SHANNON is set to receive a major jobs boost later this summer.
Hundreds of jobs are on the cards with a leading Irish-born company due to make “a significant announcement” in the coming weeks, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke (FG) told the Dáil on Wednesday.
Exact details on the industry, job count and exact location in Shannon are not yet known with the Shannon Campus viewed as the most likely location for such development.
Minister Burke told the Dáil that the Mid-West region was “uniquely positioned” for enterprise growth and confirmed that a major announcement was expected later this summer. “There will be a very significant announcement during the summer by a leading Irish-born company in relation to Shannon. This will be a strong testament to the work of Government in providing key infrastructure and supporting a highly skilled workforce”.
He added that Government policy was focused on “unlocking the full economic potential of all regions”, highlighting Shannon Airport, Foynes Port and strong links with third-level institutions in the Mid-West.
Clare TD, Joe Cooney (FG) spoke on industrial development and employment opportunities in the Mid-West particularly the Shannon Free Zone when speaking in the Dáil which prompted the Minister’s response. He said the expected announcement would be a strong boost for the region.
O’Callaghans Mills native Cooney said the development would be a key step in strengthening the region as a counterbalance to Dublin’s economic concentration. “The overconcentration of development in Dublin is not just a Dublin issue, it is a national planning challenge. The Mid-West, and Shannon in particular, can and should act as a counterbalance, providing space, capacity and opportunity for sustainable economic growth”.
Deputy Cooney said Shannon has the infrastructure and capacity to support major investment. “Shannon offers what Dublin increasingly cannot, including space for enterprise, aviation development, space for housing, and space within the planning system to move with speed and ambition. That is why it is ideally placed to support Ireland’s next phase of balanced regional development.
He stressed that the region must continue to be developed as a genuine alternative economic hub. “Balanced regional development cannot just be a policy aspiration. It has to be delivered in practice. Shannon has the assets, the talent and the ambition to play a central role in delivering that balance”.
