THE State's largest accountancy firm, KPMG Stokes Kennedy Crowley, has changed its name to KPMG with effect from January 1st.

The company, which employs more than 800 people, traces its roots to the Stokes Brothers accountancy practice which was founded by Robert and Sydney Stokes in 1876. In 1972, the company merged with Kennedy Crowley, which had been founded in 1919 by Vincent Crowley and Peter Kennedy, and became one of the country's best known accountancy firms.

Eight years later SKC became the Irish representative of Peat Marwick International, which was transformed into KPMG after a global merger. SKC, or KPMG as it is now known, has offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Galway and had fee income of £36.2 million in its last financial year.