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THE process of the voluntary shed- ding of 35 per cent of the Aer Lin- gus jobs at Shannon is to begin after SIPTU members in the airline voted to accept the new plan hammered out between the union and the airline.

SIPTU members at Aer Lingus voted by almost 80 per cent to accept the alternative cost savings plan to outsourcing more than 1,300 jobs at the national air line.

A union spokesman said that the turnout for the vote was “80 per cent delivering a clear overall majority in favour of the proposals”.

“Tt is now a matter for the company to evaluate the options each individ- ual has made under the alternative cost savings plan to see if it provides a viable option,” National Industrial Secretary Gerry McCormack said after the conclusion of the ballot. Staff members had just over one day to notify the company of their pre- ferred options.

“We welcome the ballot result as the first step towards preventing the outsourcing of more than 1,300 jobs and securing the long term viability of Aer Lingus,’ McCormack added.

The company needs seven per cent of staff in Cork and Dublin and 35 per cent of staff in Shannon to leave if the plan is to be a success.

It also needs half of the remaining staff to migrate onto the new terms and conditions provided to achieve the cost savings necessary.

Explaining the next step in the

process, McCormack said: “SIPTU will also be analysing and evaluating the savings achieved when our mem- bers make their returns to Aer Lin- gus management on their preferred options.

“In doing this we will have the ex- pert assistance of Eugene McMahon of Mazars, who played an invaluable

role in the process of identifying al- ternative savings to the original out- sourcing strategy proposed by man- eNxey nao

REVELERS at this weekends Doo- lin Christmas Market will have the opportunity to get a stress relieving back rub while enjoying their Christ- mas shopping.

This Saturday and Sunday the Russell Centre will be the location for the first ever Christmas market held in the village. The market is a continuation of the successful sum- mer market and crafts fair and will feature the largest collection of food and goods ever to be displayed in the centre.

‘The summer market was very suc- cessful this year – the vendors loved

it and the community loved it – and as well as that everyone involved really loves Christmas. I think it’s natural for people who love making things and cooking things to really love Christmas. There 1s so much of this going on that doesn’t happen at any other time of the years,” said or- ganiser Toby Sachsenmaier.

“This years it seem like the perfect time to show that Christmas isn’t just about buying more and more things. Christmas is about community, about neighbours and things like recipes which have been handed down over the generations.

“The whole focus of the Christmas market will be to get back to these

old fashioned values. We love the idea of offering people something that is home made at a reasonable price.”

The market will include a wide va- riety of Christmas foods, including a special vegan Christmas cake, a wide range of local crafts including leatherwork, cards, willow baskets, pottery and glass art.

“All the food that is available will be very specially designed for Christ- mas. We have many of the crafts people from the summer who are coming back again but we also have a lot of people who will be new to the market and have produce which is specially designed for Christmas,”

continued Toby.

“The other thing that will be really different from the summer market is the atmosphere. We will be going all out to create a real Christmas feeling around the place. It will actually be the biggest market that we have had so far, we will be using every single part of the hall.

“We will also have someone doing ten minute, distressing shoulder mas- saging for people to really get them into the relaxing, Christmas spirit.”

The Doolin Christmas Market and Craft Fair will take place this Satur- day and Sunday, December 13 and 14, [lam to 7pm at the Russell Com- munity Centre in Doolin.

THE involvement of local people will be key if the work of the new- ly launched Burren Trust is to be a success. The trust was officially launched by botanist David Bellamy on Thursday, and the world famous botanist stressed the importance of the involvement of local people. Trust organiser and founder of Bur- renBeo, Brendan Dunford said that membership of the trust is open to all and that each member will be given a say into how the organisation is man-

aged.

“We see this as a first for Ireland, in fact I don’t know of any project exactly like this is existence,’ said Professor Dunford.

