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ALMOST 500 pilots at Aer Lingus are to stage a two-day strike next week in protest at the airline’s plan to employ pilots at its new Belfast base at lower pay rates.

Next week’s strike will affect all Aer Lingus services.

Staff at Aer Lingus in Shannon are “furious” at the way they heard of the loss of the Heathrow flights, and are now concerned that the transatlantic flights will follow the same fate.

Workers say they first heard ru- mours about the loss of the slots from Dublin.

‘Mike’, one of the employees who did not want to publish his full name, checked the Aer Lingus website.

“On the Thursday night/Friday morning, I checked the Aer Lingus website. Normally, it goes way ahead into next year.”

He picked the date of March 30, 2008, which is in the summer sched- ule, but could not get a flight out of Syat-vepeleyey

“The proof was already on the Aer Lingus website that Thursday,” he PHO

“It also wasn’t available on the Shannon Airport website, so who told who what is a very intriguing Lb a (eye

“It was a done deal by the time we were advised of it officially on Tuesday morning here at the meet- ing,’ said Geraldine Morrissey, who has more than 30 years’ experience working with the company.

There is still no summer schedule finalised for transatlantic flights ac- cording to staff, and they now fear that the Chicago route 1s at risk.

“We have huge concerns over the Atlantic. We could be in here in a few months’ time, hanging on with our fingernails to the last airplane leaving the airport. That is what we will be doing,” said Brian Slattery, ground operations.

The Quin man who has been work- ing with Aer Lingus for 16 year said he was concerned about “unhelpful, misleading comments made by Min- ister Dempsey”.

“Firstly Minister Dempsey has stated that we may be ‘exaggerating the crisis in Shannon caused by Aer Lingus’ decision to axe its Shannon- London-Heathrow route’.

‘He is grossly misleading the pub- lic with this comment and his opin- ion that another airline may take up the route is without research or fact. The huge cost of any precious slot into Heathrow is approximately 20 million pounds sterling, which would deter any new airline from bidding for these slots, slots which we must stress are very hard to acquire and are under control of the British Air- port Authority,” he said.

The workers argue that Dublin Airport is saturated with flights into Heathrow and that not all of those slots are busy.

“Dublin afternoon slots are always light in load,” according to Ms Mor- rissey, who argued that Aer Lin- gus could have taken one of those flights.

“We place this problem right back at the Government. They promised us they were going to enshrine and protect the slots and they did not do it,” said Padraig Geraghty, Aer Lin- gus maintenance.

The Roscommon man moved from

Dublin to Shannon in 1995 so he could live in the west of Ireland, hav- ing worked with the company since IW e

“We are in trouble too — as Aer Lingus take their services out of Shannon, there will be less aircraft to maintain. They then won’t fly the aircraft to Shannon to do the mainte- nance as it won’t be viable.

“This is just a test case. They cer- tainly will go after slots in Cork and Dublin. This is all about money now. It has nothing to do with the Irish people or the Irish assets. They’ll go from Heathrow to JFK direct, they will do anything, but the slots will leave this country, make no mistake they will go,” he said.

The most senior member of the cabin crew in Shannon, John O’Shea, said, “If they can take slots out of Shannon, they can move the Aer Lingus brand to anywhere else. They don’t have to maintain it in Ireland. It is a private company now.

“And this is the type of arrogance they’re coming out with. This is only testing the waters. This is only a drop in the ocean of what Aer Lingus think they can do. They think they have

CLARE’S most senior politician, Minister for State Tony Killeen (FF), said he does not see the return of the Aer Lingus slots to Shannon unless a new deal is negotiated.

“I haven’t given up hope that Aer Lingus will look at the business ar- gument anew,” he said.

“But I don’t see that Aer Lingus will come back as things stand. It would only come back if it could show shareholders a better business arrangement had been agreed.”

The Minister for State at the De- partment of the Environment pointed to the failure of Aer Lingus manage- ment in its argument that the profit margins out of Shannon were low.

He said that claims of a high load factor and a low profit margin points to the failure of management at the airline.

Minister Killeen said however, “I don’t think we are in a position to rule out options.”

Minister Killeen, who in the early 1990s resigned the party whip over the ending of the compulsory Shan- non stopover, does not believe that

this move is necessary this time.

‘| have seen no evidece that resign- ing by anyone at any level would have services restored,” he said.

New Fianna Fail TD Timmy Doo- ley said he “would reserve all op- tions” when asked if he would resign his seat if the Government did not secure vital Heathrow slot for Shan- non airport.

