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Interesting Article on Shannon

MarkR

The Town in Search of a Heart. Interesting read. Boards even gets a mention.

http://www.universitytimes.ie/2019/04/the-town-in-search-of-a-heart/

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Shapey Fiend

I worked in Shannon for a few years and never set foot in the place. More recently I dated a woman lived there and I found a fair bit to like about it. The multicultural aspects cool you meet a more interesting a mix of people than you would in Ennis. The estuary walk is nice. The new park is lovely and the playgrounds probably the best in the county.

Night life is rather limited but you certainly couldn't call the Knights particularly rough. There were plenty of older customers keep things sort of civilised. You're close enough to Limerick share a taxi pretty easily so it wasn't like you were totally stuck in any case.

They've finally got a cinema now anyway. That was chronically overdue.

Rental accommodation seems quite limited and expensive there, but sure isn't that the case anywhere there are jobs these days.

I'd be interested to see how the perspex roofed outdoor streets work somewhere else before pushing the boat out in Ennis. I think with our climate it'd look good for 6 months and rapidly start to weather badly.

If you look at the streets/lanes of Ennis that are pedestrianised that's where the retail seems to be doing worst. It's a nice idea in theory but business do have a little more insight into this stuff. Old people and parents with children and buggies are inevitably going to the shops they can park beside. There's a reason Dunness/Tesco/Aldi/Lidl all have nice big carparks. The independent retailers need those spaces too to drive custom.

Clareman

Most town would have at least 1 street with shops on it and a shopping centre, maybe a second street, Shannon just has the town centre.

EndaHonesty

stefanovich wrote: »

Shannon is very depressing. Just one shopping centre without many shops of note. Improving a little bit I will grant you. No actual outdoor town centre. Lots of sick poor people. Never seen so many pharmacies or morbidly ill looking people in one place.

Name another town of similar size with more than "one shopping centre"?

MarkR

I'd hope that this time they preempt any of those issues with their planning application this time.

mrsoundie

Clareman wrote: »

Some good news for Shannon

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0518/1139038-new-aldi-store-in-shannon/

No doubt someone will object to it again.

Clareman

Some good news for Shannon

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0518/1139038-new-aldi-store-in-shannon/

Johnboy1951

It is showing as 8pm on the schedule here right before the 9 o'clock news.

Brennans Row

In the article, they originally stated the wrong date before correcting it, which prompted me to check their schedule instead.

But then again they could change that too.

Johnboy1951

Brennans Row wrote: »

How to build a new town in Ireland (RTE)

Building Ireland (Episode 5)

Geographer Susan Hegarty discovers how the success of the Shannon Airport Free Trade Zone sparked the building of Ireland's first new town in 300 years.

Shannon Newtown will be broadcast on RTÉ 1 on Thursday May 14th at 9pm.

I think that should be 8pm on RTÉ One?

Brennans Row

How to build a new town in Ireland (RTE)

Building Ireland (Episode 5)

Geographer Susan Hegarty discovers how the success of the Shannon Airport Free Trade Zone sparked the building of Ireland's first new town in 300 years.

Shannon Newtown will be broadcast on RTÉ 1 on Thursday May 14th at 9pm.

davidjtaylor

davidjtaylor wrote: »

I have suggested roofing (clear of course) O'Connell Street, Abbey Street and Parnell Street in Ennis to councillors before now. it's not such a daft idea and opens up the streets for creativity, pavement cafés and bars and enhanced streetscape.

But we can't even have them pedestrianised due to an arrogant handful so the idea of spending money on the streets is right out the window.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Maybe they will consider it in conjunction with allowing slow moving Electric vehicles to use it also, at some stage in the future.

Keep vehicle speed at 5mph max or less ..... and even limit size of vehicle during daytime.

There might be some combination that would work for everyone with small compromises.

Yes, there's always a compromise. The streets are very narrow but about a third of the space of O'Connell Street and Parnell Street are taken up with parking spaces, so eliminating those would help.

Hey, sorry for taking this off-topic!

MarkR

I've posted it to the Shannon Town Forum Facebook page also.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/452162311644604/

I think you've to be allowed in to access, but it's worth a look.

Johnboy1951

davidjtaylor wrote: »

I have suggested roofing (clear of course) O'Connell Street, Abbey Street and Parnell Street in Ennis to councillors before now. it's not such a daft idea and opens up the streets for creativity, pavement cafés and bars and enhanced streetscape.

But we can't even have them pedestrianised due to an arrogant handful so the idea of spending money on the streets is right out the window.

Maybe they will consider it in conjunction with allowing slow moving Electric vehicles to use it also, at some stage in the future.

Keep vehicle speed at 5mph max or less ..... and even limit size of vehicle during daytime.

There might be some combination that would work for everyone with small compromises.

davidjtaylor

jasper100 wrote: »

Back in the olden days the town centre was outdoors. The roof was added later.