“We would see this as broadening out on the work that BurrenBeo has been working on for year. We would like to see this work branching out and involving more and more peo- eter

“We really want the membership to get involved. We had more than 200 people in Ballyvaughan for the launch and everybody was chipping

in and helping out. We need people to come forward with their ideas and drive this project forward.” Professor Bellamy said that the trust could become a model for envi- ronmental protection worldwide. “The happiest day of my life was the day that I got married but to be here to launch his project is the sec- ond happiest. I just could not have said no to coming here,” he said. “This is the best piece of karst landscapes in all of Europe and it is in great danger. It could be loved to death but it could be loved back to

life again.

‘“T have been around the world four times already this year and I believe that what is going on here could be- come a great model for sites all over the world.

“If we brand the Burren we can have farmers who will produce beau- tiful cheese, beautiful beef and beau- tiful lamb.

“We have to choose what we do wisely. The real wisdom here 1s with the local people and fortunately big governments are scared of the people on the ground.”

Kids rejoice as sod turned on Tulla playground

SHANNON town has much on offer to suit wide-ranging interests — an at- tractive shopping outlet, a good mix of ambitious, thriving businesses and an ideal location close to many tour- ist attractions.

Much has been achieved in the town over the years, in terms of plan- ning and development, while several other key projects are currently being planned.

The local town council ensures that the upkeep of the town is a priority, while dozens of community and vol- untary groups aim to enhance the lives of the residents in the town.

From the schools’ activities, to the sports clubs, to the talent groups, to the senior citizens group, every age group 1s catered for in Shannon. The establishment of international group Le Chéile na Sionna is a reflection of the changing nature of the town, where many foreign nationals have come to live in recent years.

While there is an abundance of hobbies available for the people of Shannon, plans are ongoing in rela- tion to new, welcome initiatives.

Plans are afoot to establish a walk- ing trail in the region. The trail will take the shape of a loop, taking in Shannon and Bunratty. While the proposal is still in its infancy, it has created a huge amount of interest and

there is a sense of optimism that it will get off the ground.

The development of a pitch and putt course is also a strong possibility and four sites have been identified in the town. A recent public meeting to dis- cuss this yielded positive feedback and the people of Shannon firmly believe that such a facility would be a huge boost to the town.

The SkyCourt shopping centre of- fers a wide range of choice to shop- pers in the mid-west. Since it opened in 2004, SkyCourt has attracted several top names in retail and has

earned a fine reputation as a reputa- ble shopping outlet.

Its recent launch of the gift card scheme will undoubtedly augur well for SkyCourt, which boasts a rich blend of fashion, food and conven- ience outlets in its malls.

Newer shops including Lifestyle Sports, Apache Pizza and Subway have joined outlets such as Dunnes Stores, O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar and Xtra Vision, which have been in ex- istence for a number of years.

Given that Shannon Airport is lo- cated in the area, every effort has

been made to ensure many tourist options are available to those who travel into the country. Shannon Development plays a major role in promoting tourist activities in the immediate area, where the local ho- tels and restaurants in Shannon and surrounding areas are top class. Given that many businesses are lo- cated in the town, the role of Shan- non Chamber of Commerce is criti- cal. It is recognised as one of the fastest growing chambers in the country. More than 170 companies are members, which represents 8,500

employees.

Shannon Chamber of Commerce works for the economic development of Shannon town and the adjoining area. The chamber makes every ef- fort to ensure that Shannon becomes a dynamic centre with cultural, sport- ing and educational facilities suitable for a town of its size. As Shannon is largely dependent on industry, it also works towards attracting new busi- nesses to the town, with a view to creating employment.

The chamber actively engages in ways to assist its members and en- courage development. It has set up its own online poll, a service that allows its members to express views on is- sues that impact on their businesses. The chamber uses this information to better understand any concerns its members may have and address these TESS CoaSe

It has four sub-committees that en- sure a cross-section of the commu- nity benefits from its work — retail; school and youth career support; liv- ing, working and investing in Shan- non and enterprise and industry.

