Month: November 2006

THE 47-year old victim of child rapist Joseph Nugent has called upon Deputy Pat Breen to drop his proposed libel action against The Irish Examiner .

The victim said yesterday, “If Deputy Breen sues and goes to court, it will bring it all back. The victims have gone through enough. Deputy Breen is as well off to forget it.”

On Sunday, the victim met with Deputy Breen in Doonbeg. He said yesterday, “I asked him not to be going to court and dragging in Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn and he told me that Cllr Taylor Quinn needed to apologise first.”

Asked to comment yesterday, Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn would only say, “I hope that this controversy does not continue for the sake of the victims.”

Party leader Enda Kenny was asked during his constituency visit to Ennis last Thursday should Deputy Breen withdraw his threatened libel action following the call from the primary victim in the case to do so.

In response, Mr Kenny said, “That is a matter between Deputy Breen’s advisers and the legal advisers for the other side. I cannot comment on a case that it is the subject of interest between Deputy Breen’s advisors and the advisors for the newspapers.”

Deputy Breen sent a legal letter to The Irish Examiner threatening to sue for libel in relation to an article that contained comments by Cllr Taylor-Quinn and Cllr Joe Carey, which were critical of Deputy Breen’s tabling the question inquiring into the eligibility of early release of Nugent.

However, editor of The Irish Examiner , Tim Vaughan, denies libel and has stated that the paper will staunchly defend any libel proceedings.

In an article last Thursday, The Irish Examiner, writing on Deputy Breen’s move, repeated the alleged libel in the article.

Co-ordinator of the Limerick Rape Crisis Centre, Miriam Duffy said that, “Deputy Breen is now in a position to understand the experience of survivors and to realise the sensitivity needed in dealing with these issues”.

She added that Deputy Breen “needs to be aware of his powerful position and the power of any public authority figures against the relatively unpowerful position of a survivor”.

ENDA Kenny is predicting a twoseat win in the Clare constituency in light of recent polls and the party’s successful run in the local and European elections.

The Fine Gael leader has admitted, however, betting on a Mayo win in this year’s All Ireland following the Connacht team’s success in defeating Dublin.

But Deputy Kenny is adamant that the party can succeed and on Thursday last promised to fulfil for the party faithful their dreams for Clare if elected Taoiseach.

First at the Mayo man’s door, if he is successful, will be Cllr Joe Arkins, who will be asking him to fulfil his promise to him on the hospital.

Cllr Arkins asked “when Fine Gael are in power” will Ennis General Hospital be guaranteed continuing and developing consultant-led Accident and Emergency service and appropriate diagnostic services?

“A simple ‘yes’ will do me fine,” he said at the public meeting with Deputy Kenny in the Auburn Lodge Hotel on Thursday last.

The leader received a round of applause as he said, “You have my word on that.”

Deputy Kenny also promised to put Ennistymon Community School on a critical building list, much to the appreciation of Cllr Martin Conway.

The Fine Gael leader also promised Cllr Conway that he would visit the Doolin Rescue Service to see for himself the “appalling conditions” in which they worked.

He promised a special SSIA scheme for first-time buyers so they could accumulate a deposit for a new home, to abolish stamp duty on houses under €400,000 and to ensure a set standard for building houses and granting planning permission in all counties.

LEADER of the opposition Enda Kenny said he was unaware of the contents of legal proceedings being brought by one of his deputies against a national newspaper.

Enda Kenny (FG) told The Clare People that he would not be involving himself in the proceedings.

“I can’t comment on the situation, because I don’t know the situation where legal representatives for either Deputy Pat Breen or a newspaper are involved in discussions. It is not for me to involve myself in any way in that,” he said.

In a solicitor’s letter to The Irish Examiner , Clare Deputy Breen threatened legal action over its reporting of a parliamentary question during which he inquired about the eligibility of convicted paedophile Joseph Nugent for early release.

The letter also embroils two of his general election running mates in the libel action. The article in question contained critical comments by Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn and Cllr Joe Carey on his tabling of a Dáil question.

The editor of The Irish Examiner Tim Vaughan told The Clare People that the national paper “will defend any litigation” on the matter.

He said the paper was willing to join Deputy Breen’s election colleagues, Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn and Cllr Joe Carey as co-defendants.

“We strongly deny that we have defamed or liable him,” he said.

