The loss of up to 100 jobs following the closure of a Donegal-based call centre is another blow to the north-east of the country, local politicians said.
The Keith Prowse call centre in Buncrana, which handles ticket sales for entertainment events, is to officially close on Sunday. The centre employed around 50 full-time workers and 50-part-time positions.
It is understood the closure is a result of trading difficulties experienced by the parent company of Keith Prowse enterprises, Seatem Ltd.
Fine Gael TD for the area Joe McHugh said the closure of the facility would have have a devastating impact on the area.
"This is terrible news and I would like to express my deep regret to all the staff affected," he said.
"It is very important that everything is done to attempt to restructure the company and explore all the possibilities to protect some of these jobs."
A spokesman for Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O'Keeffe said the Minister had contacted the Donegal regional office of IDA Ireland, and asked them to explore the possibility of selling or leasing the building.
Mr O'Keeffe has also been in contact with Fás, asking them to take "immediate steps" to arrange employment assistance interventions for workers in the company.
Mr McHugh said the State needs to facilitate retraining, up-skilling and education for those who are finding it difficult to secure employment, to enhance workers' future employment prospects.
"It is eight years since the call centre was set up and it was seen as a replacement industry for jobs lost in the manufacturing industry in the area. We have come a long way since then and we now have high-end, high-value jobs," he said.
Buncrana's mayor, Sinn Féin councillor Pádraig McLoughlin, last night said the news was a major blow to an area already struggling with unemployment and emigration.
Concerns were expressed in May of this year that the jobs at the centre were set to be lost.