A new forum to promote development in Cos Cavan, Leitrim, Longford and Roscommon has heard the upper Shannon and Erne region has plans for almost 2,000 jobs.
The Invest4Success forum in Croke Park at the weekend was told the Centre Parcs development in Co Longford alone would create 750 construction jobs and 1,000 full-time jobs when open.
The forum also heard from a number of employers in the region, including Vistamed, Abbot Diagnostics and Cora Systems, who are all committed to the region and expansion.
Among the small and medium-sized enterprises represented was the Shed Distillery of Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim. Spokesman Pat Rigney said his only regret was that he had not located his business there earlier: “This is a growing region. Employees value a better quality of life, access to the best of schools, strong communities and affordable housing.”
Mr Rigney said there were jobs on offer “of a high quality with significant career opportunities”.
Stable employment
“There is much to look forward to, and we want to welcome people back to the region with offers of firm and stable employment. We were delighted to be part of Invest4Success to showcase exactly what can be achieved when people work together.”
Eugene Cummins, chief executive of Roscommon County Council, said the event was “very important to us. We had to show investors and our diaspora that the region is open for business and has huge growth potential.”
He added that “the challenge now is to look at the wider potential opportunities for investment in the upper Shannon-Erne region. We want to build on the success of this expo, and prove that regional development is not just a platitude but something that is real and clearly evident on the ground.”
