News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Center manager Derek Rusk says he is thrilled with the achievement, which has bucked the trend.

"At a time when unemployment is at an all-time high, it is great to see new jobs being created in the Tralee area and a large multinational showing great confidence in the region," he said.
[Source: Irish Independent]

KILDARE

Twenty people took their own lives in Co. Kildare last year. Pieta House, the suicide and self-harm crisis center, has seen a 40 percent rise in calls this year.
Joan Freeman, CEO and founder of Pieta House, spoke to the Kildare Nationalist about the service it provides for suicidal people around Ireland, and the reasons behind the large numbers of suicides.

“Overall there has been a huge increase,” she said. “The numbers are only preliminary – I remember in 2008 when preliminary figures came out; there were an additional 100 people when final figures came out. These figures don’t include things like drownings or single car crashes. We should be very dubious about these figures. We are still seeing an increase and it is without a doubt [due to the] recession.”
[Source: Kildare Nationalist]

KILKENNY

Kilkenny scored its highest-ever mark in the Tidy Towns competition this year, but this was still not enough to secure the coveted overall crown.

The competition’s results were announced at a ceremony in the Helix in Dublin last Monday afternoon. Kilkenny scored 309 out of a possible 400 – one mark more than last year. The winning town was Abbeyshrule in County Longford with a score of 312.
[Source: Kilkenny People]

LAOIS

The findings of the IBAL littler league that class Portlaoise as moderately littered and ranked 39 of 42 areas surveyed have been rubbished by a Laois County Council official.

John O’ Donoghue, Senior Engineer Environment and Roads, said the Council “are very disappointed that Portlaoise Town did not receive litter free status.”

He outlined that it was two privately-owned sites – one on Station Road and one adjacent to Bruach na hAbhainn housing estate – that were classified as Grade D by IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) which “prevented Portlaoise from obtaining litter free status.”
[Source: Leinster Express]

LEITRIM

Gardaí (police) in Carrick-on-Shannon are seeking the help of the public after a 16-year-old from east Galway was seriously injured when he was hit by a car on the R280 outside Cartown last Wednesday. Gardaí would particularly like to hear from two people who contacted them in relation to people walking on the road – one of those callers was a woman from Leitrim Village.

The youth was transferred to Sligo General Hospital and his injuries were described as “not life threatening.”
[Source: Leitrim Observer]

LIMERICK

The mother of two children who suffered horrific injuries in a petrol bomb attack six years ago last week has said the attack will haunt her for the rest of her life.

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Nster.com