All of these groups work together to promote Shannon and to ensure that the town will continue to thrive in every way.

US visitors ‘will return in 2009’

ALTHOUGH conditions in Kilkee courthouse were unsuitable for court sittings, the last ever court held in the town last week was tinged with sad- ness and nostalgia.

The courthouse in Kilkee is damp and dilapidated and has not been ideal for court sittings for some time. However the decision to move Kilkee court sittings to Kilrush came as part of a national initiative to centralise CLOUT MMT RB ENTS

The Kilkee move is one of sev- eral changes in court venues in the county, to take effect from the start of 2009. No longer will court sittings take place in Miltown Malbay, Lis- doonvarna, Corofin, Tulla, Scariff and Kildyart. The courts in Ennis, Kilrush, Killaloe and Ennistymon (which currently sits in Kilrush, until a suitable venue is found in the north Clare town), instead, will become bigger with longer lists prevailing.

Solicitor Gearodid Williams said in Kilkee court last Tuesday morning that it was a sad day to see the final court taking place in the town hall there.

Judge Joseph Mangan said it was no longer appropriate to hold courts in poor conditions and noted that a new courthouse would not be built in Kul- kee. He thanked the people of Kilkee for their co-operation over several years of court sittings in the town.

The question arises – what will hap- pen to the old town hall which has hosted the Kilkee court sittings over the years? According to Clare County Council, the building – a listed build- ing – remains in the control of the lo- CHIE: TUM eleven

However, it is unlikely that it will be refurbished. “It would take sub- stantial resources to do it up. No substantial programme of works has been done there for years. However, we are open to ideas,’ said a council spokesman.

‘Whatever future work will be done will require substantial refurbish- ments and there is no money for it,” he added.

“The first thing we must do is to establish its future use. Secondly we must look at what refurbishments have to be undertaken and then to es- tablish a source of funding for that. All of those matters have to be taken into consideration,’ he added.

The local town council traditionally met at the venue a number of years ago but has since moved to the lo- cal library for its monthly meetings, meaning that the building will be left idle in the immediate future.

Although the court sittings have only been held at those locations across the county monthly, or in some cases just three or four times a year, the local communities did enjoy the hustle and bustle associated with them over the years.

THE Clare Tourism Council has pre- dicted that the county’s tourism in- dustry will receive a major boost in 2009 – driven mostly by the return of American visitors.

The council, which held its annual conference in Ennistymon last week, believes that a combination of factors including Ryanair entering the low- cost transatlantic market, will boost American visitor number on 2009.

According to chairperson of Clare Tourism Council, Flan Garvey, the election of Barack Obama and the rising value of the dollar will en- courage American’s to travel.

“We have also had hints that Michael O’Leary and company will be getting into the transatlantic mar- ket out of Shannon and doing it ina low cost model compared to what is there at the moment,” he said.

‘The pre-clearance issue is vital as a part of this, we will be the first air- port in Europe which has this and the onus is on us to focus on what is right and not what is wrong.

“We need to get those flight in from Europe, through Shannon, and then off to North America again. We will have this for a full year ahead of Dublin Airport and if we can all work together we can really make this happen. This is a golden op- portunity which we have never had before.”

The conference was addressed by a number of high profile speakers in-

cluding Alan Clarke, CEO Northern Irish Tourist Board, Paul O’Toole CEO of Failte Ireland and Martin Moroney, head of the Shannon Air- port Authority.

“Everybody acknowledges that we are going through a rough time at the minute but this is a time for reflec- tion and planning for a future which is going to be better,’ continued Cllr Garvey (FF).

‘People are pretty optimistic about next year. They are cuts to certain ar-

eas this year but we are well placed, even with Open Skies, to capacity of markets that we have already estab- lished.

“The Clare Tourist Council has been here since 1961 and in that time we have done countless promotions in Milwaukee and London and all over the world. We have a share of the market now that we would not have if we hadn’t been out there over the years.”

