Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has said that the official opening of the Rathkeale Enterprise Centre in the old Andersen Ireland plant next week will mark a major positive step forward and a new opportunity for Rathkeale and the surrounding areas.
“I am delighted that the Minister for Finance, Limerick’s Michael Noonan TD will officially open the facility on Monday. I know from the time that Andersen announced its closure that there was huge concern in the local area about the future of the plant. There was a strong wish from within the community that the facility would be kept for the creation of employment in Rathkeale. I was part of a group which was formed after the closure was announced which included the Rathkeale Community Council, Cllr. Stephen Keary, local man Brian McEnery and Michael Cantwell from Innovate Limerick who worked with the bank in question to secure the plant for the town.
“Working as a small united group with Limerick City and County Council we were able to guarantee that the plant would have a future in the creation of jobs in Rathkeale and also be given a strong community use in the town, I am thrilled that our work paid off and that the Minister for Finance is doing the honours in opening the new Rathkeale Enterprise Centre. The presence of the Minister for Finance will be a strong signal of how this Government values local enterprise in town like Rathkeale.”
“Recently I was able to work together with Cllr. Stephen Keary and with the Butterfly Club to secure €80,000 for the work that they are due to start in their new home in the old Andersen plant, and their presence, together with the jobs which are already in the Rathkeale Enterprise Centre, will mean that the facility will be in the heart of the local community long into the future. I am delighted to have played my role in this project and I am looking forward to a bright future for this facility for many years to come.”