Personally I think the idea of a weatherproof town centre is a good thing in this country.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I agree, I like it.

I have suggested roofing (clear of course) O'Connell Street, Abbey Street and Parnell Street in Ennis to councillors before now. it's not such a daft idea and opens up the streets for creativity, pavement cafés and bars and enhanced streetscape.

But we can't even have them pedestrianised due to an arrogant handful so the idea of spending money on the streets is right out the window.

black & white

Clareman wrote: »

I assume it's a Facebook group

OK thank you.

Johnboy1951

jasper100 wrote: »

Back in the olden days the town centre was outdoors. The roof was added later.

Personally I think the idea of a weatherproof town centre is a good thing in this country.

I agree, I like it.

One thing I would also point out .... that unlike other town centres around the county, Shannon is very user friendly for aged and disabled etc because it is so level, and has available 'resting places' etc.

Going there sure beats the hell out of pushing a wheelchair up and down hilly streets containing shops with narrow doors and little space inside.

I would consider it to be one of the most convenient places to live close to, in retirement

Maybe that accounts for a previous posters perception.

jasper100

stefanovich wrote: »

Shannon is very depressing. Just one shopping centre without many shops of note. Improving a little bit I will grant you. No actual outdoor town centre. Lots of sick poor people. Never seen so many pharmacies or morbidly ill looking people in one place.

Back in the olden days the town centre was outdoors. The roof was added later.

Personally I think the idea of a weatherproof town centre is a good thing in this country.

Clareman

black & white wrote: »

What is the Shannon Town Forum ?

I assume it's a Facebook group

stefanovich

Shannon is very depressing. Just one shopping centre without many shops of note. Improving a little bit I will grant you. No actual outdoor town centre. Lots of sick poor people. Never seen so many pharmacies or morbidly ill looking people in one place.

black & white

flipflophead22 wrote: »

The part about the KGB, CIA & MI5 very interesting too i agree. I have lived in Shannon most of my life but i dont see how it is any more depressing than other surrounding towns...i wont mention them but to be fair they dont really offer too much either, ennis being the exception. Its a safe place i guess but i think it gets a bit of a grilling in this article especially when compared to any other town in clare. It has everything you need but some people still want to drag it down or will complain and continue living there! Personally i have been to much worse places than shannon.:)

@Mark would you consider posting it on Shannon Town Forum I would be interested to see what otheres think :-)

What is the Shannon Town Forum ?

JupiterKid

Shannon was always meant to function as a dormitory for the Airport and Industrial zone workers and followed the ideology of 1960s town planning principles almost to the letter.

The unfortunate thing is that the planners did not take into account the human element and its complex needs - primarily that of a sense of place - the human love of historic buildings, a sense of belonging and inter-generational networks into consideration: there is a lot to be said for having a historic town core which Shannon lacks.

The best solution would be to build, in place of Skycourt, a high street shopping area with community facilities and mix this with apartments and offices in the same buildings. Perhaps a linear Main Street with some side streets branching off...but not with pastiche mock historic buildings but high quality modern buildings instead. Perhaps that aspiration is just a pipe dream but this is what Shannon lacks...and needs - if it is to attract more residents.

Brennans Row

Sky Court Shannon Shopping Centre (C+W O’Brien Architects)

The brief for Skycourt Shopping centre was to redevelop the remaining lands of the site and provide a renewed commercial growth for the Centre. The proposal consists of a 200 bed Hotel, Cinema over 3,000sq.m, over 7,000sq.m of new / reconfigured commercial space.

There was masterplan to upgrade the town centre in 2007 but got shelved after the property crash.

The reckless planning by the Limerick County Council that allowed the partial building of the failed shopping centre at Coonagh, hurted Shannon too, as Tesco moved their Shannon store there.

Just looking at the shops available in the SkyCourt for a town with a population of 10.000.

They are holding their own and the good people in Shannon won’t go hungry that’s for sure.

AIB
Airo Cabs
Alexandra Dental
An Post
Bollywood Indian Temple
Brian Lohan Auctioneers & Financial Services
CEX
Chop Shop Barber Shop
Clare FM
Credit Union
Dealz
Dunnes Stores
Eason
Ecovape
Euro 2
Fruit & Veg Market
Gadget Fix
Gleeson
Holland & Barrett
Iceland
Insomnia
J & R Dry Cleaners
LIDL
LifeStyle Sports
Lloyds Pharmacy
Maloney’s Hardware
Marcos
Millennium Glass
Morissey’s Family Butcher
O’Connors Bakery
Paddy Power
Paul Martyn Hair Studio
PHONE STOP
RL Clothes Alterations
RX+ Pharmacy
Sean Hillary (Pharmacists) Ltd.
Shannon Chamber
Shannon Knights
Shannon Palace
Sherry Fitzgerald O’Donovan
Subway
Supermacs
Texaco Petrol Station
The Gift Box
Ulster Bank
Vodafone
Zest Bistro

