Category: Uncategorized

SHARON Collins told her psycholo- gist she did not commit the offences of which she was convicted, during a meeting with him just weeks ago.

Clinical psychologist Brian Glan- ville carried out a pscyhometric eval- uation of Sharon Collins’ personal- ity, having met her on September 4 and 22 last, at the women’s prison in Mountjoy.

He concluded that her personality

style appeared to be that of a passive, detached but dependent personality.

He said that she suffers from high levels of anxiety and depression and will find her prison term particularly difficult.

‘A personality like that is likely to find themselves in conflict,” he said. He said this type of personality would have a strong need for emotional sup- port, but would feel swamped in re- lationships.

He said that Collins had high levels

of anxiety and depression.

“She would have particular difficul- ties with lengthy prison sentences. She is going to find herself in a situa- tion where she would have very little in common with the other inmates,” he noted.

He said that Collins was of the view that she had been subjected to unwel- come media attention and felt under “adverse media pressure”.

He said she was particularly con- cerned that a conversation she had

with PJ Howard, during a visit to her at Mountjoy jail, had been leaked to the media.

He said she may become more withdrawn and isolated, in the sur- roundings of the prison. “That could have quite serious consequences for her,” he said.

Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL for the prosecution, asked him did Collins suffer from any psychiatric illness and he said she did not.

Mr Glanville said Collins had ex-

pressed concerns for her sons but when asked had she expressed simi- lar concern for her mother, he said he did not recall for sure.

Asked had she been concerned about the Howards, he said, “I don’t have any recollection about that.”

Ms Ni Raifeartaigh asked had Col- lins expressed remorse for her ac- tions.

He replied, “I understand she says she didn’t commit the offences. It doesn’t arise.”

THE trial relating to the accident that claimed the life of father-of-four Howard Flannery was “a case of tragedy heaped upon tragedy” with a lot of emotion, according to the state prosecutor.

In his closing speech to the jury, Stephen Coughlan, BL, said the 1s- sue was “what caused the accused to veer off the road onto the hard shoul- der and onto the grass and strike Mr wtlioa wae

“There was nothing remarkable about his driving, until he began to

veer off the road. Dangerous driving is caused by negligence. If you are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the accused drove dangerously, you must convict. If you decide he didn’t, you must acquit. Simple as that,’ he said.

“Nobody gets into a motor car intending to kill anybody, be it a motorist, a pedestrian or a cyclist, but dangerous driving is caused by negligence,” he told the jury of eight women and four men.

He said that Michael Dillon had put in a long, strenuous, 22-hour day the day before the accident and was tired.

He noted that medical examinations carried out on the accused after the accident concluded that the accident was “an unexplained event.”

‘The State is asking you to draw an inference that this unexplained event was caused by the fatigue which the accused was labouring under,’ he said. He said that Mr Dillon had been a tired driver and was slow to react.

However, in his closing speech last Thursday, Anthony Sammon, SC, for Michael Dillon, said the State’s in- ference that fatigue had been a factor was “slightly over-egging the pud- ding.” He said at no stage had it been

put to the accused by gardai that he had fallen asleep.

“Tt has been conjured up during this case. It wasn’t even told to you in the Opening (speech to the jury). The word ‘sleep’ wasn’t even mentioned in the opening,” he said.

“This is a difficult case because of the horror of a decent man, Mr Flannery, losing his life. The horrific consequences of that on his family, colossal. The pressures on my client and his family, colossal,” he said.

“Confronted by the emotional cliff face that hangs it all, you must not lose sight or develop any blindness

because of emotion,’ he urged the jury.

Judge Gerard Griffin told the jury it was important to note that the first mention of fatigue in the pros- ecution’s case had been during the cross-examination of Mr Dillon by Mr Coughlan. “It will be a matter for you which of the prosecution evi- dence you regard,’ the judge told the ury.

He told the jury if they found that the driving was careless rather than dangerous, it was open to them to find the accused guilty of careless driving.

MICHAEL Dillon told the trial that he felt ‘fine’ driving on the day of the accident and rejected suggestions that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

The father-of-two, a fitter based in Connemara, had travelled to Port- magee in Kerry the day before the accident to join his colleagues from Galway Scuba Diving Club.

He had got up at 5am and left his Inverin home at 5.30am to drive to Portmagee. He arrived there at

9.30am and did two dives off Val- entia that day. He later went out for dinner and had four or five pints of Heineken. He said he remained in the pub until around lam and then went back to a house that was rented by some members of the sub aqua club.

There, he was handed a bottle of beer but only drank a mouthful and fell asleep. He was awakened at 2.30am and went to the hostel where he was staying. He went to bed and slept until 9am when a phone call from his wife woke him. He went

back to sleep until 10am and af- ter getting up, he was between two minds whether to stay in Kerry for another day.

He eventually decided to drive home and left at around llam. He said he got a headache about 40 minutes into the drive and pulled over and took paracetamol and a drink. He contin- ued on with his journey and said the headache went away, but said he did not remember anything after passing Bunratty. “Nothing, ‘til after the ac- cident,” he told the court.

He said after the accident, he re- membered “sitting in the jeep. The windscreen was broken and the bon- net was on the windscreen.” He said he had no memory of seeing the two cyclists and had no memory of his jeep veering off and leaving the dual OF NU UTE

He said he learned that Mr Flan- nery had died when he arrived at his Inverin home later that evening.

