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A MAN who burned down his former home in Kilrush in an attempt to secure a new house for his mother has received an 18-month sentence.

Martin Blunnie (24) was “very disgruntled” with the local authority for not giving his mother Adrienne Simmons (56) after the area they lived fell into dereliction and disrepair.

The family set fire to their then home at 3 Beechpark in the John Paul Estate on March 15 (2012).

Passing sentence at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, Judge Gerard Keys said the family made frequent requests to move from the estate where houses were boarded up and abandoned.

He said nobody irrespective of their background or means should be expected to live in houses of such poor condition.

However Judge Keys added the poor condition of the house wasº no justification of the family’s actions.

“I can understand your reaction but it cannot be justified”, he said.

Martin Blunnie and Adrienne Sim mons were drinking and became involved in a row with a local authority litter warden on the morning of the blaze due to a complaint over rubbish.

The court heard the Fire Services were called later in the day after smoke was seen coming from the windows.

Martin Blunnie was arrested and admitted to gardaí that he started the fire deliberately. Both he and Ms Simmons pleaded guilty to arson.

The court heard the family’s house had fallen into disrepair and was surrounded by derelict and boarded up properties.

Counsel for the DPP, Stephen Coughlan BL said, “He became indignant and set the house on fire with the view of getting new accommodation.” Mr Blunnie has 25 previous convictions.

The court heard that areas of the John Paul Estate have undergone regeneration. Ms Simmons has since moved to new rented accommodation.

On Thursday, Judge Keys said the family’s actions were not life threatening as the adjoining houses were abandoned and scheduled for demolition.

The court heard Martin Blunnie endured a chaotic childhood due to drink and drug problems.

“It is clear that Martin Blunnie was the main instigator and your mother went along with the actions,” added Judge Keys.

He sentenced Mr Blunnie to two years in prison but suspended the final six months.

Judge Keys said Ms Simmons had lived a tragic life and there would be no benefit to society by sending her to prison. He imposed a suspended sentence. A MA N who insulted and verbally abused a Judge in a foul-mouthed tirade at Ennis Courthouse last month has been advised to keep his cool. Jimmy Doherty (40) vented his fury at the outcome of a case by roaring obscenities at Judge Patrick Durcan in Ennis District Court on September 24. Mr Doherty, with an address at Maiville, Kilrush Road, Ennis was arrested and charged with engaging in threatening and insulting behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. OnWednesday, Mr Doherty pleaded guilty to the public order charge. Defence solicitor John Casey told the court his client wished to apologise for his behaviour on the day.“This was a time when he was under a lot of pressure,” explained Mr Casey. Inspector TomKennedy said he was “very surprised” to learn of Mr Doherty’s outburst. Speaking in court Mr Doherty said,“Your honour I’mvery sorry to you and I apologise to the court”. Judge Patrick Durcan said he accepted Mr Doherty’s apology.“I believe people should showrespect to one another. Mr Doherty, keep the cool inside the courthouse and outside the courthouse.” Judge Durcan struck out the charge against Mr Doherty. A T EEN A GER who was ordered to make a toolbox for his solicitor has been told he could have good career in woodwork. In July, Judge Patrick Durcan said he was making the order because it was obvious the boy had “natural gift” for woodwork.The 18 year old, who was a minor when it is alleged he committed a drugs offence, previously made a wooden toolbox as part of his involvement with the Probation Services. After reading a probation report, Judge Durcan commended the boy on his workmanship. He ordered that the teenager produce a similar itemfor his solicitor,Tara Godfrey, so she could use it while gardening. Judge Durcan said he wanted the boy to apply himself to something he is good at. “Here we have a young man that has a natural gift and I want to see himdevelop that gift,” he added. The case was adjourned to last Wednesday to allowthe teenager time to make the box. Solicitor Tara Godfrey brought the toolbox into court.“I’mvery happy with my gift. It’s fit for purpose,” she told the court. Judge Patrick Durcan congratulated the teenager on the“beautifully made” toolbox.“In my viewthat is a saleable item,” he said. “I’ll be looking out for ads in Clare newspapers as to where you’ll be selling these,” added Judge Durcan. A Probation Officer told the court that they would recommend the boy for an employment linkage programme. Inspector TomKennedy said no newissues had arisen with the accused. Judge Durcan struck out the charge against the teenager. A W ES T Clare man who caused a head on collision after overtaking on a bend near Lissycasey last year has been disqualified fromholding a license for two years. Gary Sullivan (19) was driving to Kilkee when he attempted to overtake a car on a continous white line near Caherea on NewYear’s Eve, Ennis District Court heard onWednesday. Mr Sullivan’s car collided with another car traveling in the opposite direction. No one was injured in the crash. Inspector TomKennedy told the court that Mr Sullivan made a “huge error of judgment.” Mr Sullivan, with an address at Marian Estate, Kilkee, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving an failing to have insurance.A request to reduce the charge to one of careless driving was not accepted by the court. Defence solicitor Fiona Hehir told the court her client swapped his old car for a new one in Clonmel on the night in question. She said Mr Sullivan had not yet transferred his insurance across to the newcar when the accident occurred. Ms Hehir said Mr Sullivan acted in a very mature manner in the aftermath of the accident.“He wrote a letter of apology to the family involved”, she added. The court heard Mr Sullivan hopes to travel abroad. Judge Patrick Durcan imposed fines totaling €750 and disqualified Mr Sullivan fromholding a driver’s license for two years.

