New Local Enterprise Office Opens
The Newspaper with the
BIGGEST circulation in the North County We Deliver We deliver A registered newspaper at the G.P.O.
Your Quality Local Newspaper
15th April 2014 • Volume 21, Issue 14 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
After 21 years providing supports to new enterwill not only retain the experience of my prises and small local businesses throughout colleagues from the Enterprise Board, but will the North County region, the Fingal County be enhanced with the expertise of new staff Enterprise Board ceased operations yesterday, from the local authority,” he said. Monday 14th April. It has been The new LEO will be located on the replaced by the new structure, called first floor of County Hall in Swords. “Local Enterprise Offices” (or Funding is provided by Enterprise “LEOs”), and it officially opened for Ireland under a Service Level business today, Tuesday, 15th April at Agreement with the local authority. County Hall in Swords. The establishment of the LEOs marks LEOs have replaced the 35 County the most significant change to the Enterprise Boards around the country provision of local Enterprise support and have an expanded role in the services in the state for over twenty provision of business supports and years Commenting on what to expect are based within the local authorities. from the LEO, Geoghegan said: “Our The previous Chief Executive of Fingal core objective is to create a positive County Enterprise Board, Oisín entrepreneurial environment, where Geoghegan, has taken up his new Oisin Geoghegan small businesses can succeed and role as Head of Enterprise with the employment will be created. A very County Council in the Local Enterprise Office in exciting schedule of programmes and services Swords. Geoghegan told the County Leader: “I will be rolled out in the coming weeks and have been privileged to have led an extremely months. We have been examining the changing effective and committed small team at Fingal needs of businesses and all of the LEO service County Enterprise Board for the last number of offerings will reflect those needs, he years. I am delighted that the new Fingal LEO concluded.”
Happy Memories Returned
And Old Friendships Renewed
Last week in the County Leader, we told readers of how a mysterious photo had been delivered to our offices here in Swords, and we are delighted to report that, after just a few days, the owner came forward to claim the picture, which is over 30 years old!
By Jennifer McShane The wonderful family photo was originally discovered by a couple in a photo frame (hidden behind another picture), which they had purchased in the St. Vincent de Paul charity shop in Swords. Malahide woman, Toni O’Sullivan (formerly Toni Kirby), who owns the picture (and is in it alongside her parents, two brothers and sister), was delighted
to get the photo back. Toni and her brother, Michael called into the County Leader to retrieve it, and to tell us a little bit more about it. “That picture is a family photograph that was taken in my sister Joan’s house around thirty years ago, during the summer,” she explained. The photo is of the Kirby family and pictured in it alongside Toni and Michael, are their late parents, Doreen and Michael Kirby Sr. sister, Joan and their late brother, Hilary. “It brought back plenty of happy memories, seeing us all together. Myself and Michael are living here, and my sister Joan is in Spain at the moment, but our parents and brother Hilary, sadly aren’t with us anymore, so it’s wonderful to have the picture of us all.” Both Toni and Michael were extremely touched that James and Claire Cooney (who located the picture originally) had the thought to hold on to the picture and drop in it to the County Leader. “It would be so easy for anyone to just throw the picture away without thinking,” Michael said. “So, we’re so thankful to them for going to the effort to ensure that it was given back, we hope this encourages other people who come across anything similar to do the same thing.” They both laughed as they recalled some Pictured are delighted brother and sister, Michael and Terri Kirby, as they display the family photo from over 30 years ago, which they rather unique details about the picture, collected at the offices of North County Leader. such as the Christmas Tree in the background, which was still up (and decorated in pink), of course assume that the picture was taken around all those months later! “We know why many would Christmas time, but it was actually taken around
June or July,” they said, laughing. Toni explained the reason for this: “My sister Joan bought the tree off a man named Michael in Malahide, and loved it so much, that she simply kept it up. Joan loves anything pink, which explains the choice of all the pink decorations. When we told Michael that the tree was still up and standing, he said it wasn’t too good for business to see his trees surviving that long!” Commenting on the disappearance of the picture, she said that she had not actually realised that she had misplaced it in the first place. “I figure that I must have mislaid it, when I was moving house.” She went on to say that an old friend of the family actually spotted the picture ahead of her, and Toni couldn’t believe how the dots had been joined together. “An old friend of ours, Monica Owens, was the one who contacted me about the picture, and believe it or not, it must be at least 40 years since we last saw each other, so I doubt she would have even recognised me, or any of my siblings. ” “We used to see her quite often as teenagers, as she was a very good friend of my parents, but she wouldn’t have seen any of us for years,” she continued. “I couldn’t believe that she managed to locate me after all that time, but when she rang me, she told me she recognised my parents instantly and after that, went about trying to find me. I was amazed she managed to, and that was another lovely thing to come as a result of the picture; Monica and I are now in touch again after all these years.”
Working For You Councillor
Gerry
McGuire Vote No.1
The Heart Of Shopping In Balbriggan IL 12-6PM COUNTRY FAIR - SAT 19TH APR
Tel: 087 2381980 e-mail: gerry.mcguire@fingal.ie