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THE Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has generated over €30 million in revenues from the 250,000 US troops that have passed through the airport in the first nine months of this year.

However, the figures for the third quarter of 2006 show that there has been a drop of 49 per cent in troops numbers on the corresponding period for 2005.

This follows the withdrawal of the main carrier of troops, World Airways at the end of June. The airline decided to transfer its operations to Leipzig, Germany.

The SAA yesterday confirmed that 250,220 have passed through Shannon to the end of September. Last year was a record one for Shannon, with 340,688 troops using the airport’s facilities.

It is estimated that the 250,220 troops have produced revenues of €30.8 million for the SAA this year.

However, figures for the third quarter of this year show that 41,146 troops used Shannon, compared to 81,371 troops for the corresponding period in 2005.

The figures show that 11,670 troops passed through Shannon in July; 16,770 in August and 12,706 in September.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) confirmed that it is to meet with unions in Limerick next Wednesday (11th oct) under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commissions (LRC) in a renewed bid to kick-start talks on the future of Shannon Airport.

THE Health Service Executive in the mid west has denied that it has refused to replace “obsolete cardiac equipment”, but has confirmed that it has some defibrillators which cannot be upgraded to meet the recent changes to international resuscitation guidelines.

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the mid west have claimed that defibrillators on board ambulances across the mid west are up to ten years old and are not in line with the recently introduced codes from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).

“All these defibrillators need to be replaced because the software in the older machines cannot be upgraded to meet the new guidelines. As it is, if we are shocking a patient, we have to switch off the defibrillator in the middle of the treatment and start it up again. It is a disgrace,” one EMT has claimed.

We know that our colleagues in Cork, Dublin and the south east all have the most up to date defibrillators, but with the machines we have, we can’t provide optimal care to the patient,” another medic said.

Staff accept that the money is not available in the mid west but say it must be provided from somewhere.

“We accept that this is not the fault of our own service. The money is just not being provided to the ambulance service in the mid west. Money has to be made available from the department or somewhere, so that we can also have the proper equipment we require to adequately care for the public,” a technician said.

EMT’s claim they are operating machines which used to be serviced only once a year. Now though, because they are so old, equipment needs to be serviced four or five times annually.

The HSE (Mid-West) has confirmed, “The ambulance service has not informed staff that cardiac defibrillators would not be replaced. We currently have some equipment which unfortunately cannot be upgraded with new software to meet the recent changes to the ILCOR guidelines.

However, we have been advised by our suppliers that the current equipment can be configured to facilitate the two minute interval between defibrillations as recommended by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).”

LISCANNOR is to be featured in the first episode of a new RTÉ regional and community affairs programme, Pobal .

The bi-lingual programme, presented by Síle Seoige, offers communities around the country the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own way from their own localities.

The first report will feature some of Liscannor’s locals on an issue which is becoming a problem in the community, the imbalance between a declining population and the increase in the numbers of holiday homes.

The access television segment, called ‘Guth an Phobail’, is unique in Irish broadcasting history as each week it give one community the opportunity to talk about issues that are important in their own area.

The aim of the programme is to take a fresh look at what people are talking about in the four corners of Ireland and the first in the series will highlight an issue important to the residents of Liscannor.

Locals interviewed for the programme include Councillor Martin Conway (FG) who talks about how a cull is needed on further holiday home development in the village in the light recent census results showing a fall in the population. Local publican, Patrick Egan, talks of his fear for the future of the village as land prices soar and locals are priced out of the market.

Pobal will be broadcast on RTÉ One on Sunday’s at 5.30pm from October 15.

FIGURES released by Clare County Council show that it cost more than €15,000 to send a five-strong Council delegation to the Milwaukee Irish Festival last August.

The delegation, which was led by Mayor of Clare, Councillor Flan Garvey (FF), included the Council’s recently appointed PR consultant, Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations and three officials.

The figures show that €7,840 covered the flight and accommodation costs for Cllr Garvey and the three Council officials, Cliffs of Moher visitor centre Director, Kathrine Webster, paid for her own flight to the US.

The former Head of News at Clare FM was paid €2,470 for work before, after and during the Milwaukee trip; €2,197 covered his flight and accommodation and €550 went towards subsistence. The flights and accommodation were paid by the Council through the Clare Tourist Council.

According to Mark Dunphy, the agreed fee covered a service provided for the local authority over a three-week period. This work included the production of three radio documentaries on the Council’s visit which were subsequently broadcast on Clare FM; seven press releases which received local, national and international coverage; promotional work for Clare County Council at the Festival site; and the organisation of radio interviews at local, national and international level.

Mayor Garvey said the cost of the trip “offered very good value for the Council. It was the biggest Irish promotional event in the world and it was imperative that the Council had a presence there.

“There is proof that it has paid dividends with a number of choirs visiting Clare, while the Minister for Tourism in Nova Scotia has called for direct flights from Nova Scotia to Shannon. These are the direct benefits that I have proof of, but I’m sure there are others I am not aware of.

