January 2005 - June 2005

Click on a date to listen to a show.

June 11th 2005
THE BIG STORY  -THE ECONOMY -
with the latest job figures from the CSO showing 40,000 increase in a year, and Jurys Doyle to sell off the bulk of its Ballsbridge sites.. the tiger continues to roar.. an overview at the end of term from 2 economists, Joe Gill, Head of Research, Goodbodys and Fiona Hayes, Senior Economist and Fund Manager, Hibernian Investment.

The Farm Channel -
Emma McNamara went to Tullamore to meet Malachy Moran and being the gent he is, he took her out .. to the local mart

The Farm Channel Ltd was established in 1994 and has 2 distinct business streams - A national television network exclusively targeting farmers through Ireland's livestock marts and a parallel multi-media service providing corporate, promotional, training and educational video programmes delivered on CD-ROM, DVD and video tape.

The Farm Channel Ltd.,
c/o Malachy Mangan & Harry Hill,
8 William St., Tullamore,
Co. Offaly.
Tel.  0506   22906
Email - info@farmtv.ie
Web:  www.farmtv.ie

Student Enterprise Winners                         
A compartmentalised re-cycling bin has taken the top prize at the Student  Enterprise Awards National Final. The Hudeba Recycling Centre, designed and manufactured by three students from Borris Vocational School, is already a great commercial success with a waiting list of interested clients.
John Murray went to Borris to meet the three students - Barry Smith, Hugh Patrick O'Byrne and Declan Foley

Senior section national winners
Borris Vocational School, Borris, Co. Carlow
Contact Teachers: Ms Mary Smyth  and Ms Mary Brennan
Tel.  059 - 9773155  E-mail smyth_mary@hotmail.com
Name of Company: HUDEBA
Pupils: Barry Smith, Hugh Patrick O'Byrne and Declan Foley

ITSE -   
The competition between the IT's of Carlow, Sligo and Tralee is over and the runaway winners were IT CARLOW.  During this week the 3 students came to Dublin to get top of the range Siemens mobile phones from Siemens Managing Director in Ireland, Lorenz Zimmerman.. A small contribution towards their call credit or charges was given by the Business..

June 4th 2005
TOURISM SPECIAL

MONART HOUSE
Moving the country house hotel into another sphere altogether is the mission for former Wexford Hurling supremo, Liam Griffin, a busy hotelier in his other life. He wanted to create a true spa experience at his new Monart House Resort in the South West . The purpose was to design an experience of pure self-indulgence for adults only in a beautiful rural location but to also achieve profit and stimulus for the facility and develop a new business line for Griffin Hotels.
Monart House Spa is to open later this year.. www.ferrycarrighotel.ie

THE BUSINESS OF SHORT BREAKS
Karin Whooley went on a mission to find the truth of short city breaks in Ireland and Europe- short city breaks are the fastest growing tourist product, fuelled by cheap air travel.

Are they good value? How does Prague compare to Galway? Is rip off Ireland a reality  or is it just rip off Europe? Karin's value for money grid is attached

Click here for a comparision of costs for a weekend break

BALLYKNOCKEN HOUSE
One of the very first of the farmhouse b and b's to opeate commercially in Ireland, Catherine Fulvio took over operation the guest house side of the farm on the death of her mother.. Since then they have expanded the business with the addition of a custom built cookery school.. Emma McNamara got a flavour of  this successful tourist business..

Catherine Fulvio
Ballyknocken House,
Glenealy,
Ashford,
Wicklow,
Ireland
Tel: 00353 (0) 404 44627;
Fax: 00353 (0) 404 44696
Email: info@ballyknocken.com
http://www.ballyknocken.com

May 28th 2005
A special on Cashel Blue, one of Bord Bia's Food Award winners for 2005..

Cashel Irish Blue, Irish farmhouse blue cheese, is made exclusively on the family farm of Jane and Louis Grubb, near Cashel in Co. Tipperary, Ireland. The cheese is made using milk produced by the Pedigree Cashelblue herd of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Jane and Louis told John Murray how they turned their family farm into the centre of an award winning and highly succesful business

May 21st 2005
COMREG And the telecoms market in Ireland
Interview with Mike Byrne, Comreg's Director - Comreg is the government appointed watchdog on telecoms and issues like mobile phone charges and broadband are hot potatoes at the moment
Commission for Communications Regulation
 Block DEF, Abbey Court
Irish Life Centre
Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1

Phone and Fax:-
Tel: 00 353 1 804 9600
LoCall: 1890 22 9600
Fax: 00 353 1 804 9680
Consumer queries and complaints:-
Please refer to the link to www.askcomreg.ie section of the ComReg website
FOI queries and requests:-
Please refer to the FOI section of the ComReg website

BUSINESS PROFILE OF THE WEEK
Euro Environmental services was set up in 1998 by Geoff Fitzpatrick and has since established itself as one of the leading environmental science companies in Ireland carrying out water, air, soil and waste tests for local authorities and business.

