More regional news in brief.
Giant screens in Limerick to show Heineken Cup final
Thousands of Munster rugby fans will be able to watch their team in action in Cardiff on Saturday on giant screens in the heart of Limerick.
The "Big Screen" was first erected in May 2006 when more than 18,000 lined the streets to watch Munster win the European Heineken Rugby Cup title for the first time. Images of the crowd in Limerick were beamed into the Cardiff Stadium during the match.
The 40sq m screen will be erected at the junction of O'Connell St and Mallow St and a second screen will be placed at the junction of O'Connell Street and Cecil Street to give fans a greater view of the Heineken Cup clash when Munster take on Toulouse in this year's cup final.
Windfarm rejected for Arroo mountains
A proposed windfarm in a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" on the Arroo mountain range in north Leitrim has been blocked by An Bord Pleanála.
The Arroo mountains, which feature blanket bog, heathland, wooded ravines and steep limestone cliffs, are a breeding ground for peregrine falcons and golden plover.
The board found that the development, comprising of 12 turbines measuring 80m in height and with rotor blades measuring 45m in length, would be a prominent and obtrusive feature in the landscape, would be "highly visible" locally and would spoil the view.
Leckanarainey Windfarm Limited, Old Schoolhouse, Lower Rosses, Rosses Point, Co Sligo, had appealed against a decision made by Leitrim County Council last November to refuse permission for the windfarm.
Assurances over regeneration plan
LIMERICK'S regeneration agencies have moved to allay fears that there are problems delivering the ambitious projects, after the date for publishing master plans was moved to later in the year.
The original deadline for master plans has been moved from next month to September 30th, following a meeting earlier this week of the northside and southside regeneration boards.
The chief executive of the projects, Brendan Kenny, has ruled out any suggestion that there are funding difficulties and has insisted that there were a number of reasons for the change of dates.
He said one of the main reasons was that residents were concerned that the projects were moving ahead too quickly without adequate consultation.
Limerick's regeneration project is one of the biggest and most radical projects of its type ever undertaken.
It will see the regeneration and refurbishment of housing estates on the city's north and south sides, which include Moyross and large parts of Southill and Ballinacurra Weston.
Yesterday it emerged that 400 more houses in the Southill estates of Carew Park and Kincora Park are being earmarked for possible demolition.
If this happens it will bring the total number of houses to be demolished under the scheme to 2,300.