Clare County Council is to honour visionary Irish businessman Dr Brendan O’Regan with an exhibition later this year.
Shannon Airport hosted the January meeting of the local authority with the importance of the airport to the county central to discussions throughout.
In his address, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Bill Chambers said he was honoured to chair the meeting in Shannon. “It is appropriate that the first Monthly Meeting since the adoption of the new County Development Plan be held here considering the airport and the surrounding Free Zone are central to the economic and social development of this county”.
Chambers reserved special praise for one of the county’s most influential businessman, the late Dr Brendan O’Regan. He revealed that a special exhibition will be hosted by Clare Museum later this year to mark the centenary of his birth.
“2017 also marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of Clare’s finest and most ambitious entrepreneurs as well as somebody who helped drive the success of this airport down through the years. A proud Sixmilebridge and Clare man, Dr. Brendan O’Regan was an industrial visionary.
“Dr O’Regan, whose father was once Chair of Clare County Council, opened up the Shannon area to tourism, industrial development and job creation. I am delighted to confirm that Clare Museum in Ennis is planning a temporary exhibition formally marking the hundredth anniversary of Dr’ O’Regan’s birth in Ennis this coming May. It is important that we celebrate his entrepreneurial spirit and his significant contribution to this region. It must be said that Dr. O’Regan would be very proud of what is being achieved in Shannon today”.
It is not the first time Clare Museum will host an exhibition for O’Regan who died aged ninety, nine years ago. ‘Empowering the People: Brendan O’Regan’ was the name of the display, the county museum has rarely hosted exhibitions in honour of living people as was the case in 2007, highlighting the esteem and respect with which he was held in.
As he continued his address, Cllr Chambers referenced a 2009 council proposal that the Airport, the Free Zone and the surrounding airport landbank be separated from the DAA and placed under a single public management model.
“By the beginning of 2013, independence had become a reality and since then this airport has thrived thanks to a proactive and creative management approach and positive support from passengers throughout the West of Ireland. My Elected Member colleagues and I acknowledge that connectivity to and from the airport is essential to ensure that it can continue to make a significant contribution to the local, regional and national economy in the future.
“Road connectivity to the airport is currently provided via the N19, which provides a link to the national motorway network. This Council will continue to support the upgrade of the N19 during the lifetime of the new County Development Plan. Public transport links to the airport are also important to ensure the ongoing growth in passenger numbers using the airport. This Council will support the further integration of airport services with both public and private bus service operators in the future”, the Fianna Fáil councillor added.