Category: News

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy has been sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institute after pleading guilty to burglary in Shannon last year.

At Ennis District Court last Wednesday, the boy also pleaded guilty to charges of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle and handling stolen property. The offences arose out of an incident in Ros Min, Shannon, last December. The court heard that the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has 55 previous convictions.

A Detective Gwarda told the court that the boy entered the house, taking a set of car keys, house keys and a quantity of cash. A car was also taken in the incident.

The court heard that the house was occupied at the time of the burglary. The boy gained access through the front door, which was closed but unsecured, the court heard.

The accused was subsequently arrested in Tipperary where he admitted his involvement to gardaí. The car was recovered undamaged.

Solicitor Eileen Whelan told the court that her client had entered an early guilty plea so as to spare civil- ian witnesses the “trauma” of re-living the burglary in court.

She said her client, who was accompanied in court by his parents, had “certainly been mixing with the wrong people”. Ms Whelan said her client intended finishing his Leaving Certificate and had enroled in a mechanics programme. “He’s having a real eye opener. He’s here to take his medicine”, she added.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy noted that the boy had “umpteen previous convictions”, adding, “He hasn’t got a good record”. Taking into the account the accused’s plea of guilty and other mitigating circumstances, Judge McCarthy imposed a ninemonth sentence for the burglary charge. A three-month concurrent sentence was imposed for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

DETAILS of the latest auction of distressed Irish properties by Britishbased firm Allsop Space have been announced, with just one Clare prop erty set to go under the hammer and another from Gort at the sale which will take place in the Shelbourne Hotel on March 1 next.

The Clare property is a farm 10km west of Ennis comprising of 48 acres and a derelict farmhouse and outbuildings, with a reserve price of € 120,000 place on the property. The property is being sold by Allsop Space on the instructions of the receiver, KPMG. There was an expectation that more Clare properties would be included in the 100-lot sale, following on last November’s auction when the lowest price nationally for any property was recorded in Ennis.

In that sale, one of four that was organised by Allsop in 2011 attracted an attendance of 1,600 and saw a site with planning permission for a retail unit and two apartments up until 2015 was sold for just € 11,000,

Meanwhile, a three-story derelict building on the Mill Road in Ennis that had full planning permission for a five-story hotel was sold for € 55,000. In the March 1 sale, a property from Gort will also go under the hammer – a mid-terrace town house situated in Market Square that has a reserve asking price of just € 90,000. The property that comprises of three stories and a basement and is 2,250 square feet in size, while it also comes with a 3,304 square feet site at the rear of the building, with the two properties being sold in one lot.

A KILRUSH-BORN garda is being hailed as a hero after a dramatic gun attack in the Newport area of Tipperary on Monday of last week.

Garda Gerry Brassil, who is stationed in the area, has been praised for his “quick-thinking” that one resident who witnessed the incident on the Thurles Road out of Newport said helped save the life of fellow garda, Sergeant Deborah Marsh.

Anthony McMahon was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving on Monday night at 7.30pm, with a source close to the investigation saying he was seen driving “in an erratic manner” moments earlier.

However, when Mr McMahon (44), originally from Janesboro in Limerick, was approached by Gda Brassil and Sgt Marsh, he fired a number of shots from one gun and then, after a struggle, turned another gun on himself and died.

“I saw the whole thing,” said local resident Shane O’Brien. “I could see the lady garda at the front of the car. I could hear another male voice – I presume the male garda – and he was saying: ‘Don’t go for the gun, don’t go for the gun’.”

Gda Brassil wrestled with McMahon for control of the shotgun while Sgt Marsh pepper-sprayed him, before racing to Mr O’Brien’s house to raise the alarm. “They wouldn’t be alive only for each other. They were brilliant in fairness,” said Mr O’Brien.

After the initial struggle as the two gardaí ran for cover, Mr McMahon is believed to have fired another four or five shots from a rifle, before turning the gun on himself.

An investigation into the incident is being led by officers from the Office of the Garda Ombudsman, while a local Limerick politician, Cllr John ‘Rocky’ McGrath, has said the immense courage of Sgt Marsh and Gda Gerry Brassil should be recognised.

“Definitely they should receive medals for bravery. What they did was unbelievable and thank God they weren’t injured,” he said

“Only for the grace of God and their heroic actions, we would be marching behind a hearse,” one garda told The Clare People .

CLARE could have its own university campus in the next five years if ambitious plans to create a Munster Technological University are given the green light by the Government.