A LIMERICK man has appeared in court charged in connection with a burglary of Tinarana House in Killaloe earlier this year. Jeffrey Lee (41), with an address at Cosgrave Park, Moyross, Limerick, was brought before Ennis District Court on Thursday. He is charged with entering Tinarana House as a trespasser on dates between August 17 and September 24 and committing theft therein. Detective Garda Bernard Casey gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He told the court Mr Lee made no reply to charge after caution. Inspector John O’Sullivan sought to have the accused remanded in custody with consent to bail. He said bail would be subject to a number of conditions; Mr Lee must reside at Cosgrave Park, Moyross, stay out of County Clare and Ballina, County Tipperary, and observe a curfew between 11pm and 7am. Mr Lee must also provide his own bond of € 100 and an independent surety of € 1,000. Judge Patrick Durcan remanded Mr Lee in custody with consent to bail to appear against at Ennis District Court on October 16. Legal aid was approved for defence solicitor Tara Godfrey. The property is the home of Gary McNamara and his wife, Michelle. He is the son of Dolores McNamara, the Limerick woman who won € 115m in the Euromillions lottery draw in 2005. The period mansion is located on 270 acres on the shores of Lough Derg. Tinarana was previously owned by Dr Paschal Carmody and his wife, Dr Frieda Carmody. Dr Carmody was acquitted in Ennis Circuit Criminal Court earlier this year of the final remaining charges relating to obtaining money by deception from the families of terminally ill cancer patients.

THERE have been calls for more to be done to improve public lighting in estates around Clare amid growing concerns over an increase in burglaries.

Members of Clare County Council yesterday urged the local authority to intervene to repair lights in estates that have yet to be taken in charge.

It followed a motion tabled by Fine Gael councillor Joe Cooney. Cllr Cooney called on the council to “repair public lights in estates where the developer no longer exists and where the council have not taken in charge those estates throughout the county in the interests of safety and given increase in burglaries”.

Cllr Cooney told the meeting inadequate public lighting is a major worry for residents.

“There is concern out there. We are aware that anti-social behaviour is going on in some of these estates,” he said.

Supporting the motion, Cllr Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab) said the problem of bad lighting had existed for many years in Clare. He said many homeowners paid the household charge but had been left with inadequate services.

Cllr Michael Kelly (FF) said problems in estates were not the fault of residents.

“We have to provide lighting to those people in those areas,” the councillor said.

Cllr John Crowe (FG) said many of the lights could be repaired for as little as € 80. He said many people are “living in fear” because of the rise in burglaries in rural areas. “It’s an absolute scandal that we can’t afford to pay for these lights,” he added.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) told the meeting that residents of older estates also deserved to have adequate public lighting in their areas.

