6 August 1997
Small firms in Mayo have ignored a prestigious national competition with a prize fund of over £50,000.
The organisers of the scheme have expressed 'surprise' that not one entry from the county was received for the Bank of Ireland sponsored National Enterprise Awards.
The competition is open to companies who received direct grant aid from their County Enterprise Board at any time since 1993.
The scheme offers firms the golden opportunity to publicise their achievement and reflect their contribution to the local economy. But Mayo was one of three counties in Ireland not to submit a single application.
Said Mr. Donal MacAuliffe, who is involved in running the competition through the Running Your Business magazine, said: "Naturally we would like every county to become involved.
"There is a very generous prize fund and it would be a shame if firms with a reasonable chance of winning missed out.
"The competition is also designed to encourage people to start their own businesses."
Mr. McAuliffe said there was still a chance for Mayo enterprises to become involved. Application forms were available from the Mayo County Enterprise Board, Castlebar.
The other two counties yet to submit applications are Galway and Offaly.
