Category: News

A MAN HAS appeared in court charged in connection with the illtreatment of horses in the county.

John Joe Fitzpatrick (57), of Mountbellow, O’Briensbridge, is facing two charges of cruelty to an animal, on January 25 and January 27, 2010.

He is also facing two charges of permitting a carcass to remain unburied at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, on January 25, 2010.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shannon District Court on Thursday that the case could not go ahead this week as he required veterinary inspectors and personnel from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) to be present for the hearing and he sought a later date.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until February 17, when a date for the hearing will be fixed.

LIKE all high profile races, the runners and riders are announced well in advance but punters can’t be sure that injury won’t remove a contender or that a new contestant won’t be added before the starting lineout is complete.

It is with the same trepidation that The Clare People looks at the participants in the upcoming General Election, also keeping in mind that a week is no longer considered a long time in politics – it is now an eternity.

With the political ground changing every minute the affect on the riders and the daily change in the odds is huge.

With just weeks until polling day, time is running out for Fine Gael however to add a fourth candidate to the ticket if it decides to change its current strategy.

With just three candidates now in the race it will more than likely be hoping for two seats, with the third candidate used as a vote sweeper.

While many have questioned the geographical positioning of its candidates so far, the party should be confident of retaining two seats; the question seems to be which of the two candidates are likely to take those seats?

Fianna Fáil in Clare has come out fighting, and despite its dishevelled appearance two weeks ago, it is better organised than many constituencies that still have to hold their conventions.

Geographically its candidates are well placed, but while for now Dr John Hillery has north-west Clare to himself, Deputy Timmy Dooley could feel the pressure in the east.

Not only is he the sole face of the current administration in Clare, he must also contend with neighbouring candidate – Labour’s Michael McNamara.

Mr McNamara is untested on general election ground, but fared well in the European Election in Clare as the only Clare candidate.

The Green Party in Clare has not really been a serious challenger when it came to the last counts in general elections in Clare and it is unlikely this will change this time around, with the party likely to pay the price for being the small party in a very unpopular coalition.

The Independents are also on stand by to run the favourites off the field with former TD James Breen (Ind) the most likely to spring a surprise and come home in the first four places.

A CLARE-based freight and transport service provider, Eoin Gavin Transport, has won a prestigious industry award at the third annual TPN Awards. The awards are designed to reward excellence and to raise the standards and public perception of the freight and logistics industry in Ireland. TPN (The Pallet Network) members from around the country voted in the awards, judging their peers on their performance in categories such as customer service and contribution to the national network.

Mairead Barrett, a longstanding employee, was awarded the TPN Outstanding Contribution Award 2010 for the depot. The award recognises excellent service for the customer and business and contribution to the overall success of TPN. Eoin Gavin, Managing Director, said, “We were delighted to hear that Mairead achieved such an award for the company, particularly in this difficult economic climate. The team have worked incredibly hard over the last year and it is great to be recognised by peers in the industry and within The Pallet Network. These awards demonstrate how the transport and logistics industry has radically changed the way it operates and reflects the forward thinking of transport, logistics and freight companies like Eoin Gavin Transport.”

Operating from a purpose-built 5,000 square foot warehouse in Bunratty, Eoin Gavin Transport currently employs over 15 staff with a fleet of 13 trucks. Via the TPN network, the company provides domestic overnight delivery to the 32 counties and 48-hour delivery to the UK, as well as international express deliveries. TPN is the only network in Ireland or the UK that has achieved ISO9001:2000 accreditation for all depots across the country and was also recently awarded the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO9001:2008.

A NORTH Clare road, which was severely damaged during the construction of a water scheme more than two years ago, was described as nothing mote than a “cow path” at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council.

The road, which is located in the Dromoher/Crossard area of north Clare, was down for inclusion in the annual roadwork’s programme in 2010 but was dropped due to lack of funding.

Speaking on a motion put forward on yesterday’s meeting, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) urged the road to be included as a priority for the 2011 programme.

“It’s almost not a road anymore, it’s a cow path. Just because these people live in rural Ireland, they pay their road tax, it doesn’t mean that they are not entitled to a half decent road to go to work and to the shops on.

“If there is to be any road works budget this year, we need the message going forward to have this road dealt with. We had an understanding before that roads which were withdrawn in 2009 were on the programme for 2010. I think the same situation should be used for this road, which was withdrawn because of lack of funding in 2010.”

MORE than 300 people were housed at a refuge for victims of domestic abuse in Clare during the past 12 months, while hundreds of distressed victims of abuse sought help.

Requests for support among those suffering domestic abuse is brisk across the county, particularly in Shannon, where additional support has been provided, in response to demand.

According to Clare Haven, which provides support to female victims of domestic abuse across the county, 136 women and 187 children were admitted to its refuge in 2010. While this is a slight increase on figures for the previous year, one changing trend is that families are staying at the refuge for longer than had been the case in the past.

The refuge – which can house up to six families at any one time – was full for the entire year, with the result that many families had to be referred to refuges in Limerick and Galway. Such referrals have taken place since 2008.