The firm now plans significant expansion in the UK.

Founder Geoff Fitzpatrick tells our reporter Emma McNamara what the business does and how it got started.

Street: Boyne Business Park, #35a
District: Newtonstalaban
City: Drogheda, Co Louth
 
Telephone (+353) 41 - 984 54 40
Facsimile (+353) 41 - 45 61 71
E-Mail info@euroenv.ie
Internet www.euroenv.ie

ITSE -
the competition between the IT's of Carlow, Sligo and Tralee is over and the runaway winners were IT CARLOW.  Conan Doyle from the Carlow team was in studio in Dublin and  Greg Lowe from IT  Tralee joined the show from the RTE studio in Tralee town.. they discussed the stocks that scored, the ones that missed the mark and what they learnt about the stock market as a result..

May 14th 2005
STOCKS AND MAN UNITED
Robbie Kelleher, Head of Research with Davy Stockbrokers, was in studio to discuss latest stocks, Bank of Ireland's results, Jurys Doyle news and the finances of the Man U takeover.
e-mail research@davy.ie

VIKING SPLASH TOURS
Bostonian Peter Stocks and Linda, his wife, are the people responsible for the colourful DUKW's taking tourists around Dublin. This is how they took old World War 2 amphibious vehicles, turned them into a highly successful enterprise and are now branching out across Europe and beyond.  Emma McNamara put on her horned helmet and went pillaging on our behalf.
viking@esatclear.ie
Mailing Address:
Viking Splash Tours
64-65 Patrick Street
Dublin 8 Ireland
Telephone: +353 1 707 6000

IN GOOD COMPANY?
Paul Farrell, Companies Registration Office, filled us in on registering your company, compliance and simplifying the cross Europe registration of companies.
www.cro.ie
phone 01  8045200

OVERCHARGING / Electronic Business Banking
NIGEL PIMM, runs a software company in Tramore, Co Waterford, and he tells us how he found out by accident that he was being overcharged on his online banking..

May 7th 2005
ENTERPRISE STRATEGY DOCUMENT
This week, Enterprise Ireland launched their
strategy document, Transforming Irish Industry,
and an illustrious panel was assembled live
in studio to discuss it..

Susan Spence is the  Group Director of  Softco,
who employ 100 or so in Ireland working on software
applications
susan.spence@softco.com 
Phone + 353 1 294 2420, 
Fax      + 353 1 294 2442
www.softco.com

Bernard Coyle, Mr.  Crumb's MD and founder.
The company manufactures stuffings and a range of
pre- cooked meals

www.mrcrumb.ie
The Crumb Factory, Finea, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath,
Ireland.
Tel  +353 43 81148 / 81347

Frank Ryan is Enterprise Ireland's CEO, and the man
responsible for the document
Phone +353.1.808.2000 
Fax      +353.1.808.2020
frank.ryan@enterprise-ireland.com
                     
CROSS BORDER BUSINESS CONFERENCE -
"Empowering Your Business & Promoting Business

Competitiveness "-
The topic of a meeting held on Wednesday in Carlingford
and organised by Dundalk and Newry joint chambers,
to further cross border business.
Emma McNamara was there with 4 of the main parties.
www.businessconference2005.com 
or call Irene Brayden on 042 9336343 (Dundalk)
or Mary Mooney 028 3025 0303 (Newry).

JARGON - site of the week
www.fightthebull.com  
subtitled - why business people speak like idiots

April 30th 2005
REVIEW OF STOCKS -

Martin Cass, Director Wealth Management with NCB, was in studio reviewing  Irish stocks to date plus the progress of the just launched

Which tracks 20 ITSE quoted shares ..
www.ncbdirect.com
                   
THE CREDIT UNIONS -
A case study of a current credit union.. in this case the                            Larkhill & District Credit Union in Artane, North Dublin
John Murray went to find out more
Info@ldcu.ie
Phone      01 8427815
Fax         01  8427144
                             
THE LOAN ARRANGER - 
Karen Whooley went out without Tonto or Trigger to find out just how the various lenders compare on personal loan terms. She wanted to borrow €10,000 for home improvement.. she even encountered that old bugbear, Loan insurance, on the trail..
Click here for loan information
Click here for comparisons between lenders. 