“We have estates in this town [Ennis] where the electricity was never connected to the lights and they are not on. They are also entitled to proper public lighting,” he said.

Director of Service Gerard Dollard said the council hopes to take 13 estates in charge this year.

He told the meeting that money to repair roads and lights in estates comes out of the council’s roadwork’s budget.

He said the council made a detailed submission on the taking in charge of estates to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government but had not yet received a response.

A 22 YEAR-old man who used a catapult to break car windows in Newmarket on Fergus earlier this year has been ordered to personally apologise to the injured parties.

Joe Conroy smashed car windows in the Island View, Ennis Road and Glen an Aifreann areas of Newmarket on May 19, Ennis District Court heard on Wednesday. Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the accused used a catapult and marbles to cause € 705 worth of damage to three cars.

The court heard Mr Conroy had not paid compensation to the owners. Mr Conroy, with an address at The Island, Cratloe, pleaded guilty to three charges of criminal damage.

Defence solicitor Jenny Fitzgibbon told the court that her client had been under “severe pressure” in his personal life at the time the offences were committed. She said Mr Conroy acted “very stupidly” on the day.

“He didn’t hold back. He admitted his culpability. He admitted his stupidity”, she added. The court heard Mr Conroy worked as a metal fabricator after leaving school. Judge Patrick Durcan said his first priority was for Mr Conroy to pay compensation and show remorse.

“There will be a conviction in this matter but the issue is whether there will be a prison sentence,” he added.

Adjourning the case to January 8 (2014) for review, Judge Durcan said he expected Mr Conroy to have half of the compensation paid to the car owners by that date.

“I also want to be satisfied that he makes contact, personally, with the three injured parties”, he added.

PATIENTS’ lives are being put in jeopardy every day because Non Consultants Hospital Doctors (NCHD) are being forced to work up to 40 hours straight before undertaking complex medical procedures.

That is the opinion of one Clareborn NCHD who says that he himself has carried out spinal taps and other complex procedures while severely sleep deprived. The doctor, who has asked not to be identified, also says that a number of NCHD’s are suffering from depression brought about by the mental and physical pressure of the job and a mass emigration of Irish doctors could soon take place.

“When you hear people calling them Junior Doctors it gives the impression that they are young people and inexperienced. The reality is that a lot of the most senior people in hospitals, and the most senior people in hospitals at night are NCHDs,” he said.

“The person who would look after you if you present with a heart attack at night is a NCHD, who could easily have been working for the previous 40 hours straight. If you go into A&E with a severe headache and you need a lumbar puncture [spinal tap], that will be done by a NCHD. The hospitals are pretty much staffed by NCHDs at weekend and out of hours. I myself have done lumbar punctures after being awake for 30 hours straight; it is not best practice but it’s the situation that we are placed in.

“I don’t think a lot of people believe the working hours. Under the European Work Time Directive we should be limited to 48 hours and we should never work more than a 13 hour shift.

“The hours that NCHDs are doing varies a lot. If you are in a peripheral hospital, which has only four medical registrars, they will often have to do two 24-hour shifts per week on top of their normal working week. So they will frequently be doing 80 or 90 hours weeks. Sometimes people will do on-call for an entire weekend and you would work 72 hours straight.

“It sounds preposterous, but it happens. I’ve done it myself. I’ve come into work on a Friday morning and I’ve left on a Monday afternoon. I’ve nearly crashed the car driving home on a number of occasions, just falling asleep at the wheel. I’m sure we’ve all made countless errors that we don’t even realise.

“After working 24 hours straight the first thing that goes is your patience and your ability to deal with people. The next thing then is your concentration. After a while it get too much, I’ve seen doctors burst into tears, quit, walk out, everything. If you go into hospital and you are met by a doctor, a lot of those doctors have been working for 24 or 36 hours before they see you.

“Mistakes are being made all the time; it’s almost an accepted practice now. There is a culture that you are supposed to perk yourself up and get on with it. I have seen people make mistakes and I have made mistakes myself.”

