Shannon
Irish: Sionainn
Town
View over Shannon, with the industrial area on the left and the housing on the right
View over Shannon, with the industrial area on the left and the housing on the right
Coat of arms of Shannon
Coat of arms
Shannon is located in Ireland
Shannon
Shannon
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°42′49″N 8°52′07″W / 52.713731°N 8.868628°W / 52.713731; -8.868628
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Clare
Dáil constituencyClare
EU ParliamentSouth
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total10,256
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key
V14
Telephone area code+353(0)61
Irish Grid ReferenceR402624
Websitewww.shannon.ie

Shannon (Irish: Sionainn) or Shannon Town (Baile na Sionnainne), named after the river near which it stands, is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It was given town status on 1 January 1982. The town is located just off the N19 road, a spur of the N18/M18 road between Limerick and Ennis. It is the location of Shannon Airport, an international airport serving the Clare/Limerick region in the west of Ireland.

It has a population of 10,256 as per the 2022 census, the second largest town in the county.[1]

History

Shannon is a new town. Spearheaded by Brendan O'Regan,[4] it was built in the 1960s on reclaimed marshland alongside Shannon Airport, along with the Shannon Free Zone industrial estate.[5] The residential areas were intended as a home for the thousands of workers at the airport, surrounding industries and support services. Population growth was never as fast as planned throughout the first few decades of the town's existence. This was partly due to the proximity of 'friendly' places to live, such as Ennis town and Limerick city, or even the nearby village of Newmarket-on-Fergus.

The 'planned' nature of this town did not necessarily result in a successful town. It was lacking in facilities, and the town's shopping centre was also of poor design. Shops fronted onto pedestrian malls that were originally uncovered, allowing estuary winds and rain to strike at shoppers. The early low-cost housing (tower-block flats located in Drumgeely, near the airport) was poor-quality terraced housing.

Shannon was originally located in the parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, and at first a priest in residence of the airport served the population. In 1966 St. Senan's School was opened and Mary Immaculate Church was built on Corrib Drive. On 24 December 1967 the parish of Shannon was created. For a short period a group of Dominican Sisters of England had a community in the parish. In 1974 they were replaced by the Sisters of Mercy. The church of Saints John and Paul was opened in Tullyvarraga in 1980.[6] Other churches are the Adoration Chapel in Shannon Town Centre and the Shannon Airport Oratory.[7] The Church of Ireland community is served by the Drumcliffe Union and the Methodist community is served by a lay pastor. Shannon is also home of Christian evangelical churches, Shannon Christian Church and New Life Christian Church.

St. John's Church of Ireland School was the first school established in Shannon in 1962. Christ Church Shannon opened in 1962, also serving members of the reformed faiths, but it is now closed.

Shannon was the manufacturing base of GAC Ireland, which built almost all buses for CIÉ during its short existence between 1980 and 1986.

Development

The population grew in the 1990s, and new modern housing developments were built. Improvements to facilities in the town included the opening of a second major supermarket, Lidl,[8] with the shopping centre being expanded by the addition of the "Skycourt" complex.

The main road through Shannon was remodelled following the opening of the bypass of Newmarket-on-Fergus. New units continued to open in the industrial estates.

Education

Shannon College of Hotel Management

Shannon town has six primary schools: St. Tola's, St John's, St Senan's, Gaelscoil Donnacha Rua, St. Conaire's (largest primary school) and St. Aidan's, including a Gaelscoil (Gaelscoil Donncha Rua)[9] and a school under the patronage of Church of Ireland (St. Johns NS[10]).

There are two second-level education institutes in the town, St. Patrick's Comprehensive School and St. Caimin's Community School. St. Patrick's Comprehensive School opened in 1966 as Ireland's first comprehensive school. It has been serving the town since and is due an extension to increase its capacity to over 900 pupils.

There is one third level institution in Shannon: the Shannon College of Hotel Management, which opened in 1951. Since 2015 it has been an official college of the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Economy

Shannon Free Zone is Ireland's largest cluster of North American investments. Since its establishment in 1959, more than 110 overseas companies have chosen to open subsidiaries in Shannon. Major companies in Shannon include global market leaders such as EI Electronics, Jaguar Land Rover, Zimmer Biomet,[11] Element Six, Symantec, AXA Partners, Lufthansa Technik, Mentor Graphics, RSA Security, GE Capital, Ingersoll Rand, Intel and Digital River.[12] Eirjet's head office was located on the grounds of Shannon Airport.[13]

Local government and politics

The town is administered at a local level by Clare County Council. In 1982, the town was granted local government under town commissioners.[14] In 2002, this body became a town council.[15][16] In 2008, the administrative boundary of the town was extended.[17] In 2014, in common with all town councils in Ireland, it was abolished and its functions were transferred to the county council.[18][19][20]

2009 Shannon Town Council election
Party Seats Change
Fine Gael 4 +2
Labour Party 2 =
Independent 3 -1
Sinn Féin 0 -
Fianna Fáil 0 -2

In addition, prior to September 2004, Shannon Development, a state-sponsored body had charge of many services normally provided by local authorities in Ireland. This gave Shannon a unique status in local governance. In September 2004 its situation was regularised when Shannon Development transferred its local government functions to Clare County Council.[21] The company retains responsibility for the Shannon Free Zone.