In addition, 573 support visits were provided at Clare Haven’s drop-in centre in Ennis, along with an additional 350 support visits at its outreach centres in Shannon, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Killaloe an Scarriff.

356 helpline calls were answered by Clare Haven during 2010, which is equivalent to approximately one call per day. Staff from the centre provided 104 accompaniments for women seeking domestic violence orders, while 117 accompaniments to other services, such as the gardaí, legal aid and social welfare meetings, were also provided by Clare Haven staff.

More than 300 play therapy sessions were provided to children of women receiving support from Clare Haven. There is a waiting list for inclusion on that particular programme.

“Occupancy levels in the refuge were high throughout the year. Some families remained in refuge for longer periods of time as a result of delays in securing housing, needing to move to another county etc,” said Services Manager with Clare Haven, Denise Dunne.

She said that demand across the board has increased, not least in the Shannon centre, which was set up five years ago.

“Demand for the refuge and support service is up. In the refuge we were fuller for longer. Shannon is busier. We had to increase Shannon. We had to take on a second half day because it was so busy. The other centres have also got busier,” she said.

Cuts in financial support for Clare Haven have been imposed during the past two years and further cuts are expected this year. Nevertheless, its support services are unlikely to be reduced.

“This will be our third year of cuts. However we will keep the service going to the same level,” she said.

DEPUTY Timmy Dooley (FF) will begin the election campaign as Fianna Fáil’s most senior member, after just one short term in office as a TD.

The former senator will lead the ticket for one of the toughest facing the party in its 85-year history.

A man that has already started on the hustings, he is well aware of the unwelcome reception that is likely to meet the party at the door and he admits that people have a reason to be angry.

“We as a party had some success, but particularly from 2000 to 2007 we made some mistakes. In my opinion, people have to come forward and identify those mistakes but we must accept in our public spending we were somewhat out of control. We became overly dependant on the taxation associated with the property situation as it was,” he told delegates at the party’s convention on Sunday.

“But that was an economic model that was prevalent right throughout Europe,” he added.

The east Clare man said all of the other parties were just as culpable when they said the Government “should spend more and tax less and stay away from regulations”.

“So they didn’t have any answers. They didn’t have any different an- swers. So they have a kind of a gripe now at this stage to get power. I think the public will have to be careful about accepting their word over ours,” he said.

“Yes we made mistakes but in my view we have to accept the consequences and move on.”

He said playing the blame game will not resolve the problems of the country.

“If you look back you learn. If you lean back you fall,” he said.

He added that it was not just politicians but society at large that had to resolve the problems of the county.

A MAN ACCUSED of assaulting his former partner has had his bail revoked after gardaí claimed in court that he breached a condition of bail.

Larry Connors (18), with an address at Town Court, Shannon, is facing three charges of assaulting his 18-year-old former partner in Shannon on various dates in December.

He was brought before a special sitting of Ennis District Court last Saturday week, where bail was granted, despite Garda objections on the grounds that the alleged victim would be “terrorised” by the accused.

During that court sitting, a senior garda said that the accused was in a relationship with the alleged victim “and in recent times that relationship turned violent”.

He said the woman is the mother of a 10-month baby boy and “during the course of these (alleged) assaults, she was caring for her child and had her child in her arms”.

He said that the baby was taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick with serious injuries including a burn mark, two broken arms – one of which was broken in three places – a broken leg and multiple bruising to the body. “The State says (the woman) was assaulted at the same time the child was assaulted,” said Inspector Tom Kennedy. However, no charges have been brought in relation to the baby.

A number of bail conditions were attached, including that the accused stay away from the alleged injured party and her family.

Mr Connors appeared before Ennis District Court on Friday, charged with trespass and engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, at an address in Shannon, the previous evening, January 13. Inspector Kennedy applied to revoke the defendant’s bail, saying it would be alleged by gardaí that Mr Connors breached a condition of his bail. “He was to have no contact with the injured party. We say he contacted the injured party,” he said. The woman who Mr Connors is alleged to have assaulted then told the court that she was at home the previous evening. Asked did the accused contact her, she said, “He didn’t contact me. I was in the kitchen. He was chatting to my mother outside.” Inspector Kennedy asked her did she receive phone calls and text messages from the accused, to which she replied, “I never received them. I didn’t have the phone.” Defence solicitor Caitriona Carmody then submitted to the court that there was no evidence that the accused had breached bail. The woman’s mother then told the court that her daughter is fearful of the accused. She said that Mr Connors called to their home the previous evening and asked to speak to her daughter. “I wouldn’t allow him to because he wasn’t allowed to come anywhere near us,” she said. She said that he then started shouting and got “very violent”. “He said, ‘If you don’t get out of the way, I’ll hit you to get to (her daughter),” she told the court. She told the court that Mr Connors sent a number of text messages and made a number of phone calls to a phone owned by him but which was in the possession of her daughter.

“My daughter is a nervous wreck. I’m nervous myself,” she said.

Ms Carmody put it to her that her daughter said she had not received phone calls. The woman replied, “She was in the hospital. I had the phone.”

