This article is from page 6 of the 2006-06-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
JUST hours after the first email was sent that a protest was to be organised, hundreds had gathered at the courthouse in Ennis.
The news had also spread via text messages, phone calls and local radio.
Armed with white flowers, flags and hankies the people of Clare took time out to make their feelings felt.
Some rallied behind a banner, as members of an organisation or charity; others spoke out for the children and parents of Ireland; while more stood quietly among the crowd, only too familiar with the outrage being debated.
It was a hot, sunny afternoon in Ennis with a long weekend approaching, yet people of all ages, creeds, gender and race gathered in dignified low tones.
Fear, anger and frustration reigned in the crowd, at the High Court decision to release 41-year-old Mr A, who had pleaded guilty to plying a 12-year-old with drink before having sex with her.
Before the decision could be successfully appealed to the Supreme Court, the people of Clare gathered before their courthouse fearing the release of other offenders.
In Dublin, the Dáil sat in an attempt to bridge the gap in the legal system that could see these offenders set free.
Following the 20-minute “show of concern” in Ennis, the people went about their business, after leaving their flowers at the courthouse door.
Collette Reddington, Director of Clare Haven House said she was not surprised by the turn out, as it was a measure of the strength of people’s feelings.
“If you can get some sort of goodness out of a situation like this, it is that you can bring all these people together with one voice and they are all saying ‘no, this is wrong.’”
The decision, she explained, seemed to be a retrograde step following all the hard work by organisations caring for the well-being of children and women.
“You sometimes feel powerless, but I think coming out here today like this really shows that people really really feel strongly about that,” she said.
Among the crowd were Clare’s only two women county councillors, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) and Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG).
As the people walked away, Cllr McCarthy told The Clare People that the Supreme Court decision was a slap in the face for society.
“Certainly society has been let down. Decent honourable people are suffering because of this, and will suffer,” she added.
Cllr Taylor Quinn said she was concerned that children would now face cross-examination under the new emergency legislation.
“I think the evidence presented both by the medical people and the gardaí should be more than adequate to actually proceed with the prosecution.
“The thought of any minor who is a victim of abuse being put up on the dock in court and cross examined, is to me, frankly, unacceptable,” she said.
“The law seems to be very much on the side of the perpetrator and very much against the victim.” Of the number of sexual abuse cases reported, 3.5 per cent end up in prosecution, but only 2.5 per cent end up in conviction.