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[22] The highest temperature ever recorded in Shannon was 32.0 °C (89.6 °F) on 28 June 2018.[23]

Climate data for Shannon Airport, (1981–2010, extremes 1938–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.8
(58.6)		 15.5
(59.9)		 20.2
(68.4)		 23.5
(74.3)		 27.2
(81.0)		 32.0
(89.6)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.0
(86.0)		 27.9
(82.2)		 23.0
(73.4)		 18.2
(64.8)		 16.2
(61.2)		 32.0
(89.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.8
(47.8)		 9.2
(48.6)		 11.1
(52.0)		 13.3
(55.9)		 16.0
(60.8)		 18.3
(64.9)		 19.8
(67.6)		 19.6
(67.3)		 17.7
(63.9)		 14.3
(57.7)		 11.1
(52.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 14.0
(57.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.0
(42.8)		 6.2
(43.2)		 7.8
(46.0)		 9.5
(49.1)		 12.1
(53.8)		 14.6
(58.3)		 16.4
(61.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 14.2
(57.6)		 11.2
(52.2)		 8.3
(46.9)		 6.3
(43.3)		 10.7
(51.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3.2
(37.8)		 3.2
(37.8)		 4.5
(40.1)		 5.7
(42.3)		 8.2
(46.8)		 10.9
(51.6)		 12.9
(55.2)		 12.7
(54.9)		 10.8
(51.4)		 8.2
(46.8)		 5.5
(41.9)		 3.6
(38.5)		 7.4
(45.3)
Record low °C (°F) −11.9
(10.6)		 −9.8
(14.4)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 0.9
(33.6)		 4.4
(39.9)		 2.8
(37.0)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −11.4
(11.5)		 −11.9
(10.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 102.3
(4.03)		 76.2
(3.00)		 78.7
(3.10)		 59.2
(2.33)		 64.8
(2.55)		 69.8
(2.75)		 65.9
(2.59)		 82.0
(3.23)		 75.6
(2.98)		 104.9
(4.13)		 94.1
(3.70)		 104.0
(4.09)		 977.6
(38.49)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 20 16 19 16 16 15 16 18 16 20 20 19 211
Average snowy days 2.3 2.3 1.4 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.3 8.0
Average relative humidity (%) 80.5 74.6 70.5 64.4 63.3 65.1 68.0 68.2 69.2 75.2 80.5 83.1 71.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 49.6 65.0 99.2 153.0 179.8 156.0 139.5 139.5 117.0 89.9 60.0 43.4 1,291.9
Mean daily sunshine hours 1.6 2.3 3.2 5.1 5.8 5.2 4.5 4.5 3.9 2.9 2.0 1.4 3.5
Source: Met Éireann[24][25][26][27][28]

Twin towns – sister cities

Shannon is twinned with:

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Interactive Data Visualisations: Towns: Shannon". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Shannon". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Central Statistics Office Ireland and Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports Website. Shannon was not a census form until 1961. Pre 1961 figures include the townlands of Clenagh, Drumline and Rineanna. Post 1986 figures include the environs of Shannon Clenagh.
  4. ↑ "Tributes paid to Clare man who pioneered duty free at Shannon". Irish Times. 4 February 2008.
  5. ↑ "Shannon - Our Town". Shannon.ie. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "Shannon". Diocese of Killaloe. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Shannon Churches". Diocese of Killaloe. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "LIDL".
  9. ↑ "Gaelscoil Donncha Rua, Shannon, Co. Clare". www.gdr.ie. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "St. John's National School, Shannon". www.stjohnsns.org. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Kelly, Aidan (26 November 2020). "Zimmer Biomet". Irish Centre for Business Excellence Network. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  12. ↑ An Economic Overview of Ireland’s Shannon Region February 2012, p. 14] Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "home." Eirjet. 1 July 2006. Retrieved on 15 September 2010.
  14. ↑ Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 (Shannon) Order 1981 (S.I. No. 399 of 1981). Signed on 19 November 1981. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  15. ↑ Local Government Act 2001, 6th Sch.: Local Government Areas (Towns) (No. 37 of 2001, 6th Sch.). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 3 August 2022.
  16. ↑ Local Government Act 2001 (Establishment Day) Order 2001 (S.I. No. 591 of 2001). Signed on 18 December 2001 by Noel Dempsey, Minister for the Environment and Local Government. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 6 November 2022.
  17. ↑ Shannon town Boundary Alteration Order 2008 (S.I. No. 557 of 2008). Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  18. ↑ Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 24: Dissolution of town councils and transfer date (No. 1 of 2014, s. 24). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  19. ↑ Local Government Reform Act 2014 (Commencement of Certain Provisions) (No. 3) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 214 of 2014). Signed on 22 May 2014 by Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  20. ↑ "Shannon Town Council Origins". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ↑ Climate Summary for Shannon
  23. ↑ "Record Irish temperature could be broken today - says Met Eireann forecaster". 29 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "Shannon Airport 1981–2010 averages". Met Éireann. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "Absolute Maximum Air Temperatures For Each Month At Selected Stations" (PDF). Met Éireann. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Absolute Minimum Air Temperatures For Each Month At Selected Stations" (PDF). Met Éireann. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  27. ↑ "03962: Shannon Airport (Ireland)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  28. ↑ "03962: Shannon Airport (Ireland)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "20 ans de souvenirs". Le jumelage de Guingamp et Shannon (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  30. ↑ McMahon, Páraic (11 May 2023). "World famous composer Patrick Cassidy returns to alma mater St Patrick's Comprehensive". www.clareecho.ie. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "Shannon man for Áras an Uachtarán". www.clarepeople.ie. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  32. ↑ "Presenters: Rachael English". RTÉ. 19 September 2022.
  33. ↑ "Property: Ger Loughnane". IrishExaminer. 11 March 2005.
  34. ↑ Cunningham, Kieran (21 January 2023). "Ger Loughnane on life, death and hurling". Buzz.ie. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
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