News from around the 32 Irish counties

KERRY
The IDA, the body specifically charged with attracting foreign investment into Ireland, failed to generate a single job in Kerry in the last year. The agency's official report for 2009 admits the IDA did not create any jobs in Kerry in the last 12 months while IDA supported companies in the county shed more than 500 jobs. The situation in Kerry is in stark contrast to Cork where the IDA created 850 jobs in 2009 alone and secured a further €32 million in foreign investment. The IDA's final 2009 figures highlight the agency's continuing failure to attract any significant investment into Kerry, which lays a distant third behind Cork and Limerick when it comes to foreign investment.
(Source: The Kerryman)

KILDARE
The resignation of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Dr James Moriarty Thursday two weeks ago has been greeted with sadness and disappointment by priests in the diocese. Bishop Moriarty resigned in the wake of the report into the handling of sexual abuse cases in the Dublin Arch Diocese where he served as an auxiliary bishop before taking over as Bishop in Kildare and Leighlin. Just a week before his resignation Bishop Moriarty had insisted that there were no grounds for his resignation. The Murphy Commission found that Bishop Moriarty could have asked Archbishop Connell to research the files on Fr Edmondus after complaints about the priest had been received by the Diocese. The parish priest of Newbridge Fr Joseph McDermott said he was disappointed that Bishop Moriarty had to resign.
(Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

KILKENNY
A female Dean for St Canice's Cathedral has been appointed, the second woman ever to be appointed Dean in the Church of Ireland. The Revd Canon Katharine Poulton has been appointed the new Church of Ireland Dean of Ossory and Rector of the Kilkenny Group of parishes, and will take up her duties after Easter. Canon Poulton was one also among the first group of women to be ordained in the Church of Ireland in 1987. The position of Dean of St Canice’s Cathedral has been male dominated since the Middle Ages.
(Source: The Kilkenny People)

LAOIS
The family of Mountmellick woman Imelda Keenan, who went missing in Waterford in 1994, has made a €10,000 reward available for new information regarding her whereabouts.
Imelda disappeared near her Waterford city centre flat at William Street almost 16 years ago. She was 22 at the time and was last seen in the Lombard Street area of the city on Monday 3 January 1994. Just weeks before the 16th anniversary of her disappearance, Imelda’s family hope that their renewed appeal for information may shed new light on their ongoing plight. While a pre-existing reward of €10,000 remains on offer from Crimestoppers, the Mountmellick family hopes the additional reward might provide new impetus in establishing what became of Imelda.
(Source: The Laois Nationalist)

LEITRIM
While the rest of the country awoke on Christmas morning to a picturesque winter wonderland, the residents of Longford town helplessly looked on as their historic landmark St Mel's Cathedral was engulfed with flames. A fire started in the beautiful 19th century building in the early hours of Christmas Morning and Emergency Services were called to the Cathedral in the centre of Longford town at 4.45am after a resident on Chapel Street noticed the flames. The investigation continues.
 (Source: The Leitrim Observer)

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