Month: August 2012

AN ENNIS man is beginning a massive drive throughout Ireland this week, something he’s undertaking to raise awareness of the Samaritans. Peadar White is about to re-enact the 1901 Motor Tour of Ireland, an event that took some three weeks to complete 111 years back.

It’s kicking off on Wednesday in Dublin and from there he will head for Waterford. After overnighting there he will be on the road again, travelling via Cork City on to the Kenmare Pass and Killarney and Tralee. On day three, he will head from Tralee to Ennis.

This Saturday morning he will set out from the Halfway on the Limerick Road and following the route of the rally to places like Kilbaha, Kilrush, Kilkee and on to Ballyvaughan. After leaving Clare it will be on to Galway, Maam Cross and Leenane. Sunday will see him go from Leenane to Sligo and on next Monday he will travel from Sligo to Enniskillen and back to Dublin. He is hopeful that some vintage enthusiasts from Clare will join him for part of the journey on this Saturday, August 11.

ALMOST 7,000 visitors have passed through the doors of the recently renovated historic Ennis Friary since the building re-opened to the public in June.

The 13th century Franciscan Friary has been closed for three years to facilitate major renovation and conservation works.

The purpose of the estimated € 100,000 works project is to provide protection for the collection of carved features which survive at Ennis Friary.

A roof has been installed over the 18th century church in order to provide protection for the collection. The OPW also plans to improve visitor access at the site.

Authorities on medieval sculpture have highlighted the importance of the Friary’s unique collection, which contain a complete set of panels representing the 12 apostles and stages of the Passion of Christ.

Ennis Friary holds a rich collection of carved stone including the Creagh Tomb, Ecce Homo and Royal Tomb Canopy and also has remains of wall paintings.

A conservation plan prepared in 2001 identified the need to protect these and other elements of the Friary. Conservation works are still ongoing at the site.

According to figures from the Office of Public Works (OPW), 6,913 people visited the Friary between June 18 and July 29.

Ennis Friary is open daily from 10am to 6pm up to October 31. The last admission is 45 minutes before closing. Public car and coach parking facilities are provided close to the site. A visitor leaflet providing background to the Friary has been translated from English into Irish, French, German, Italian and Spanish and is available on site. Admission is free until the end of October.

Guided tours of Franciscan Friary in Ennis will take place on Sunday August 12 (2pm-5pm) and Sunday August 26 (2pm-5pm). Entrance to Ennis Friary is free all through Heritage Week and until the end of 2012. For further details of National Heritage Week Events in County Clare, please see www.heritageweek.ie.

IT IS waves of a different type that will be emulating from Loophead Lighthouse later this month, as radio enthusiasts broadcast through the local airwaves.

The newly promoted tourist attraction will be amongst hundreds of lighthouses and lightships worldwide to participate in a unique event aimed at promoting public awareness of lighthouses and lightships.

The Limerick Radio Club, comprising members from Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary, will broadcast non-stop for 48 hours from the West Clare lighthouse on August 18 and 19 as part of the 15th International Lighthouse /Lightship Weekend (ILLW).

During the broadcast, visitors to the lighthouse will be able to listen into communications with some of the other participating ham radio operators broadcasting from 400 other lighthouses and lightships in 50 countries.

The annual event, which is conducted under the sponsorship of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group (AARG) in Scotland, is always held on the third full weekend in August starting at 0001 UTC on Saturday and finishing at 2359 UTC on Sunday.

It also coincides with International Lighthouse Day on the Sunday, an event organised by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers whereby many world lighthouses are open to the public for the day.

Since last year however Loophead Lighthouse has opened its doors to thousands of visitors throughout the summer. Simon Kenny, Chairperson of Limerick Radio Club, said the club was privileged to be allowed to operate from Loophead this year for the very first time.

“We hope to open long distance communications with regions in Asia, through Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. A special QSL Card (confirmation of communication) has been designed to mark the event. Club membership is open to individuals from all walks of life who are interested in radio communications, electronic construction and antenna design. The club will operate two stations, one of which will be at the entrance to the lighthouse so members of the public can listen to some of the transmissions.”

Director of Services for Clare County Council Ger Dollard is responsible for tourism in the county and believes participation in this initiative will help promote Loophead Lighthouse across the world, “while at the same time helps to promote amateur radio and to foster international goodwill”.

A GROUP of Clare artists will be relocating to the Dingle peninsula this weekend for a ground-breaking exhibition that represents the first instalment of a show that is expected to travel to a number of venues throughout the country from now until the end of the year.

Five artists, four of whom are from Clare, have been chosen to stage a group show to mark the reopening of a landmark building in Ballyferriter called Tig an Tobar as a gallery space.

The exhibition, which is the brainchild of Ennis-based artist Shelagh Honan, combines a range of different artistic mediums including large-scale projections, ‘camera obscura’, sound installations as well as painting and drawing.

