The Assistant County Manager, Mr Tom Dowling said that at a very conservative estimate these proposals would bring an additional 300 jobs to the town in the first three years. In welcoming the judges the Chairman of Ennis Urban District Council, Councillor Tommy Brennan said "this is a day of hope and achievement for Ennis". "This is a town with a proud history, a dynamic present and future full of promise. The growth of Ennis and its plans for the future are rooted in a strong sense of community cooperation and joint venture approach which involve both State and Community organizations", he added. 51 Towns sought to become Irelands Information Age Town. Four were short listed - Ennis, Castlebar, Kilkenny and Killarney. Each town has been visited for a half day evaluation by a five man panel of judges including Alfie Kane, Chief Executive of Telecom Eireann. The other judges are: Sean Scanlan, Professor of Electronic Engineering, UCD, Dan Flinter, Chief Executive, Forbairt, Danny O’Hare, President, Dublin City University, Gerry O’Sullivan, Corporate Relations, Telecom Eireann. After the presentation the judges viewed a special exhibition by 18 Hitech companies in the Mid West. They were later shown locations where Ennis already has high levels of Information Technology. These include the medical instrumentation company Vitalograph, the De Valera Library and the Clare Business Centre. The judges also visited the centre of Ennis by horse drawn carriage.