Deputy Dooley, said, “the Govern- ment has a duty to protect the indus-

trial base of this region. While the Government seems to be indicating a lack of responsibility in the move by Aer Lingus to Belfast, it clearly is a matter for the Government to resolve under its commitment to regional de- velopment.”

“If this requires emergency legisla- tion then this should happen now,” he Sr nKOe

“In order to protect and underpin Government policy on balanced re- gional development and to protect the industry and tourism base of the region the Government must act now to ring fence direct connectivity.”

“The air bridge between Shannon and Heathrow is equally important as the new Limerick Tunnel or the West Link toll bridge on the East Coast.

“The government needs to act ina manner that would take ownership of the access route in the same way as it purchased the West Link toll bridge. This is absolutely critical now in or- der to give confidence and stability to the business community in the mid west region”.

WITH festival season at its peak last weekend in west Clare as Cooraclare, Kilmihil and Kildysart were provid- ing family fun despite the weather, this week sees other festivals com- mittees stepping up a gear for final preparations while others are con- sidering the success of this year’s endeavour.

One of the first west Clare festivals of the summer season was the Pea- dar Clancy Festival. Organisers of this year’s festival, one of the most successful to date, were busy pub-

lishing the final results of the many competitions of the weekend.

The colourful parade showed great enthusiasm and effort by the commu- nity, but there was one that stood out and declared overall winner – “The Dunlock Bay Drug Seizure’.

Coolmeen National School were kings of the sea as they won the chil- dren’s section for “Pirates of the Car- ibbean”. The “Spice Girls” made up of the Normoyle family and friends were awarded for “best effort” while PJ Kelly’s “the Allis Chalmers” won most cultural.

Mike Murphy and friends were

awarded for their “Prison Break” as it was acclaimed the most humorous, with the “Dunlock Bay Drug Sei- Zure’ also winning most topical.

Brendan Price – Moyrala – made it into the “Hall of Fame”.

One parade however did not a fes- tival make.

“Thomas Coffey’s Team won the under-14 fun blitz, with team Clond- rina winning the senior competition. The sports day saw everyone from waddling toddlers to human wheel- barrows winning prizes.

There were crawling races, egg and spoons races for under-13s and un-

der-8s, three-legged races, married men and married women races. There were three bonny baby com- petitions and other field events in- cluding finding the most glamorous granny in the area – Sile Pass. Among the more gruesome of the competitions was the “Bush Tucker Trials” which saw Mike Murphy and Rory Quinn tucking in for success. “The committee would like to thank everybody who helped to make the weekend such a success, especially all the volunteers who worked very hard at the various events,’ a spokes- person for the committee said.

MORE than 300 representatives of the western seaboard’s biggest busi- nesses, tourism concerns, unions and politicians came together on Friday with one message for Aer Lingus — hands off our Shannon slots.

Among the powerful names to con- tend with at a closed but reportedly heated two-hour meeting in the Park Inn at the airport on Friday were GE, Element Six, Westpark, Aughinish Alumina, Digital River and Lufthan- 8

Smaller business interests were also represented. Among these were the Old Ground Hotel and Limerick Travel.

The trade unions turned out in force with representatives of SIPTU, Aer Lingus workers and IMPACT and the Limerick Institute of Technology were also present.

The meeting was also attended by politicians from each of the regions affected, including Minister Moira Hoctor, MEPs Marian Harkin and Sean O’Neachtain, deputies Timmy Dooley, Michael Noonan, Dan Nev- ille, Jan O’Sullivan, John Cregan, Peter Power, Jiummy Deenihan, Tom Hayes and Noel Coonan, as well as elected councillors from Clare, Lim- erick and Tipperary.

A spokesperson for Shannon De- velopment, which organised the meeting, said it was a “mark of the seriousness with which this decision is regarded that such high-profile business people have taken so much

time out to be here in person and the huge attendance is reflective of the concern that people feel on the 1s- sue.”

In a press conference held after the meeting, business and union repre- sentatives announced they intend to form an alliance and elect a steering committee of six key people repre- senting the various sectors to orches- trate a campaign and ensure there is a Shannon-Heathrow route going forward.

Shannon Development’s John Brasil said that the strategic alliance group will look at every possible solution. It will be calling for an EGM of Aer Lingus shareholders to ask that the decision be reversed.

