Housing Update – March 30th

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Every Wednesday, I will update you here on the social houses that are available via Clare County Council.

As always, it is vital that you register with Clare County Council’s housing section for their Choice Based Letting site, where you are able to register your interest for a property. You can contact the housing section on (065) 6821616.

Please note: Some weeks, no properties come online and therefore there will be no housing update.

Killaloe

Address: 12 Radharc Na hEaglaise, Killaloe, Co. Clare

Details: Three-bed, semi-detached

  • Kitchen/Dining area
  • Air to water heating
  • Bathroom
  • Back garden
  • Front driveway

New Shannon Group chair must be present on day-to-day basis

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  • Conal Henry takes over from Pádraig Ó Céidigh
  • To be formally appointed shortly

 

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe has welcomed the swift appointment of Conal Henry as the new chair of Shannon Group – but is calling on Minister Eamon Ryan to change the terms of his appointment.

Mr Henry has held senior management positions including Founder and Chair of Fibrus Networks since 2018 and Chief Executive Officer of e|net (NBI) from 2006 to 2018.

He was also Commercial Director at Ryanair and served on the Board of Shannon Foynes Port Company.  He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a law degree from Queen’s University Belfast.

“Whilst I welcome Mr Henry’s appointment, it concerns me that Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s tenure was a board chairperson so in effect his functions were limited to just being at the airport when the board was actually meeting but I believe in order to see a full recovery to pre-Covid levels, we need to see Mr Henry in an executive chairperson role.

“This would ensure that he’s in the airport on a more permanent basis – that is the only way that somebody can effectively oversee the running of Shannon Group and Shannon Airport.

“This is an issue I will be taking up with Minister Ryan.

“Today, I am writing to you him to ask that he change the terms of Mr Henry’s appointment so that we ensure a very hands-on chair is leading Shannon Group at this critical time.

“Now that we have transatlantic fights back at Shannon, we need to try to secure further routes into continental Europe.

“Whilst the Ryanair routes are hugely attractive and positive for the Midwest region, we do also need to see air connectivity to major European hubs that provide onward flights to Asia, the Middle East and Australia.

“Because of Mr Henry’s Ryanair background, he understands aviation but to really be a positive driving force for Shannon Group, he will need to be there on a day-to-day basis working in tandem with Mary Considine and her team.”

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Shannon Group chair resignation leaves questions

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  • Pádraig Ó Céidigh has stepped down after six months
  • Leaves fresh uncertainty for Shannon Group

 

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe is calling for representatives of Shannon Group and the Department of Transport to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to discuss the path forward for Shannon Group.

Last night, it was confirmed that Pádraig Ó Céidigh has resigned from his role as Chairman of the Shannon Group after just six months.

“I, like so many people in this region with high interest and concern for Shannon Airport, saw huge hope in Ó Céidigh’s appointment,” said Deputy Crowe.

“We need to know why he is no longer able to fulfil his role and also appoint a suitable replacement ASAP.

“Mr Ó Céidigh, who founded Aer Arann in 1970, took up the role in September after it had been left vacant for a period of 13 months.

“His decades of experience in aviation led to renewed hope for Shannon Airport – I had significant optimism for the airport’s future and had hoped we would see a return to the glory days of the 1990s.

“I’ve written to the chairperson of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell, to suggest that we urgently summon Mr Ó Céidigh, Mary Considine and Fintan Towey, Assistant Secretary for Aviation in the Department of Transport, to appear before our committee to discuss the reasons behind this resignation and the pathway forward in terms of a replacement.

“Shannon Airport enjoyed bumper passenger numbers last weekend and overall is making good inroads in terms of recovery to pre-Covid levels of operation.

“A strong character, with an aviation background, is urgently needed to drive on this recovery and we need to strike while the iron is hot here.”

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Housing Update – March 23rd

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Every Wednesday, I will update you here on the social houses that are available via Clare County Council.

As always, it is vital that you register with Clare County Council’s housing section for their Choice Based Letting site, where you are able to register your interest for a property. You can contact the housing section on (065) 6821616.

Please note: Some weeks, no properties come online and therefore there will be no housing update.

Ennis

Address: 40 Bridge Court, Roslevan, Ennis, Co. Clare

Details: Three-bed, bungalow

  • 3 bedroomed bungalow
  • Gas heating and open fire
  • Kitchen/Dining area
  • Sitting Room with open fire (no back boiler)
  • Bathroom
  • Shower and Bath (not level access).
  • Rear back and front gardens.

