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A FORMER pupil of disgraced retired principal Pat Barry has urged victims to have the courage to come forward and help expose abusers.

The woman called on victims of abuse to speak out. “Lets not keep their dirty secrets in the dark any longer”, she said.

Her statement was one of eight powerful victim impact reports heard in Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Friday.

At the sentencing hearing, the women recalled how their lives were ruined by Barry, who was convicted on indecent assault in July.

One woman recalled the “fear” “terror” and “humiliation” she felt in her childhood.

Another woman said Barry’s abuse made her feel “dirty”. “I was extremely embarrassed by it all”. “He terrorised and molested me for years”, she added.

The woman described the former principal of Moyasta National School as the “vicious wolf who would lie in wait for me every day”.

A woman, who read her statement in court, became emotional as she detailed the dreadful impact the abuse had on her life. “I’m glad Mr Barry has been exposed for the sexual predator he is”.

Another woman said she will never forgive Barry but is glad she can close this “horrible chapter” in her life. A victim told the court her childhood was shaped by “shame”, “guilt” and “powerlessness” because of the abuse.

“I am proud of myself and the oth- er women for having the strength to face the court and tell our story”, she added.

One woman said, “Forty years have gone by and I’m still hurting”. She said the fear of being roughed up or “touched” in Barry’s class was terrifying.

The women also thanked Kilrush based Detective, Oliver Downes, who took up the investigation into Barry.

In July, following a three-week trial at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court, Pat Barry (80) was convicted by a jury of 59 counts of indecent assault.

Barry, with an address at Well Road, Kilkee, denied 67 counts of indecently assaulting 11 girls at Moyasta National School between 1964 and 1985.

Trial Judge Gerald Keys had directed the jury of seven women and f ve men to f nd Mr Barry not guilty on eight of the 67 counts. At the conclusion of his 11-day trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on the remaining 59 counts. Det Gda Downes conf rmed to Roderick O’Hanlon (SC), for Barry, that no further charges are pending against Mr Barry. In his plea of mitigation Mr O’Hanlon said that for a period of 35 years since his retirement in 1989, “the defendant has lead a life from which no charges have arisen, none are pending before the court”. The court heard Mr Barry suffers from tinnitus and high blood pressure and stress related nose bleeds. The court heard the accused has no previous convictions and taught at a primary school in Wicklow from 1952 to1954 before joining Kilkee boys national school in January 1957. He took up the role of principal in Moyasta NS in July 1969.

He served on the board of the O’Curry’s Summer School for Irish in Carrigaholt and was actively involved in the local history projects.

A number of testimonials on Mr Barry’s behalf, including one from local Church of Ireland Rector, Canon Bob Hanna, were handed to Judge Gerald Keys.

Judge Keys said he required time consider the new documents submitted to the court so he could come to a “fair and just judgement”.

The case was adjourned to tomorrow (November 12), for mention when a date for sentence is due to be f xed. Mr Barry was remanded on bail.

SHANNON Airport continues its remarkable rise from the ashes with an unprecedented 30 per cent increase in passenger numbers last month.

New passengers number released yesterday show a year-on-year increase of more than 28 per cent, compared to October of 2013. This represents the largest percentage increase ever recorded in Shannon and comes on the back of consistent growth since the airport gained independent from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

Having been on the verge on being passed out by Knock Airport, and downgraded to Ireland’s fourth choice airport just 20 months ago, Shannon Airport looks set to overtake Cork Airport and reclaim the title of Ireland second airport.

The biggest increase in passengers coming through Shannon came from its European services, which were up an incredible 111 per cent per cent when compared to the same month in 2013.

A total of 42,950 European passengers used Shannon Airport last month – more than double the 20,347 who used the airport in October of 2013.

Transatlantic passengers were up by 15 per cent, from 23,511 in October 2013 to 27,108 last month, thanks in the main to the increased frequency across New York and Boston services.

Shannon’s biggest market, the UK, also grew by 6 per cent last month from 61,681 to 65,243.

“It’s been a really great summer season for Shannon and f nished out with a very strong October. A very encouraging aspect to the growth is that there were gains across our three main markets, Europe, the UK and US,” said airport CEO Neil Pakey.

