Category: News

A DISTRICT Court judge told a defendant that while he sympathised with the fact he suffered from a condition whose symptoms included severe bouts of fatigue, he could not use the rare medical condition as an excuse to break the law.

Martin Haugh of Farrihy, Kilkee, suffers from Addison’s Disease.

On the morning of July 29, 2013, he was found lying in the foetal position on the grassy margins on the Miltown Malbay Road out of Kilkee by Garda John Cahill.

The court heard he was very intoxicated and the gardaí had difficulty getting him to stand. They took him into custody for his own safety.

A bag of cannabis resin worth an estimated € 40 was also found in Mr Haugh’s pocket.

Supt Seamus Nolan told the court that gardaí accepted this was for his own personal use.

The 24 year-old was charged with being intoxicated in a public place under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order Act) 1994 and unlawful possession of a controlled drug – cannabis resin contrary to Section 3 and Section 27 (as amended by Section 6) of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Pleading guilty to the charges, solicitor for the defendant Joe Chambers said his client suffered from “the top level” of Addison’s Disease and “one of the symptoms is he can be overcome by fatigue”.

He said Mr Haugh was out in Kilkee and was to stay with his brother. As he couldn’t get into his brother’s house he decided to walk home, got tired, and lay down on the side of the road. Mr Chambers told the court that his client uses cannabis on occasion to relieve the symptoms of his condition.

“It is not acceptable to the law, but science would accept it to get such relief,” he added.

“He is not a troublemaker. He lives at home with his family and can’t work because of his condition.”

He previously received the probation act from the court, because of his condition.

“I accept he suffers from the disease but I am forming the view that he is using it as an excuse. This is not an excuse to break public order or drug offences,” said residing judge Patrick Durcan.

“He is not a violent person by any means,” said Mr Chambers.

“Should the gardaí on this fine morning come along and poke him with a stick and say he was okay, the superintendent would be here with a team of counsel as part of an inquiry. Addison’s Disease or not your client must abide with the law,” said Judge Durcan.

The judge advised Mr Haugh to seek pain relief from a medical practitioner. He adjourned the case until March 18. THE CASE against a 19-year-old has been adjourned for a probation report, after he pleased guilty to obstructing a garda in the course of his duty and possession of cannabis at Kilrush District Court on Tuesday. The court heard that Alan Clohessy, of 9A Willow Green, Kilrush tried to evade a garda warrant on June 26, 2013 by running inside his house and locking the door. Supt Seamus Nolan told the court that gardaí forced their way into the defendant’s room, at which point he threw an object out the window. The object was not recovered. In the bedroom gardaí found four cannabis cigarette butt ends. Solicitor for the defence Gearóid Williams said that since the incident a bill of € 217 was issued for repair work on the door by Clare County Council.He told the court that Mr Clohessy lives at home with his brother, mother and her partner and is currently unemployed. Judge Patrick Durcan said while he has no issue dealing with the Section 6 offence [drug possession], the second charge was “a complete affront to gardaí and society.” “This is not just a drug matter but an offence against gardaí,” he said. Judge Durcan said he would take into consideration that the defendant had no previous convictions and he was “slow to hand out sentence that would have repercussions down the line.” He asked for a probation report and remanded Mr Clohessy on continuing bail until November 12.

EXPLORING sacred places around her native Ennis provided the inspiration for Caitriona Sheedy’s contribution to Culture Night.

“The process begins with a silent walk, while observing any sensations, thoughts, feelings and then drawing a map of first impression,” she reveals.

“Then an area that you feel drawn to is chosen as the place that you carry out the next stages for the rest of the process,” she adds.

The Old Mill in Ennis became the focal point of Ms Sheedy’s study and for his exhibition she has created a wheel. “The overall feeling at the summing up was one of ‘hopelessness – afraid to die, afraid to live’,” she says.

“The wheel sits idol and I learned as a result of the project that there has been efforts by two different parties to get this place in motion again.”

The first stage of this project was undertaken by way of exploring the energy of place.

Ms Sheedy’s work already explored energy and she had decided to deepen this work by learning more about what it is her work communicates and how the energy of a particular subject could be channeled.

“Drawn to explore the energy of sacred sites, I was delighted to take part in a Goethean study of place which gave her the steps she felt would be hugely beneficial to her own work.

