Welcoming the recent announcement of a €27m fund to upgrade flood defences at Shannon town, the airport and the Free Zone, Shannon chamber CEO Helen Downes added: “This is a significant development for Shannon. The airport, businesses and residents can now plan with confidence in the knowledge that Shannon is a safe location in which to invest, with no fear of the immense devastation that flooding can cause.

“The many attributes of the Shannon Estuary Way, which is a loop of the Wild Atlantic Way with Shannon Airport as the natural start and finish point for international visitors, and the potential of the river walks in Shannon as tourism products can also now be explored and developed with confidence. The potential to include provision for walkways and cycleways along the estuary as part of the flood relief works and extend the existing walkway over the last 1km to Bunratty is something Shannon Chamber will be keen to see happening,”