News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Antrim

Almost 250 new jobs are being created at a major bio-technology company in Co Antrim.

Randox Laboratories in Crumlin is recruiting 242 new staff as part of a £15.8m expansion.

The investment is being supported by Invest Northern Ireland, which has offered £2.4m of assistance.

Randox specializes in the development of sophisticated chemical and biochemical diagnostic tests and devices, primarily targeted at hospital, clinical and veterinary laboratories.

The company currently employs over 850 people worldwide, including 620 in Crumlin.
(Source: rte)

Armagh

Police investigating the murder of a couple at their County Armagh home have appealed for a man to come forward to be eliminated from their inquiries.

Husband and wife, Hugh, 56, and Jacqueline McGeough, 44, were shot at their Legahory Court home, Craigavon, at about 1100 GMT on Monday 7 March.

Their bodies were found later that day by their son.

Police want to talk to a man who may have visited the house on the evening of Sunday 6 March.

A motive for the killings has not yet been confirmed but it is understood that police are investigating a possible drugs connection.

The house where the murders happened stands isolated in the middle of a field. It is fitted with security cameras and a number of security lights. The doors and windows are fitted with bulletproof glass.
(Source:BBC)

Carlow

A Priest is reaching out to parishioners by sending them Lenten 'tweets' on his iPhone.

Fr Paddy Byrne has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and is using the social networking website to keep his flock up-to-date on his movements.

The 36-year-old curate, who works in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, started 'tweeting' for Lent.

Fr Byrne gathered over 100 followers on his first day using Twitter, and now has 157 followers.

The priest, who was ordained 10 years ago, wanted to reach out to people who were not Mass-goers.

"There is a hunger out there for spirituality. Through social media we have a whole generation of people who are open to conversations about the question of God," he said.

While some dioceses are using Twitter to send out generic prayers, Fr Byrne is keeping his messages personal.

"Spent time with a recovering heroin addict yesterday (last Thursday) his story one of pain and yet great hope," he tweeted.
(Source: Irish Independent)

Cavan

Some 25,000 tons of Dublin’s household waste is to be sent to landfill sites in Louth and Offaly following the closure of a Cavan dump operated by private waste company Oxigen.

The company has decided to close its operations at the landfill in Corranure, Co Cavan, four months after being awarded a contract by Dublin County Council to dispose of the capital’s household waste at the site.

Landfill operations will cease within the next month. Dublin City Council said it understands the waste will instead go to landfill sites at Whiteriver, Dundalk, Co Louth, and Derryclure in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The decision has been taken following signals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) it intended to refuse a license for the operation of the Corranure site.
(Source: Irish Times)

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Nster.com