“On the walks in the first stage I knew that it was a huge space to take on and thought to repeat the process on my own again in different areas.

“However it seemed much more logical to invite other artists to get involved and so a call for artists was sent out and part two of the project began in May,” she adds.

AN ENNIS man who used a curtain pole to attack a Garda car “like a knight of old in armour” has been sentenced to seven months in prison.

Damien Sherlock (21) smashed the car after attempting to gain entry to a house in Childer’s Road, Cloughleigh, on January 25 (2013).

Gardaí were called to the scene after a woman and her three-year-old child fled the house. Details of the incident were heard at Ennis District Court on Wednesday. Mr Sherlock, with an address at Dromard, Lahinch Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, un- lawful possession of a curtain pole and trespass in a manner likely to cause fear. Detective Garda Claire O’ Shaughnessy was the garda who attended the scene on the night. She told the court she saw Mr Sherlock smash the windows of the unmarked and empty Garda patrol car. She said the accused hit the car so hard, the pole shattered to pieces.

Mr Sherlock fled the scene but was subsequently arrested and made admissions. He also pleaded guilty to breaking a window in the woman’s home on the morning of January 26.

He previously pleaded guilty to five burglaries targeting small businesses in Ennis town centre between August 11 and August 15. Quantities of cash, laptops, electronic cigarettes and a hairstraightener were taken from premises in O’ Connell Street, Parnell Street, Chapel Lane and Market Square.

Mr Sherlock has 51 previous convictions. Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client had been drinking heavily on the night he attacked the Garda car. He said Mr Sherlock comes from a large family and that his life was full of “chaos and addictions”. The court heard that Mr Sherlock’s elder brother, Jimmy Sherlock, recently died because of drug abuse.

Mr Hassett added, “The sad reality of Mr Sherlock’s life is that if he keeps go- ing with the same behaviour, he will end up dead as well.” Judge Patrick Durcan said that though Mr Sherlock was dealt a hand of cards none of us would wish on our own children, this did not entitle him to commit crime.

He said Mr Sherlock had attacked a “squad car like a knight of old in armour”. Of the burglaries, Judge Durcan said main streets are tottering on the brink because “businesses cannot take the type of hit that the likes of Damien Sherlock perpetrate against them”. Taking into account Mr Sherlock’s problems with addiction, Judge Durcan sentenced him to a total of seven months in prison.

CULTURE NIGHT at The 5 Star is an exhibition featuring an array of lens-based media that includes installation, sound, video, photography and painting.

Ennis artist Shelagh Honan curates the exhibition which is the third from the series ‘Call It What You Will’, which began in the small village of Ballyferriter outside Dingle in a house called Tig An Tobar in 2012.

“It attracted much curiosity from the local villagers who had not previously witnessed a Camera Obscura installation” reveals Honan.

“Fiona O’Dwyer’s installation turned the streetscape outside the house upside down and projected the image on to the walls of the living room.

“While this is an analoguue technique that was used by renaissance artists it is still as exciting to witness in todays digital age where technical virtuosity is now common place,” she adds.

The exhibition was further developed and become part of the Photography Ireland Exhibition in Faber Studios in Limerick this summer.

“Here Maria Finucane’s video piece ‘Blow’ featured the artist blowing dust against the dark night sky these images were then projected against an old whining machine,” says Honan.

“The final piece is housed in a small glass box, where the captured performance of Blow loops endlessly to the whirring sound of the old machine being cranked up.”

For her own installation that’s entitled ‘Below The Surface’, Ms Honan features a male figure fully clothed plunging and drifting in to the depths of the Atlantic ocean.

“The final piece is then projected on to the surface of a disheveled bed,” she reveals. “I filmed the piece on the pier in Doolin with underwater diving instructor Christy Healy and his son Stephen,” she adds.

The exhibition will also feature painting from John Hanrahan and a video piece entitled ‘SongLines’ based on the Shannon estuary from Dutch artist Trudi van der Elsen that deals with imemory of neglected aspects of the land and reflects the loss of emotional engagement with our surroundings and ancient symbols.

COACHES and managers have “huge power” to change attitudes towards alcohol among teenagers, a meeting has heard.

All-Ireland under 21 winning joint manager Donal Moloney told a public meeting in Ennis that coaches have a greater responsibility to players beyond training.