The Clare People attempted to contact Deputy Breen regarding claims in a Sunday newspaper that he also made inquiries about the early release of a convicted murderer.

The Clare People was told that, “Deputy Breen has no comment to make on any other parliamentary question.” The Fine Gael leader said he was satisfied with the Clare deputy’s explanation as to why he tabled the “Nugent” question, but believed he would have done it differently in hindsight.

“When people are elected to the Dáil, irrespective of what party they represent or none, they have a democratic right to ask any question that they want. Now Pat Breen clarified on national radio that in no circumstance was he seeking the early release of a convicted paedophile.

“You can question the phraseology used in the question and I assume as the Taoiseach said at his Ard Fheis speech that in hindsight people would live perfect lives if they knew certain things were going to happen,” he contined.

“So I’m happy that Pat Breen was in no way attempting to seek the early release of a convicted paedophile,” he added.

“It is the right of every deputy to ask a question but probably, in hindsight, I would say Deputy Breen might have phrased his question differently.”

Deputy Kenny believes that the issue has done no permanent damage to the party in Clare.

“We have had some discussion ourselves about the strategy that I want the candidates to adopt, and I want to move on from this and I want everyone to understand the fundamentals of that, and that we have a situation where we have all candidates fighting the Government on the issues that matter for Clare, and that campaign will be sufficiently strong to secure a second seat for us, led by Deputy Breen.”

FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny is predicting “a humdinger of an election” in Clare.

“There won’t be a house in County Clare that one or two or four of them won’t visit,” he said referring to the four Fine Gael candidates battling it out in the four-seater constituency.

The leader was facing criticism for adding two more names to the ticket following the convention, during his visit to the county last week.

During the hotly-contested convention, Deputy Pat Breen and former mayor of Shannon Cllr Tony Mulcahy were selected by the Clare delegates, but afterwards the names of former TD Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn and Cllr Joe Carey were added by the national executive.

Asked if this move woiuld scupper any chance of a second seat for the party in Clare, Deputy Kenny said, “I never presume to know what the good people of the Banner County are going to decide, that is their absolute remit, but we are going to give them choice. The situation we have in the Fine Gael party is that the executive council mandate the delegates, who are the members of the branch, one man one vote. Every member is entitled to a vote if they are registered for two years to cast their votes for a candidate and the convention selected two.

“The Fine Gael party then polled the constituency, looked at it subsequently and decided to make two additions.

He said the party did the same in Galway East and other constituencies.

“First of all, we are going to be guaranteed intense competition within the party for the votes of the Fine Gael electorate . . . and for those outside of that afterwards. And that is going to mean no effort will be left untouched as it were, to get out there in front of the electorate. We have evidence from the local elections and the European that that kind of internal competition brings out the highest volume of support,” he said, pointing to the success of Mairéad McGuinness and Avril Doyle in the Ireland East European Election.

Mr Kenny also pointed to the recent TG4 poll, which showed a nine per cent increase overall for Fine Gael.

“(It) puts us in the two-seat territory and what we have got to do here in Co. Clare is manage that strategy, so the transfers begin to fall properly and that is a matter for the election strategy committee here in Clare.

“I think this is going to be probably the most competitive and exciting general election campaign for very many years.”

A WOMAN suffered horrific injuries when she was dragged along the ground by a donkey. She died as a result, three months later.

Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that Jane Welford, (53), of Derroran, Mountshannon, suffered severe injuries as a result of a fall off a donkey at Sellarnane, Mountshannon, on May 16, 2004.

She had been moving a donkey from one field to another, when a dog belonging to a local man barked. The donkey reacted to this by bolting, Ms Welford fell and was dragged a considerable distance along the road.

The inquest was told the donkey would stop and then move again, dragging Ms Welford along the ground in the process. The rope twisted around her and she sustained severe head injuries.

She was taken to hospital and was later transferred to the Lakes’ Nursing Home in Killaloe, where she died on August 24. She had been recovering there for two weeks prior to her death.

One witness recalled seeing a donkey on the road, while Jane Welford was lying nearby.

She was attached to the donkey and appeared to be unconscious.

Garda Mick Mulryan, who attended the scene of the accident, said Ms Welford sustained severe head and facial injuries.

Mark Wilson recalled calling to Mr Welford’s house that afternoon. They discussed moving the donkey from one field to another.

“Jane decided to catch the donkey. I decided to go away so as not to frighten the donkey,” he recalled.

