News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

What's going on around Ireland

The Irish Food Guide was published last week and more than 50 Clare businesses feature in the 2012 publication, compiled by John and Sally McKenna.

Clare is “right up there with the best” and is the “template” for other counties to follow, John McKenna told The Clare Champion.

“Clare is right up there with the best. It is as simple as that. This is the 10th edition of the book. When you look back and see the development of Clare, it is very interesting. It is the perfect example of what you need for a good food jigsaw. It has strength and depth. What you have in Connemara, for example, is lots of excellent destinations but no infrastructure. It has a few salmon smokers and a few people doing seaweed but it has no growers, no cheese makers, no strong artisan brands. It is a busy tourist destination but it is ultimately, as a tourist destination, a failure. What happens in Connemara is that the money comes in and goes right out again. The money is not spent on Connemara food, because it doesn’t exist.”
[Source: Clare Champion]

CORK

Providence Resources said last Wednesday that the amount of oil that can be recovered from a huge oil field off the Cork coast is much greater than was previously thought.

The company announced that two new technical studies found that about 280 million barrels could be recovered from the Barryroe field, 30 miles off the Cork coast. At the moment Ireland imports all of its oil.

The amount of money generated by the find will depend on the market value at the time of extraction and on licensing arrangements.

Providence Chief Executive Tony O'Reilly, Jr. hailed it as the beginning of an Irish oil industry. He described the find as a huge success story, after decades of exploration around the Irish coast.
[Source: Cork Independent]

DERRY

Derry’s North West Regional College (N.W.R.C.) is to be a key venue when the city hosts the All-Ireland Fleadh next year, it has been announced.

The Derry college will host the festival’s competitions throughout its August 12-18 run.

N.W.R.C.’s Principal Seamus Murphy says the college is honored to be the competition host.
[Source: Derry Journal]

DONEGAL

A Donegal woman has been selected to join an elite group of people to take part in an expedition to Antarctica.

Eimear Carlin, from Milltown, Raphoe, is the only Irish representative on the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador Program and has been formally invited by Robert Swan O.B.E. to take part in the three-week International Antarctic Expedition (I.A.E.), which begins next February.

The group seek to preserve the continent’s unique landscape and wildlife as well as learning how to mitigate the effects of climate change.
[Source: Donegal Democrat]

DOWN

Licenses have been granted for three renewable energy projects off the coast of Northern Ireland.

The Crown Estate has signed deals with First Flight Wind Ltd., Tidal Ventures and D.P. Marine Energy Ltd. of Ireland, and D.E.M.E., of Belgium.

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Nster.com