This article is from page 27 of the 2007-10-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 27 JPG
A NEW group, whose aim it is to in- tegrate newcomers to Shannon, has become a huge hit in the town.
Le Chéile na Sionna International Club was set up earlier this year, to cater for the social needs of several people of different nationalities, who have moved to Shannon.
Its motto has been to “foster the 1n- tegration of all ethnic groups through enjoyable contact.’
The idea to set up the group came after a programme on Shannon Community Radio – called “The New Irish’ – encouraged the new residents in the town to get involved.
Everybody who was involved in the programme expressed an interest in developing the friendships they had experienced and the idea of setting up Le Chéile emanated from that.
Co-ordinator Trish Fallon-Barry said the response to the group has been hugely positive, over the past few months.
“A lot of people work in the call centres in Shannon. Some might be here for 18 months and do not know anybody in the town. A lot of people come to Shannon from Limerick and Ennis and go back every night. It is good to have something in the town for people. People who have moved to Shannon welcome a social outlet,”
she said.
“There are several nationalities in the group,” she added.
The group has just started to host socials, on the first Tuesday of every month, at Rineanna Hall. At the in- augural social earlier this month, there were representatives from France, German, The Netherlands, America and South America, along with locals from Shannon.
A drop-in meeting also takes place in the foodcourt, at SkyCourt, every second Saturday morning. This gives people who may not have the oppor- tunity to attend the socials, to mingle with others.
“Between
students and _ people
working in Shannon, hopefully we will get local people integrating. Success breeds success. AS soon as people hear about a gathering, they join in,’ said Ms Fallon-Barry.
There are currently over 50 mem- bers of the group and the organisers are keen to encourage others to join ne
‘The whole idea is an international social club. We learn about each oth- er’s cultures. For example in Decem- ber we will have a theme night, where people will bring dishes specific to their native regions,’ she added.
Anyone who wants to join the group can email Trish on trishfallon92 @hotmail.com.