Locals grateful to humble spud in county blighted by unemployment

Yesterday’s disclosure that the Teagasc Centre at Oak Park, Carlow, is to carry out field trials on a genetically modified potato that would improve resistance to blight, is viewed locally as welcome news for a county which itself has been ‘blighted’ by job losses in recent years.

Carlow may not figure prominently when it comes to winning All-Irelands in football or hurling but the Dolmen County’s capital town — Carlow — traditionally enjoyed a reputation as a prime example of what an industrial town should be.

There has always been a strong industrial skill base in the Barrowside town but the opportunity for these skills to be applied to a healthy manufacturing working environment has been greatly diluted over recent years.