While the woman was giving evidence, Mr Connors shouted from his seat in the courtroom. He was ordered to remain silent by Judge Eamon O’Brien, who later told the solicitor: “You might advise him about his demeanour in court.”

Mr Connors took the stand and told the court he was not at the woman’s house the previous evening. Asked why would the woman’s mother claimed that he was, he replied, “Because she hates me with a passion.”

Ms Carmody submitted to the court that the woman’s evidence was “compelling. She didn’t appear to me to be petrified or scared.” The judge replied, “Are you suggesting her mother does not know her daughter?”

The solicitor said her client “has vehemently protested his innocence.” She said there was a “total conflict. The evidence is not clear cut.”

However, the judge said he was satisfied with the evidence from the woman’s mother and revoked bail. Mr Connors was remanded in custody to appear again in court later this week.

A MAN who is serving a six-year jail sentence for killing a 14-year-old boy during an Ennis street row is attempting to bring a case to the Supreme Court, after he lost his appeal against a conviction for manslaughter last July.

Michael Doherty, who lived at Ashline, Ennis, died as a result of a fight outside Supermac’s restaurant on O’Connell Street, Ennis, on June 23, 2007. He died from a single stab wound, having been knifed with a Swiss army knife.

John McGovern (21), of Ballyduff, Barefield, Ennis, was found not guilty of murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Ennis, in February 2009, but guilty of manslaughter. He later appealed the conviction, but lost the appeal at the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA).

However, McGovern succeeded in his application to have a conviction for possession of a knife on the night of the boy’s death set aside.

His legal team has now made an application to the court to bring an appeal of the CCA decision to the Supreme Court.

This application before the CCA will be heard in three weeks’ time, after which time the CCA will decide whether the case can go before the Supreme Court.

“The Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) will hear the application. If you lose an appeal, you can seek leave to bring a further appeal on a point of law of public importance. He has applied to bring that and that will be heard in the Court of Criminal Appeal.”

AN Ennis mother has teamed up with an All-Ireland dance champion to allow children with special needs to pursue their dancing dreams.

The Sparks Dance School in Ennis has been hosting classes in hip-hop for children of all ages with moderate to general learning disabilities and children with autism spectrum disorders.

The classes started last November and are the brainchild of local woman Margaret Hargaden.

Margaret, whose daughter Shona attends classes and competed for Clare at last summer’s Special Olympics, said she wanted to create an environment where children with special needs could meet outside of school hours.

Margaret explained, “Shona couldn’t be meeting her friends after school, they are from all over the county. She needed something. I just wanted her to have a bit of exercise and one other parent asked me, was there anything? I said no one’s going to do anything so I just said, right, I’ll do it”.

Margaret said there has been plenty of interest in the classes from children and parents alike.

She said, “I put posters up in CEIS and in Clare Crusaders and literally it snowballed from that. People just got in touch and it went from there. They love it. I had said every two weeks, but I think we’re going to go every week. They all want it. We never have less than seven but we can have up to 17. It can be fairly manic.”

Margaret continued, “The parents get to meet up. It’s really helpful for us as well. The parents that have to go can go if they have to go somewhere and I have a number I can ring them or text them if a child is upset or anything. If there is any issue, I can get them to come back. They’ll only be 10 minutes away anyway.”

The success of the classes owes much, Margaret said, to the guidance of instructor and All-Ireland champion dancer Mikey O’Loughlin.

Margaret said, “Mikey is brilliant. He’s adapted because some of the kids would’ve problems with noise, if it’s very loud the minute they come in. So Mikey starts it very gradually and he builds it up. Whereas that won’t happen if you go into an ordinary class. It would be too loud. With the lights then as well, he’ll see if they are all ok. He’s adapting to their needs literally.”

Founded in 2000 by local woman Lordes O’Donoghue, Sparks Dance School teaches all styles of modern dance with classes for children, teenagers and adults.

A WEEK is a long time in politics and in that very long week for Fianna Fáil in Clare it has turned its fortunes around from a party that was grappling to find a candidate to one that is now confident it can retain its two seats in Clare.

Nationally the party faces political meltdown when it goes to the people in the coming months, but in Clare the soldiers of destiny have begun fighting back with a new private of strong political pedigree.

Dr John Hillery, the 53-year-old son of the late President Paddy Hillery, will join sitting TD Timmy Dooley on the ticket, just ten days after the shock announcement that Minister Tony Killeen is to retire.

In Fine Gael uncertainty still surrounds the number of candidates that will remain on the ticket, with pressure coming on one of its former TDs to run as an Independent candidate in west Clare.

Speculation is mounting that Cllr Joe Cooney, a poll topper in the 2009 local elections will be added to the Fine Gael ticket, while The Clare People can reveal that former Fine Gael TD Madeleine Taylor-Quinn has been approached by a group of people from west Clare who believe the way is open for a west Clare TD. The Moyasta woman refuses to say if she is even considering such a proposition as potential candidates still meet with Fine Gael management.

Meanwhile, Labour is beginning to up the pressure in the constituency with the arrival of party leader Eamon Gilmore on Thursday next to support the party’s hopeful in Clare – Michael McNamara.