Disease fear grips provinces

With the country at large gripped in something approaching panic about foot-and-mouth disease, it is no surprise that the regional…

With the country at large gripped in something approaching panic about foot-and-mouth disease, it is no surprise that the regional papers have devoted considerable space to the crisis.

Among others, the New Ross Standard, the Offaly Independent, the Midland Tribune, the Meath Chronicle, the Longford News, the Limerick Leader and the Kilkenny People give front-page coverage to the outbreak of the disease in Britain and Northern Ireland and suspected cases here. "It's a national emergency," proclaims the Connaught Telegraph.

On other matters the regional papers concentrate on development and the vexed question of waste disposal, as well as the current weather.

The spell of snow-laden bad weather is given prominence. The Argus has a remarkable front-page photograph by Ken Finnegan of 14 crows sitting on a snow-covered fence, which sums up the weather aspect of the week, although no mention is made of the fact that birds can be carriers of the foot-and-mouth virus.

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The Anglo-Celt leads with the death of a security operative and member of the Army at a local hotel and the appearance in court of the driver of a car which, it is alleged, was involved.

In the same paper Anselm Lovett writes: "Sixty-seven cases of meningitis were reported to the North Eastern Health Board last year, according to Dr Rosaleen Corcoran, director of public health, who said it was an increase of 10 cases on the previous year."

AS WITH other papers in the western region the failure of Enda Kenny to become leader of Fine Gael gets attention. In the Connaught Telegraph, Tom Kelly "laments the decision of Michael Noonan not to attend the party convention in Mayo" which nominated four Fine Gael candidates for the next general election, including Enda Kenny.

The Nationalist and Leinster Times announces its agreement with Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd, which already controls the Irish Examiner, the Cork Evening Echo, the Waterford News and Star, the Western People, the Sligo Weekender, the Kingdom, the Newry Democrat and the Down Democrat. It also owns Thomas Crosbie Media Ltd and is part of the Red Hot FM radio consortium.

The bad weather was bad news for a group of students and staff from Loreto Convent Secondary School in Letterkenny, as they were forced to turn back from Dublin Airport when their "dream trip to Rome was cancelled", according to the Donegal Democrat.

The same newspaper asserts in its editorial: "While the Irish economy apparently continues to ride majestically on the back of the Celtic Tiger, the revelation that large areas of west Donegal and Inishowen are enduring serious deprivation levels should come as no surprise."

The reference is to a report by the general manager of Donegal Community Services, Mr Kieran Doherty, to the effect that the gloomy statistics "posed a huge challenge to the North Western Health Board. The bare figures paint a somewhat different scenario" to those who might believe otherwise, the editorial says.

The Gorey Guardian reports: "An expert Army bomb disposal team was summoned to a beach near Kilmuckridge to make safe an unexploded second World War shell washed up on the strand there." The same paper headlines a report that Wexford is "in the front line of the foot-and-mouth battle".

The Kerryman reports that Kerry is "set to become a base for oil exploration for the first time in almost 20 years, following the decision by Statoil to use Fenit harbour as a base for exploratory drilling off the west coast".

ON A SIMILAR theme Christy Loftus of the Western People tells us: "The prospect of finding further gas and oil discoveries off the west coast during the summer round of exploration is high."

The Western People also announces it has written to the Taoiseach and Tanaiste "with the results of a petition mounted by [the newspaper] calling for a fair distribution of benefits for the region arising from the Mayo gas find". The same newspaper reports that there is a "£57m blueprint for Belmullet" which would involve "the development of services, infrastructure and jobs for the transformation of the Erris capital into a modern town capable of attracting investors and residents".

Development is also the focus for the Drogheda Independent which reports: "A major new report, which could transform Drogheda's economic prospects, recommends the creation of hi-tech jobs, the establishment of a third-level college, a new tourism drive and giving medieval Drogheda back to the people."