The Irish century began with poverty and oppression and is ending with a "shove and push" and "huff and puff" of wealth and acquisition, comments the Westmeath Independent.
During the commercial Christmas rush, many of us have been "shovelling out money in a way which we feel may mark us out as people of property and possessions, of being among the elite of the halves to the degree of indulging in squander-mania," the editorial writer said. "Maybe we could take a little time to slow down the pace and reflect on our direction?
"How much more rewarding if we shared some of our wealth with the less fortunate. Would not a giving of a little more time to talk to the depressed, the suffering, the deprived yield a much greater satisfaction?
"Many of us are losing the touch of how to communicate and how to listen. All too often we fail to observe the real needs around us. Life is what we make of it. If we abuse it, the consequences to ourselves can be catastrophic . . . Some day all of us will be asked to account for that stewardship and how we have influenced rising generations."
Speaking of which, more than one in three secondary school pupils have used drugs, with teenagers as young as 13 using heroin, says the Kildare Nationalist. The Eastern Health Board and Action South Kildare conducted a survey of 2,000 students attending 29 secondary schools, which found that cannabis was the most popular drug, with use starting at age 13 on average.
Christmas still has meaning, the Longford Leader believes. What better proof was there than the fact that the population of Co Longford increased by 10 per cent over the holiday as emigrants returned to their roots?
An emigrant is for life, not just for Christmas, is the message coming from the Boyle Chamber of Commerce. It wants to entice emigrants home to live and invest, according to the Roscommon Herald. A "unique" attempt to attract investors and entrepreneurs home to their native Boyle will take place on Wednesday, December 29th at the Royal Hotel. An "employment and skills register" will be placed throughout the town during the Christmas season so that emigrants can input their skills and details.
The Roscommon Herald was upbeat, saying that "1999 has been a good year for us: the Celtic Tiger has continued his economic leaps and, in another corner of our Ireland, there is a fragile peace, but peace nonetheless. Yes, it has been a good year, even in Co Roscommon. The economic rising tide is finally beginning to lift most boats; evidence of the boom in construction can be seen in every part of the county."
The Roscommon Champion reported that Ballaghaderreen will host an historic Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, January 19th. "It is extremely rare for a Cabinet meeting to be held outside Dublin, and the Ballaghaderreen meeting will be among the first, if not the first time, that such a sitting has taken place outside the capital city," the Champion says. The Cabinet will be launching the National Development Plan for the Border, midlands and west Objective 1 area.
The Roscommon Champion's editorial welcomes the arrival of "unprecedented prosperity", but it sees the flight of young people from the land as an "ominous sign". "Here in Roscommon and the west of Ireland generally, there is an uncertain mixture of optimism and pessimism as the 20th century ends," it says.
The Kilkenny People reports that local hotels "are bracing themselves for a millennium backlash as thousands of people turn away from major planned celebrations to ring in the New Year at home", according to the newspaper.