News from around the 32 Irish counties

LAOIS
Laois is the official guinea pig for a Government investigation into unfinished estates left behind by bankrupt builders. Planning Inspectors from the Department of the Environment have visited every unfinished/ghost estate in the Laois, as the Government uses the county to get an overall picture of the national crisis.
 (Source: The Leinster Express)

LEITRIM
Leitrim County Council collected €611,200 from levies paid on 3,056 holiday and second homes in Leitrim last year, according to the Department of Environment. The €200 charge levied on people with more than one property raised in excess of €68 million nationally for 2009 – almost €30 million more than expected when it came into force last year.
(Source: The Leitrim Observer)

LIMERICK
Sean McGowan, the Limerick man who has entered the history books, has revealed the full story behind his "nightmarish" journey after becoming the first Irishman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The 42 year-old man from Farranshone in Limerick flew into Shannon Airport last Friday.
(Source: The Limerick Leader)

LONGFORD
Bord Na Mona has played down fears it could be staring at a €9m gaping hole in its finances after a decision was taken to close a Longford based power station for five months.
The move was rubber-stamped the Friday before last, in order to replace a troublesome boiler at Lanesboro's Lough Ree Power Station.
(Source: The Longford Leader)

LOUTH
Gardaí in Drogheda questioned former surgeon Michael Shine on Monday last about up to 100 allegations of sexual assaults in the Drogheda area as part of an ongoing investigation. The 79-year-old former consultant at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital was arrested at his Ballsbridge home, and taken to Drogheda Garda station, where he was held under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
(Source: The Drogheda Independent)

MAYO
Construction on a new €5.5 million development consisting of a number of commercial and retail units for the village of Achill Sound will begin next week following An Bord Pleanala’s decision to grant planning permission for the development. The proposed €5.5 million development in the Achill village was initially granted planning permission by Mayo County Council last October but was appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
(Source: Mayo News)

MEATH
Sixty jobs are to be lost at the Irish Cement factory outside Duleek under restructuring plans to be implemented by the company. Meath East Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne described the job losses at Platin as "a major blow to east Meath, coming as they do on top of the devastating announcement at Quinn Insurance". He said that County Meath now needed a jobs taskforce to concentrate Government efforts on finding replacement jobs and industry for the county "in the light of these dreadful announcements".
(Source: The Meath Chronicle)

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