“There are hotels from Ireland spending a lot of money promoting their businesses, but we are promoting all of Clare. The value of the trip for Clare is undoubted and we had to be there.”

According to a press release issued by Mr Dunphy, over 3,000 tourists are expected to visit Clare via Shannon Airport over the coming months as a result of a tourism promotion drive launched in Milwaukee.

At the annual festival, an estimated 135,000 festival goers were offered discounted airfares to Shannon from Boston,Chicago and New York.

CAIRDE Chuan Chinn Mhara (CCCM) are to put forward a candidate to fight next year’s General Election because they have “lost all faith” in the Government’s willingness to complete the promised €3 million sewage scheme for the Kinvara area The Clare People can reveal.

The identity of the candidate is likely to be decided upon at a meeting of CCCM in two weeks time, but the organisation confirmed yesterday that the candidate would be one of the ten people currently sitting on it’s committee.

“This is really an act of desperation at this stage,” said Stan Mac Eoin of CCCM. “We feel that we really have no choice now but to go down this path. Raw sewage is being pumped into Kinvara Bay every day. The ecoli count is huge and the sailing club have been told that it would be very dangerous if any sailor or child fell into the water.”

The campaign to construct a sewage treatment facility in Kinvara has been ongoing for the last 19 years. Funding for the project was announced in 2003, with details for the plant being submitted to the Department of the Environment in February of that year.

The project stalled at this point, however, with no progress being made until June of 2005 when the department referred the plans back to Galway County Council for modifications. To date, no further movement has been made by either organisation.

“CCCM has lost faith in the political process and the ability and will of politicians, both national and local, to provide sewerage treatment for Kinvara,” read a statement from CCCM. “Our experience in lobbying for a treatment plant for more than a decade reveals, we believe, a deeper malaise at the heart of Irish politics.”

CCCM believe that a lack of political will is at fault for holding up the project and are hopeful that they would stand a good chance of having a candidate elected.

“The frustration level is huge in Kinvara about the continued delay of this project,” continued Mr Mac Eoin. “We have been told that we are fifth in the priority list in the county but it’s hard to imagine anywhere that could be worse than this.”

This move could be more bad news for Fianna Fáil who currently hold two of four seats in the constituency. The Kinvara candidate could increase the pressure on Deputy Noel Treacy (FF) who polled the lowest of all elected candidates in the 2002 election.

FÁILTE Ireland have given Clare County Council the green light to develop and implement the €1.4 million tourism management plan for the Burren.

The three-year scheme aims at improving the regions infrastructure by using new technologies such as touch screen digital information kiosks.

The plan will also incorporate the development of themed walking routes and the promotion of entry points to the Burren at five locations.

The project is entitled “Environmental Protection of the Burren through Visitor Management Initiative” and is the first time that the local authority and community groups have come together to plan for the future of the region.

Organisations such as Burrenbeo Teo, the Heritage Council and the North Clare Local Area Network have come together with Clare County Council and Shannon Development in planning this project.

“The Burren Region is long recognised as one of Europe’s most important landscapes due to the wealth and diversity of its natural and cultural heritage,” said Tomás Mac Conmara, Acting Heritage Officer with Clare County Council.

“It’s feared, however, that the unmanaged expansion of tourism in the Burren may potentially threaten the very resource on which the region depends. The Environmental Protection of the Burren through Visitor Management Initiative project has been initiated in response to this threat.”

A CONSULTANT’S report has revealed that last year’s average staff cost at the Moneypoint power station in west Clare was €124,419.

The report, carried out by Deloitte on the Irish electricity sector, found that staff costs at ESB Power Generation facilities were high, compared to those in other jurisdictions.

However, Moneypoint ESB worker director candidate, John Coleman, strongly disputed the figures, stating that the average salary at Moneypoint was “nowhere near the figure quoted in the report”.

The Deloitte report concluded that ESB Power Generation staff costs were 20 to 30 per cent higher than the benchmark stations in the UK. A significant level of overtime was paid and this was not the practice for the vast majority of UK facilities.

This was disputed by Mr Coleman who said that payroll costs at Moneypoint had gone down dramatically.

“Workers at Moneypoint would not be on even half the amount quoted in the report. They no longer work overtime and General Services day workers receive around €60,000. We are well paid. It is a marvellous job, but the figures in the report are way out.”

Two years ago, Moneypoint work ers agreed to paycuts of up to 30 per cent and an end to overtime. When the deal was struck, there were 320 employed at the plant and the target was to reduce numbers by 80 through voluntary redundancy and natural wastage.

Local county councillor, Tom Prendeville (FF), said average staff costs would include management salaries, shift allowances and unsocial hours.

“The wages at Moneypoint have been agreed between management and unions and it is the price management are willing to pay for industrial peace. If Moneypoint was to close in the morning, west Clare would become an economic wasteland,” he said.

MORE than 14,000 extra people could be traveling through Ennis train station daily before the end of 2008.

These figures were released last week after the Minister for Transport Martin Cullen granted permission for work to begin on the €100 million Western Rail Corridor, which when completed will link Limerick to Galway.

