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A MAN who upturned a table in a garda station, damaging a computer monitor, was sentenced to ten weeks in jail for his outburst.

Gordon Collins of Cahercallamore, Ennis, appeared before the District Court in Killaloe after spending a week in jail for an outburst in the court the previous week.

Collins pleaded guilty to a number of charges including public order of- fences and criminal damage to the computer at Ennis Garda Station and public order charges.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard, gardai were called to Cahecalla Es- tate, where they found the accused “drunk, extremely abusive and threatening and arguing with neigh- bours”’.

Because of his condition, he was arrested and taken into custody but while in the garda station, he over- turned a table in the custody area causing ©200 worth of damage to the computer monitor.

His solicitor told the court that Mr Collins, who has a number of previ- ous convictions, including some for public order offences, had “been in

jail for the last six days and has seen what lies ahead of him if he doesn’t mend his ways’”’.

The solicitor said that Mr Collins has “considerable difficulties. He has been diagnosed with an anti-social behaviour disorder and was pre- scribed medication. Unfortunately he has developed an addiction to those drugs and he sometimes mixes them with alcohol.”

Judge Mangan sentenced him to jail for the criminal damage charge and set bail at his own bond of €600 with an independent surety of 600 in the event of an appeal.

A 29-YEAR-OLD father of three went back to taking drugs after be- ing warned by gardai that his life was in danger because his name was on a ‘hit list’.

Edward McCarthy, of Cliona Park, Limerick pleaded guilty before Kil- laloe District Court to driving while under the influence of drugs.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard that the drug cannabis had been detected in his sytem after he was stopped by exN Oren

The court heard that Mr McCarthy

had previous convictions, some of which had resulted in his serving a long prison sentence.

His solicitor told the court that Mr McCarthy had “not been tak- ing drugs for a considerable period after he came out of prison. He was advised by gardai that his name was on a ‘hit list’ and that his life was in danger. This put him under a lot of pressure and he started smoking cannabis again.”

Judge Mangan fined Mr McCarthy €1,000 and disqualified him from driving for four years.

PEOPLE who damage the property of others must pay for it, a judge said yesterday, as he ordered compensa- tion to be paid in a car damage case.

Jim McDonagh (19), of Dun na hInise, Ennis, admitted a charge of criminal damage at Gort Road, En- nis, on October 5 last.

Inspector John Galvin told En- nis District Court that a man called to Ennis Garda Station on October 5 and complained that his jeep had been damaged.

“He was driving along and his jeep was approached by the accused. It is alleged the accused got out with a stick and started breaking windows and damaging the paint work,’ he SrHLOe

He said that the accused admit- ted taking part, in interviews with gardai. The amount of damage caused was €1,920.97.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said that her client had not been fur- nished with details of the amount of the damage until yesterday. “My cli- ent doesn’t have that sort of money in court,” she said. She said there was a background to the case.

“My client was coming along in a car. The injured party made a ges- ture to his own mouth. He was act- ing in a state of heightened emotion. Emotions boiled over,’ she said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, “Is there some sort of feud going on, be- cause if there is, it’s time the court stepped in before things get out of hand?”

Ms Godfrey replied, “Things seem to have calmed down. It’s hoped that matters will resolve themselves.”

Ms Godfrey said she understood the compensation would be €500 and said her client is on social wel- fare. The judge told her, ““He should have thought of that before he dam- aged somebody’s property.’

The solicitor then asked for an ad-

journment “to accumulate a fraction of the money”. The judge said, “I’m not talking about a fraction. This man (the victim) is out of pocket. Who does he (the accused) expect to pay for this car?

“If people cause damage to other people’s property, they pay for it,” added the judge.

He imposed a six-month detention sentence and suspended it on condi- tion that the cost of the damage be paid within three months.

A NUMBER of residents who had to evacuate their homes as a result of a fire that burned down Bredin’s hard- ware on Station Road in Ennis have failed in their bid to halt the redevel- opment of the site.

The well-known Ennis store burned down in November 2007 causing a number of houses to evacuated for a number of days and, in one instance, for a number of months.

Last year, Galileo Enterprises Ltd lodged plans to replace the structure and these were approved by Ennis Town Council. The directors of Gal- ileo Enterprises Ltd are local busi- nessmen, Noel Connellan and Dan Moran and its most recent returns show that it has accumulated profits OR OPA Pa ribelnleie

However, Maeve Hoey, Paul Bar- rett (on behalf of the Estate of the late Mrs M.R. Barrett) and Sile Gin- nane lodged an appeal against the council decision on the grounds of privacy and security of their houses . They maintained that the application was “thoroughly unclear and unsat- isfactorily”’.

They maintained that there should be an overall site masterplan which would set the design quality for the remainder of the brownfield site.

An earlier submission to the coun- cil from the residents stated that “the fire at Bredin’s premises put their homes at risk to fire, smoke and as-

bestos, resulting in evacuation for a number of days to several months for some residents and the clean-up which took many months to com- ey Kome

“This experience has undermined our confidence in the close proxim- ity of large retail and warehouse units and we are not distressed with the scale of what is indicated in the masterplan site of this application,” they claimed.