Longford Hearse and Limousine Hire
David Connell is a man who knows a niche when he sees it.. If you are an undertaker and you need a hearse fast, this is the man. He also runs limousine hire and tours but the hearse business is the one that catches the imagination
www.davyconnell.com

April 23rd 2005
AER LINGUS AND DUBLIN AIRPORT  - the future becomes clearer?

A review of the week's events with comment from  Eugene Kiernan -Head of Assets, Irish Life, who also gave an overview of American stocks in a week where over 200 Wall Street quoted companies produced results..

THE ITSE
The ongoing competition between the IT'S.  This week the team from IT  Carlow were in studio in the shape of Shu Zhang, one of the student team of 3. At the end of week 8 Carlow's portfolio is now at 94.5, with Sligo is at 83 with Tralee at 88.2. The latter 2 are still recovering from the initial choice of Elan.. For a comparison the ISEQ has dropped over 10% over the period of the competition..

NIFTY PROGRAMME
John Murray went to Coolock in North Dublin to find out about the
National Federation of Teaching Entrepreneurship Programme - originally devised in the United States.   It is being  piloted by the Northside Partnership, a group which  promotes social inclusion in places like Coolock and Darndale.  

NORTHSIDE PARTNERSHIP.
Coolock Development Centre, Bunratty Drive, Coolock, Dublin 17. T: (01) 848 5630 ...
www.startingabusinessinireland.com/dirnorthsidep.htm 

April 16th 2005
THE EASTER CHOCOLATE SHOW

A multimillion Euro business in Ireland.. John looked at 3 very different business in the specialty chocolate trade

Lily O'Briens are the market leader, Celtic are big in their specialised area  and  Divine Chocolate integrate special needs adults into their workforce.

Divine Chocolates
South Hill Enterprises t/a Divine Chocolates Cloran Road Athboy Co Meath Contact: Maura Melia Tel: +353 46 9432899 Fax: +353 46 9432899 Email: divinechoc@eircom.net

South Hill Enterprises is a small food business operating in Athboy Co Meath. We trade under the name "Divine Chocolates". We manufacture a range of fine handmade chocolates specialising in chocolates for Christmas, Easter, Weddings & Conferences. Please contact us for details.

Lily O'Briens
Lily O'Briens Chocolates Contact: Mary Ann O'Brien Green Road IDA Industrial Park Newbridge Co. Kildare Ireland web address www.lilyobriens.ie Tel: 01 45486 800

Celtic Chocolates
Celtic Chocolates Summerhill Co Meath Contact: Joe Callery Tel: 0405 57077 Fax: 0405 57591 Email: celtchoc@iol.ie Established 1990, Celtic Chocolates manufacture a range of chocolate confectionery - boxed chocolates, after dinner mints, chocolate bars - diabetic & dairy free and Easter Eggs. Celtic Chocolates is a leader in after dinner chocolates with its premium range including Mint Crisps, Mint Creams and Dark Mints, together with Celtic After Dinner Collection. According to the company it is now the number two best selling range in its category. Recent additions to the range include the no added sugar selection - an after dinner variety suitable for those on sugar reduced diets and a companion to the leading Cordialle brand of diabetic chocolate. A multiple award winner at London's Great Taste Awards and a recipient of a Chocolate Lovers' Award from the Irish Food Writers Guild, Celtic Chocolates now exports its range of after dinner chocolates to the U.K. France, Germany and the U.S.A.

April 9th 2005
THE BIG STORY 

The Bank of Ireland and the minor scandal of insurance on term loans and the lack of refunds on many of the loans paid off early.. with Mary O'Dea, Consumer Director, IFSRA and RTE's Economics correspondent, George Lee..

Mary O'Dea, Consumer Director, IFSRA  - contact: consumerinfo@ifsra.ie

SMALL FIRM OF THE WEEK
Sentenial  - www.directdebit.ie-  are a 4 person outfit based in Maynooth business campus, who specialise in running direct payment systems for business, and are pioneering software for the  Single European Payment regime, which will come into effect as part of the single economic area. John Murray trekked West to Maynooth to find out more
                     
THE INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY STOCK INDEX: THE ITSE
This week IT Sligo were live on air in the person of Dumitru Guta in the Sligo studio, who reported on how they are doing since they dropped Elan from their portfolio..