The Ennis to Galway line will form the first phase of development and should be completed early in 2008.

Under the proposals, seven trains per day will travel between Galway and Limerick, passing through existing stations in Ennis and Athenry as well as five restored stations at Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan, Craughwell and Oranmore.

“Once the line is opened it will enhance Clare as a tourist and business location, and help towards balanced regional growth and development,” said General Election candidate, Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG).

However, she added that it was imperative that the rail spur to Shannon from the Ennis/Limerick line was advanced with urgency.

“I am calling on Minister Cullen to expedite the feasibility study for the spur line to Shannon, so that the region can maximise on the benefits of the international airport, and that the construction of the rail spur is prioritised,” she continued.

The present plan includes the provision for a commuter bus between Shannon Airport and Sixmilebridge. Plans are also in an advanced stage to reopen the tracks as far as Castlebar in the near future.

“This whole project will be absolutely fantastic for Shannon Airport and especially if the whole project comes on line as soon as possible,” said Colmán Ó Raghallaigh of West on Track. “It would open up Shannon to all of Mayo and Galway as well as Clare and Limerick. This is a huge operation and a bits and pieces approach won’t have the same effect.”

Mr Ó Raghallaigh also expressed his hope that the project could be completed ahead of schedule.

AIRPORT Director with the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) Martin Moroney yesterday welcomed the commencement of construction work on the €349 million Shannon tunnel.

The tunnel forms part of the €349 million 10km southern bypass of Limerick city and is set to extend the catchment area for Shannon airport.

Mr Moroney told The Clare People , “It is a very, very important route and we would like to see it finished as soon as possible. The airport is suffering from bottlenecks on the roads in the Galway and Limerick directions, so news that the work has started on the tunnel is very good.”

The scheme is the largest road infrastructure project in the State outside Dublin and will be completed by 2010.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) announced that the contract for the €349 million scheme had been awarded to the Direct Route consortium, made up of Austrian company, Strabag AG; John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Limited, Lagan Holdings Limited and Roadbridge Ltd. The consortium is expected to genenate an estimated €456 million in tolls from the tunnel over the first 30 years of its operation.

In the toll scheme adopted by the NRA for the project,car drivers are to be charged €1.60 to access the tunnel, while truck drivers will have to pay €5.46.

According to a spokesman for Limerick County Council, the project is expected to be completed by 2010. The height of the Limerick tunnel is the same height as the Dublin Port Tunnel and An Bord Pleanála dismissed pleas by road hauliers to increase the height of the tunnel. The tunnel will be composed of six precast pieces, which will be built in an adjacent casting basin which will later be immersed into the river and anchored into the river bed to allow the pieces to be put in place in the dredged river site.

Limerick city mayor, Joe Leddin (Lab) has welcomed the works starting on the scheme but expressed disappointment that the road will be tolled.

“I do not object in principle to the Public Private Partnerships (PPP), but with the exchequer awash with money and motorists paying large amounts through car tax, there is no need to toll the tunnel and I would fear that a percentage of motorists would divert away from the tunnel and use the existing road network. The Jack Lynch tunnel isn’t tolled for instance,” he said.

THE final hours of three young men who were drowned in Doolin during the October Bank Holiday weekend last year will be recalled at their inquests next week.

Joe O’Callaghan (34) from Tulla, Mick Doran (31), who lived in Broadford, and Martin Griffin (24) from Ennis, disappeared after a night out in Doolin.

Their bodies, and the jeep in which they were travelling, were subsequently found in the local area.

The entire search, co-ordinated by Doolin Coastguard and assisted by hundreds of people, lasted 11 days.

Up to 20 members of Doolin Coastguard were involved in the search, along with other search teams, navy divers, the garda water unit and families and friends of the three men.

The body of popular Ennis man Martin Griffin was washed up the following Tuesday, at Trá Leathan, Doonagore, Doolin.

As the search for the other two bodies intensified, the Naval Service sent sonar equipment to Doolin to search the sea, amid treacherous conditions.

Waterford native Mick Doran’s body was located a week after they disappeared.

Much of the searching was confined to the shoreline, as the seas became increasingly rough.

Mr O’Callaghan’s body was washed up on the 11th day.

All three were found within 100 metres of each other.

Parts of Mr O’Callaghan’s Suzuki Vitara jeep in which they were travelling were washed up throughout the days of the the search.

In the immediate aftermath of it becoming apparent that the men were missing, a Garda appeal was launched.

Superintendent Eamon Dolan, who coordinated the investigation, appealed for anyone who saw the men in Doolin to come forward, in an effort to trace their final movements.

The trio were last seen outside McGann’s public house at 1.30am on Bank Holiday Monday, October 31.

The three were all craftsmen and were known to be hard-working and popular and thoroughly enjoyed their lives. They had worked together on the restoration of Coolreagh House at the East Clare Golf Club in Bodyke.

The sense of grief was palpable not only in Doolin, but also throughout the county, not least in the home towns and villages of the three missing men.