‘Call It What You Will’, which has been supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta, takes place from Friday to Sunday. It will be officially opened by RTÉ broadcasting legend Michéal Ó Muircheartaigh on Friday at 7pm.

“The aim of the exhibition is to bring art to public and local spaces, to contribute to a local dialogue through a conversation of stories, images and sound that have been created specifically for this location,” says Ms Honan.

“Tig an Tobar was also once a shop and a restaurant, while there is an openness to the space that makes it ideal to craft a public art project and create a unique impression that can be the start of the space being a regular venue for exhibitions,” adds the curator of ‘Call It What You Will’.

The other Clare artists involved in the exhibition are Maria Finucane from Tulla, Fiona O’Dwyer from Ennistymon and John Hanrahan from Ennis, while the fifth participating artist is Dublin-based Mike McLoughlin.

The patron of the event is Sheelagh Doyle, who lived in Lahinch for nearly a decade before moving to live on the Dingle peninsula.

A further Clare involvement was provided by Ennis-based Christy Healy, who operates Atlantic Diving School.

Along with his son Stephen, he was involved in underwater video recording for one of the installations, as was Martin Lyall who is also based in Ennis.

CASHING in on the ‘Shannon’ brand that is instantly recognizable around the world is the way forward for the region, Shannon Development chief executive, Dr Vincent Cunnane has said following the publication of the company’s annual report.

“The ‘Shannon’ brand is instantly recognised internationally and is synonymous with innovation and entrepreneurship, due in no small part to the many ‘world firsts’ that were born at Shannon over the years,” said Dr Cunnane.

“For example the world’s first tax free zone in the modern era was developed here,” Dr. Cunnane added.

Shannon’s international reputation was further enhanced with the visit in February 2012 of the Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

“We were honoured to be invited to brief the Chinese Vice President and his delegation on all aspects of Shannon Development’s regional economic development remit and particularly on activities at Shannon Free Zone,” said Dr Cunnane.

“Our objective in briefing Mr Xi was to create the environent to enhance good relations between Irish and Chinese businesses and to highlight Shannon as an ideal gateway location for Chinese businesses wish- ing to trade in Europe,” he added.

This message was further delivered when Dr Cunnane was a guest speaker at the China Civil Aviation Development Forum in Beijing.

China will invest over $230bn in the aviation sector in the next five years and, during his visit to China, Dr Cunnane met with senior man- agement from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and a number of Chinese airlines, cargo operators and Chinese airport chief executives to explore potential business opportunities for Shannon.

“I was delighted to have been invited to speak at the prestigious Chinese Civil Aviation Development Forum. I was asked to address the Forum on how an airport can successfully enhance local and regional economies. Over 750 top aviation industry influencers from China and around the world were assembled. It was a unique opportunity to promote Shannon,” said Dr Cunnane.

The linkages between Shannon Development and China began in the 1980s when Mr Jiang Zemin, who was then Senior Vice Minister of State Imports and Exports Administration and later became President of China, led a Chinese government delegation to Shannon to study our Shannon Free Zone and the Shannon Development ‘model’ of a regional development company.

The knowledge gained by the Chinese delegation was subsequently used in the development of China’s very successful Special Economic Zones.

The Chinese government initially opened four Special Economic Zones based on the Shannon model, which were extremely successful in attracting foreign investment, stimulating trade and invigorating growth.

“The zones became a major driver for China’s economy, allowing private investment to flow into the country underpinned by a significant transfer of skills and technology. There are now several hundred such zones all over China. Shannon Development is very proud to have been associated with such major innovation,” said the Shannon Development report.

EMPLOYMENT numbers at the Shannon Development managed Free Zone dropped by three per cent in 2011 as the company grappled with the demands of the economic recession, but there are still over 7,700 working in the industrial estate.

The Shannon Development annual report shows that employment numbers were boosted by 406 over the past year, which when measured against job losses of 580 over the same period meant that there was a net loss of 174 for the year.

“Shannon Free Zone is home to over 100 companies and generating almost € 3 billion in annual sales, more than 90 per cent of which are to export markets.

“Despite the economic downturn, Shannon Free Zone continues to be a strong revenue generator for the local economy.

Companies based at the Free Zone collectively contribute over € 600 million to the Irish and Shannon region economies annually in areas such as staff payroll, materials and services.

“While overall employment at the Zone fell 3 per cent year on year, it should be noted that almost 90 per cent of these job losses were the result of downsizing and not closures, enabling Shannon Development to continue working with these companies to identify new market opportunities. The company is encouraged by the slowdown in job losses, reporting a net loss of 174 jobs during the year. Jobs in indigenous companies at Shannon Free Zone continued to grow in 2011, in the past two years indigenous jobs have increased by over 10 per cent from 949 to 1,045,” the annual report adds.