US STOCKS
Donny Hough runs TICN Chicago and has 23 years experience as a Chicago Board of Options Exchange Market Maker, and he updated us on the US stock situation
Contact TICN www.ticn.com        
phone:   1800 / 367 693

April 2nd 2005
THE BIG STORY  - ARE THE BANKS STILL THE BANKERS FOR INVESTORS
With Eamon Hughes, Banking Analyst at  Goodbody Stockbrokers in studio with John

ITSE - Institute of Technologies Stock exchange -
This was the first week that the 3 college teams were allowed divest themselves of losing stocks, and the summary position at week 5;

Not surprisingly Sligo dropped Elan and replaced with Ryanair, and also put Independent News and Media in place of Anglo Irish bank.. Their index now stands at 88.9

Carlow swapped McInerny's for Unidare and dropped British Airport Authorities in favour of Goal Soccer Centres.. and as they avoided the Elan effect they are still in the lead at 98.8 on the index

And finally Tralee dropped Elan to be replaced by Ryanair once again and dropped CRH in favour of FBD holdings.. And we heard all about that from the horses mouth when Greg Lowe, representing the IT Tralee student team talked to us from Siamsa Tire in Tralee.. ( just in after a hard night's piping at the Celtic Festival in Tralee.. seriously the  man plays Uillean pipes as well as training in accountancy.)

Recruitment : 
John talked to 2 practicioners in the recruitment business.
Simon Waddington  of  Merc Partners, is in the headhunting or executive search end while Jane Lorigan is  Group Marketing Director of  IrishJobs.ie, the biggest online recruiter in Ireland                                                                              

GLENILEN Artisan Dairy Products
Emma McNamara went to a rainy and green West Cork to meet the Glenilen crew. Glenilen was established by Valerie and Alan Kingston in 2002 to produce a range of products with milk from their own dairy herd. This range now includes fromage frais, cheesecakes, mousses, yogurts, clotted cream and farmhouse butter. The company promotes an image of "absolutely no additives, home-made, natural, farm goodness" products. The products are widely available both in the multiples and in many specialist stores throughout Dublin, Cork and the region. The company converted a farm building into a fully compliant food production unit with assistance from the West Cork Enterprise Board. They have already won several other awards including silver at the Great Taste Awards and bronze at the British Cheese Awards, as well as being listed in the Bridgestone Guide 2004 and Rick Steins 'Food Heroes'
The company currently employs 4 people at their farm near Drimoleague.
Contact Details:
Alan & Valerie Kingston
Glenilen Farm
Drimoleague
Co Cork
Tel: 028-31179
Email: Glenilen@eircom.net
www.glenilen.com

March 26th 2005

March 19th 2005
RETAIL BANKING - CHANGES
Mark Duffy Chief Exec. Bank of Scotland Ireland  on their takeover of the ESB's retail operations and how this will change the banking sector

Karen Whooley recounts the ongoing saga of changing bank accounts and how the new switching  code is working or not as the case seems to be

Felix O'Regan,  The Irish Bankers' Federation Head of PR & Communications, attempted to pour oil on the troubled waters - Contact
Nassau House
Nassau Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
IBF Tel: (01) 671 53 11
IBF Fax: (01) 679 66 80
IBF email: ibf@ibf.ie

BARNIES AND FRANCHISING

Lorraine Sweeney, who already holds the 4 Star Pizza franchise in Ireland, tells us about her new venture, Barnies Coffee,  on the week before the franchise opens the first store in Dublin.. She also contributed her experience of the banking sector
Email - lorrainesweeney@ireland.com
                    
LOTUS AUTOMATION
The Sligo based firm Lotus Automation is in expansion mode and looking for 60 new engineers to fill jobs locally and in its client companies over coming months.  They supply a range of control systems and plant optimistation and engineering services to the multinational manufacturing sector in Ireland and abroad.
The firm was established in 1989 and it recently bought the electrical and mechanical division of US firm JH Kelly. Fergal Broder is the founder and managing director and Conor Flanagan is Lotus' general manager,and they told  Emma McNamara  how it all works
Lotus Automation (Ireland) Ltd
Marino House, Finisklin Business Park, Sligo.
Tel   +353 (0) 71 9169783
Fax   +353 (0) 71 9169895
Email.  info@lotusautomation.com

US STOCKS
Summary of US Stock Exchange live from Chicago with Kevin Flynn of the Investment Club Network
www.ticn.com 

March 12th 2005
Review of the Stocks & Shares -
With  Stuart Draper,  Head of Research, Dolmen Stockbrokers 

ITSE  
Gerard Donoghue , second year accounting student at   IT Carlow was the latest of the IT team reps in studio reviewing their portfolio 

Poland package    
Emma McNamara  went to Poland to see how Grafton Recruiting are finding workers for the Irish economy and how Grafton is working with British bus company First Group on the recruitment of  bus drivers for Britain.. 
www.grafton-group.com ...

