Limerick an ‘outstanding example of a city and its people that has fought back’

LIMERICK is on course to be the regional economic success story of Ireland.
That is the view of former Taoiseach Enda Kenny who spoke at theย Limerick Chamber โ€˜Regional Leaders Programmeโ€™ held at Dellโ€™s campus in Raheen on Tuesday.
Deputy Kenny said Limerick is an โ€œoutstanding example of a city and its people that has fought back.โ€
He said, โ€œIt’s great to see confidence being expressed here in Limerick and in the southwest, you can you can feel it.
โ€œWhether that’s about innovation or entrepreneurship or other economic activities.
โ€œWhen your new motorway comes from Limerick to Cork it will change the dynamics and the economics of the Mid-West entirely for the next generation.โ€
The former Taoiseach praised the contribution of Limerick men Denis Brosnan and former Minister for Finance Michael Noonan for a large portion of Limerickโ€™s resurgence.
He said: โ€œIt didn’t happen by accident, you had political commitment at local level about the expansion of the city.
โ€œYou had a very strong taskforce under Denis Brosnan. That set out a strategy and a position.
โ€œThen you had government responses in terms of in terms of tax and restoring confidence to an economy, fixing our banks and making incentives available for the creation of jobs.
โ€œAnd your own Michael Noonan here in Limerick was a really solid heavyweight in the political and financial sense in adding stability to us internationally.โ€
Enda Kenny used the example of meeting Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles and taking his advice on how to attract filmmakers to Ireland and ultimately Limerick with Troy Studios.
He said: โ€œHaving met with Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles he said that if you change your tax position, if you provide schools of graphic design and buildings that are bigger and insulated enough you can make really significant moves in the movie business.
โ€œMinister Noonan changed the tax laws in that respect and the evidence is here in Limerick itself, which is outstanding.โ€
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