Housing Update – March 16th

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Every Wednesday, I will update you here on the social houses that are available via Clare County Council.

As always, it is vital that you register with Clare County Council’s housing section for their Choice Based Letting site, where you are able to register your interest for a property. You can contact the housing section on (065) 6821616.

Please note: Some weeks, no properties come online and therefore there will be no housing update.

Ennis

Address: Apt 4, Bank Place Apartments, Bindon Lane, Ennis

Details: Two-bed; first-floor apartment

  • First floor Apartment  (with balcony)
  • 2 bedrooms
  • 1 shower room
  • Electric heating
  • Kitchen
  • Living room

This property is a short term lease property of 5 years.

Clare County Council will not be the landlord, the property owner will be the landlord to the tenant.

Fast-tracked vetting needed for offers of accommodation for Ukrainians

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  • Clare landlord exposed as exploiting Ukrainians
  • Undermines good intentions of vast majority

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has slammed a Clare landlord, who has reportedly offered accommodation to Ukrainian women in a sex-for-rent arrangement.

According to today’s Irish Examiner, the anonymous landlord has offered a room in his home to a “slim Ukrainian woman” with the expectation of sex in return.

It goes on to say that he requires a photo of the woman in advance before he will reveal the location of his home.

“This is disgusting, abhorrent and pathetic in every way possible,” said Deputy Crowe.

“It’s beyond belief that somebody would use such a devastating situation to exploit a person forced to flee their home country and arrive into the unknown.

“Unfortunately, the sex industry has always exploited vulnerable women and children and seized on opportunities like war, persecution and famine to enslave them.

“The disgusting individual referenced in this story thankfully is unrepresentative of the incredible generosity, solidarity and spirit of care that most Clare, and Irish people overall, are instinctively showing.

“I have written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee asking that her department look at a fast-track vetting regime for offers of accommodation.

“It’s desperately sad that this request is needed but sadly, there are people out there like this man who will take advantage at any given opportunity.

“You can be sure that the vast, vast majority of offers are genuine and instinctively caring but we, nonetheless, need to have stringent oversight to ensure that people fleeing here from war-torn Ukraine are being safely and appropriately accommodated.

“I believe this matter is of extreme urgency so that the genuine people out there who want to help can do so and more importantly, so that the Ukrainians arriving into our country at their most desperate hour of need experience our world-famous thousand welcomes – and don’t get met by pathetic individuals like this man.”

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End in sight to Newmarket-on-Fergus sewage issues

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  • Planning almost ready to be submitted
  • Positive news for growth of village

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed confirmation from Irish Water that on plans to upgrade the sewage treatment plant serving Newmarket-on-Fergus are at an advanced stage.

Survey work has now been completed and an application for planning is ready to be submitted by the end of Q2 2022.

After this, it is hoped that a tender can be issued for the construction.

“This is hugely positive news for the village of Newmarket-on-Fergus,” said Deputy Crowe.

“These works will see the relocation of the existing treated effluent outfall from the current discharge point at the Lough Gash turlough.

“The growth of Newmarket has been limited for quite some time now due to the capacity of the treatment of sewage in the village.

“The key thing about upgrading this infrastructure is that it means that this hurdle can be overcome and this makes Newmarket more attractive to young families looking to set up home and indeed to young people from Newmarket-on-Fergus who have left but would be keen to move back to put down roots.

“I’ve been over and back with Irish Water and Minister Darragh O’Brien on this issue and have worked closely with Councillor Pat McMahon to bring this to a resolution.

“It’s key now that there are no further delays to addressing the sewage issues in Newmarket and Cllr McMahon and I will work our utmost and continue to liaise with Irish Water to ensure that this is the case”.

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Ryanair route to Marseille significant boost to Shannon and Midwest

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  • Twice weekly service launched
  • Further boost for Midwest region

 

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe has welcomed today’s announcement that Ryanair is to commence a twice-weekly service from Shannon Airport to Marseille.

The route to the port city in the south of France will operate twice weekly, each Wednesday and Saturday, commencing Wednesday 4th May.

“Ryanair’s announcement today is another positive move for Shannon Airport and indeed for the Midwest region,” said Deputy Crowe.

“This announcement now brings Ryanair’s total number of destination routes from Shannon to 25 – hugely significant in terms of the knock-on economic impact in Clare and across the region.