LE BUSINESS              
John Murray met some of the participants in Le Club Des Affaires - a French Irish business forum who held a special session to coincide with the 6 Nations Rubgy clash betweent  the 2 nations.
The Club des Affaires, a new joint initiative between the CCEF, the Mission Economique de l'Ambassade de France and the Ireland France Chamber of Commerce, was launched on 14th January 2005.
www.irelandfrance.com

March 5th 2005
THE WEEK IN BUSINESS
ELAN - REPORT with Analysis by   Peter Frawley who handles International Equity Sales with Merrion Stockbrokers
Web-  www.merrion-capital.com

I.T.S.E
This week outlining their share portfolio was  IT Sligo webdevelopment student Dumitru Guta who was in the Sligo Studio

ANDOR REPORT
Emma McNamara on the Belfast based Andor Technology, just two months  listed on London's FTSE Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Andor makes high performance digital cameras for use in laboratories and other commercial areas. 94 per cent of Andor's products are exported, 6 per cent are sold in the home market of Britain and Ireland and the firm hopes its listing will help raise awareness of its products closer to home. Andor's is based in the Springvale Business Park.
 Dr Hugh Cormican - managing director
Emma McClintock - marketing
Andor Technology 7
 Millennium Way
Springvale Business Park
Belfast BT12 7AL Northern Ireland
TEL from ROI: 048 90 237126
From abroad: 00 44 28 9023 7126
http://www.andor.com

Women's Network
John Murray attended the Dublin meeting of the Women's Network, having been issued with honourary female status for the evening Network Ireland  is  the Organisation for Women in the Business, the Professions and the Arts Contact 01 4991086 or 01 4992676 or write to Unit 10, 17 Rathfarnham Road, Terenure, Dublin 6w.

BANKING
Limerick listener Mary Halpin relayed her negative experience in trying to obtain free banking from her bank

JARGON
John pricks the bubbles of pomposity posing as English..

February 26th 2005
THE BIG STORY 
Results for many major domestic firms this week, AIB, Paddy Power, McInerny, etc. Robbie Kelleher, Head of Research at Davy Stockbrokers discusses the results with John

ITSE - Institutes of Technology Stock Exchange index Competition
This week we launch the  ITSE, the Institutes of Technology Stock Exchange index. 3 sets of business oriented students from our IT's have joined this interprovincial challenge to find who can pick those stocks that last the course..What we asked them to do is choose 6 stocks ,.4 Irish quoted and 2 London quoted,  and we'll chart their progress week by week, until the end of the academic year in early May..- full rules and teams will be on the website during the week..

3 teams are from the IT'S sligo, Tralee and Carlow, and this week  Greg Lowe, from 4th year Business at IT Tralee  reported on their portfolio live from Siamsa Tire, Tralee                 
 

WINNER OF SFA SMALL FIRM OF YEAR AWARD -MR. CRUMB Based in the small Westmeath Village of Finea, Mr Crumb is a major employer and success story.. Bernard Coyle, the managing director and founder takes John Murray on a tour of their premises and of their range of speciality stuffings and ready to eat foods

http://www.mrcrumb.ie
The Crumb Factory, Finea, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland. Tel. +353 43 81148 / 81347

PLUS THE WEEK'S GOBBLEDEBOOK ..

February 19th 2005
THE BIG STORY
Energy and Electricity Market Deregulation
Guest - Peter Duffy, Energy Consultant  - Enercomm international - 043 42044 peterduffy@enercomm.ie 
The week that the electricity market was opened up and also the formal implementation of the Kyoto Treaty, meant that energy was in the spotlight.

