There has been a very positive response to the BreastCheck national screening programme in Co Longford, the first rural area where the service has been offered.
Recently the Government moved to offer a free mammogram to women to reduce deaths from breast cancer and the midland county was the first area outside Dublin to be sampled.
BreastCheck targeted 2,000 women in the county for the programme and according to Ms Dympna Bracken, information officer with the Midland Health Board, the take-up was very good.
"Running a programme like this in the country is much more difficult than in the city because of problems like transport and other infrastructural difficulties," she said.
"I understand that the take-up was quite high and the screening unit which came down from Dublin was very busy," she said.
Meanwhile, however, the whole issue of breast cancer services in the Midlands Health Board region is still far from settled.
Following a vigorous campaign by an action committee in Portlaoise, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, allocated £500,000 to the cancer unit at the local hospital.
It was feared the service would be downgraded or lost in centralisation moves to Tullamore, Co Offaly.
While the Laois people celebrated their victory, the people of Mullingar were unhappy as no money was allocated to their service in the local hospital.
What upset representatives from the area was that their support for the campaign against centralisation had won the day for Portlaoise. Tullamore councillor Mr Johnny Flanagan said the Minister's decision to give money to Portlaoise undermined his position as an Offaly representative and he did not want "a bit of a service here and a bit of a service there".
He threatened to resign from the board if clarification was not forthcoming. Following a stormy meeting of the board, it was agreed a delegation would meet the Minister for Health and seek clarification on the issue.