Category: News

SIPTU officials at Shannon are to meet with the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen later today to discuss the future of the 60 workers at the Great Southern Hotel in Shannon.

Concerns have also been expressed about the “far reaching consequences” for workers whose jobs depend on work generated from the group.

The Shannon hotel has links with the Shannon College of Hotel Management.

Following news last week that the Great Southern Hotel Group was to be sold off by the Dublin Airport Authority as a going concern, workers in Shannon have asked for assurances that their jobs are safe.

SIPTU officials met with the workers yesterday evening (Monday) prior to the meeting in Dublin today.

A spokesperson for SIPTU Shannon told The Clare People that the union was still not certain that chain of hotels would be sold.

The Government has yet to approve the decision to sell the Great Southern Hotel’s assets.

The SIPTU official expressed disappointment with the Minister for Tourism and Sport, John O’Donoghue, who had previously indicated he wanted to see the hotels remain within the state sector.

Although the minister did not say he changed his mind, last week, he did state the proposed sale was inevitable.

In a statement released during the week, the Dublin Airport Authority confirmed its decision to employ an adviser to assist with the disposal of its hotels, which employs more than 800 people throughout the country.

The Great Southern Hotel group has one of the largest wage bills in the hotel industry, with payroll costs accounting for 46 per cent of the hotels’ turnover.

That is 12 per cent higher than most hotels in the country.

The hotels have been valued in excess of €100 million, and are expected to reach far in excess of this, despite recording losses of €6 million.

One of those mooted as a possible buyer of the chain is Lisdoonvarna native, Bernard McNamara.

According to reports at the weekend, the former Fianna Fáil councillor is understood to be in talks with another businessman about taking over the nine hotels in the group, including Shannon.

McNamara now owns the fourthlargest building construction firm in the country and is a part owner of Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel. He is estimated to be worth €50 million and now lives on the exclusive Ailesbury Road in Dublin.

LAND on the site of the old Our Lady’s Hospital grounds has emerged as another possible site to house a new Cusack Park if the Clare County GAA Board decides to leave its existing county grounds headquarters on the Causeway of Ennis.

The Clare People has learned that a tract of land at Our Lady’s, numbering 14 acres, could yet be earmarked for a stadium development to rival the stadium bid already lodged with the county board for their consideration.

Speculation is that this new proposal will be tabled with the county board in a matter of days, one that centres around transforming the old Our Lady’s site into a technology/ sporting park with hotel facilities on site that would make Clare the provincial equivalent to Croke Park.

The landbank, which would be large enough to hold a stadium, is owned by property developers Martin Fitzgibbon and Paul Talty and hotelier Allen Flynn.

In October 2004 they purchased 14 acres of the Our Lady’s site and the hospital for €5.2 million.

Since then they have lodged an application for the development of a €20 million hotel on the site which has been approved by Clare County Council. The decision has now been referred to an Bord Pleanála on appeal, after Green Party councillor Dónal Ó Béarra lodged an objection over the failure of the developers to provide guarantees over the future of a church on the Our Lady’s site.

When contacted by The Clare People on Monday, Martin Fitzgibbon was unavailable for comment, as were Paul Talty and Allen Flynn.

Meanwhile, Clare GAA chairman Michael McDonagh told The Clare People that “I know that the land is there at Our Lady’s, but nobody has to come to me. I know nothing about a proposal to build a new stadium at Our Lady’s, no one has produced anything to me yet,” he added.

At last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the county board in the West County Hotel, Mr McDonagh told delegates that two more offers were in the pipeline for developing a new Cusack Park away from its current home in Ennis.

This follows on from the commitment given by businessmen Noel Connellan, Sean Lyne and Bernard McNamara to deliver a 42,000 capacity stadium on a 15-acre site on the Quin Road within 18 months of receipt of planning permission from Clare County Council in return for possession of Cusack Park, which would then be redeveloped as a shopping centre.

SHANNON was almost the scene of a dramatic stopover on Saturday night when world record holder Steve Fossett was nearly forced into an emergency landing.

Staff at the airport were on standby late on Saturday night, after it emerged that a fuel leak was detected onboard his Virgin Atlantic Globalflyer. The leak is believed to have occurred shortly after Mr Fossett took off from the Kennedy Space Shuttle centre in Florida, on Wednesday last.

Mr Fossett ignored warnings, during the final hours of his epic journey, that he should set down in Clare, in order to land in England.

His decision was made all the more risky as he had passed the ‘point of no return’ over the Atlantic. Shannon had been designated as a secondary landing area for the 61-year-old adventurer, who was attempting to break the world record for the longest non-stop flight in history.

He had originally intended to finish his journey in Kent, England, but was eventually forced to touch down in Bournemouth after an electrical problem nearly caused the plane’s ventilation system to overload.

As it turned out, it was in the skies above Shannon where the 61 year old former stockbroker broke the record, which had stood since 1986. He completed the 24,987 mile round trip in 76 hours to cement his place in the record books.