Among the job highlights in 2011 was the announcement by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton of 170 new jobs to be created through a joint partnership between US company ZAGG International Distribution Ltd and Irish company CREGG Logistics.

The jobs are supported by Shannon Development and ZAGG is confident of creating a further 130 jobs over the next four years.

In addition, Bustec, the Shannon Free Zone-based technology firm, announced a $21 million (€ 15 million) contract with US technology firm Lockheed Martin to supply data capture and testing equipment which will be used by the US Navy.

“Considerable progress was made on marketing the Free Zone to potential overseas investors in 2011,” says the annual report.

During the year, Shannon Development succeeded in securing 19 itineraries from prospective new clients for the Shannon Free Zone, seven of which were generated in partnership with IDA Ireland.

“Shannon Development approved financial supports to Shannon Free Zone companies in 2011, which leveraged investments of € 13 million by these companies. A total of 20 Shannon Free Zone companies received Shannon Development support packages across key areas such as R&D, employment, management development, international marketing supports and training.

“These supports illustrate Shannon Development’s commitment to enable Free Zone companies maintain market leadership and underpins their future growth and success,” the reports adds.

IT’S as you were for Shannon Development as the agency that has been the economic driver for the mid-west region since 1959 prepares for the future, despite the uncertainty surrounding its role in the wake of the Government decision to change the company’s remit as part of creating a new model for Shannon Airport.

Chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane has spoken confidently about the company carving a new niche for itself in the region, but has admitted to “uncertainty” about what its new remit will be over the next year.

“It is a period of uncertainty for Shannon Development, but in a way, we always have had uncertainty”, admitted Dr Cunnane. “Uncertainty is not a good environment in which to work but it’s business as usual as much as we can. That’s our mantra since these announcements.

“It’s business as usual until something officially changes. Nothing has been officially changed, nothing is before the Government and we will continue to do our job in the professional manner we have always done it and yield good results in difficult times,” he added.

In June this year a steering group was appointed to oversee the Government decision to merge Shannon Airport with Shannon Development to form a new entity with a commercial mandate in public ownership.

As part of this, Shannon Development’s functions in relation to indigenous enterprise, foreign direct investment and tourism are to transfer to the national agencies.

Commenting further, the Shannon Development chief said, “Shannon Development staff will continue to provide a range of services to all their clients. We are in touch with our clients to assure them that our service levels will be unaffected during the interim period and that staff will continue to deliver the high level of service that clients have come to expect.”

“Shannon Development is working closely with the Government steering group and is represented on the working groups of the two task forces set up to look at the aviation development and the change management dimensions of the decision,” said Shannon Development chairman John Brassil.

“A successful Shannon Airport is vital to secure the future economic success of the region. Therefore it is crucial that the blueprint being developed for it is fit for purpose and utilises the unique experience and skills set of Shannon Development and Shannon Airport staff to plot its course and deliver the next generation of world firsts,” he added.

SHANNON Development has stated that plans to develop a major new visitor attraction in Bunratty are still in the pipeline, with the company’s annual report revealing that the campaign to secure expressions of interest for the multi-million euro project is ongoing.

“Shannon Development is seeking expressions of interest for a major new international visitor attraction on its 120-acre landbank next to the world famous Bunratty Castle and Folk Park,” the report reveals.

“Research carried out by Shannon Development identified a number of possible suitable projects for the site, among them a diaspora visitor centre and genealogy centre, and a themed family adventure park,” it adds.

The deadline for expressions of interest for the project was extended earlier this year as part of Shannon Development’s attempts to spark interest in a multi-national investor coming on board to develop the project.

It was originally intended that the closing date for submission to the regional development agency would be the end of March, but in extending this deadline chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane said, “additional time is required” because of the sig- nificant “nature of the project” that would be one of the largest to be undertaken under Shannon Development’s watch in decades.

“While the money may not be in Ireland, there is money elsewhere and the best value can be had at this point in time,” Dr Cunnane said.

This project has its genesis in a 2009 Clare County Council decision through the South Clare Local Area Plan to pave the way for the development of visitor facilities on the Shannon Development-owned site.

Shannon Development subsequently revealed that “informal discussions with Clare County Council indicated that they would welcome a tourism related planning application for this strategic site”.

In tender documents for the development of the site adjacent to Bunratty Castle, Shannon Development have highlighted gaps in the market that can be filled Bunratty – 50 years on from the start of medieval banquets in Bunratty Castle.

One of the proposals is to develop an Ireland Through the Ages History and Cultural Centre incorporating a diaspora visitor centre and genealogy centre.

“It is estimated that the size of the available market for cultural tourism in Ireland from main source markets of Britain, United States, France and Germany to be of the order of € 65 million,” the tender documents stated.

