Last Saturday, I participated in the Rally for Life, in Dublin. 

Sarsfields 1-14 Newcestown 2-08

At the launch of the study by the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (Cedra), on Monday last, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny lauded the Great Western Greenway in Mayo for its contribution to the local economy and to the regeneration of the area.

A stronger emphasis on broadening the regional spread of incoming multinational jobs and investment will be a key focus for IDA Ireland next year, its new chairman, Frank Ryan, said yesterday.

I love the term applied to the illicit “top-ups” paid secretly to senior hospital management, namely “compensation”. Would a term like misappropriation not be more fitting?

It saddens me to hear the Irish people are unable to deal with the “stress” of too many referendums.

Two friends and close neighbours from a small Cork village have been killed in separate accidents abroad in the space of just two months.

Shareholders in paper and packaging giant, Smurfit Kappa Group were told, yesterday, that the company’s strong balance sheet should allow it to continue awarding investors, following a resumption of dividend payments last year.

A local authority has been accused of lacking leadership in a heated row which could scupper plans for a major tourist walking and cycling trail along a disused railway line.

A row about ownership of a disused railway line on the Kerry-Limerick border may end up in the courts.

IDA Ireland has reported its second consecutive year of record job creation; largely driven by the lowest level of job losses among client firms in over a decade.

A major cycle and walkway facility developed along a closed-down railway line in West Limerick is to be further extended to the Kerry border.

Packaging group Smurfit Kappa saw its profit jump by 20% in the first quarter of this year, netting the company an extra €30m.

CASTLETROY College participated in the Dr Harty Cup for the first time yesterday afternoon and were left celebrating after an injury-time point by Ed Doyle secured a 1-14 to 2-10 victory over Kerry Colleges in their Group D clash in Feenagh.

THE Great Southern Trail promises to be one of the finest long-distance waymarked walks in Ireland.

Taxpayers face a bill running into tens of thousands of euro under plans to buy state-of-the-art iPads for IDA chiefs.

THE IDA said it is trying to lure cloud computing and financial analytics firms to Ireland, as it announced 560 jobs are to be created.

UP to 245 construction and manufacturing jobs are set to be announced for East Cork later today as part of a nationwide employment drive by IDA Ireland.

SIX senior level Cork-based food researchers have been named in the top 20 of 15,000 specialist authors in a global list compiled by the global ratings agency, Thomson Reuters Science Watch.

DIRECTORS’ remuneration at paper and packaging group Smurfit Kappa grew by nearly €1 million last year in the aftermath of the business returning to profit.

“HER smile lit up a room. She was love personified. She radiated love in all directions. She made us better people.”

THE Enterprise Minister announced extra staff for both the IDA and Enterprise Ireland yesterday to help them achieve their target of creating 105,000 jobs over the next five years.

TRADE Minister Batt O’Keeffe has denied he was hanging the IDA “out to dry” by not giving the job creation agency there sources it needs to attract investment.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is to be the guest of honour at this year’s Cork Chamber annual dinner.

CRIMINAL activities, whether committed by common criminals or political ones, should be investigated by the gardaí.

DELEGATES at the Association of Secondary Teachers (ASTI) conference yesterday called on the union to take much tougher action on the public service pension levy.

CRH, which has spent well over €1 billion a year in acquisitions over several years, reported a sharp reduction in takeovers in the second half of 2008.

CRH’s profits before tax were down 10% to €606m year-on-year in the six months to the end of June, the construction firm has announced.

CRH announced today that it has reached agreement to acquire the Pavestone Group LP for an upfront cash consideration, including debt assumed, of US$540m (€348m), plus deferred consideration contingent on future increases in profitability.

CRH COULD spend another €2.2 billion on acquisitions this year, or more, if the right opportunities came up.

STRONG growth in Europe saw Ireland’s international builders provider CRH deliver earnings in line with expectations for 2007.

A LEADING poet, a distinguished High Court judge, a pioneering cancer specialist and the head of a global construction giant will be honoured by their former college today.

IT is easy to forget that within the first decade of this Millennium, the US has been hit with two major crises that cast long shadows and raised serious doubts about that economy’s ability to survive.

CRH Plc has increased first-half profits by 27% as acquisitions and better cement sales delivered results in line with market expectations.

Building materials group CRH expects half-year, before-tax profits to be up by 25% compared with the reported 2006 outcome of $526m (€387m).

Grand prix winners at Ireland’s premier annual investor relations event are Anglo Irish Bank, CRH, CPL Resources, DCC and Newcourt Group.

AS ONE of the most performance driven group’s in any sector it probably should not come as a major shock that Kerry Group’s top four executives had their bonuses cut in 2006.

CRH has invested €225 million in two separate international deals.

GLANBIA managing director John Maloney booked a 44% pay rise last year.

BUILDING materials group CRH says it has the capacity to spend 2bn plus a year for the next few years on acquisitions.

IRELAND should tell the EU to keeps its hands off our tax system if we want the country’s economy is to continue to thrive the chief executive of Ireland’s largest international company told business leaders last night.

Building materials group CRH has announced its biggest-ever transaction - its US subsidiary Oldcastle Materials has reached agreement to purchase Ashland Paving And Construction (APAC) for $1.3bn (€1.01bn).

FIVE executive directors of the building materials giant CRH shared nearly €6.5 million in salaries and bonuses last year.

AS boss of CRH, Liam O’Mahony, whose company has a turnover of more than €14 billion, is in touch with economic and political events across the globe.