This article is from page 2 of the 2008-10-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
ALARM, chaos and anger. That was the reaction among residents in Shan- non as word filtered through that the components of a bomb were discov- ered at a house in the town last week. The very idea that somebody in the town could consider, and worryingly, get their hands on such deadly equip- ment has caused grave concern.
Gardai have made no secret of the fact that this find was related to crim- inal activity in Limerick and was in- tended for use in the city. This is not the first time that concern in Shan- non in relation to Limerick has been aired in recent weeks.
The people of Shannon, through their elected representatives, have vehemently opposed the relocation of criminal elements from Limerick into Shannon. A debate by Shannon town councillors last month later danced its way into the national me- dia. The message was clear. Shannon would not play host to criminal ele- ments from Limerick.
A priest in Moyross took exception to comments from some councillors and wrote to Shannon Town Coun- cil to voice his concerns. But Shan- non councillors held firm: they will accept non-locals – as the town has regularly done for decades – but only those without criminal connections.
Troublemakers are not welcome.
Fuel was added to the fire when a riot broke out at a birthday party in a licensed premises in Shannon a number of weeks ago. Punches were thrown, glasses were fired at random and regulars at the pub were forced to flee for their own safety as all hell broke loose.
The people of Shannon do not want to see this type of activity in their back yards. People who have lived in the Slaney Park and Fergus Road housing estates for several years were scared when the area became a maze of Garda vans, patrol cars and detec- tive branch cars on Thursday night of last week.
They were initially unaware of what was going on. As the significance of it emerged, locals were horrified. Al- though reservations have been aired about unsavoury elements moving in to the area, nobody could have envis- aged what took hold last week.
As the Garda investigation into the startling discovery continues, lo- cal fears intensify; they are fearful that further incidents will take place in the immediate vicinity of their homes. The safety they have enjoyed in their homes for decades has been transformed to terrifying fear. As Limerick’s problems spread to Clare, it is the people of Shannon who are forced to bear the brunt.