development comes against the background of continuing uncertainty over its future. It is now almost one year since Minister Martin announced that the agency would be stripped of its enterprise functions in the Free Zone. These were to be transferred to the IDA. However, since then, no part of the new mandate has been implemented due to opposition from unions.

Senator Brendan Daly (FF) yesterday called on Minister Martin to allow the status quo remain in place and allow Shannon Development to continue to promote the Shannon Free Zone.

“You don’t change a winning team. The Digital River jobs and the announcements last week underline the success of Shannon Development and their hands-on approach is the secret of their success. It would be unwise to change that,” he said.

The body that is set to assume the enterprise functions for the Free Zone, the IDA has come under repeated criticism in the mid-west over its job creation record in the region in the recent past. Last year, the IDA failed to create any new jobs in new companies in the region. To date this year, the IDA has announced 124 new jobs at Vistakon in Limerick.

CLARE councillor, Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG), has welcomed reports that Digital River, the US e-commerce firm, plans to create around 300 new jobs at the Shannon Free Zone.

But the former deputy has warned that the good news underlines the danger to the county of stripping Shannon Development of its enterprise creation function.

Cllr Taylor Quinn said that the reduction of Shannon Development was “yet more evidence of the incompetence of the current Government, when it comes to thinking through the consequences of major decisions. There will be fewer positive outcomes for Clare like this one, because job creation will instead reflect the Government’s increasing focus on Dublin.”

Triona Mc Inerney, chief executive of the Shannon and District Chamber of Commerce, warned that given the current state of uncertainty surrounding the roles and responsibilities of the organisations charged with the promotion of the Shannon Free Zone, “it is imperative that a very clear and definite strategy be developed to harness the current growth of the free zone and market it as a location to prospective clients.”

She said that “the two major expansions of international companies in the Shannon Free Zone will have an enormously positive impact on the local economy.

“Shannon continues to be the location of choice of some of the world’s leading businesses, as it offers companies excellent access to an available qualified workforce, and can provide the necessary essential business support services. As a business location, it is difficult to rival, in that it gives employees a tremendous choice of lifestyle options with access to city/country living,” she said.

Clare Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley said the extra 285 jobs announced last week for the Shannon Free Zone were a huge employment boost for the western region.

He said they “will have an enormously positive impact on the local economy”.

THE BANNER is officially booming, with an €80 million offer made for Cusack Park; 300 more jobs to top the 285 just announced in Shannon and hotels worth more than €11 million being opened back-to-back.

The deadline for bids to buy the GAA facility closed last Friday and it is understood that the leading bid, which includes building a state-ofthe-art stadium and training ground, is worth in excess of €80 million.

Clare GAA is sitting on at least three multi-million euro offers for the development of a new playing and administrative headquarters on a greenfield site in the environs of Ennis, in return for Cusack Park.

The top bid is understood to be from a Clare-based consortium. The three proposals will be considered by the board over the coming months, before a final decision is made on what will be the biggest property deal ever in the county.

In February, a special sub-committee of the GAA board was established to examine all proposals after a bidding-war erupted between rival property developers seeking to acquire Cusack Park, in return for building a new stadium in the environs of Ennis.

Meanwhile, Enterprise and Employment Minister, Micheal Martin, is expected in Shannon later this month to announce more than 300 new jobs for the Shannon Free Zone.

The jobs will be created by US ecommerce firm Digital River and come on the heels of last week’s announcement of 285 jobs in existing companies, Halifax Insurance Ireland and SYKES Enterprises Inc.

And Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue has officially opened the new Cliffs of Moher Hotel in Liscannor. The €3.5 million development is the second hotel in as many months to be opened by The Atlantis Holiday Group and will create 40 jobs for the area. Last month, the Clare-based holiday and accommodation body opened the €8 million Tír Gan Éan House Hotel and Holiday Complex in Doolin, leading to the creation of 30 new jobs.

It has also been revealed that house prices in Clare are rocketing, with increases of 253 per cent over the last decade, according to the latest Permanent TSB House Price Index. The average cost of a house in Clare in 1996 was €69,330. Ten years later, this had increased to €244,415.