Editorial: Abbott investment is a welcome jobs boost for Kilkenny

Kilkenny is in for a major jobs boost in the coming months, with global healthcare company Abbott announcing a new state-of the-art manufacturing facility for the city.

This announcement of 800 new jobs and a €440 million investment on a new greenfield manufacturing site in Kilkenny has been widely welcomed across the board and is a glowing vote of confidence in our city and all it has to offer. There will also be jobs created during the construction.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar were among those to welcome the IDA-backed announcement, while locally it was lauded by public representatives and the business community, who described it as a great boost for the local and regional economy.

Without bursting the positivity bubble, the next question to be answered is certainly about where people are going to live.

While construction projects are under way in a number of areas, it’s clear that demand will continue to far outstrip supply for now. The race is very much on to get houses turnkey-ready to meet Kilkenny’s burgeoning population and reflect our status as a desirable place in which to live and work.

Developments are under way, perhaps most notably in the western environs, and their completion cannot come soon enough. A cursory search of Daft.ie reveals that there is just one property available for rent in Kilkenny City at time of print. Clearly, this situation can’t continue.

Good luck, Molly

Best wishes to our Kilkenny Rose hopeful Molly Coogan as she heads south for the Rose of Tralee Festival.

This week, we feature an interview with the busy Castlecomer native who is getting great support from her local community.

It’s a great honour to be chosen to represent your county on any stage, and there’s no doubt she will do Kilkenny proud.