Council lauds Optel Vision announcement

The Cathaoirleach of Limerick City and County Council has today (Wednesday, 01 October 2014) welcomed the announcement by Canadian firm Optel Vision of its decision to establish a Manufacturing and Operations Centre at the former ON Semiconductor facility at Raheen Business Park in Limerick.

Limerick City and County Council warns of water disconnections

Limerick City and County Council today (Wednesday, 30 September 2014) warned that water supplies to a number of Limerick businesses will be disconnected in the coming weeks.

Broadband proposal for Mid West's rural communities

The European Union has been called on to back a proposal to bridge the digital divide in rural communities of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary which are unable to access fibre or wireless broadband services.

Award-winning Colivet Court joins OpenHouse Limerick

An award-winning communal residential development for older people in the Southill area of Limerick City will this weekend open its doors to the public as part of OpenHouse Limerick (OHL) 2014.

Series of free events announced for Limerick Business Week

The naming of the winners in the Limerick Best Young Entrepreneur competition and a business networking workshop hosted by communications executive and broadcaster Anton Savage are among the highlights of Limerick Business Week 2014, which gets underway next Monday.

Temporary closure of Abbeyfeale Fire Station

Limerick City and County Council has announced that Abbeyfeale Fire Station will close for an estimated three-week period due to a number staff being unavailable for work due to illness.

Website and exhibition put 1970s Limerick in the frame

A new website featuring 25,000 photographs of life in Limerick during the 1970s has been launched as part of Limerick City of Culture 2014.

LEO Limerick hosts Business Boot Camp for 15 finalists

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Limerick has moved one step closer to finding Limerick's Best Young Entrepreneur after it announced the 15 finalists in the competition.

€50,000 will be invested in the business models of Limerick's three winning entrepreneurs who will also proceed to regional and national finals with the aim of finding Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur.

Organised locally by the LEO Limerick, the competition attracted 40 applications from young people, aged 30 and under, from across the City and County.  After a full review of applications, fifteen finalists were shortlisted and have taken part in an intensive Business Boot Camp.

A final adjudication will follow shortly under three distinct categories, namely Best New Idea, Best Start-Up Business and Best Established Business with an Expansion Proposal. The winners will be announced at a Networking evening on Monday October 6th 2014, the start of Limerick Business Week 2014.

Announcing the 15 finalists, Mr. Eamon Ryan, Head of Local Enterprise for Limerick, commented: “The future of entrepreneurship in Limerick looks extremely bright.  Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition has shown that Limerick has a wealth of young entrepreneurs ready to make a difference to the Limerick economy. We have an excellent group of finalists, and the judges' job to decide on the winner for each category will be extremely difficult."

"The business ideas presented to the Local Enterprise Office ranged across all sectors with many already trading internationally. I wish the best of luck to all taking part in the next stage," added Mr. Ryan.

The 15 Limerick finalists are: Kieran Normoyle (Personal Flotation System), Marie Curtin (Temple Dairy - chocolate milk for athletes), Grainne & Brendan Kelly (Intern skills matching for micro business), Klaudia Stawiarska (Bubble - tea shop), Colm Moore (Micro home manufacturing), Jason Hennessy (Rugby Lad Sevens event), Barry O'Connell (Destination Motivation - gym), Ciaran Hogan (Blu Store - customisable wearable art), Aislinn O'Flynn (Sensomi Sensory discovery box), Paddy Finn (Electricity Exchange - virtual powerplant), Aishling Maher (Milliner), Michael Houghton (Web development services), Garry Rohan (Rohan Engineering - farm equipment), Shane McCarthy (Blue Chief - software services) and Jack Cotter (Firewood & log trade centre).

The Limerick area element of the competition has a €50,000 Investment Fund with prizes worth €10,000 for Best New Idea (Best idea for a new business), €20,000 for Best Start Up (Start up has already started but in business 18 months or less) and €20,000 for Best Established (in business more than 18 months, is “adding” something new to the business). An Overall Winner (Best Young Entrepreneur) will also be selected.

The winner of each category will proceed to a regional competition, with the winners from each region progressing to the national stage of the competition which features an Investment Fund of €100,000 to be shared among the winners.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny launched Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition earlier this year as an an integral part of the Action Plan for Jobs 2014. The initiative is designed to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in Ireland and to encourage the establishment of new innovative businesses by Ireland’s best young entrepreneurs.

For more visit www.localenterprise.ie/Limerick

Minister presents Summer Reading Challenge certificates

Jan O'Sullivan TD, Minister for Education and Skills was in Roxboro today to present certificates to more than 40 young people from across Limerick who participated in the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge.

OpenHouse Limerick 2014 details announced

The doors of some of Limerick's most intriguing and historic buildings will open to the public for free during OpenHouse Limerick 2014, details of which were announced today.

The ‘Big Travel Action Challenge' Prize Fund is announced

Limerick Smarter Travel has announced details of a €15,000 challenge prize fund aimed at reducing the amount of car journeys made in Limerick each day.

Cathaoirleach welcomes space travel icon to Limerick

One of only 24 astronauts to fly to the Moon visited the offices of Limerick City and County Council this week during his two-day trip to the Mid West.

Caherdavin wins top prize in Limerick Going For Gold

There were jubilant celebrations in The Strand Hotel this evening (Tuesday) as the residents of Caherdavin claimed the top prize in Limerick Going for Gold 2014.

Safety Information Day for Limerick's elderly

Older people from across Limerick City and County are being invited to a safety information day later this month.

Chief Fire Officers issue Carbon Monoxide warning

The Irish Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) is urging householders to be aware of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide (CO) build-up in the home as part Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week 2014.

Classical musicians tune up for autumn music series

The RTÉ Contempo Quartet, award-winning German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and fiddler Zoë Conway are among the confirmed participants in a classical music series taking place in Limerick this autumn.

Memorial for Limerick's Spanish Civil War participants

A memorial to six Limerick men who fought on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War will be officially unveiled in the grounds of Limerick City Hall this Sunday.

Conservation works begin at Mount St Lawrence Cemetery

Conservation works have commenced at one of Ireland's largest cemeteries, Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery in Limerick City.

Minister launches dedicated tourism website for Lough Derg

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Mr. Alan Kelly TD today (Monday, 8 September 2014) launched a brand new website dedicated exclusively to the promotion of the Lakelands Lough Derg region.

Elemental shines a light on Forgotten Skills

A unique event focusing on traditional skills and crafts associated with Limerick down through the centuries has been included in the programme for the 2014 Elemental Arts & Culture Festival, which takes place from 11th September to 14th September 2014.