He explained, “Some of these coaches and managers are sometimes the most important people in that teenager’s life in that point in time. They will actually listen. I don’t know if many coaches realise that and utilise the power that they actually have. They can have a massive impact on a player’s outlook and a player’s behaviour.”

Since 2010, Moloney and joint manager Gerry O’Connor have guided Clare to six Munster and All-Ireland titles at minor and under 21, a level of success unparalleled in the county’s hurling history.

Speaking in the Temple Gate Hotel at a meeting organised by the Labour Party, Moloney told how educating players on the harmful effects of alcohol has become a central component in preparing Clare teams.

He said, “When Davy Fitzgerald came back to Clare he brought that philosophy with him as well. He’s not anti-drinking but in terms of how that senior team is managed, behaviour and lifestyle are the elemental building blocks of any sporting career. There are two aspects: from a playing perspective it’s a non-runner but even outside of playing, in terms of their social behaviour on an on- going basis beyond hurling, it is also critical that they understand and are educated about the impacts of it.”

He continued, “That’s the focus we have. We can put the evidence in front of players. We can contrast (performance) when they were drinking and when they weren’t drinking. It’s quite vivid. It just doesn’t affect you athletically in terms of your stamina, it affects decision-making and their ability to train. We try to educate them as much as possible. We use science as well as common sense.”

A DISTRICT Court judge has warned he will stop granting legal aid if accused persons continue to fail to attend court. Judge Patrick Durcan said courts in Clare are “unduly lenient” when it comes to granting legal aid to so- licitors. However he said this practice would come to an end if the high rate of client “no-shows” continues. He made his comments at Ennis District Court on Wednesday after issuing a high number of bench warrants for accused people who failed to turn up for scheduled court appearances. He described the number of people who failed to attend court as “appalling”. “There is going to have to be some sort of crackdown,” added Judge Durcan. After being told that one man was unable to attend court because he had to attend hospital because of gland problems, Judge Durcan said he would consider withholding legal aid unless people turned up in court. “There is no medical certificate for this man,” he added. Describing the day as an “eyeopener”, Judge Durcan added, “It is up to practitioners to inculcate their clients to be here.” Judge Durcan has previously been critical of the time keeping of people brought before courts in Clare. In July he said, “I am reaching the conclusion that timekeeping in this county is the worst in the country.” He was speaking after a woman was not present when her case was called at Ennis District Courthouse. Judge Durcan said he finds it “enraging” when defendants do not show up on time. He said he had been dealing with matters in chambers since 10pm but defendants could not be on time for court, which usually starts at 10.30am.

IRISH society is in denial about the impact of alcohol, a situation that is making hard to promote a message of positive mental health, a leading mid-west based psychotherapist has warned.

Carmel McMahon says that alcohol has become too engrained in Irish life. She explains, “We have to realise that alcohol is a depressant. It leads to more anxiety and more depression. Yet when we have a stressful event, or a joyful day, like the match on Sunday, what we all need is a few pints or a few glasses of wine. But it’s very hard to tell people that’s the least thing we need at that moment.

“It’s too engrained in our society and when they want to point out it’s not okay to have a drink, that message is very hard to get across. It’s very hard to promote positive mental health when that attitude exists.”

Ms McMahon was speaking at a public discussion on alcohol aware ness, organised by the Labour Party in Clare, on Thursday night.

She said, “We laugh at somebody who got drunk. I can tell you it is no laughing matter if you work with people and you see their lives ruined, very young lives,” she added

Ennis journalist and author Brian O’Connell, who has written about his own problems with alcohol, told the meeting that Ireland’s problematic attitude to drinking is affecting young people.

“I often say that if I’d grown up in Maryland or Massachusetts, a lot of people from the age of 19 or 20 would’ve been coming to me saying, ‘Do you think you need to knock this thing on the head?’ Binge drinking is celebrated in Ireland. In many societies it’s an absolute no-no.”

He added, “I talk in schools a lot but I kind of think it’s a waste of time to go into secondary schools and talk to kids about alcohol. I’ve come to form that view because without talking to their peers, parents and their social group they meet at weekends, I’m not sure its going to make any difference me talking to a group of 14 and 15 year olds. The pressures on them predominantly are to engage dysfunctionally with alcohol.”

