An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny was in Westport today to announce the creation of up to 40 new jobs over the next three years by the Lafferty Group.

The company is to locate key educational and publishing activities for the global banking industry in the town, with the support of IDA Ireland.

The Lafferty Group is a London-based banking education, research and publishing company established over thirty years ago by Ballaghaderreen native, Michael Lafferty.

The Westport activities will include the research and content division of the International Academy of Retail Banking (IARB), a new Lafferty business that began its international roll-out last year. The company has clients in over twenty countries.

It will provide education through classroom tuition within individual banks, mainly in the English language. It also provides open courses attended by executives from multiple banks.

Mr Lafferty told Midwest News today that the company will be looking for able editors, writers and researchers and he said he is delighted to set up a base in Westport.