It will also be calling on the Gov- ernment to issue a statement in sup- port of the Shannon Region and it will be seeking to have the Dail re- called.

“Key information in support of our cause is being put together by IBEC and we want everyone affected to write to the Taoiseach and the min- ister,’ said Brasil.

He said that all of the concerns at- tending the meeting were 100 per cent supportive of the decision the fight the ending of the Heathrow slots.

“The overriding concern is_ that we have to find a solution. We can no longer go from crisis to crisis in Shannon’.

Michael Houlihan, lawyer and Chairman of the regional tourism board, said the possibility of mount-

ing a legal challenge to the decision is also being examined.

Brian O’Connell, Chief Execu- tive of Westpark and Chairman of Atlantic Way, said that while it was certain that current jobs are being endangered by the decision, it is the creation of future employment and investment in the region which is also causing major concern.

‘The severance of these slots is the collapsing of a bridge — I am asking the Taoiseach and the Government to re-build that bridge, not just to protect the thousands of jobs in the region but to ensure that we can con- tinue to grow and attract investment and job creation.”

Ken Sullivan of Element Six said that there has been “incredulity” in the business community over the decision while David Silk of Nortel said his directors “see this as being one of the most significant issues we’ve had to deal with since setting up here.

“We bring 150 customers in through Shannon every year. The way we market ourselves with regard to ac- cessibiliity to Shannon via Heathrow is vital.”

Pat Shanahan told the gathered me- dia that the board of Shannon Air- port had met on Friday morning and looked at costs which Aer Lingus have in Shannon.

“If these costs are addressed by Aer Lingus and the airport addresses the landing charges in Shannon, then I believe there is an extra saving of €4 million on the route,’ he said.

A WELL-KNOWN Clare business- man faces the prospect of having to demolish a helipad he built without planning permission near the seaside resort of Lahinch.

This follows An Bord Pleanala re- fusing planning permission for Mr Seamus Lynch to retain the helipad after it concluded that helicopters us- ing the helipad could give rise to col- lisions with protected birds.

In it’s decision, the board stated that proposed retention of a helipad on the site would give rise to undue conflict and collision risk for protected spe- cies, would impact upon the ecologi- cal importance of the River Inagh and would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The board also ruled that the re- tention of the development would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard due to the nature of the development and the resultant disturbance to drivers by reason of helicopter take-offs and landings at this location.

Mr Lynch’s holiday home is located across the road from the helipad and, earlier this year, the council refused planning permission to Mr Lynch af- ter opposition was voiced against the retention application by adjoining landowner and local businessman, Eamon Slattery.

Mr Lynch lodged the planning ap- plication last year after receiving a warning letter from the council al- leging that the helipad is an unau- thorised development.

The Department of the Environ- ment pointed out that the Inagh es- tuary and tidal section of the river

are feeding grounds for hundreds of wintering birds.

In its submission to the appeals board, An Taisce stated that inad- equate justification to retain the fa- cility has been presented due to the level of helicopter activity and direct habitats loss, the helipad will ad- versely affect the ecological integrity of the site and the many rare species for which it is designated and thus its retention should not be permitted.

The board’s inspector in the case stated that the proposed development would be contrary to the proper plan- ning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to zoning of the site, its proximity to the Europe- an Designation of the River Inagh as a candidate Special Area of Conser- vation and proposed Natural Herit- age Area and its location on a scenic route within county Clare.

In the appeal lodged, consultants for Mr Lynch pointed out that the helipad has been in existence for six years and is only used at weekends during summer months. He claims it has not attracted any objection from neighbouring residents located across the road to the north and does not impact on their amenity or deval- ue their property in the vicinity.

Mr Lynch stated that he intends to plant hedgerows along the boundary of the site in order to mitigate against disturbance and it does not signifi- cantly impact on a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The appeal states, “The helipad has been in existence for six years and was constructed without the knowl- edge that planning was required. It is important to note that the helipad as operated for the past six years with- out any objection.”

WORKERS and union leaders at Shannon were today bracing them- selves for the worst, as they waited for the arrival of Aer Lingus boss, Dermot Mannion, who was expected to announce the ending of all the air- line’s Shannon Heathrow flights. Word was out at the weekend that the airline plans to move it’s impor- tant Heathrow slots to Belfast, where major incentive packages are on of-

fer.

Last night, SIPTU official, Tony O’Carroll said the pulling of the route would be a major blow and confirmed there are serious concerns for jobs, particularly in the ground crew and cabin crew areas.