“The preferred option for Shannon Development is to enter into a development and management agreement with a preferred party for the development and operation of the new attraction,” the documents added.

Earlier this year, Dr Cunnane stated that the project “represents a unique opportunity beside an existing tourism attraction visited by 400,000 people per annum, adjacent to Shannon Airport and two hours by motorway from Dublin.

“We are hopeful that something very significant will happen at Bunratty. I’m confident that we will receive several expressions of interest,” he added.

SHANNON Development’s work as a driver for tourism in the mid-west is being rewarded with the results of increased numbers into region over the past year.

That’s the message delivered by Shannon Development chief executive Dr Vincent Cunnane following the publication of the company’s annual report last week.

Preliminary tourism figures from Fáilte Ireland for 2011 indicate that the Shannon region was one of Ire- land’s top performing areas in terms of the growth of international visitor numbers.

The region recorded 850,000 overseas visitors in 2011, an 11.7 per cent increase over the previous year, with Dr Cunnane highlighting Shannon Development key role in this upsured. “We are delighted with these preliminary results which clearly reflect the hard work that is being done on the ground and internationally to promote this region as a premier tourist destination,” he told The Clare People .

“While these figures are encouraging, we would acknowledge that not all businesses would have benefited equally. To support tourism businesses in the Shannon region, Shannon Development undertook a series of its own strategic tourism initiatives in 2011,” he said.

“These delivered 155,000 extra visitors, 310,000 bednights and an additional € 30 million in revenue. Over the past four years, tourism initiatives undertaken directly by the company have delivered a direct economic benefit of almost € 160 million for the region’s tourism industry.”

Tourism continues to be one of the key economic drivers in the Shannon region’s economy, employing more than 25,000 people in over 1,000 tourism businesses and attracting over 1.8 million visitors in 2011.

The continued success of Shannon Development subsidiary, Shannon Heritage, in this tourist drive was highlighted in the figures that show it recorded a five per cent growth in 2011 with 436,300 visitors across the board at all its tourist sites.

“The Shannon Heritage operation continues to be an economic driver by contributing an estimated € 15 million in revenue for the local economy,” said Dr Cunnane

“The Shannon region boasts a superb range of tourist attractions and Shannon Development’s Product Development team is constantly working to help the tourism trade devise new visitor attractions to entice the next generation of visitors.

“We want to ensure that this region is a ‘must visit’ destination.

“Our team is currently working on over € 22 million worth of tourism projects. A particular area of concentration for the company in 2011 was the development of sports tourism and conference business in the Shannon region,” added Dr Cunnane.

SHANNON Development incurred losses of over € 10m in 2011, but the chief executive, Dr Vincent Cunnane, has expressed himself to be “quite pleased” with company’s performance amid the challenging times of the current economic climate.

Figures from the annual report that was released last Tuesday show that pre-tax losses at the company narrowed by over 27 per cent during the year, from € 14.5m in 2010 to € 11.9m for the year ending December 2011.

The company’s performance comes against a backdrop of revenues declining by seven per cent from € 32.4m to € 30.2m in the 12 months to the end of December last. Dr Vincent Cunnane said he was “quite pleased” with this performance and pointed out that the biggest contributory factor to the pre-tax loss was a combined non-cash cost of € 10.5m made up of a depreciation charge of € 7m and a € 3.5m write-down in property assets.

“We had a small operating deficit,” said Dr Cunnane. “Over € 10m of it is a paper loss in terms of depreciation and impairment. When you take it all out their was a small operating loss of € 1.5m,” he added.

During 2011 Shannon Development’s rental earnings from its € 100m property portfolio dropped by over € 1m from € 13.3m to € 12.2m, which represented an eight per cent drop.

Meanwhile, as a direct result of the property crash, the company’s income from property sales has collapsed resulting in combined losses of € 45.6m in the past three years, largely made up of impairment charges and depreciation. “A significant improvement in un- derlying economic conditions will be required in order to facilitate the realisation of a number of major property sales and investment projects by the company,” the annual report states. “Accordingly, the company will adjust a number of the strategic plan key performance indicators such as job creation targets, visitor numbers and capital expenditure targets during 2012 and 2013 in order to take account of the prevailing economic climate,” it adds. “I believe that the best way out of a difficulty is to face it head on,” said Dr Cunnane. “In that vein, Shannon Development has managed its resources to respond to the most serious recession in a generation. “Against a difficult economic background, Shannon Development staff are continuing to craft the building blocks to help secure the economic future of our region. For this, I would like to personally commend their continued commitment and dedication. Shannon Development will continue to work to ensure that our region is a world class global location where people want to live, work and spend leisure time. As a regional development agency we are firmly focused on delivering a strong economic future for everyone living in the Shannon region,” he added.