The planned university would be made up of an amalgamation of the Limerick Institute of Technology, IT Tralee and the Cork institute and, with 25,000 students, would be the largest university in Munster. Be sides the main campuses in Limerick, Cork and Kerry, the university would have a presence in every Munster county except for Waterford – with Waterford IT already in amalgamations talks with Carlow IT.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny (FG) will meet with the presidents of all three institutes on February 22 and The Clare People understands that an official announcement on Munster Technological University will be made then.

Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, the President of IT Tralee, Dr Oliver Murphy, said that video conferencing and other new technologies could be used to build a Clare campus both quickly and cheaply.

“Video conferencing has become a very important resource for thirdlevel education.

“It is a great way of delivering lectures across a spread-out area and it is also very cost-effective,” said Dr Murphy.

“I would envisage a situation where we would begin delivering lectures to somewhere in Clare – in Ennis, let’s say – using video conferencing to begin with and then building it up from there.

“Once we have the technology in place, there is no reason why we can’t begin delivering lectures the other way around soon after, with someone based in Clare lecturing to students there as well as people taking part in these lectures in Limerick, Cork, Tipperary and Kerry.”

With 24,000 students and in excess of 2,000 staff members, it is envisioned that the Munster Technological University would be more effective in attracting both research funding and foreign, fee-paying stu- dents.

Involving all parts of Munster in the new university has been identified as a key part in its success.

“The Munster region quite naturally sticks together as a region and it also is a brand name that is clearly very strong,” said Maria Hinfelaar, president of LIT.

Former Mayor of Clare, Flan Garvey, has been the chairman of IT Tralee for the past 10 years and believes that this new project will provide exciting opportunities for the people of Clare.

“This just makes sense. If you have the numbers and you have university status then your chances of getting funding is greatly improved,” he said.

A MAN has received a three-year prison sentence for an incident in which a 10-month-old baby suffered “horrific injuries”.

At Clare Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Larry Connors (19) with an address at Cronan Lawn, Shannon, was convicted on a charge of child cruelty and neglect.

The charge arose out of an incident in the Shannon area in December (2010) during which a 10-month-old boy suffered a broken leg, arms, a dislocated right elbow, multiple bruising, marks and significant bleeding to the brain. The court heard that the mother found Connors in a room holding the child, who had blood on his face, on the night in question.

Garda David Laing told the court that the injuries included a bite mark to the face and injuries consistent with burning. In her victim impact statement, the child’s mother said, “He used to slap, punch, and throw my child around the place like a toy.” She said at the height of the abuse, Connors became “psychotic”, locking himself into the room with the baby and screaming at him.

She said her son is now “fine and running around” but will require further treatment for a dislocated elbow and a tear in his mouth. The court heard that the baby was brought to hospital last January following the incident.

The court heard that a doctor reported the injuries to Gardaí through a social worker. The incident gave rise to a Garda investigation. The court heard that Connors and the child’s mother moved in together in December (2010).

In a statement to Gardaí, the boy’s mother said that it was at this point that Connors became abusive to the baby. One day when the baby was crying, the court heard, Connors pushed him into his high chair with his foot and tightened the straps causing the child to be out of breath.

The court heard that the child was subsequently placed in care for six months. The baby is now back living with his mother.

Barrister Brian McInerney said his client came from an “extremely dysfunctional family”. He said he had received no education and his father was a very strict disciplinarian.

He said Connors was “ill prepared, ill trained and ill conditioned to the stresses that come with minding a small baby”. He said the accused was “deeply remorseful” for his actions.

Imposing a three-year sentence, Judge Carroll Moran acknowledged Connors’ guilty plea. He added that Connors would suffer additional opprobrium from other prisoners because of the nature of his crime.

Judge Moran said, “The injuries were pretty horrific on a defenceless baby.” Judge Moran imposed reporting restrictions.

A GROUP of students will present plans to make Ennis the age friendly capital of Ireland to members of the Government tomorrow.

It is anticipated that the Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be among the audience in Leinster House when transition year students from Colaiste Muire present a comprehensive report on positive ageing.

The research project has been undertaken by six students – Muireann O’Shea, Aoife Sheehan, Roisin Curran, Jenny Hansbury, Orla Bredin and Sarah O’Reilly.

They have proposed a number of safety measures to promote Ennis as an ‘Age Friendly Town’.

A survey conducted among elderly people about road safety found that 100 per cent would like to see new signs around Ennis to warn drivers about the elderly.

The research, which is ongoing, also found that 85 per cent of elderly people feel unsafe crossing the road in Ennis, while 85 per cent believe that Ennis does not have adequate signage to warn motorists to slow down.