“We were opposed to the privatisa- tion of Aer Lingus all along. We said that we could see no benefits for this area from it and this just bears that out. If all four flights are gone that’s 26 flights a week – that’s a very heavy

loss,” said Carroll.

The union official said that while there 1s serious concern for jobs, the number in danger will depend on a lot of factors.

“Some people are saying 100 jobs will go here because Aer Lingus plan to create 100 jobs in Belfast but that doesn’t necessarily follow. Ground crew will still be needed here.”

The SIPTU official added that jobs at the airport are a major concern but the move also casts a shadow over

business prospects in the region and the jobs which depend on those busi- nesses. “There will be no carrier serv- icing the route now from Shannon and no flights for business people. Ryanair will have London to themselves.”

A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Authority said they could not comment last night in advance of an announcement. It is understood that there is extreme concern at the loss of revenue and the loss of the route to Shannon.

THE body of a male, believed to be the 19-year-old Dublin youth miss- ing since early yesterday morning at Lahinch, was recovered last night at the seaside resort.

Shortly after 7pm last night, dur- ing the course of an extensive shore- line search, local volunteers discov- ered the body in a rocky area at the southern end of Lahinch beach in close proximity to where the man is believed to have entered the water yesterday. Gardai were waiting last night to formally identify the man.

According to a Garda spokesman, the 19-year-old from Clontarf went for a swim at low tide at around 4.10

yesterday morning after a night out in Lahinch.

The spokesman said that the youth entered the water with two friends, but he failed to come out of the wa- ter. Sea conditions at the time were calm, with one to two foot waves in the bay.

The youth was staying with friends in Lahinch for the bank holiday weekend and the alarm was raised when he didn’t return, sparking the rescue effort involving the Shannon- based Coastguard helicopter and the Doolin and Kilkee coastguard units.

Early yesterday morning, the youth’s friends watched on from the promenade in Lahinch as two boats were launched to comb Lahinch bay

for the youth’s body, while members of the Doolin coastguard and local lifeguards conducted a_ shoreline search. The Garda spokesman said that the youth’s parents travelled down from Dublin to Lahinch to be NiO BLomNTOLs) Loe

At low-tide yesterday evening, the comprehensive’ shoreline search was launched, involving the youth’s friends, members of the coastguard units and local volunteers.

Earlier, Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Coastguard said, “I would be fairly confident that we will locate the body as the bay is an enclosed area. I would also like to thank eve- ryone involved in the search.”

Mr Shannon said that the brown

colour of the water, brought about by the Inagh river flowing into the sea, was hampering the recovery effort.

Also involved in the search were members of Lahinch Search and Res- cue team, the Civil Defence in Ennis, the Red Cross and local people.

Local member of Clare County Council, Martin Conway said, “It is a tragedy for the young man and his family.”

Yesterday’s drowning is the third to occur on Clare’s coastline this sum- nao

Aneast Clare man drowned at Span- ish Point in June, while a Moldovan man drowned at the notorious Blue Pool between Kilkee and Doonbeg on July 1.

that the county has been “‘let down” by Aer Lingus and said that the move has come as a complete sur- WU er ‘Here we are, going out to Milwau- kee next week, working very hard promoting Shannon Airport and Aer Lingus and we see this. We need them

to level with us, we need to have some confidence in our national carrier, in Aer Lingus,” said Paddy Maher of the Clare Tourism Council.

“With the London route, we feel that we have been let down by Aer Lingus. They have given commit- ments on other routes but the loss of the London route is a real blow.

“We are putting a lot of effort into prompting their flights, and the flights of other carriers, and this news 1s re- ally disappointing. To be honest, we were not prepared for this. It is a real blow.”

The move is likely to have major re- percussions for the county’s business sector, with early indications already

suggesting that a number of compa- nies may be force to relocate.

“There is a lot of business to be done between here and London and getting in and out of London is very important for that. This is going to put that under pressure,” he continued.

“There is a large business class customer base who used that route to do business. These people would use hotels in Shannon and Ennis and they are almost always repeat customers.”

Interim Chief Executive of Shan- non Chamber of Commerce, Laurie O’Connor, said the ending of Aer Lingus’s Shannon-Heathrow route would be “a big blow for business in detom uses (Onan

“We would get behind local busi- ness people who are very worried about this situation that appears to be unfolding — we are cautious to com- ment ahead of any official notification but certainly such a cessation would negatively impact the region and the west of Ireland,” she said.

