Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is vital that we build a balanced regional recovery, one that is focused on future enterprise development and sustainable job creation for a long time. We have to be practical here. In the south east, there are Waterford, Kilkenny and Carlow. Ours is the smallest county. While we are now a university county and town - it is great to have that and it is such an achievement and delivery from the Government - I always feel that because we are the smallest county in the region, Carlow is forgotten. Great work is being done but we are always compared to the bigger counties or cities in the south east. I have concerns. I ask the Minister of State to meet with me and IDA Ireland, and I know he will. The plan is for this to be a unique responsive opportunity for the needs of the region with a focus on regional collaboration but my focus is Carlow and Kilkenny. Carlow has such opportunities to give here.

We are so near Dublin and we have so much to offer, I take this opportunity to ask that Carlow become a priority.

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