The project identifies six “hotspots” where extra signs could be added in Ennis, cautioning motorists to be aware of elderly pedestrians

The students have now been invited to present in Leinster House on Wednesday, February 8, by Minister Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State at the Department of Health and the Department of Justice, Equality & Defence with special responsibility for Disability, Older People, Equality and Mental Health. Senator Mary White will also be in attendance as she has a special interest in this area.

Teacher Finola Howard explained, “Senator White has written a number of publications on ageing and ageism. She is also a patron of the All Ireland Inspirational Life Award, which is a celebration of older people who exemplify an active inspirational life. All Clare Oireachtas members will be in attendance for the presentation and it is hoped that the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, will be in a position to view their presentation. The students have also been invited to participate in a question and answer session with Sinead Shanon, Research Manager for Ageing Well Network on Wednesday afternoon.”

In addition the students are attending a launch in Dublin Castle by invitation on Thursday, February 9. President Michael D Higgins is launching the 2012 Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Ms Pa- tricia Goan, Regional Programme Manager Age Friendly Counties at The Ageing Well Network facilitated this lauch at Dublin Castle.

Ms Howard added, “This is a huge honour for the students as they will be one of the youngest to attend the launch.” This initiative is part of the Young Social Innovators Programme. YSI is Ireland’s largest social awareness and active citizenship and education programme for 15- to 18-year-old teens. Colaiste Muire have been involved with YSI over the past six years achieving the overall prize in 2008, placed second in 2004 and were overall category winners in 2010.

A LANDOWNER has urged to National Roads Authority (NRA) to reconsider the current design of a salt depot proposed for the old GAMA site on the outskirts of Ennis.

Clare County Council is proposing to build a road maintenance depot for the region at Tulla Road, Ennis, (old GAMA site) adjacent to Junction 13 of the N18 motorway with access from the R352 Tulla Road from Ennis. It is anticipated that the depot will be run by the NRA.

Landowner Michael Murphy, whose land at Knockanean was the subject of a compulsory purchase order in 2000 for the Ennis bypass, has objected to aspects of the proposed development.

In a letter from his solicitor Mr Murphy states that the land taken at the time was “grossly excessive”.

In his submission, Mr Murphy, states, “My road frontage and access points onto Tulla Road are being acquired and I am pleading with you to reconsider the junction design and reduce the land take in this area which would allow me an access onto the Tulla Road from my property on western side of the bypass.”

He continued, “This bypass is having a serious impact on my property and I would urge you to carefully consider the above items and meet with me at the earliest opportunity to discuss accommodation works which would reduce the impact.”

Council officials have said that they would urge the NRA to meet with Mr Murphy. According to the council, the development will include: offices, storage area and workshop, car parking, salt barns, depot, weighbridge, hard standing area, ESB sub-station, refueling bay, access road directly from the R352 road.

The development will also encom- pass ancillary services such as water supply, foul treatment, surface water collection, bounding and landscaping around the site, the diversion, protection and provision of utilities and construction of boundary treatments, accommodation works and fencing at required locations.

In a submission, An Taisce have asked the council to take into account the needs of bats feeding in the area. They cite the example of the custombuilt bat house built during construction work on the Ennis bypass. An Taisce says the council must “take into the account the need for bats to have a wildlife corridor of vegetation leading to the bat house concerned especially the Lesser Horse Shoe Bat species”.

The project has been strongly criticized by former Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Tommy Brennan. Cllr Brennan, who is chairman of the Ennis East Electoral Committee, has labelled the project a “waste of time” and taxpayer’s money, saying it represents an unnecessary duplication of resources. Cllr Brennan says the Council has adequate salt supplies at its depots in Beechpark. Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) has said the site should be used for the development of a secondary school for the Barefield area.

THE mayor of Ennis will not travel to New York this year for the St Patrick’s Day parade, as councillors disagreed on the appropriateness of the trip.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (FF) said that while he would not be attending, he saw merit in someone going.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) told the February meeting of the council, “It is a very advantageous position to send our mayor over to America.”

He said the town had a lot coming up in the next two years that needed to be highlighted.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said that he believed that it was not appropriate for the mayor to travel this year and that he should be in Ennis to welcome the delegation from Langenfeld, Germany, who would be in Ennis for the festivities.

He was supported in his view by Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind).

It was also agreed that the biggest parade in the county would take place on March 17, St Patrick’s Day, in Ennis.

The local town council agreed to host the parade on the national day of celebration after Cllr Brennan (Ind) stated, “I don’t eat my Christmas dinner on St Stephen’s Day.”

Special plans have to be put in place this year, however, as St Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday.

Special consultations and planning will now begin in relation to the impact the parade will have on street closures and on businesses during the busiest shopping day of the week.