“Increases in European services are particularly strong thanks to the nine new services this summer season but the US also performed very well as a result of greater frequencies. It was also heartening to see growth on UK services as this is the strongest market for Ireland and a 6 per cent growth month-over-month is quite signif cant. “We have new winter services this year to Berlin, Bristol, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Paris and Warsaw. These, together with our other winter services, provide a really strong array of destinations for weekend or winter sun breaks as well as for business travellers.

“It’s good news also for the region as our winter schedule this year has really good options from an inbound perspective, which is particularly good for tourism operators here as there is a really good winter break offering across the West of Ireland.”

THE Mental Health Commission pointed to a number of concerns it had relating to the 39-bed Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) located in Ennis Hospital.

Following an unannounced inspection in July, inspectors for the commission were concerned about the individual plans for the 38 patients resident in the unit on the days of the inspection.

Admitting there was evidence of improvement in the individual care plans since the inspection of 2013, the inspectors said many of the Individual Care Plans did not specify the interventions to be carried out, and did not specify which member of the multidisciplinary team was tasked with this aspect of the care plan.

The inspectors also found that the unit was not suitable for children, although it has taken in minors on the permission of parents.

The inspection report also raised concerns that not all staff had been trained in the use of physical restraint.

The structure of the ground level unit was also cause for concern.

“The interior decoration of the unit was in need of attention, with evidence of peeling paint, missing f oor

TWO men have pleaded guilty to assault charges arising from a violent feud related incident in Ennis when a father of 10 lost part of his f nger. Bernie McDonagh Snr (47) suffered multiple injuries including the loss of half of his right ring f nger when he was viciously assaulted by three men at Market place, Ennis on May 18, 2010.

The incident developed after Mr McDonagh drove to Ennis National School to collect his children at 3pm.

He was followed to the school by three men in a black Toyota Avensis. The three men launched an attack on Mr McDonagh’s vehicle.

McDonagh drove furiously away from the front of the school and ended up driving the wrong way into the market area of the town, coming to halt in heavy traff c and very narrow ly avoiding a collision.

Mr McDonagh’s 14-year-old son, f ve-year-old daughter and baby granddaughter were in the car throughout the course of the incident.

The group traveling in the Avensis caught up with Mr McDonagh in the Market where they launched another attack on the car.

Mr McDonagh was driven to Ennis hospital by his 14-year-old son.

One of the perpetrators received a three-year prison sentence at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court in May 2011 after pleading guilty to assault causing serious harm.

The two other men involved in the attack appeared before Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Their respective barristers told the court a jury would not be required and their clients could be put forward for arraignment. Michael McDonagh (34), with an address at Kilcruttin Halting Site, Kilcruttin, Tullamore, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Bernie McDonagh at market place Ennis on May 18, 2010.

Anthony McDonagh (28), with an address at Ardreigh Walk, Dun Brinn, Athy, Kildare, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Bernie McDonagh on the same date and location. Counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan said those pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the case now becomes a matter for sentence.

Counsel for Michael McDonagh, Mark Nicholas said his client is a 34-year-old man with no previous convictions who “stupidly got involved” in this incident.

He said a report from the Probation Services would be help Judge Gerald Keys get a proper prof le of Mr Mc Donagh prior to sentencing.

Counsel for Anthony McDonagh, Pat Whyms, also requested a probation report for his client.

Judge Keys ordered probation reports for both accused and remanded them on bail to appear in court on January 12, 2015 when a date for sentencing will be f xed.

the onset of winter.

It is unclear if the dolphin was alive when it was initially washed ashore at Fanore, but the body was badly damaged when it was discover by a member of the public on Monday.

“It looks like a striped dolphin, a species that is frequently stranded, often alive, but rarely observed in Irish waters. They are an offshore pelagic species occurring in deep water,” said Simon Berrow of the Clare based Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).

“They typically occur in warmer waters than Ireland and the increase in stranding records could be due to a warming of our waters associated with climate change.”

The IWDG co-ordinate the cetacean stranding scheme in Ireland and ask that all sightings of stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises are reported to them by email on strandings@iwdg.e or online on www. iwdg.ie.

The group have a network of recorders who visit stranded animals to record species, length and gender for long term monitoring.

THERE were unruly scenes at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin last week after Michael Maughan of Stone Court, Ennis, was convicted of murdering Piotr Nowakowski (peter nova kovskee) in Ennis last year.

Supporters of the accused man shouted abuse at the jury and overturned a bench in the court room.

