Weekly news from around the 32 counties of Ireland

ANTRIM

House prices have risen for the first time in two years, it emerged last Friday. The latest findings from the Nationwide House Price Survey also show local property prices grew by 9.7% during the last quarter — the best in the UK. South West England was second to the province at 4.9%. However, this boost for the local market was tempered by the news that Northern Ireland prices were down year-on-year by 8% — in stark contrast to the 50% increases seen at the height of the boom in 2007.

(Source: The Belfast Telegraph)      

  

ARMAGH

Two local musical personalities, each of the highest distinction in their own field, were specially honored at the Tommy Makem festival of Song. Billy Finnegan of Wood Road, Meigh and Joanne Quigley, a native of Camlough were guests of honor at the event in the Armagh City Hotel last week. A formal cultural and commercial link between Armagh and  Milwaukee, USA was created at the event and two of the senior Milwaukee Executives were present.

(Source: The Examiner)

 

CARLOW

The creation of 60 new jobs in the county has been put down to the change in shopping trends during the current recession. Shoppers who are flocking to Aldi stores throughout the country have led to a bigger demand for Codd Mushrooms, which are produced and manufactured in Tullow.
And that means that Codd’s has to take on 60 new staff to keep up with demand for its products. This will be music to the ears of the 31 people who lost their jobs in the Tullow area during the month of July. As part of its expansion plan, Codd Mushrooms is currently in the process of constructing a new 7,000 square meter production facility at a cost of €2.5 million.

(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

 

CAVAN

The Israeli ambassador to Ireland Zion Evrony visited Cavan last week on a nationwide tour to learn more about this country, to promote tourism to Israel and also develop Irish/Israeli relations. In terms of "misinformation" about Israel and its policies, Mr. Evrony hit out at comedian Tommy Tiernan for "anti-semitic" remarks that did nothing for relations between Ireland and Israel. Referring to the Catholic faith of the Irish, Mr. Evrony emphasized the potential to encourage more visitors to the Holy Land in Israel. He pointed out that religious tourism by Irish people to Cyprus averages 70,000 a year, compared to just 7,000 for Israel. "Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Nicossia," said the ambassador.

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Nster.com