“In 2019, during my mayoral term, I held a series of meetings with Dr. Loïc Guyon, the French Consul to Ireland, to try to establish air routes between France and Ireland.

“Covid upset these plans but I’m delighted that now progress is again being made.

“Brexit has reminded us of how geographically peripheral Ireland and indeed Shannon Airport is in the EU.

“While the Marseille route will be very popular with tourists both in France and Ireland, it would be a real win to establish an air route between Shannon and Charles de Gaulle airport.

“Access to a European airport hub would provide people in the west of Ireland with huge connection possibilities with Europe, Asia and Oceania.

“We also need, as we emerge from Covid, to really market the preclearance facility that Shannon offers to passengers entering the United States.

“The potential is huge and I would hope that we continue to see a more balanced regional aviation policy rolled out in this country.”

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Major expansion of DEIS schools in Clare

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  • 14 new DEIS status schools
  • Four existing DEIS schools to be reclassified

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed a significant expansion of DEIS schools in Clare by the Department of Education.

It’s been confirmed this afternoon that a €32 million expansion of the DEIS programme is being rolled out, which will see 14 schools in Clare receive DEIS status for the first time; while four existing DEIS schools here will be reclassified.

“This is a hugely positive announcement from my colleague, Minister Norma Foley,” said Deputy Crowe.

“DEIS is disadvantaged status and tracks many metrics, such as the socio-economic background of people, the community hinterland and so on.

“The benefit for the schools here is that money follows DEIS designation and allows these schools to pursue a lot – a much more extensive range of programmes to enhance literacy, numeracy and to better meet the needs of the children.

“The DEIS programme really amounts to a levelling of the playing field so that children of all backgrounds can achieve the same educational outcomes.

“Schools in almost every corner of the county have been chosen to benefit from the DEIS categorisation – as far north as Lisdoonvarna NS, Carrigaholt NS out on the Loop Head peninsula in the West, Killaloe Boys NS over in the east, my own local school in Meelick and more.

“Shannon, in particular, is to benefit well from this announcement with news that both Gaelscoil Donncha Rua and St Senan’s NS have been classified as DEIS schools, providing a significant boost to the children of the town and surrounding areas.

“In addition, we’ve seen the positive news that the junior and senior Holy Family schools in Ennis, the Convent of Mercy national school in Kilrush and Ennis Educate Together have all been reclassified from Urban 2 to Urban 1 status, which will see increased supports rolled out to them.

“It’s hugely important to remember that the DEIS programme is a positive one and the children that go to these schools will have the opportunity to achieve their dreams, with the benefit of the increased funding that their schools will receive.”

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Housing Update – March 9th

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Every Wednesday, I will update you here on the social houses that are available via Clare County Council.

As always, it is vital that you register with Clare County Council’s housing section for their Choice Based Letting site, where you are able to register your interest for a property. You can contact the housing section on (065) 6821616.

Please note: Some weeks, no properties come online and therefore there will be no housing update.

Ennis

Address: Moinear, Cluain Ros Leamhain, Roslevan, Ennis (Phase 2)

Details: Two-bed properties

These properties are being made available through an Approved Housing Body: Cooperative Housing Ireland

  • Semi detached and terraced 2-storey houses
  • Kitchen/dining area
  • Sitting room
  • Bath in main bathroom
  • Heating: Air to Water
  • Own door entrance
  • Driveway
  • Back garden

As these are 2 bedroomed properties, only applicant households who are qualified for 2 bedroomed properties can be considered.

 

Ennis

Address: Moinear, Cluain Ros Leamhain, Roslevan, Ennis (Phase 2)

Details: Three-bed properties

These properties are being made available through an Approved Housing Body: Cooperative Housing Ireland

  • Semi detached and terraced 2-storey houses
  • Kitchen/dining area
  • Sitting room
  • Bath in main bathroom
  • Heating: Air to Water
  • Own door entrance
  • Driveway
  • Back garden

As these are 3 bedroomed properties, only applicant households who are qualified for 3 bedroomed properties can be considered.

 

Ennis

Address: Turnpike Road, Ennis

Details: Two-bed, top floor apartment

  • 2 Bedroomed first floor apartment
  • Shared entrance with one other apartment
  • Bathroom
  • Shower
  • Back garden
  • Kitchen
  • Living room

As these are a 2 bedroomed property, only applicant households who are qualified for a 2 bedroomed property can be considered