“It is also an opportunity to maximise the economic and social benefits of this festive weekend, including the bank holiday Monday,” explained Ennis Town Clerk Leonard Cleary.

“As this is a bank holiday weekend, it is proposed to try and maximise the economic benefits of the St Patrick’s Day Weekend for the town. Saturday is an important trading day for businesses. In this regard, it is hoped that the increased footfall from visitors to the town for the parade could be converted to an afternoon shopping experience and weekend social event,” he said.

“In order to heighten awareness of this initiative, it is proposed to implement a parking incentive on Saturday if it is linked to pedestrianisation of the streets.

“It is viewed as important that some piloting of pedestrianisation would occur on festive occasions to provide the customer with an alternative experience,” he added.

The theme of this year’s parade is ‘Ennis – A Town of Many Cultures’.

It will begin at 11am sharp and is expected to take up to an hour and a half to pass the viewing stand in the square.

Mayor Guilfoyle has called on all organisations to get involved with the parade on the day.

THE Ennis Town Council unit charged with preventing misbehaviour in local authority housing has seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour among its clients in the last year.

The Estate Management Unit has, however, seen a marked increase in the number of less serious complaints classed as breach of tenancy, an increase from 47 cases in 2010 to 75 in 2011.

There were no cases of drug-related complaints in 2011, however, with anti-social behaviour issues not related to drugs decreasing from 11 in 2010 to seven 2011.

A spokesperson for the Estate Management Unit told last evening’s meeting of Ennis Town Council that all but one of the anti-social behaviour complaints were alcohol-related.

The less serious issues were made up of complaints about noise, children playing and “rows”.

The majority of cases investigated by the Estate Management Officer relate to breech of tenancy agreements rather than anti-social behaviour.

Among the typical problems he encounters are parking issues, refuse storage and disposal, and noise.

“It is the council’s policy to investigate breaches of the tenancy agreement promptly and thoroughly and to follow up with advice and warnings where necessary.

In most cases this brings the issue to a satisfactory conclusion, In cases where warning letters are issued, follow-up calls are made to ensure the conditions of that warning are adhered to,” the town council meeting was told.

There were seven warning letters issued in 2011, an increase of four on the previous year.

There were no evictions, excluding orders or Notices to Quit served by the unit last year.

“The primary focus of the Estate Management Unit is on the prevention of tenant misbehaviour and building good relationships with communities,” the council heard.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) praised the unit for meeting its objectives.

“You know how well estates are being managed by the number of calls we get, and I have gotten very few in the last year,” he said.

He raised concerns that there were not enough local authority houses in the county town however. He said the council should apply to the Government for extra housing.

“We should seek funding for a scheme of houses here in Ennis,” he said.

“There are some people on the housing list for 10 to 12 years.”

Town Manager Ger Dollard told the councillor that national policy does not encourage the building of new houses but has a policy of renting.

He added that the people on the list are not homeless but are on it for various reasons.

AN ENNIS Town Councillor has appealed to her colleagues to undertake training to assist them in dealing with one of the last taboos in society.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) asked members of the council to undertake a half-day training programme to help them identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources.

“Suicide is hard to talk about and we can use the wrong words at times,” she said.

She believes that the “Safe Talk” course, hosted by the HSE and the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), would help councillors deal with an issue they are facing more regularly.

Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) said the town was torn apart by suicide.

“I spoke to a man who was out of work who said there was no hope for him, and why wouldn’t he go and do something? It is very frightening. I did not know what to say except never give up hope,” she said.

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said that more people come to talk to the councillors because they are their elected representatives, and many of these people feel they cannot talk to their loved ones.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) told his fellow councillors that in 1996, a fellow councillor told him that he should not talk about suicide in the council chamber.

“All this is swept under the carpet. We don’t talk about things like that, he said to me. Well, it is time peo – ple should be talking about suicide. I would like to see Cllr Howard bring this to the Ard Fheis of Fine Gael,” he said.

Cllr Howard said that suicide was the fastest growing cause of death in Ireland and was affecting people of every gender, age and social outlook. “We are so afraid of words,” she said.

“By asking someone if they are suicidal is not putting the ideas in their head. I think we could do with some guidance on how to talk to someone and direct them to help,” she said.

“It is frightening the number of people I know that died from suicide, many of them girls I went to school with that had their whole lives in front of them.”

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) raised concerns about undertaking such a course. “After a half-day course. I don’t think I would be capable of talking to someone,” he said.

Cllr Paul O’Shea (Lab) welcomed the course, however.

“I think we should all embrace the training. I think it is a starting point. I don’t think we will all be experts.”