636 new jobs supported by Local Enterprise Offices in the Midlands in 2023
Local Enterprise Offices provided support to the highest number of jobs across the country since it began in 2014. In 2023, it contributed to the creation of 6,640 jobs across the country. 82% of new jobs created by LEO client companies were outside of Dublin. 636 of these new jobs were in Laois, Longford, Offaly […]
Midlands schools to benefit from almost €500,000 in STEM funding
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced a trebling of the budget for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grants to €4.7m. The announcement, which comes as a result of phenomenal demand, marks a significant stride towards advancing STEM education in schools nationwide. Midlands schools will benefit from almost a half a million in […]
Spotlight on Laois farmer Francie Gorman elected as next IFA president
A county Laois farmer, Francie Gorman is the new President of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) taking up office in January, 2024. The Ballinakill farmer, who runs a 130 acre dry stock family farm, is the first Laois man to be elected to the role since the late Pádraig Walshe. By the looks of it, […]
Midlands Census 2022 – Employment, Occupations and Commuting
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has released Census 2022 Profile 7 – Employment, Occupations and Commuting. Here are highlights of some of the main results for Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford. The publication focuses on people at work, unemployed, and outside the labour force, occupations and main sectors of employment, as well as on the commuting patterns […]
O’Mimos Sauces a sizzling success
Mimo is adding fresh sage and plenty of it to her Apple Jam sauce mix when I arrive at her house in Portarlington, County Laois. With her husband Seamus O Flynn, she runs O’ Mimos sauces. They set up their successful Sauce business a week before lockdown making; ‘Not so hot’, the ‘Hot Hot’ and […]
Minister Humphreys announces almost €300,000 in funding for Outdoor Projects in the Midlands
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has announced funding of almost €2.3 million to support the development of 50 outdoor adventure projects across Ireland. The investment under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) will be key to enhancing outdoor amenities such as our walkways, cycleways, rivers, lakes and beaches. The projects, when ultimately […]
Midlands Christmas Markets & Santa Visits
If you want to find out where your local Christmas Market is this year, have a look at our list of where and when they will be taking place across Laois, Longford, Westmeath and Offaly. Supporting local is the driving force behind many of our local Christmas Markets. It is an opportunity to meet old […]
Full S.T.E.A.M ahead in Laois and Offaly
A new initiative from LOETB in partnership with Laois and Offaly County Councils will see nine post-primary schools benefit from €10,000 worth of S.T.E.A.M. (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Maths) equipment and support. This is part of a new programme to support the development of digital skills among students in LOETB schools over the next […]
Healthy ÍON oils produced in Laois
“I really love the Irish way of living, especially the magnetism of the Irish people” (Andrea Milley) It took Andrea and Markus Milley, both hailing from Germany, to return home to realise how much they cherished Ireland. Now settled back on their farm in Clonanny, Portarlington, they are producing their own edible cold pressed oils. […]