Omniplex Cinema opening 2019

davidjtaylor

Balf wrote: »

A Dail debate on the town from 1961 is here.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1961-07-25/30/#spk_79

Interesting to see the perspectives expressed by politicians at the time, including the Government contention that " The housing scheme is based on the most minute and detailed inquiries having been made from expert town planners with international reputations. "

That’s a prime example of politician speak - whatever comes out of their mouths, assume the opposite by default. Try it.

lockman

MarkR wrote: »

The Town in Search of a Heart. Interesting read. Boards even gets a mention.

http://www.universitytimes.ie/2019/04/the-town-in-search-of-a-heart/

Excellent read. Thanks for posting.

Balf

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Shannon was built as a 'dormitory' for those employed in the region.
It was never planned as a real town, comprising a town centre with streets and shops and other facilities.
No doubt the dormitory was needed, but it is to the severe detriment of all who live there that it was badly planned (for a town) but no doubt planned well for the purpose it was originally created.

A Dail debate on the town from 1961 is here.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1961-07-25/30/#spk_79

Interesting to see the perspectives expressed by politicians at the time, including the Government contention that " The housing scheme is based on the most minute and detailed inquiries having been made from expert town planners with international reputations. "

Cosmo Kramer

Very interesting article. I have worked in East Kilbride in Scotland for the last 10 years or so, it is very like Shannon, but about six or seven times the size. It is maybe marginally more successful as it continues to grow in size, but that is more to do with the construction of low cost new housing within easy reach of Glasgow than anything else.

These places were built in the 60s and 70s in line with the design principles of the time - car oriented design, low cost identikit housing, functional rather than inspiring street layout. East Kilbride, like Shannon, was heralded as an exciting new idea originally but the 'town centre', such that it is (a massive half empty shopping centre), is now very much in decline.

There's not much you can do with these new towns, their lack of a traditional central network of streets will always hold them back compared to somewhere like Ennis. A major redevelopment of the shopping centre area in Shannon into a more welcoming central district would help but would cost an absolute fortune to undertake.

Johnboy1951

Shannon was built as a 'dormitory' for those employed in the region.
It was never planned as a real town, comprising a town centre with streets and shops and other facilities.
No doubt the dormitory was needed, but it is to the severe detriment of all who live there that it was badly planned (for a town) but no doubt planned well for the purpose it was originally created.

House allocation was strictly controlled, even in the 70s.
You could not buy a home (houses were owned by Sh. Dev. I think back then) until you married .... and were not given access until you could show the marriage arrangements!

I lived in Shannon for a few years (worked on the Industrial Estate) but very very rarely socialised in Shannon. We mostly travelled to surrounding villages .... Newmarket, Sixmilebridge, Kilkishen and Kilmurray, with an occasional trip to Limerick.
For the most part our social life was with co-workers, and not neighbours, very few of which I ever knew.

I guess in hindsight it was strange but did not seem so at the time.

flipflophead22

The part about the KGB, CIA & MI5 very interesting too i agree. I have lived in Shannon most of my life but i dont see how it is any more depressing than other surrounding towns...i wont mention them but to be fair they dont really offer too much either, ennis being the exception. Its a safe place i guess but i think it gets a bit of a grilling in this article especially when compared to any other town in clare. It has everything you need but some people still want to drag it down or will complain and continue living there! Personally i have been to much worse places than shannon.:)

@Mark would you consider posting it on Shannon Town Forum I would be interested to see what otheres think :-)

maura2e

Tx for posting the link to this interesting article as I grew up in Shannon, having moved there in '67 and went to school at the Comprehensive. A great experience as the students were from all over Ireland, UK, Europe, US, South Africa to name just a few. The teachers were wonderful and provided us with a great education and still do as far as I know. In those early years the "town" centered around Drumgeeley which surprisingly didn't get a mention in the article. There was a great spirit of community then and we knew everyone and it was a very safe place to bring up a family and I have lots of good memories from those years. I left when I was 19 to go nursing in London although the family home was there until my Mam passed away a few yrs ago. I found Shannon to be very much as described in the article when I returned for visits...depressing. I think it was a tragedy that the initial planners did not plan a proper town as such as it became very disparate once the Town Centre as its called, came into being. I found the bit about the KGB, CIA & MI5 very interesting as I never heard about that aspect of Town living!

jasper100

Interesting read. As a planned town shannon will always be different. Not far to Limerick or Ennis so on some levels its like a glorified suburban housing estate that you find on the fringes of major cities.

Lucan, for example, is mainly modern buildings with a small bit of an original village thrown in. Its population went from about 1000 to 50000 in the last 50 or 60 years.

Its not much different to Shannon really, in that nearly everybody is a blow in.

Tallaght being another example.