However, in his recommendation, the Bord Pleanala inspector stated that “the proposed development does not represent a significant departure from the current use of the surround-

ing area and would not require justi- fication by a masterplan”.

The inspector stated that “the type and scale of the proposed uses would be in keeping with those established on the site and the proposed building would be in keeping with the charac- ter of the area”.

“The development would not seri- ously injure the amenities of proper- ties in the vicinity of the site. it would not give rise to traffic hazard or con- gestion or place an undue demand on the water and sewerage services in the area

As a result, the Board ruled that “having regard to the established use

of the site and to its planning history, the grant of permission and to the pattern of development in the vicin- ity, the proposed development would not seriously injure the character of the area or the amenities of property in the vicinity, would not be prejudi- cial to public health and would be ac- ceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience’.

Bredin’s rebuild gets go-ahead

that he believes the measure is “short term gain but to- tally counter productive”.

The renowned Jim Power, Chief Economist with Friend’s First was speaking in advance of his presenta- tion at “Dynamic Regions – Future

Directions in Regional Develop- ment’, which was organised by Shan- non Development to mark its 50th

anniversary. Describing the tax as a “totally counterproductive measure’ he

warned that the “tourism product in Ireland is already under pressure. Getting people to come to Ireland in the current economy is already dif- ficult.”

He said he is in “100 per cent agree- ment with Michael O’Leary about the long-term damage this will do. This tax is a short term measure with

long-term consequences.”

Speaking as workers from the pub- lic and private sector converged on cities around the country for a na- tional day of protest last Friday, Pow- er said the public service employees and unions will have to face facts and “will have to get their heads out of the sand. We have allowed the cost base in this country to get totally out of control over the past decade and that has to be brought down. Any- thing else would be disastrous for the jaUinel none

And he added that with high unem-

ployment in the mid-west, proper uti- lisation of the Task Force appointed by the Tanaiste, Shannon Develop- ment and other agencies is “vital”.

Speaking at the event in Limerick’s Thomond Park Conference Centre, Power said, “Continued ongoing in- vestment in access – by that I mean transport infrastructure such as ports, airport, rail and road, 1s criti- cal for the mid-west economy.

“Also critical for the region and Ireland generally will be a competti- tively priced power supply, without this economic and commercial activ-

ity will be in jeopardy. Broadband infrastructure will be another key business and economic enabler. Ac- cess to high speed broadband is an essential “must have’ on every inves- tors shopping list.

“A highly skilled flexible workforce iS a prerequisite to many FDI compa- nies in their search for a new base. If any of these basic requirements are missing or weak in a region, then it puts that area at a huge disadvantage. This is why it is vital to continue to invest in these key economic driv- ne

TANAISTE Mary Couglan has ad- mitted that the money is not there to implement all of the recommen- dations made by the Mid-West Task Force which was set up in the wake of massive job losses at Dell.

The Task Force was appointed by the Tanaiste herself after Dell an- nounced it was moving all of its manufacturing process to Poland, taking 2,000 wagepackets directly out of the economy and causing fur- ther job-losses in companies depend- ant on feeding the Dell plant.

After his interim report to Govern- ment, Denis Brosnan, Chairman of

the Task Force, said that any further work done by him and the Task Force would be a “waste of time’ unless the recommendations published four months ago are implemented.

Among those recommendations were that the Government should tackle costs in Ireland, to accelerate the regeneration programme in Lim- erick and to improve back to educa- tion allowance schemes.

Speaking before taking the mike at the Shannon Development ‘Dynamic Regions – Directions in Regional De- velopment’ conference last Friday the Tanaiste and Minister for Enter- prise said that while a lot of the rec- ommendations which have a national

context are being addressed, she stressed that “it has to be said that we don’t have the financial wherewithal to implement every recommendation that there is.”

But she promised that she and her government colleagues “will be bringing together two or three items that need to be addressed here in the context of the Task Force here to see if we can find the financial where- withal in next year’s budget to allow that to happen.”

The Tanaiste was speaking to the conference as Government employ- ees took to the streets to protest at proposed cuts in pay and revised work practices.

The Tanaiste told the conference that a “seismic change in attitude” is need in the public sector.

Citing the example of Shannon De- velopment “who did their own reor- ganisation without a word about it” she said that if public sector employ- ees are not prepared to co-operate to get the balance right “then Govern- ment will have to make a decision… everyone will have to take a reduc- tion in their standard of living. Many people in the private sector have done this in order to keep their jobs.

“A lot of people in the private sec- tor have lost their jobs and it is part of my portfolio to try and get those people back to work again and attract

more jobs to this country and support entrepreneurship,” the Tanaiste con- tinued.

Speaking to the conference itself, she said “I believe regional devel- Opment is now more important than ever. To be more competitive and innovative, we need more regional actions on the ground to devise so- lutions to help us on the road to na- tional recovery.

“IT believe the time for strong re- gional development is now. Mobilis- ing the contribution of each region to national competitiveness is at forefront of what we do. Strong re- gions will help us grow and sustain a strong national economy.”