A number of recent cases of NCHDs suffering from depression, including a spate of recent suicides, have prompted the doctors to take their recent action.

“It is inhumane and people [NCHD’s] have drawn a line under it because of recent events and we are not going to put up with it anymore. There have been a couple of suicides in recent times and I think really sparked the campaign,” he continued.

“Burn out is a huge thing. Some people take on all the hours as a challenge. Some of the senior doctors encourage this; they say it’s a right of passage and things like that. So there is a bit of peer pressure involved.

“I think this [protest] is a desperate, last attempt for a lot of people. If this doesn’t work I think we will see a lot of doctors packing up and leaving the country. No one wants to leave but a lot of people feel they don’t have a choice. Morale is at an all time low.

“A lot of people are moving to other areas of medicines, becoming GPs and things like that. People are getting burned out, a lot are getting depressed and some are even emigrating. People who have families hardly ever get to see their children. When they come home, they are exhausted. A lot of people are emigrating but nobody really wants to.”

AS MANY as 325 procedures, including surgeries and out patient appointments were cancelled in the region’s hospitals last week as a result of industrial action by junior doctors.

The union representing doctors and the HSE are to begin talks today (Tuesday) with a view to avoiding further strike action.

The six hospitals that make up the University of Limerick Hospitals Group, including Ennis Hospital, the University Hospital Limerick and the University Maternity Hospital Limerick all cancelled operations, clinics and out patient appointments on Tuesday last. The HSE would not provide a breakdown of how many patients from each hospital were affected. It said however that all patients affected would have their appointments rescheduled.

Urgent care for areas such as oncology, dialysis and emergency is was provided and the Emergency Department in Dooradoyle remained open as did the local injuries units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s, according to a HSE spokesperson.

Discussions between the Irish Medical Organisation, the union representing the doctors who are protesting about long working hours, and the HSE were suspended on Thursday but are to continue today, Tuesday, with a view to avoiding any further strikes in the country’s hospitals.

In a statement the IMO said, “Before the talks resume both sides will continue to work together on verifying the position of individual hospitals in relation to the number of hours being worked by NCHDs.”

It added that “progress has been made and the IMO will continue to engage in the process next week”.

THE search for a 42-year-old man who was washed into the sea off North Clare will resume this morning. Naval divers are due to resume their search for the Latvian national around 10am this morning, October 8, after bad weather brought an end to last nights search effort.

With more settled weather expected this morning, it is hoped that the mans’ body can be located close to Ballyreen, where he entered the water in Sunday evening.

The man had been fishing with a number of friends at a spot known as Fisherman’s Climb in the popular fishing location between Doolin and Fanore on Sunday evening when he was washed into the ocean by a freak wave. A friend raised the alarm and then attempted to swim out to reach the stranded man.

However, while the friend was swimming to rescue the man, the victim – who has not yet been named – was washed under the water. Despite an intensive search led by a number of rescue agencies, including the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, the man has not been sighted since. The man’s friend, who dived into the water to save the 42-yearold man, was assisted by emergency services and treated on site for the effects of cold. “The search has been stood down for the night because of poor weather conditions and the hope is now that the divers to be able to enter the water tomorrow morning,” said Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard last night. “We are hopeful that the divers will be able to come up with something tomorrow. It is a very exposed spot and if something is not discovered soon it could be very difficult to locate.” It’s understood that man was not wearing a lifejacket and may have been dragged beneath the waves by his heavy clothing. The area has been the scene of a number of tragedies in recent years including the death of a two men in separate fishing accident in Ballyreen in 2009.

THE family of a Kilfenora man Brian McMahon, who tragically lost his life in California over the weekend, flew out to America yesterday to be with his wife and children.

Father of two Brian McMahon was killed in a car accident in the Californian city of San Rafael on Friday morning last. Mr McMahon, who is 46 years old and has been living in America for a number of years, was out walking close to his home just before 8am, local time, when the ac- cident took place.

