€110m tech park opens as 155 new jobs created

TWO major jobs announcements were made yesterday in County Clare by Tánaiste, Mary Harney.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment launched a €110 million technology park in Ennis that could ultimately provide 3,500 jobs for the Mid-West.

At the opening Ms Harney said that the first phase of the Ennis Information Age Park (EIAP) could in the short term lead to the generation of 200 jobs.

Earlier, Ms Harney announced that Contact Partners Ltd is to provide 155 new jobs in the Shannon Free Zone. Ms Harney described the arrival of Contact Partners "as a great boost for the economy of County Clare."

The company will provide outsourced customer care solutions to several large financial service institutions in Ireland and Britain.

Both Ennis and Shannon have suffered jobs losses in recent times with the Shannon Free Zone experiencing a cumulative loss of almost 700 jobs over the past 12 months with companies, including Tellabs and Cable and Wireless closing their Shannon facilities while others like Schwarz Pharma announced job cuts.

Ennis has a much smaller industrial base, which has been continually eroded with the loss of 400 light industrial jobs in the past three years.

Against the background of the IDA announcing only 48 jobs for the town since 1986, of which only 8 exist today, Ms Harney has been lobbied by local interests to direct investment towards Ennis.

Speaking at the launch of the EIAP yesterday, Ms Harney said: "The Government is committed to delivering balanced regional development in Ireland and the launch of Information Age Park Ennis provides a good illustration of Ennis and Clare's participation in that process."

Over the next 15 years, Shannon Development anticipate that €110 million will be invested through public and private sector investment in the 35-acre park, modelled on the successful National Technology Park in Limerick.

The plan on a 35-acre site formerly on the site of Our Lady's psychiatric hospital is to include 22 separate office blocks in a parkland environment that will provide 750,000 square feet office accommodation. The €9 million first phase is to provide 45,000 sq ft in office space.

Ms Harney said: "The airport and Shannon Free Zone were the traditional bedrock of economic activity in Clare but the new era presents a new challenge to spread development through the wider area of the county."