This article is from page 17 of the 2008-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
DISTRICT court sittings in Kildysart and Corofin have become a thing of the past, while court hearings will not take place in Ennistymon for at least 18 months.
The Courts Service has decided to move Kildysart cases to Ennis and Kilrush, while Corofin cases will be heard in Ennis and Ennistymon, on a permanent basis.
The Ennistymon court hearings, which have taken place in the Teach Ceol for several years, will now move
to Kilrush.
The Courts Service has stressed that the Ennistymon move is only a temporary measure as it is close to reaching a decision on a new venue for the town’s court hearings.
The decision, announced last week, came in the wake of District Judge Joseph Mangan repeatedly voicing his concerns about the poor condi- tions of the Teach Ceol in Ennisty- mon and the Corofin venue.
The Teach Ceol building was cold and accoustics were poor. Over the past three years, personnel from the
Courts Service have made attempts to find a more suitable permanent venue in the town, but this hasn’t suc- ceeded. It 1s expected that a new ven- ue will be opened within 18 months.
While legal sources expressed satis- faction that the venue in Ennistymon is to be replaced, they did express hope that the decision to move the monthly sittings to Kilrush would be a short-term one.
The regional manager of the Courts Service, Brendan McDonald, said the plan is for a courthouse to be opened in Ennistymon.
“The judge has had enough of the cold and the poor accoustics. It is no longer suitable,’ he said.
He said the decision to move the Ennistymon cases to Kilrush and not Ennis was because Ennis was “very full with High Court and Central Criminal Court sittings.”
The Kildysart and Corofin sittings took place in the local community halls, which were not suitable for court hearings, according to the Courts Service.
“There were only 53 cases heard in Kildysart last year, while in Corofin
the conditions were appalling, with no consultation areas and no judge’s area,’ said Mr McDonald.
Kildysart Councillor Oliver Garry (FG) said locals fear the removal of the courthouse may be just another part of local services being eroded.
“The only thing I’d get worried about is everything is closing in rural areas. There is always concern about these things,” he said.
Lahinch Community Council chair- man Donogh O’Loghlin said the poor conditions in Ennistymon were ‘an insult to our courts system”.