“It was looking like we could get him at one stage. He made a decision at 11 o’clock, when he had crossed the point of no return, to continue on towards England. We were on standby, but it never happened,” said Clare McHenry, spokesperson for Shannon Airport Authority.

THE development of new facilities at Dublin and Cork Airports will pose a significant threat to business at Shannon in the coming years as competition for airline services into Ireland intensifies, the Chairman of the Shannon Airport Authority has warned.

Pat Shanahan was speaking following the Authority’s monthly board meeting on Friday, when he also said, “Costs per passenger at Shannon, are significantly higher than at Dublin and Cork airports. It is vital that our cost base is at least equal to our peer airports so that Shannon can attract the business that its tourism and catchment area can generate.”

While welcoming record-breaking passenger numbers of 3.3 million and improved profit levels in 2005, Mr Shanahan further cautioned that, “The outlook for the airport remains uncertain until its underlying financial difficulties are addressed.

“The turnaround in the airport’s finances in 2005 can be attributed to the increased activity by Ryanair since establishing Shannon as a base, and also to the high levels of military traffic operating through Shannon, which is unpredictable and, from past experience, unlikely to continue at current levels.”

Following the best year ever for transatlantic traffic at Shannon, in terms of passenger numbers, “Open Skies” will be introduced in April 2008, with transitional arrangements commencing as early as November this year. According to Mr Shanahan, “During this transitional period, Shannon will be working hard to grow its transatlantic passengers.”

Speaking about controversial plans by the SAA to divest itself of its catering operation Mr Shanahan said, “Shannon is the only major airport in Europe to operate its own catering company. The airport no longer has the critical mass or buying power to compete successfully in this market.”

Commenting on the Programme for Commercial Viability being proposed by Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Mr. Shanahan said, “DAA is willing to provide financial support to Shannon to implement its restructuring programme.

“I wish to emphasise that there is a limited window of opportunity in which to make these changes,” he said.

DOONBEG Golf Club Limited has described as “minor alterations”, an application it has made to Clare County Council for retention of works on the multi million-euro development.

“These are minor alterations which in no way alter the foot print, or the shape of the development,” a spokesperson for the golf course said.

The local planning authority received an application for retention and completion of the development on January 25.

As part of the application, the golf club requested reconfiguration of part of a building to omit two one-bedroom suites and put one three bedroom suite in its place.

It also applied to omit a building, which received planning permission in 2003 to accommodate two suites.

It proposed instead, to construct a two-storey building of 536 square metres to accommodate three two-storey three-bedroom suites.

It also requested that the relocation of one of the buildings three metres to the east be permitted.

“There is something they (the golf club developers) wanted to do as it was going along, but it does not change overall plans,” said the spokesperson.

While the golf club maintain that the retention application is for “minor alterations”, local objectors say that the changes involve “significant additional and unauthorised development work at the site.”

A COMPANY building a range of tourism accommodation in the north Clare area has suffered a setback, with An Bord Pleanala refusing a hotel development in Doolin.

Over the recent past, Bespoke Development Ltd has been involved in developing tourist facilities — mainly holiday homes — in Doolin and Liscannor.

However, the appeals board has refused planning for a hotel, bar and restaurant at Coogyulla, Doolin.

The proposed development site is in the vicinity of the crossroads at Coogyulla, which is already built up, primarily with clusters of singlestorey and dormer holiday homes.

Bespoke Development lodged plans in December 2004 for the two-storey hotel, in a bid to avail of tax incentives under a Government scheme.

However, the county council turned down permission, stating that the overall proposal comprised

haphazard and non-integrated de velopment, which would frustrate the comprehensive development and servicing of adjoining lands, and would set an undesirable precedent.

The local authority also ruled that the proposal be refused planning having regard to the poor draining soils, high water table and number of septic tanks and wastewater treatment systems in the area.

However, in their appeal, Bespoke Development claimed that the proposal on zoned land would improve the range of accommodation and services available in the settlement.

The company also stated that the proposal would provide a complimentary Park and Ride facility for the €32 million Cliffs of Moher visitor centre identified for the area.

The developers pointed out that the council accepted the principle and design of the development on the site.

However, An Taisce pointed out that the site lay outside the designated settlement, on a scenic route, and would be outside of the services.

In the inspector’s recommendations, he stated he was not, “satisfied that the proposed wastewater treatment facility on a separate site can adequately treat and dispose of effluent without any adverse impact upon the sensitive and vulnerable groundwater regime of this area.”

This view was endorsed by the appeals board and it refused permission, ruling that the site would constitute an unacceptable risk of ground and surface water pollution.

“The proposed development would, therefore, be prejudicial to public health.”

HAVING returned from overseeing the democratic process in one of the most volatile areas on the planet last week, Theresa Kearney was relaxed and looking forward to her next venture abroad as part of the EU Election Observers Mission.

The Crusheen woman, now living in Ennis, is a seasoned election supervisor, having previously overseen elections in Bosnia Herzegovina and the Palestinian presidential elections last year.

With over a decade of experience behind her, the HSE worker spent part of her annual leave last month witnessing one of the most surprising election results in recent times, coming to fruition.

