This article is from page 6 of the 2006-05-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
TWO of three men charged in connection with a seizure of guns in Newmarket-on-Fergus last year have pleaded guilty.
Cathal O’Neill (39), of Upper Limerick Street, Limerick, and Michael Gerard Heelan (46), of Boherbue, Mallow, Cork, admitted possession of an imitation firearm, with intent to commit robbery, at Drumline, Newmarketon-Fergus, on June 24, 2005.
A third accused, John Murphy (46), of Ballina, Killaloe, pleaded not guilty to the same charge.
He also pleaded not guilty to possession of a sawn-off shotgun, five shotgun cartridges and a pepper spray canister, with the intention to incapacitate or intimidate a person, all on the same date. MEETINGS are continuing between representatives of a local steering group and the Department of Education and Science to progress development of a third-level education facility for Clare.
The steering group comprises representatives of the Vocational Education Committee, Clare County Development Board, and Shannon Development as well as a number of third level institutions in the region.
The three lead agencies are exploring funding options including the application of partial funding from the agencies themselves.
Direct funding from the department is out of reach for the moment.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Vocational Education Committee, George O’Callaghan, told the monthly meeting of the committee that Clare was reasonably close to two higher level
Stephen Coughlan, BL for the State, told Ennis Circuit Court that a jury would be required in the case of Murphy.
He said that 54 witnesses were contained in the Book of Evidence and there would not be sufficient time during last week’s Circuit Court sessions to deal with the case.
He applied for the Murphy case to be ad journed until later in the year.
O’Neill and Heelan will be sentenced at the end of Murphy’s trial.
Judge Con Murphy agreed to applications for probation and welfare reports to be compiled on the pair.
All three had been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court, when they appeared before Ennis District Court in February. The three were arrested at Drumline, shortly after 10am on June 24 last year, and later charged. facilities in Galway and two more in Limerick.
But that there was a demand in Clare for outreach from those colleges and institutes.
It is conceived that a central unit or place where the third-level centres could provide such outreach facilities could be developed
He said that the facility will be demand-driven by Clare students, rather than by the thirdlevel centres and an interim director should be appointed soon, but finance was a first priority to that end.
The model for Clare, he added, would follow the example of that in Cavan, which has a director and administrator.
Over a twelve month trial period, the facility would be run by a sub-committee comprising representatives of the Vocational Education Committee and the other interests involved.