More than 1,200 new jobs have been announced today in counties Longford, Kildare and Sligo.
The Chicago-based Abbott healthcare corporation, which has been in Ireland since 1974 and has a 1,800-strong Irish workforce, is to base its expansion at its plant in Sligo and at a new plant in Longford.
Details of the multi-million pound investment, which is being backed by the Industrial Development Agency, will be announced next week by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney.
Six hundred of the new jobs will be at a newly completed business park in Longford and the remainder in Sligo.
In Kildare, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, announced that two companies are set to create 350 new jobs in Athy in the Minister's constituency.
Austrian furniture firm ELK and distribution company Rowan Transport are the first tenants of Athy Business Park.
ELK will employ 250 people in Athy at its new factory making timber-frame homes. ELK has plants across Europe and a number of its timber-frame houses are already in Ireland. The Athy plant will service Ireland and Britain.
Rowan Transport is relocating its European distribution centre from The Netherlands and will employ up to 100 people initially.
Up to 200 jobs are also to be created at Fexco financial services company in Caherciveen, Co Kerry, by the end of next year. The company employs 70 people in the town.