“She said she had trouble getting the donkey out of the field and away from other donkeys,” he said.

Stuart Myles said he was at his home in Sellernaun and saw Ms Welford lying on the road, attached to a donkey.

He tried to get near the donkey but as he did so, the animal would move away again. He eventually managed to get hold of the donkey.

Dr Jeffrey de Freitas carried out an autopsy on the deceased’s body. He concluded that death was due to acute respiratory failure.

“She had suffered significant head injuries due to the accident, with associated brain damage,” he said.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the accident was, “very unfortunate, where Ms Welford suffered very severe injuries, so severe that it was three months before she went to a nursing home for convalescence.”

She said the most appropriate verdict was one of accidental death.

TWO Claremen were injured following serious confrontations involving gardaí and members of the Shellto-Sea campaign near the village of Rossport in County Mayo last Friday.

More than 20 members of the Clare Shell-to-Sea organisation travelled to Mayo to take part in twin demonstrations at the Corrib gas terminal at Bellanaboy and at the nearby Lennon’s Quarry.

Clare Shell-to-Sea spokesman, Tony Kirby, received minor injuries following the protest at Lennon’s Quarry.

“The gardaí came to clear the protesters and kicked several people while they were on the ground. One man received a fractured nose from a guard as well as a black eye and concussion,” said Mr Kirby.

“He claims to have been kicked by a guard when he was on the ground. I didn’t see him get kicked, but I saw the guard drag him to his feet, get him in a headlock and drag him 200 yards along the road before three guards threw him into a field over barbed wire.”

A second Clare protester, Niall Harnett, was injured while attempting to film the protest at Lennon’s Quarry. Mr Harnett claims that three gardaí broke his digital camera before throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the face and head.

“I went to Bellanaboy after the incident at Lennon’s Quarry and, from speaking to people there, it did seem that Maura Harrington’s car was pushed towards the guards which I believe was wrong,” continued Mr Kirby.

“The response was very excessive. For some reason, they decided to use their batons which was completely excessive for what we considered to still be a very peaceful protest.

“I think that the guards are out of control and it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.”

A spokesperson from the Garda Press Office declined to comment about individual injuries sustained during Friday’s protest, but did confirm that a baton charge was ordered and a number of gardaí and protesters received injuries.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Mr Harnett gained a High Court injunction last Tuesday, November 7, preventing gardaí at Belmullet Garda Station from selling his car, which was seized at the Bellanaboy site on October 21.

Mr Harnett, with an address in Liscannor, will appear at the High Court on December 1, where he will seek the return of his car and an award of costs for the trial.

THE ICY Atlantic waters claimed their third victim in as many weeks on Sunday afternoon, when Polish woman Dorota Wegner plunged 700 foot to her death off the Cliffs of Moher.

The 35-year-old died just hours after a body, possibly that of 35-yearold father of four, Peter Bedzlowitz, was discovered at Farrihy Bay north of Kilkee. The father of four was swept into the sea at Tullig near Cross while fishing with a colleague a fortnight earlier.

Tests were carried out in the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick yesterday to help formally identify the remains. Gardaí in Kilrush have also been in touch with the Polish authorities in an attempt to recover dental records and other information that may help in the identification process.

The previous Sunday, 27-year-old Latvian man, Olegs Artenjevs, was dragged into the sea by a large swell at Blue Pool in Doonbeg, as his distraught wife and eight-year-old son looked on in terror.

The latest victim, Ms Wegner, with an address in Dublin, died after falling in windy conditions from an area approximately 400 metres south of the main cliff viewing area.

The woman had been sightseeing with a friend who raised the alarm after a freak gust of wind pushed her over the edge just after noon on Sunday. Contrary to earlier reports, the woman is now thought not to have had a pulse when discovered by the Shannon-based rescue helicopter, approximately one hour after entering the water.

The helicopter discovered the body, which was still warm, some 200 metres off shore and began to administered CPR. The crew continued CPR until the woman was officially pronounced dead at University College Hospital in Galway just before 2pm.

“Conditions were very rough, it was blowing up on a force 6. Wind and sea conditions were poor as well,” said Matty Shannon of the Doolin Coast Guard.

Ms Wegner had been living in Dublin for the past 12 months.

FINE Gael leader, Enda Kenny admitted last Thursday that Deputy Pat Breen had not made him aware of the contents of the letter threatening libel action against The Irish Examiner .