ENNIS Town Council says it will continue to liaise with management at Ennis National School after concerns arose last week over traffic flow in the area. The opening of the new building at Ashline has resulted in increased traffic flows in mornings and afternoons. One woman who contacted The Clare People said the traffic build up is a particular problem on the Kilrush Road side of the roundabout at Ashline. She said, “Unfortunately I start work at 8.45am and seem to hit the traffic of the school run along with people commuting to work. It adds extra to my journey, which I already travel from West Clare and I’m sure a lot of other people are affected too. There was a three-car pile up there this morning and I can’t imagine what it will be like when the weather gets wet and hopefully not the previous bad winters of ice/ frost as it will cause havoc.” In a statement, the council says it held a number of meetings with school management in advance of the new school year, and are satisfied that the “preparatory work on such a major project was of considerable assistance in ensuring a relatively smooth transition to the Kilrush Road site”. A spokesman added, “This was a major undertaking and through the co-operation and support of all relevant parties has worked well. It is clear that a school of this scale will have an effect on traffic flows particularly at the start and end of the school day.” The council has deployed two school wardens at the crossing point at O’Sullivan & Hansbury location. The council has also cleared the laneway at Ashline to facilitate good pedestrian access to the new school. Cycle lanes are in place on part of the route. The council is also working with the Green Schools officer to progress other initiatives.” The council says engagement with the school will continue.

IT MUST be the Government’s objective to “extract” alcohol from the experience of sport in Ireland, a meeting has heard. That was the view expressed by Minister for State for Primary Care, Alex White, at a meeting in Ennis on Thursday night.

The Labour Party TD outlined a number of measures including the introduction of minimum unit pric- ing aimed at reducing societal alcohol consumption.

Minister White told the meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel that the drinks industry spent € 39 million on advertising in Ireland last year.

On the issue of alcohol sponsorship of major sporting events, Minister White said,

“I believe that alcohol involvement in sport and the way it is so embedded on the one hand, and the pursuit of excellence in sporting perform- ance on the other, the two are just manifestly incompatible. I regard it as counter intuitive that you should have such a close relationship between alcohol and sport. I think it has to be addressed. I think our objective must be to extract alcohol from the sporting experience.”

He said from a broader healthcare perspective, it is imperative Ireland “rethinks” its relationship with alcohol.

He said, “Alcohol was responsible for at least 88 deaths every month in 2008. Alcohol was a contributory factor in half of all suicides and in deliberate self-harm. Alcohol cost an estimated € 3.4 billion in 2007 to the healthcare and justice system to the economy. And one in four deaths of young men were estimated to be due to alcohol in 2008.”

The meeting, which was held to mobilise discussion on alcohol awareness, was chaired by Clare Labour TD, Michael McNamara.

A HIGH tech badger-baiting operation has been uncovered in East Clare with people using underground tracking devices to locate and kill families of badgers.

A small black terrier dog, equipped with the powerful mobile transmitter, was discovered in the O’Briensbridge area of the county yesterday. According to Clare County Council’s ISPCA dog warden, Frankie Coote, the dog was being used to ferret out the badgers and lead groups of “hunters” to their sets.

It is understood that this sort of equipment would be used by serial badger baiters who would travel the countryside searching for badger sets to attack. The baiters could be invited by a farmer on the land, but, according to Mr Coote, they often enter property uninvited in order to kill badgers for the illegal blood-sport.

“I have the dog and the collar with the tracking device and this dog was clearly used for digging out badgers. This is a very high tech device – they track the dogs movements underground and then they go in and kill the older badgers and the younger defenseless badgers in the set,” said Mr Coote. “We can tell that the dog has been used for this a lot. She is blind in one eye and has several old wounds and more recent wounds. This is an underground blood sport in the same way that dog fighting is underground.

“It is a problem. We believe that there are four or five underground groups that participate in this in Clare. Sometimes they would be invited in by farmers to remove the badgers, because the farmers are worried that they [the badgers] might be carrying TB, but in some cases they go in without the knowledge of the farmers.

“These people are just doing this because they get a kick out of killing the badgers. The are the same people might set two dogs to fight each other and bet on which dog would win the fight.

“This is cruelty for the badgers and the dog. This dog is destroyed from the fighting. She has a lovely temperament but she has been trained to be involved in this awful thing.”

Badgers are naturally docile creature but when cornered they can turn into dangerous fighting animals. Badger baiting has been illegal in Ireland for decades but the NPWS has secured ten convictions for the illegal persecution of badgers since 1993.