Meanwhile, Cllr Martin Conway (FG) has called for an emergency county council meeting to be called to deal with the issue.

‘A delegation from the council need to seek a meeting with the minister on this. The government still has a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus and we need them to start using this influence,” he eee

THE number of people that drowned in Clare has doubled in the last two years.

Figures released by the Irish Wa- ter Safety have shown a decrease in the number of drownings nationally, when last year is compared to figures for 2004.

The 2006 national figure was also the lowest since 1965. The number of drownings in Clare increased, how- ever, by more than 100 per cent when 2006 is compared to 2004.

In 2004, three people in Clare lost their lives by drowning, compared to seven in 2006. The three deaths from

2004 have been recorded as suicide.

It is not yet known how the 2006 number breaks down, but PRO for the Kilkee Sea and Rescue Service, Manuel diLuici, points to an increase in fishing tragedies off the west Clare coast as adding to the water fatalities in the county.

The Kilkee man worries that the number will continue to increase, if warnings relating to the dangers of coastal fishing are not heeded.

‘People have to be very wary of the sea because it is very unpredictable,” |stemncy-B(e

“It is best not to fish at heavy sea and only when the tide is going out and in locations that are safe.”

“If you are not local, seek local advice when fishing,” he advised. ‘People on boats should have proper equipment and boats that are seawor- eae

Accidental drownings were at an all-time high last year, when com- pared to the previous three years, reaching 53 cases.

Suicidal drowning nationally had decreased significantly during the same period, from 90 in 2003 to 63 last year. AS many as 15 drownings last year were “undetermined”.

So far this year, there have been 19 confirmed drownings, not including the loss of life this weekend.

Launching the Irish Water Safety

Report last week, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Tony Killeen urged the public to ex- ercise extreme caution as they take to the country’s waterways.

‘“W hile the 2006 figure was the low- est since 1965, it is still unacceptably high. Many of these tragedies are a result of complacency, ignorance of the dangers and a lack of training or AO) seLeyeerclelOveme)mr-NUMNNelacoMeency-b(O MH Ele Clare minister.

‘Education has a key role of play and I commend the volunteers who teach the public water safety skills which should ultimately save many lives,” he said.

JOB losses of between 100 and 200 have been predicted at Shannon Air- port as Aer Lingus’s commitment to Shannon and the west of Ireland 1s questioned by the political and busi- ness communities.

Calculating the worrying estimate, should the Shannon-Heathrow con- nection be lost, Mayor of Clare and Shannon Councillor Patricia McCa- rthy (Ind) described the situation as

“devastating” and “unbelievable”.

The mayor is returning from her annual holiday on Saturday to chair a meeting of tourist, commercial and political bodies with an interest in the area.

‘We have to look at what we can do immediately. Our first priority is to see can we get the decision overturned. If not, we must try to secure another air- line that can service the same times, which will be very difficult.”

Like many politicians who came

out against the Aer Lingus announce- ment expected later today, Cllr Mc- Carthy said she could not understand why the airline removed the Shannon Slots ahead of Dublin or Cork, leav- ing the west of Ireland’s largest in- ternational airport without any con- necting flights from Heathrow.

Clare TD Pat Breen (FG) said he be- lieved that the minister for transport and Aer Lingus should reduce one or two slots in other Irish airports.

“The Taoiseach and the Govern-

ment should urge British PM Gordon Brown and his government to make extra slots available into Belfast as an acknowledgement of the dividend of the peace process in Northern Ire- land,” he suggested.

Clare Junior Minister Tony Kil- leen (FF) said he believed that the decision can still be reversed but, if it cannot, then a new Shannon to Heathrow link must be put in place at times that are convenient to the busi- ness community 1n the west.

‘The Shannon to Heathrow service has a very high load factor, which 1n- dicates that the Aer Lingus decision may be based on lower yield factors. I await a full explanation from Der- mot Mannion (Aer Lingus CEQ) on this issue. However, this comes as no comfort to those whose jobs may be 1 wh eae

Minister Killeen said he was not surprised that business and commu- nity leaders in the region were now questioning the credibility of Aer Lingus’ commitment to Shannon Airport and the west of Ireland.

‘However, I feel that the flagship carrier’s recent announcement re- garding the continuation of transat- lantic services at the Clare airport over the winter period is somewhat Ker UUW EELS OORT BLOB

Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF) said the “disappointing” announcement is not in keeping with the spirit of the agreement not to sell the Shannon slots.