The legal threat is based on critical comments made by Cllrs Madeleine Taylor Quinn and Joe Carey about Deputy Breen tabling a Dail question inquiring into the eligibility of an early release for a sex offender.

The Clare People reveals today that Deputy Breen has contacted two victims of convicted child rapist, Joseph Nugent (74) of Drumellihy Cree.

In a letter to one, Breen blames Justice Minister, Michael McDowell and sections of the media for the controversy over the Dail question.

There is no apology in the letter although the second victim reveals that Breen apologised to him for the offence caused by the question.

A BOOK to be released next week about slain Garda detective, Jerry McCabe, harks back to the East Clare post office raids and the shooting dead of Clarecastle IRA man, Hugh Hehir.

But as two of the McCabe killers begin High Court proceedings for early release, the author of the new book, Dermot Walsh, insists it is “a book about Jerry McCabe and not about his killers.”

The Clare connection concerns Kevin Walsh, one of the four man gang who were convicted of killing the detective garda in a botched postoffice raid in Adare in June 1966.

Journalist Walsh – who wrote the book in co-operation with McCabe’s widow, Ann – traces the possible seeds of the brutal killing back to an event in May of 1988.

That was when Kevin Walsh, the man widely believed to have been the one who opened fire with an automatic weapon on the Garda car in Adare, set out to rob the post office in Caher along with Hugh Hehir.

They hadn’t bargained on the pluck of the post mistress, Mary Kelly, who wrestled a gun from Walsh’s hands.

The raiders turned tail and ran while the postmistress alerted gardaí that they could be on their way to Feakle.

The two were indeed bound for Feakle, where they planned to raid the post office.

They were met en route by a Garda car and Hehir was shot in the head in an exchange of fire between the raiders and the gardaí.

Researching the book, Walsh spoke to many people who believed that the surviving IRA man was shamed at allowing an elderly woman to get his gun and make him run.

They also believe that Kevin Walsh felt responsible for Hehir’s death and that this was the event which spurred him on to being at the forefront of IRA activity.

“To The Honour Of Jerry McCabe” will be published next Monday and its author said he “could never have written this book without the McCabe family.”

Last week, two of the men convicted of the killing, Jeremiah Sheehy and Pearse McAuley began an application to the High Court for early release.

But Walsh stated that the timing of the publication is “a co-incidence, This book is not about them.,”said the author.

ENNIS based company Sellityourself.ie has been shortlisted for a Golden Spiders Award for Best Website Launched in 2006.

The prestigious Golden Spiders Awards recognise and rewards companies for excellence in the Irish Internet industry.

Sellityourself.ie is run by husband and wife team Anne Marie Doyle and Neil Doherty and employs 5 people.

Sellityourself.ie provides a dedicated service to property owners who wish to sell their property without using an estate agent. For a fixed fee of €195, property owners can place their property photos and details on Sellityourself.ie. They will then receive a For Sale signboard and pointer board for outside their property. Sellityourself.ie then advises on an advertising campaign in local and national newspapers, which includes booking, designing and placing the advertisements.

“The idea of selling a property without an estate agent is quite new in Ireland, but is common practice in many countries including the USA,” says Anne-Marie Doyle, director of Sellityourself.ie.

“The substantial cost saving of commission-free property sales, combined with the flexibility and convenience of managing your sale online, has meant that selling your home yourself has become an increasingly attractive option for many people

“This nomination reflects the hard work and dedication of the Sellityourself.ie team,” she said.

“Since we launched our service in May, the response from those buying and selling property has been phenomenal.”

This nomination is also a feather in the cap for Ennis Web design company Advanced Internet Marketing, (aimdesign.ie), who designed the Website.

AIM are also responsible for the marketing and promotion of the site. This is the second time a Website designed by AIM has been nominated for a Golden Spiders award.

The 2006 Golden Spiders Awards nominees have been chosen by a prestigious panel of leaders in the Irish Internet industry.

The panel includes Eamonn and Brian Fallon (Daft.ie), Jim Miley (CEO MyHome.ie), Rachel Harwood (eBay.ie), Gareth Lambe (Pigsback.com), Adele Cooper (Google Ireland) and Brendan Finucane (Enterprise Ireland).

The winners will be announced on November 23 at a gala event in the Burlington Hotel.