THE curtain came down last night on the 15th annual Ennis Trad Fes- tival. A performance by the Alan Kelly Quartet rounded off the festi- val, which organisers are hailing as AME CLentoe

Committee member Kevin Finu- cane said the four-day festival drew big crowds.

“There seems to have been a good crowd around alright; particularly on the Saturday for the Lunasa gig but there seems to have been good crowds around all weekend. We haven’t got an official figure on the numbers yet but in terms of musicians, there was a big turnout. Talking to the pubs where there were sessions on, there seems to have been a lot of people around. It’s a sign that music brings people to the pubs,” he said.

This year’s festival had been in doubt but its future was secured through increased support from En- nis Town Council, local businesses, the Vintner’s Federation and the ar-

rival of Guinness as main festival Sponsor.

““T think the fact that there was doubt about it, more people came along to support it. Between concerts and ses- sions, CD launches and workshops, there was an awful lot going on. The hotels were full. You couldn’t get ac- commodation anywhere so I think that’s a fair indication of the amount of people that were around,’ added Kevin.

The festival kicked off on Thursday night with a performance by Clare band Moher at the Temple Gate Ho- tel. Saturday night saw some of the best traditional bands face off against each other in the West County Hotel for the Ard Ghaisce na mBuionta, or Great Band Challenge.

Trad band Lunasa drew big crowds to the Auburn Lodge for their per- formance, also on Saturday night.

Sunday saw two legends of tradi- tional Irish music, Frankie Gavin and ‘Tony McMahon, take to the stage for a rare joint concert at the Old Ground Hotel.

THE multi-million euro package to assist Dell employees who lost their jobs earlier this year came a step closer in the last week as the Em- ployment Committee approved the proposal.

Last September the President of the EU Commission José Manuel Barroso announced that the Com- mission had approved an application from Ireland for assistance from the European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF).

The grant of €14.8 million would help 2,400 redundant workers in the computer industry in the mid west to find new jobs.

The application however also re- quired the approval of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

Last Thursday at a meeting in the European Parliament, the Em- ployment Committee approved the proposal to grant assistance to the former Dell workers.

Member of the Employment Com- mittee and the only Irish member of the EU Globalisation Fund Working Group, Ireland North West MEP- Marian Harkin, said that the work- ing group took the decision to ap- prove the Dell application following a response from the EU Commis- sion to a number of questions posed by the group.

“It is absolutely crucial that former

Dell workers have access to this fund as soon as possible and that nothing further delays the procedure. It is an expression of solidarity and support from the EU to those who lose their jobs through globalisation and at least it gives a ray of hope to those considering their future plans.

“IT have worked hard within the working group to ensure support for the Dell workers and I am very pleased with the progress so far,” said the MEP for the West, includ- ing Clare.

The mid-west application relates in total to 2,840 redundancies in total, of which 2,000 were in Dell Com- puters and 840 in eight of its sup- pliers and downstream producers. Dell represented 1.7 per cent of the total employment in the mid-west region, a region where unemploy- ment before the Dell redundancies was already higher than the national average.

The total estimated cost of the package is almost €©23 million, of which the European Union has been asked to provide EGF assistance of €14.8 million.

There have been 27 applications to the EGF since its creation in late 2006 for a total amount of over €154 million, helping some 33,300 workers.

The Dell application is the first re- lating to computers. The only other Irish application was for Waterford eee

DESPITE Whitegate’s agonising loss there was still one very happy Clareman in Cusack Park on Sun- day afternoon. It was Sean Hehir, the former Clare and O’Callaghan’s Mills legend who trains the South Liberties side.

“T think we had most of the run of play today. We could have had a bigger score too if we had converted all our chances. Of course I’m not taking away from Whitegate’s per- formance, but I feel we probably just edged it. They are a good team and a good club and I thank them for a great match,’ said Hehir after his team’s victory.

“We barely got through today and we barely got through our county fi- nal but in the end we do our best and so far that has been good enough. Next day we’ll be up against a very classy Douglas side and it will be a very different story. Who knows hopefully our luck will continue.”

His team will certainly have to 1m- prove significantly if they wish to capture this Munster Intermediate ti- tle based on today’s match, but when the improvement and the voyage they have conquered so far is taken into consideration, this again could be yet

another challenge that they can over- come in 2009.

Hehir spoke about all these great hurdles his team have faced and how they have leaped over them with great success. “When I got in- volved with this club first there was so much history I did not understand and know about. They had been in a number of county finals but had lost every time.

“There was a great frustration amongst everyone involved and that did not disappear until we finally became county champions this year. The sense of relief that can now be felt is unbelievable and I think it may act as a catalyst for future success. Hopefully starting with a Munster Kens eae

South Liberties left Ennis on Sun- day with smiles all around. They, like Whitegate, have had a fantas- tic year. Unlike Whitegate they still have a chance to mould it into an even greater year.

Who knows, maybe the extra Clare influence they have stolen this year might just push them into the path of victory once more.