Others to attend the conference

included the Ambassador from the south African country of Lesotho, who was the first representative from an African country to address the Clare Tourist Forum. Also present were US _ television personality, Stephanie Abrams and a delegation from Ennistymon’s twinned towns in Greece and Italy.

A LEADING Clare constrution com- pany has revealed they have business worth €10 milion lined up which may have to be put on ice because of the credit squeeze.

And following reports in The Clare People last week that migrant wotk- ers are giving up on the Celtic Tiger and going home, a Clare councillor has called for planners to cut de- velopers some slack to keep skilled

people here.

Keco’s Bernard Bartley say they have millions worth of building work lined up, but , he warned, a lack of credit means many lucrative projects are being put on the back burner .

‘We would have work lined up for next year that would be worth €10 million but the banks are not giving out money and until they start lend- ing again, it will cause problems.

Last week, a Lithuanian company held jobs fairs here to encourage for-

eign nationals who came to Ireland to seek work to return home.

And Orla Ni Eili of Clare’s Im- migrant Suport Service, said that the service has seen “a lot of people leaving and some planning to leave. Work is much harder to get now, par- ticularly in the building trade.”

Labour councillor, Pascal Fitzger- ald has called on the planners in Clare County Council to do their ut- most to grant planning permissions and keep skilled craftsmen from

leaving the country.

“I’m concerned about the number of skilled young people who are head- ing for the airport every day to take off for Australia and other places where they can find work”, he said.

The councillor said that while he understands there has been a huge drop in the number of planning ap- plications which are coming before the council, where at all possible, he has asked that the planners give per- misssions.

Further eveidence of the slump in the building trade emerged last week when Killaloe builders, Tom Hayes Ltd, commented that building com- panies have “no option” but to let Staff go”.

Meanwhile, the Mid West Branch of the Construction Industry Federa- tion (CIF) has stated it is “delighted with the decision taken by their ex- ecutive to unanimously reject the na- tional pay agreement and seek a 10 per cent reduction in pay rates.

THE mayor of Shannon has been ac- cused of being “malicious, vindictive and politically motivated’, by fail- ing to inform his fellow councillors about a letter from the Standards in Public Office regarding a complaint on a possible breach of ethics.

The accusation was levelled at Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) by Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind). The complaint was made by the Wolfe Tones camogie club, after the Shannon Leisure Cen- tre – of which Cllr McCarthy is a member of the board – was allocated €50,000 in funding from the town ott ene

After it was found that she had no case to answer, she responded to the entire investigation at a meeting of the council last week.

She said that the mayor, Cllr Flynn, received a letter from the Standards in Public Office as Méara Baile, but didn’t bring its contents to the atten- tion of the town council.

“Whatever you did, you did for your own personal motivation and further your own ends,” she said to Owe aha

She said she had remained quiet for 10 months and had faith in the proc- ess, even though it was difficult to do So at times, but others did not abide by the same standards.

“Much of what was said over the past 10 months was inaccurate and went unchallenged by me,” she add- ed.

“IT have never sought or obtained any financial reward from any com- munity,’ she said.

Cllr McCarthy said she did not seek to influence the town manger, town clerk, the then mayor or any mem- ber of the town council in respect of a letter from the chairperson of the leisure centre last February.

She said that neither she nor any member of the leisure centre had any prior discussion with the town man- ager or any official of the council relating to the provision of a skate-

board park in the town, as part of a refurbishment of the leisure centre.

Cllr McCarthy said she did have a casual conversation with the town clerk Tomas MacCormaic about the project as she knew it was an objec- tive of the council to provide the fa- UIA

After her words, Cllr Tony Mulc- ahy (FG) then asked Cllr Flynn why he hadn’t informed the town council about the letter. Cllr Flynn pointed out that he did not initiate the com- plaint.

“I didn’t have communication with the Standards in Public Office previ- ously. I did what I thought was right,” he said.