A|wear will continue to trade as normal in its store in Tullamore following its acquisition by a group of international investors, headed by British businessman Michael Flacks of Flacks Group.

SINGER Brendan Keeley is looking forward to the next stage of ‘The Voice of Ireland’ as he took another step closer to perhaps securing the show’s lucrative prize of a recording contract with Universal Records.

AFTER capturing the hearts of thousands of television viewers, no way is the ‘Operation Transformation’ over yet for Edenderry’s Adrian Brereton.

Portarlington Swimming Pool Association paid a special tribute to their longest serving member, Niall McElwaine, at their recent bingo night.

Launched just over one month ago, Hireland yesterday confirmed that the initiative has already received over 2,500 job pledges from businesses all over the country. This is all the more impressive as Hireland had set a 6 month target of 5,000 pledges and is now at the halfway point after little more than a month.

teen models showed their dance moves and catwalk prowess at St Mary’s Youth Club recently at the Moves Like Jagger fashion show which raised funds for St Vincent de Paul and the youth club’s new P2B Youth Café.

outspoken Edenderry Town Councillor Noel Cribbin slammed his County Council colleagues for not speaking out at a recent County Council meeting when the subject of the Ambulance Dispatch Point in Edenderry was discussed.

CALLS have been made for a six month rate exemption for new businesses starting up in Tullamore.

The Chairman of the ICMSA Taxation Committee, Mr. Lorcan McCabe, has stated that although Finance Bill 2012 provided for a number of welcome incentives announced in Budget 2012, he believed it was a missed opportunity in terms of addressing some anomalies in the taxation system that weren’t addressed in Budget 2012.

Proposals in the Finance Bill to offset the increased costs of the Carbon Tax have been described as insufficient and unworkable.

Tom Doyle has been elected Chairman of the IFA National Farm Business Committee. He succeeds James Kane, who has completed his four-year term.

IT’S expected that Offaly VEC headquarter offices will remain open for some time and the approach to re-deployment of its staff will be “measured and considered”, according to the latest news from the Education Minister.

Local tourism operator Silverline Cruisers in Banagher hit the road with Tourism Ireland in Germany last week, for a three-city travel mission, aiming to increase Offaly’s and Ireland’s share of the valuable German holiday and cruising business this year.

The Fureys & Davey Arthur make their fourth appearance in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Saturday March 3. The band was formed in 1978 literally by accident. George, Paul and Davey were playing in Denmark with their own band called the Buskers and Eddie and Finbar, while touring in Germany were involved in a road accident. When George, Paul and Davey got news of the accident they immediately travelled to Germany to be with their brothers. They then decided that they should all be playing together and this was the start of the Fureys and Davey Arthur.

Members of the public in Edenderry have been urged to be more vigilant regarding suspicious individuals throughout the area.

Four seminarians for the Diocese of Meath were instituted in the Ministry of Acolyte, one of the important steps leading to priestly ordination. The Rite of Institution was celebrated by Bishop Michael Smith on Thursday 9 February at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

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WILLIAM Grant & Sons have been given the green light to proceed with its multi million re-development of the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre.

MOMENTUM gathered for the anti household charge campaign in Offaly as over 100 opponents of the household and water charges attended a meeting in Tullamore to discuss ways of stepping up the protest campaign.

CLARIFICATION on the HSE’s future plans for the old Tullamore Hospital, now vacant for the last number of years, is being sought by Tullamore Town Council.