CLEARPOWER REPORT by  Emma McNamara, covered topics of renewable energy, growing energy crops, carbon reduction, waste useage and energy import substitution .
Clearpower chief exec -  SIMON DICK -Clearpower Limited 4 Merrion Square Dublin 2  www.clearpower.ie

STOCKMARKETS
Weekly overview with Stuart Draper,  Head of Research,  Dolmen Stockbrokers stuart.draper@dbb.ie

FOOD BRANDS     
The Irish food brand forum and how it works for niche Irish foods. John Murray talked to Tara McCarthy, Senior Manager, Consumer Food & Drinks, Bord Bia

Tara,  commenting on the launch of Bord Bia's Brand Forum Trend Spotlight said:  "This unique Food & Drink Brand Forum development provides a path to growth for companies, by contributing to their brand development.  It further assists in
the management of Irish brands at a strategic commercially viable level."

HOW TO CHANGE  BANK ACCOUNTS - Karen Whooley went into the marketplace to see if it can be done.. this is her story

February 12th 2005
FOREIGN PROPERTY AND INVESTMENTS
Emma McNamara reported from 2 recent property fairs for the Spanish and French Markets
Liz Maher, Foreign Property Consultant Commented from Tralee on property investments
(lizremax@eircom.net or www.remax.ie )
Fiona Hayes, Senior economist and fund manager Hibernian Investment Managers (www.him.ie) commented on Irish property returns and comparisons with equities.

SMALL BUSINESS FOCUS
Cartoon Saloon- Kilkenny based animation company on business start up, their featurelength cartoon project and the Paisley /Adams snowball fight,..,
PaulYoung 056 7764481 or www.cartoonsaloon.ie

DIAMONDS AND VALENTINES
Neville McDowell of Weir and Sons of Dublin (01-6779678) talked on diamonds, the diamond market and the enduring appeal of the glittering stones

February 5th 2005
THE BIG STORY
Minimum wage, tax incentive changes, oversupply of
hotel beds .. discussion with Eric Rothschild, CEO
Tower Hotel Group.
www.towerhotelgroup.com
Áine Maria Mizzoni, CEO, Grafton Recruitment.
www.grafton-group.com

NEW BUSINESS PROFILE
PHOREST - Dublin based mobile technolgy firm Phorest
specialises in helping its clients retain customers using
the customers own mobile phones and text messages.
Emma McNamara talked to Jamie Myerscough and Ronan
Percival
More at www.phorest.com

SR TECHNICS
John Murray looks at the latest incarnation of
TEAM AERLINGUS/FLS Aerospace..

STOCKS AND SHARES
5 to watch with Eoin O'Malley of The
Investment Club Network TICN.
www.ticn.com

January 29th 2005
IRISH AVIATION DISCUSSION
With .MICHAEL O'LEARY - Chief Executive Ryanair
MICHAEL HALPENNY SIPTU- National Industrial Secretary .
JOE GILL - Aviation Analyst with GOODBODY'S Stockbrokers
DAVOS - World Economic Forum, commentary by
PHILIP LEE, international Trade Lawyer
NEW BUSINESS - TECH AUTO in TULLAMORE
Contact ;
DENNIS O'DWYER
Unit 3
Sragh Industrial Estate
Tullamore
Co. Offaly
0506 24774

VOX POP on Changing bank accounts

January 22nd 2005
John Murray reports from China on the largest Irish trade mission ever. He hears from participants who hope to expand business connections there; from local commentators about the changing environment for busines in the communist state and from the Taoiseach on his hopes for future links with that country.

January 15th 2005
Closure of MLE
Jamie Smith, of the Irish Times, gives John Murray
the background to the closure of Media Lab Europe
in the Digital Hub, in Dublin.

Food Industry
Michael Feeney, Executive Director - Food and Retail
Consumer Markets - Enterprise Ireland, discusses
the latest developments in the food sector as Greencore
closes its Carlow sugar factory while Green Isle announces
an extra 130 jobs in its Naas pizza division.

Innovation
Developments in air transport which will allow travellers
to check in, en route to the airport, using their mobile phones
and also to make mobile calls while airborne.

Investment and Markets
Owen O'Malley and Pat Lynch, of The Investment Club Network,
on the establishment of the Network, how it operates and
what new members can expect to learn about playing the markets.
They also review the performance of their chosen shares.

Disability Awards
Caroline Casey on the recently announced disability awards
for business, and on the value - to business - of the 'disabled' consumer.

January 8th 2005
The Award for International Young Entrepreneur
of the year, in 2004, was given to Paddy Dunning
for the top-class recording facilities he developed,
on an 18th century estate, in Co. Westmeath. John Murray
went to visit the Grouse Lodge studios where he met Paddy
and heard the story of the award-winning project.
www.grouselodge.com