O’Dea will not attend Shannon protest rally

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea said yesterday he would not attend tomorrow’s big rally in Limerick organised to protest at the termination of the Shannon Heathrow service.

The minister said he did not want to be the focus of politically-motivated anti-Government sentiment.

The Atlantic Connectivity Alliance (ACA) yesterday demanded quick answers from Transport Minister Mr Dempsey over his department’s handling of the controversy.

Officials were aware of the Aer Lingus decision to abandon the Shannon Heathrow route six weeks prior to it being made public.

An alliance spokesman said: “The ACA is disappointed with this as it now appears stakeholders in the region were denied a vital six-week window of opportunity to influence a decision which will have huge repercussions for the region.”

The spokesman said if the six-week period had been available, it would have allowed the business community to sit down with Aer Lingus and work on solutions or look for alternative carriers, not least BMI.

“We have been denied an opportunity to work with them in a business-like fashion in a bid to avert this crisis.”

The spokesman said the alliance wanted the minister’s enquiry into this issue dealt with swiftly and what caused the damaging breakdown in communications between top officials and the minister.

Mr O’Dea confirmed he will not be attending tomorrow’s rally.

Mr O’Dea, explaining his decision, said: “My reason for not attending this Saturday’s rally is that I do not want my own presence as a Cabinet minister to become the focus for politically motivated anti-Government sentiment or to detract from the purpose of the demonstration.”

Political point scoring at the protest, such as calls for resignations, would achieve nothing, he said. The decision was taken, said the minister, after “a lot of thought and consultation”.