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Pink balloons were released as part of the ceremony, which took place in Emily Square. It was organized by three local women, Tracey Foley, Sarah O’Connor and Natalie Daly.

Tracey, who is the mother of three young children, aged seven, three and two, told the Kildare Nationalist: “We decided to do it because we are all mothers and we know that this is every parent’s worst nightmare to have your child taken when she was just playing outside the house. It can happen so quickly and it is just terrible.”
[Source: Kildare Nationalist]

KILKENNY

In the last academic year, the State paid teachers at Kilkenny College $3.4 million and Special Needs Assistants at the fee paying school on the city’s Castlecomer road received $40,602 from the Department of Education.

In all, $112.1 million in State funding went towards paying the wages of teachers in 56 private schools throughout the country. The information was provided by the Irish Examiner newspaper.
[Source: Kilkenny People]

LAOIS

Laois T.D. Sean Fleming has absolutely no regrets over his decision to storm out of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 9, where he labelled health officials as “a disgrace and not fit for office.”

Speaking to the Leinster Express Deputy Fleming fumed that it was “outrageous” for the Department of Health Secretary General Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin and new H.S.E. Chief Executive Tony O’Brien to attempt to “stonewall the P.A.C. and the people of Ireland” by refusing to answer questions on their 2012 budget overspend.

The T.D. claimed his actions worked and forced answers from the H.S.E. bosses.
[Source: Leinster Express]

LEITRIM

Tributes have been pouring in since the passing of “Lovely Leitrim” singer, Larry Cunningham, on September 28 in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.

He was the first Irish-based artist to break into the British pop charts in the 1960s and is best known for his rendition of “Lovely Leitrim.”

Mr. Cunningham was born in February 1938, in Clooneen, Granard, Co. Longford, one of seven children born into a small farm of 50 acres.

He left school at 16 and had planned to be a woodwork teacher, but family commitments meant he need to start working so he left to work in Britain.

He worked with a construction company by day, but by night he played traditional music in local venues and played football with the local Gaelic team.

From such humble beginnings he went on to have an international career spanning over 50 years.
[Source: Leitrim Observer]

LIMERICK

Former Shannon and Munster player John Lacey has been appointed to referee his first full international match next month when he takes charge of France vs. Samoa clash at the Stade de France on Saturday, November 24.

John Lacey retired from playing rugby in 2007 and has since made rapid progress as a referee, from local level onto the international stage.

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Nster.com