It took the jury under 2 and a half hours to unanimously convict Michael Maughan (40) of the murder of Piotr Nowakowski at Sandf eld Mews in Ennis in July last year.

He had admitted manslaughter. The jury heard he stabbed the Polish man twice after they’d spent the day and night drinking together.

In a victim impact statement relatives said his loss is like ‘a big sadness taking our soul’.

Maughan’s lawyers offered his apologies and said he really regrets what he’s done. Justice Paul Carney imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder and the court rose.

After that there was uproar as a couple of Michael Maughan’s supporters overturned a bench and hurled verbal abuse at the jury before gardaí intervened to restore order.

Michael Maughan, had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Piotr Nowakowski, aged 31, at Sandf eld Mews, Ennis, on July 23, 2013.

The Central Criminal Court was told that the manslaughter plea was not acceptable to the prosecution and a jury was sworn in for the one-week trial. Maughan had also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O’Dea at the same address on the same date. The jury of seven men and f ve women found him guilty on both counts by unanimous decision after two hours and 23 minutes.

Mr Justice Paul Carney handed down the mandatory life sentence for the murder to run concurrently with four years for the assault. He backdated both sentences to July 24, 2013, for time spent in custody.

Mr Nowakowski was stabbed twice and died in an ambulance on the way to Shannon Airport, from where he was to be airlifted to hospital in Cork. The court heard that Maughan and his brother had been drinking with the men in the apartment in the Sandf eld complex earlier that day and returned there that night.

He told gardaí he was angry when he was not allowed in.

He said he lifted his brother in through a window so he could let him in the front door.

Maughan told gardaí that he went into the bedroom where Mr O’Dea and Mr Nowakowski were asleep.

After Mr Nowakowski followed him into to the kitchen, he got paranoid and grabbed a carving knife from the counter.

He told gardaí he “just went berserk” and he stabbed him twice in the side. The court heard the deceased received several blows and was stabbed before receiving a further kick to the head.

A 25-YEAR-old woman has rejected a Judge’s offer to cut her prison sentence by seven months.

At Ennis Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Gerald Keys said he was willing not to extend Bernadette Marrinan’s time in prison beyond January 2015, when the term of a prison sentence she received from the district court is due to expire.

Ms Marrinan, with a former address at Flat 3, Francis Street, Kilrush, was before the circuit court having pleaded guilty last month to possession of a 13-inch lump ham- mer at Hermitage, Ennis on March 14, 2014.

Judge Keys proposed a 10 month sentence with the f nal seven months suspended after saying the offence could have been dealt with in the district court had the facts been fully outlined to the district court Judge.

He said the balance of the sentence would be suspended on condition Ms Marrinan enter into a bond to be of good behaviour and commit to working with the Probation Services to deal with her drug addiction.

“I don’t agree”, Ms Marrinan replied after hearing the Judge’s offer. Ms Marrinan held a brief consultation with her legal team after which defence counsel, Pat Whyms, told the court his client did not want to enter into the bond.

“I really cannot understand why not, but that is her choice”, Judge Keys said.

Imposing a full 10-month sentence, the Judge said;

“If she has a change of mind I’m open to being persuaded to suspend the balance of the sentence”.

In the case, Garda Trevor Shannon of Ennis Garda Station said he and a colleague were on patrol when they met Ms Marrinan in Hermitage at around 4.50pm on March 14.

He said it was noticeable the accused was concealing an item. When gardaí asked her to produce the concealed item, Ms Marrinan took out the lump hammer.

Garda Shannon said Ms Marrinan told gardaí she had the weapon for her own protection.

Asked to outline the accused’s circumstances, Garda Shannon said Ms Marrinan had a “hard enough upbringing”, was homeless for a period and had developed an addiction to heroin.

She is currently serving a ninemonth sentence for theft imposed at Ennis District Court in June. Ms Marrinan has previous convictions for theft and criminal damage.

Garda Shannon said the thefts were mainly committed for food and to feed Ms Marrinan’s addiction.

After being told the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had recommended the case be dealt with in the district court, Judge Keys asked why jurisdiction had been refused by the district Judge.

Garda Shannon said the district court judge has an issue with weapons offences and believes they should be dealt with in the circuit court.

Judge Keys said that if the circumstances were fully outlined to the Judge, he would have accepted jurisdiction.