The exact details of the accident are not yet clear but it appears that Mr McMahon was struck by a single vehicle on the street close to his home at 7.45am. Emergency first aid was given to Mr McMahon at the scene at he was rushed by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

“San Rafael police officers and San Rafael paramedics located an unconscious 46-year-old man lying in the roadway. Life saving measures were immediately initiated. The male sub- ject was transported to Kaiser Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” said a spokesperson from the local police department.

“The driver of the involved vehicle remained on scene and called 911 to report the collision. Numerous bystanders were interviewed at the scene.

“The driver fully cooperated with the investigation. At this time, it appears neither alcohol nor any other impairment was present or a factor in this collision. The involved vehicle was taken for a thorough inspection.”

Police are reportedly investigating the possibility that the driver may have been blinded by the bright morning sun and did not see see Mr McMahon out walking. Mr McMahon was home in Clare in August and was due to return with his sons for the All-Ireland hurling final but was unable to do so because of work.

Mr McMahon is survived by his Tipperary born wife and his his two children aged 13 and 11 years old. He is also survived by his father Murty McMahon, his American-based brother John and a number of siblings based in the North Clare area.

THE Banner feel-good factor is spreading. Just days after the county hurlers gave everyone in Clare a reason to be cheerful, new results from the CSO have confirmed that the number of unemployed people in the county has reached a five-year low.

The number of people signing on the live register in Clare fell to its lowest level since February of 2009 last month.

In what is being seen as a big step forward for the county, this is the first time in almost five years that the number of people signing on dropped below the 9,000 mark.

September is traditionally a good month for the live register in Clare – with a large number of third level student returning to full time education and coming off the live register.

Between August and September of this year the number of people signing on dropped off dramatically from 9,613 to 8,983 – a drop of 6.5 per cent.

However, this drop is not just a seasonal drop as it also represents a year on year drop of 691 people – representing a drop of 7.1 per cent compared to 2012.

The drop in the number of people signing on was led by Ennis where the live register number dropped from 5, 528 in September of 2012 to 5,094 – a drop of 8 per cent.

While there is no concrete figures for job creation in Clare, it is understood that the tourism sector has had a good season to date, prompted in some way by the reduced VAT rate and the positive effects of the Gathering.

It is understood that the Government are likely to increase the VAT for the hospitality back up from its current two-year low of 9 per cent – a move which could threaten employment in the county’s tourism sector.

This news come hot on the heels of a survey from Hotels.com which reported that room prices in hotels were actually increasing.

These claims were strongly rejected by Lahinch hotelier and and president of the Irish Hotel Federation, Michael Vaughan, who described it as “outrageous” and said that the survey used too few hotel room prices to be accurate.

A HOMEGROWN Clare company that has been in business for 34 years has been acquired by one of the world’s largest elevator companies.

In a statement last week, American giant Kone announced that it had purchased Ennis Lifts, a local company specializing in the supply, installation, modernization and maintenance of elevators, escalators and autowalks.

Ennis Lifts Limited was founded in 1979 by C.P. McGuinness. Since then Ennis Lifts has grown to become the largest national lift and escalator company in Ireland, also serving Europe and the Middle East.

A statement on the company’s website states, “The cornerstone from which the company has developed has been providing excellence at all levels to our customers, thus becoming specialists in the supply, installation, modernisation and maintenance of lifts, escalators and walkways.”

Kone’s executive vice president and area director for central and north Europe, Ari Lehtoranta said the company is “delighted” with the purchase of Ennis Lifts.

“We are very pleased to have Ennis as a part of Kone. The acquisition will strengthen our business in the challenging Irish market.”

According to Kone, Ennis will continue to operate as a separate company under its current name and brand.

Kone is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. In addition to manufacturing elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, it provides maintenance to its global customers. Worldwide, it employs about 35,000 people including 325 in the Quad-Cities, a group of five cities on the Illinois / Iowa border.

The company’s North American headquarters are located in in Lisle, Illinois. Kone Americas’ operations centre is at Kone Centre in Moline. The company has an escalator plant is in Coal Valley, Illinois.

No one from Ennis Lifts was available for comment when The Clare People contacted the company yesterday.