The front page of the Nationalist and Munster Advertiser typified the contradictory light and dark of the economy with two contrasting headlines.
"Massive renewal boost for four county towns", ran the lead. "Elderly homeless fear nightmare", warned the second lead story.
With similar irony, the Kilkenny People's lead was "World bank eyes city", while an article down the left side was titled "House price hike a real headache".
First to the Nationalist and Munster Advertiser: "Elderly and ill residents of a Clonmel nursing home have been given six weeks to quit the premises with desperate families pleading with the South Eastern Health Board to come to their rescue," it stated.
"Last Friday 22 residents of the Cottage Hospital Nursing Home in Clonmel and their families were told the nursing home would cease trading from August 31st." One family member said: "Why can't the health board buy the premises? The Government has no problems buying hotels for refugees. My mother and over 20 others will have nowhere to live in a few weeks' time. It is a horrendous position to be in."
However, the news was good for multimillion-pound developments. "Successful implementation of the town renewal scheme will bring about a transformation of Cahir, Cashel, Fethard and Killenaule as massive residential, commercial and industrial development opportunities will be opened up," Eamon Lacey also wrote.
There were similar stories in local newspapers around the country, in the wake of the Government's announcement of the beneficiaries of the town renewal scheme, with the Tullamore Tribune commenting that the scheme would benefit towns bypassed by the Celtic Tiger.
"Kilkenny is in line for a world banking boost," stated the Kilkenny People. "The city is on the shortlist and may soon house Ireland's only provincial branch of Deutsche Bank." The move would bring 200 jobs, according to former Irish rugby international Paul McNaughton, the chief executive of Deutsche International Ireland Ltd.
At the same time, house hunters are facing a "financial nightmare" in Kilkenny because the average price of a home is now "a staggering £130,000". The dramatic price increase is linked to a shortage of new houses nationwide caused by "tardiness in the planning process", stated the newspaper.
Half the population of Co Louth are living in areas classed as deprived, according to a report in the Argus. The report - by Dr Rosaleen Corcoran, director of public health and planning for the North Eastern Health Board - also found that 37 per cent of Louth births are outside marriage, which is well above the national average of 28 per cent. Another report presented to the health board showed child abuse cases soaring by 154 per cent.
The Meath Chronicle also highlighted the contrast between the wealthy and the less well-off, but this time on a global scale, commenting on the failure of the G8 summit to find a consensus on genetically modified (GM) foods.
"The GM industry has a long way to go in proving that such crops pose no risk to human health and can reduce starvation at the same time as showing that their development will enable the world's poorest people to buy them. "If GM foods follow the same path as previous agricultural innovations, they will once again concentrate farming activity in the hands of bigger, wealthier farmers and continue to leave landless peasants in developing countries on the brink of starvation," it stated.
Crime levels are down in Kerry - with the exception of Minister John O'Donoghue's "backyard", Killarney. Tourists are easy targets, stated the Kerryman, because they have a "lax attitude" to leaving videos and bags on the back seats of cars. The majority of crimes in Killarney were routine burglaries and car thefts.
The tourist season in Kerry has fallen "far short of expectations", added the newspaper. A collapse of the British tourist market, the ongoing rail dispute and a slowing down of the German market are blamed.
However, Kerry seems to be bucking the national trend as it heads for a record-breaking high with figures set to increase by 7 per cent.
Festivals around the country seem to have one thing in common: the tendency for local men to dress in drag in some of the entertainment. The Roscommon Herald pictured James Donlon looking sedate in a white granny wig and purple lace-trimmed taffeta bodice and jacket, teamed with a black skirt, while the Wexford People depicted Sean Carthy and Adrian Meyler in long blonde tresses and various stages of dishabille. Adrian was displaying a sleek thigh beneath a red neglige, while Sean's plastic bosom had come unstuck and was bursting out of the top of his swimsuit.