Based in Ramallah, she visited 18 stations across the state on the historic Election Day.

“At most of the polling stations I visited, both the day of the election and the day previous, it was like being at a St Patrick’s Day Parade. I mean, there was a sea of green everywhere and you got the sense that the election was going to go in a particular way. There was certainly evidence of Hamas support in every village that we visited,” she told The Clare People .

But Theresa hadn’t time for considering the outcome. Her 23-hour election workday began at 5am, when she met her driver and interpreter to organise the route they were going to take across a country with no signposts and highways secured only for Israeli travel.

Arriving at the polling stations half an hour before opening, the observer’s mission began.

“We can’t intervene in the process, but report back,” she said.

She observed the count and tidied up before travelling back with the ballot boxes to the intake centre.

Asked if she feared for her life working in such a volatile area she said, “Not really because you have a job to do and you are engrossed in the task at hand.”

Like all volunteers, she took precautions.

“You don’t assume that because you are wearing an EU badge that are going to be safe,” she said.

Ms Kearney was recruited through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The department then recommended her to the EU, for a the final decision.

Her previous experience working with Concern for two years made Ms Kearney an ideal candidate.

Theresa had to be evacuated ten days after travelling in Somalia in the mid 1990s. She survived that trauma, and was brought to Uganda to continue her aid work there.

RESIDENTS opposed to the multi-million euro extension of the Whelan Group’s flagship operation have called for an oral hearing to be held into the contentious proposal.

Last month, in spite of location opposition, Clare County Council gave the green light to the Whelan Group to extend its quarry at Fountain outside Ennis.

In their appeal to An Bord Pleanala, local residents, Michael Halpin, David Copley and John Hehir have requested that an oral hearing be held, “taking into consideration the many issues of public importance raised in this case, the EU dimension and the large number of submissions made.

“There are many issues not least the location of the development in Drumcliffe Springs catchment, an area of extreme vulnerability, and recent public concern about the quality of water in Ennis and environs with the recent ‘boil notices’ issued.

“We have been subjected over the past twenty-five years, to a deterioration in our quality of life as a result of serious vibrations from blasting, noise and dust and as the quarrying moves nearer to our dwellings and into yet another townland the proposals for the future look bleak indeed, should the appeal fail.

The company now has an opportunity to respond the residents’ claims and a decision is expected on the appeal in the summer of this year.

VISITING restrictions remain at Ennis hospitals and will not be removed until they are clear of the ‘Winter Vomiting Bug’ for more than 72 hours.

Two cases of the highly contagious infection were confirmed in St Joseph’s Hospital yesterday (Monday), with three other suspected cases also being investigated.

There is just one suspected case of the virus in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Ennis.

The Health Service Executive Mid West Region first confirmed an outbreak in the Ennis hospitals over two weeks ago, when 11 cases were confirmed among patients.

The ‘Winter Vomiting Bug’ is a community infection, with outbreaks in hospitals a gauge of what is happening in the community.

Anyone wishing to visit the hospital is requested to check with reception staff or contact the hospital.

“Attendance at the Accident and Emergency Department should only be if absolutely necessary,” said a HSE spokesperson.

Out-patient, day care services and routine hospital admissions are not affected by the restrictions however.

In Healthcare Settings, such outbreaks are not completely preventable, but they are controllable, according to the National Guidelines on the Management of Outbreaks of the Norovirus Infection.

OPPOSING factions in a feud, who ended up on charges because they had a set-to on the steps of the courthouse, had a second courthouse showdown while waiting for that case to be heard.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy was told that every time particular members of the McDonogh and Mongan families met, there was trouble.

Bernard McDonogh of Ashline in Ennis, Christopher McDonogh of Davitt Terrace in Ennis, and Edward and Christopher Mongan of Clondalkin in Dublin had previously been convicted of violent disorder. While they were leaving court after that conviction, they started trading insults on the steps of the court, Ennis District Court heard.

That resulted in their appearance in the court on Friday on Public Order charges before Judge Aeneas McCarthy.

But Inspector Michael Gallagher told the judge that after the court rose for lunch, while the two sides waited for their case to be heard, “there was another altercation.”

He said that the on-going tensions were the result of a long-standing feud between the two sides. But apart from their flare ups when the two sides met, the judge was told, they were law-abiding citizens who had never been in trouble with the gardaí.

“After each incident, all four appear genuinely remorseful, but when they confront each other, it is like a red rag to a bull,” Sergeant Alan McLeish said.

Solicitors for both sides said their clients were pleading guilty to the charges and wanted an end to the tensions.

As the Mongans had now moved to Dublin, the opposing factions were less likely to meet. Each of the men is father to five children, the court heard.

The court heard that as a result of the original violent disorder conviction, the parties were due to have three year suspended sentences imposed and these would take effect in July, provided there was no further trouble.

Judge McCarthy said that he took “a serious view of trouble at the courts. People should be able to come to court without getting caught up in feuding gang violence.”

He jailed each of the men for terms of four months and two months on the two public order charges. He set bail at an independent surety of €1,500 and their own bonds of €500 each.