He imposed a 10-month sentence after Ms Marrinan rejected the offer to suspend seven months.

A FORMER student convicted of threatening to kill an Ennis based dentist last week sought to take up an offer to reduce his three-year prison sentence.

But at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday, Judge Gerald Keys told solicitor for Eoin Hannan (41) that his hands were tied with respect to the application. Judge Keys said he did not have jurisdiction to deal with Mr Hannan’s application after being told Mr Hannan has lodged an appeal with the Court of Criminal Appeal.

In March a jury unanimously found Eoin Hannan guilty of threatening to kill a dentist at his practice in Merchant Square, Ennis on May 11, 2012

Mr Hannan, with former addresses at Kilrush Road, Ennis and Shear Street, Kilmallock, Ennis was also found guilty of two counts of engaging in behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

The jury at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court acquitted the accused of making a threat to burn down the practice. Mr Hannan had denied all charges. At his sentencing hearing in March, Mr Hannan received a threeyear prison term but Judge Keys said he would suspend 15 months of the sentence if Mr Hannan agreed to enter a bond to be of good behaviour, abide by the directions of the Probation Services, abstain from alcohol and take his medication.

Mr Hannan asked to leave the court to consider the offer and when the case resumed, barrister Michael Collins, who acted for Mr Hannan at his trial, told the court Mr Hannan continued to protest his innocence and did not want to enter into a bond.

At Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, Mr Hannan sought to enter the bond to have the sentence reduced. Mr Hannan was represented in court by solicitor Daragh Hassett. Judge Keys told Mr Hassett he did not have jurisdiction to deal with the application as Mr Hannan had already lodged an appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal.

“As far as I am concerned, my hands are tied “, The judge said.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Stephen Coughlan, told Judge Keys that in relation to this matter the only order he could make was no order.

IS IT a bird? It is a plane? No, it actually is Superman. The hunt is on to discover the true identity of a mystery man who has taken to running along the dual-carriageway from Bunratty to Shannon dressed in a full Superman outf t. The Clare man-of-steel, who is believed to be a student in the Shannon College of Hotel Management, caused a big stir last week when he was spotted by motorists running the wrong way along the N-18 between and Bunratty and Shannon.

A large number of people reported spotting the runner early last Wednesday morning, October 29, with a number of motorists also reporting the bizarre incident. A picture, reported to by the mystery man himself, was posted online last week but, just like Superman himself, The Clare People has as yet not been to discover his true identity.

A spokesperson from the National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday warned against people running on the N18, describing the practice as dangerous and a potential hazard.

All runners, cyclist and people using low powered or slow vehicles are prohibited from travelling on motorways, with runners only allowed on National Primary Roads with the permission of the Gardaí.

“The NRA would not recommend that anyone would run on this stretch of road,” said Sean O’Neil from the NRA.

“Runners are not permitted on the motorway under any circumstances. They are considered to be putting both themselves and motorists at risk.”

It would have taken the mystery runner more then half an hour to run the 8 kilometre roadway between Bunratty and Shannon – with the runner most likely turning off the main road just before it became a motorway.

stood to have contribute € 5,000 to the event last year with the remainder being made up from the races own cash reserves, which have now been depleted.

A spokesperson from Clare Coun ty Council conf rmed that they would meet with race organisers in the coming days to discuss the 2015 event.

Clare County Council has worked hard with all parties, including the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, to attract events to County Clare.

The Junior Tour of Ireland held in July and the Ras na mBan held in September have been successfully brought to Clare in 2013 and 2014,” said the spokesperson.

“Both of these events, which run over seven days, create strong economic activity particularly on accommodation and other services. They also help to enhance Clare’s strong reputation as a cycling destination. Both events secure TV cov erage with highlights of both races being shown on international sports channels. “A meeting has been scheduled with the race organisers for early November to discuss the situation around the 2015 event. The council cannot guarantee any support pending discussions and agreement on its 2015 budget.” Ms Sherratt said f nding a race sponsor would be “impossible” in the current economic climate. “We literally don’t have the money. I’m going to have to go out now and see if I can get more sponsors but it’s an impossibility,” she said. “I’ll have to go back to the council in Clare to see if I can get the € 5,000 for next year again, and the same with the IVCA. But I don’t know if that will happen; if it can happen every year. And even with that mon ey and the Cycling Ireland grant, we are still well, well short.”