Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will not take four minutes because I know there are people from the constituency who want to get back in a second time. It is great to see Ms Fitzgerald Kane from the Woodlands Hotel in Adare here. It is the most beautiful village in Ireland. I have great memories of her hotel and am delighted to see her here. I support everything the witnesses are trying to do. I would sound a note of caution. I live in Dublin now instead of Galway. Many people on this side of the country are asking what is the big issue as with motorways nowadays, one can be in Dublin within an hour and a half, two hours or whatever. Consequently, they think there is no great need for the regional airports or the emphasis on them. I ask the witnesses to look for additional funding for marketing, particularly for Shannon and Cork airports. I will not talk too much about Cork too much because I do not know as much about it as some of those present. I first flew from Shannon in 1968 to London as a boy and have great memories of that airport.

I have significant concern about the negative press relating to Shannon because of flights by US forces. I want to put on the record that nothing illegal is happening. Those aircraft are flying in under UN chapter and are perfectly legal. We have a paper on that if anybody cares to contact me about it. I wish the witnesses the best. Some of my colleagues from the region may wish to get back in there.