News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Published Monday, September 28, 2009, 9:23 AM

Updated Monday, September 28, 2009, 10:47 AM

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Though Ireland's population is known to be miniscule, country's population was twice as big as America’s during the Revolutionary War

ANTRIM

The £370m public spending cuts planned by Stormont for next year will “pale into insignificance” compared to what's coming next, a senior economist has warned. And the looming reductions could even add up to a further £1bn over just three years. The stark assessment came from Victor Hewitt, director of the Economic Research Institute of Northern Ireland, a Government body that advises the Executive and Assembly. The plans for £370m worth of cuts in 2010/11 were revealed last week in a leaked memo prepared by Stormont Finance Minister Sammy Wilson.

(Source: The Belfast Telegraph)

ARMAGH

History was made in the south Armagh village of Camlough last week when the Guinness World Record for longest continuous open water relay swim was smashed by a team of intrepid swimmers from across the country. The swimmers not only broke the previous record of 480km but by Saturday last - when the challenge officially ended after 232 hours, 52 minutes and 30 seconds - had added a massive 205.5km to set a new world record distance of 685.5km.

(Source: The Examiner)

CARLOW

Carlow woman has called on the minister for education Batt O’Keeffe to withdraw or clarify his description of women who were sent to work in Magdalene Laundries as ‘employees’. Maureen Sullivan, who was sent to work in a Magdalene laundry at just eleven years of age, says she finds the comment by minister O’Keeffe’s “insulting” and is calling on him to provide proof that the young girls, who were forced to work in what she describes as “hell holes”, were employees. “The minister is a liar. I can’t understand how a child of 12 years of age could be employed to work in a Magdalene laundry. First of all, we got no money for working in these places and, secondly, where is the proof of pay?” fumed Maureen.

(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

CAVAN

The Cavan Vocational Education Committee (VEC) is disappointed with its allocation of VTOS places for the current academic year. The CEO of the VEC, Colm McEvoy, revealed at a meeting of the VEC in Cavan Institute last Friday, that Cavan's allocation of places is the lowest in the country at just 40 places. "I appealed that allocation and we did not get anywhere. I wish to inform you that our allocation of 40, together with the allocation to two other VECs, is the lowest in the country," Mr. McEvoy told committee members.