Shannon Group 'better off inviting Duffy's Circus to Airport than Cabinet members' - Clare Echo

*Shane Ross was the last member of Cabinet to visit Shannon Airport when he was Minister for Transport in November 2019. Photograph: Arthur Ellis

A suggestion to bring members of the Cabinet to Shannon Airport to hold a meeting has been dismissed by a Clare TD who quipped that it would be better to invite Duffy’s Circus instead.

Chairperson of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, Limerick TD Kieran O’Donnell (FG) told its sitting in recent days that bringing members of the Cabinet to Shannon Airport to hold a meeting would send “a powerful message”.

While Chairperson Designate of Shannon Group, Pádraig Ó Céidigh welcomed the idea, the reaction was not as favourable from Clare TD, Michael McNamara (IND). “There is a proposal to bring the Cabinet to Shannon Airport. Unless they are coming with a strategy for Shannon Airport, which has been sorely absent up to now, I respectfully suggest that the airport would be better off bringing Duffy’s Circus to Shannon because at least it would bring a crowd,” he said.

Deputy McNamara also sought clarification on the difference between an executive chair and a non-executive chair. “Mr. Ó Céidigh said that his role is to determine the strategic direction of the airport,. Whose role is it to drive matters and achieve that strategic direction if he remains a non-executive chair,” the Scariff native questioned.

Ó Céidigh’s response indicated that his new role is a part-time role. “As I see it, a non-executive chair is very much a part-time role, the primary function of which is to chair anything between eight to ten board meetings a year, each lasting up to two to three hours and sometimes longer. The executive chair is a full-time role. That is the primary difference. The Deputy also asked about the difference between the chair, the chief executive officer and the management team, and the strategic direction. In my view, it is the board and not the chair. The chair facilitates the board. The board creates the vision and works on the strategy with the management team.

“Fundamentally, strategy is very simple. The Deputy spoke of strategic direction. With strategic direction, we start off knowing where we are at now. It is totally honest, with no sort of bias. It is just a case of asking where we are at now. Then we ask where it is we want to get to. Strategy is the bridge we build between where we are now and where we want to get to. It is the board’s role, in my view, to work with the management team in creating a realistic and effective strategy in creating it. It is the management team’s function to execute on the strategy. Management are primarily in execution mode. The board is not necessarily in execution mode. All of the board, including me, are non-executive. There are many other things going on in their lives, as is the situation with most, if not all, other State boards. That is the difference in the role of the board versus the role of the executive”.

Related News

road gritting 1
Clare County Council treats more than 12,000 Kilometres of National Secondary and Regional Roads in 10 days.
drugs customs shannon 1
Mother and daughter charged with €1.28m Shannon airport drugs haul further remanded in custody
ennis hospital sign 1
Resumption of Health Services Following Weather Disruptions
21112024_Ennis_Court_Trevor_Quinn_0115-768x11511
Ennis teen charged with machete attack secures bail in the High Court and additional charge expected
Latest News
4
Avoid the cold and get planning for your garden this January
ennis hospital sign 1
Resumption of Health Services Following Weather Disruptions
21112024_Ennis_Court_Trevor_Quinn_0115-768x11511
Ennis teen charged with machete attack secures bail in the High Court and additional charge expected
avenue utd v bridge utd 18-05-24 ronan tuohy jamie roche 1
Two Clare clubs chasing Munster junior cup progress
brian crowley ttm
Profits of Ennis based TTM Healthcare surge by 32% to €11.55m
Premium
pat dowling old rectory
Dowling says Shannon Heritage risk will pay off for Clare & 'legal loopholes' to blame for slowing down projects
éire óg v ennistymon 30-10-22 27 paul madden
Paul Madden steps down after 8 years as Eire Og manager
ennis o'connell street works 05-11-24 17
Temporary traffic management plan sought for Ennis as public realm works recommence
clare v cork u20 17-05-24 james hegarty william buckley 1
Flannan's captain Hegarty a doubtful starter for Harty Cup quarter-final
inis ealga shannon 1
Council need 'to take ownership' of dangerous Inis Ealga equipment

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.