He told the trial he had several medical examinations carried out in the aftermath of the accident, in

an effort to ascertain what had hap- pened to him, but no explanation emerged. He said he did not drive for 10 months after the accident and did not dive until April of this year.

Under —_cross-examination _—_—by Stephen Coughlan, for the prosecu- tion, Mr Dillon said he felt “fine” while in Kerry. Asked could he have fallen asleep while driving, he said, “No. I felt comfortable driving.” He denied that his jeep had left the road as a result of falling asleep. “I didn’t feel tired or anything,” he said.

he felt it necessary to have his feelings known when he took part in the teachers and parent’s protest against budget cuts in education.

‘For me it is very clear cut. I am a teacher and at the cold face of it, and long after this has died down as a political issue, for me and other teachers and more importantly the children will be paying the price for months and maybe even years to come,’ said Cllr Crowe.

He said as far as he was concerned there was no conflict of interest in his stance.

“T think it is healthy that I should go out. [ am a Fianna Fail man and wish to stay a Fianna Fail man, but I was elected by the people of this area and this does not sit well with them and it does not sit well with me,’ he

added.

While his own school won’t be af- fected directly by the cuts this year the east Clare councillor has not ruled out crippling affects in the fu- neh ker

‘Down the road new appointments could be affected and class sizes,’ he Cr AKOR

“I think the Government and Fian- na Fail need to rethink this. In mak- ing the necessary cuts you should not touch the young or the elderly.

“We have a very low betting tax and by increasing it by a few more per cent it could net another €100 million.”

Like many more in the profession the young teacher said he has spent his Own money on providing essen- tial materials for the classroom.

‘“T have spent close to €2,500 of my own money to put things in my class room.

“IT bought my own projector and I am out of pocket and I took out a broadband contract that I use for the classroom. This is something that should be in every classroom,” he said. “I am not alone in this. We (teachers) put up with a lot and say very little, but at a time like this we cannot stay quiet anymore,’ said the outspoken councillor.

ALMOST 70 per cent of créches in Clare failed to comply with HSE regulations. That is according to a survey of inspection reports from the county’s créches and schools car- ried out between October 2006 to October 2007 and released under the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the pre-school inspec- tion reports into facilities that ca- tered for 10 or more children, 69 out of the 101 inspected in Clare were in breach of the HSE’s criteria.

Of those, which did not comply with the inspector’s criteria, as many as 33, or almost a third, were record- ed as having minor or very minor

breaches of the regulations. Another 32 had no breaches at all.

Among the most common breaches outlined was the child-adult ratio exceeding the 10:1 limit, bound- ary fencing or doors broken, lack of space for children to move about in and un-nutritious food.

At the Knocklisheen Accommo- dation Centre the inspector found a long list of issues including the need for more space and staff, and a lim- ited range of toys available

The report also recorded that there was no nappy bags or disposable gloves for the staff, no snacks pro- vided to the children in the morn- ing session and sleeping babies were at risk of being hit by falling toys.

There were no toys or equipment in the outdoor area.

The Department of Justice said however that the number of children in this pre-school in the reception centre for asylum seekers had been adjusted to meet the HSE guidelines.

Additional toys and equipment are now in place and a stock of depos- able gloves and nappy bags are avail- able to staff. It said healthy snacks it said were available, and the outdoor play area, which was under construc- tion at the time of the inspection is now complete.

The inspector also out lined con- cerns relating to the prefabricated building in which the Little Rascals Playgroup in St Conaire’s National

School in Shannon was situated. That prefab has since been replaced however and the HSE are said to be happy with the new facility.

In Maghera Gardens Créche the in- spector found that nappies were be- ing changed in both toilets including staff toilets. The creche said that one of the toilets is now designated for staff only, and the other is the chil- dren and changing nappies only.

The Inspector found that the stage area in the Community Centre in Kil- rush was not suitable for the Stepping Stones Playgroup. The playgroup has applied however for funding to fix the concertina doors leading to the stage which they claim provide plenty of room for the children.

PLANS to remove settlement enti- tlements from the villages of Cool- meen, Darragh, Leitrim and Lisdeen has met with opposition, with one local politicians describing the pro- posal as “anti rural”.

Amid the pages of the draft West Clare Area Plan 2009-2015, due to go on public display next month, Clare council planners have said in order to address the quantum of overzoned land, four settlements have been pro- posed for removal from the settle-

TPeCoUOLASS BAS

“These settlements have showed little or no planning activity over the last six years and have some serious access difficulties,’ Eilis O’ Nuallain, Executive Planner, told members of the West Clare Area Council, as they saw the draft for the very first time.

“Leitrim is a lovely area, but it is in a structurally weak area. It may work to its advantage; no longer a settlement it would not have those limitations. It wouldn’t stop bailing in Lisdeen,” she said.

“You are hitting the small old core

communities. I won’t accept that. A Statement like that 1s anti-rural,” said Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind).

Fine Gael Cllr Oliver Garry said he did not understand why the settle- ment status should be removed.

According to the draft plan and its maps, 60 per cent of west Clare is de- scribed as structurally weak. Struc- turally weak areas have been rec- ognised as an area where “there is a level of economic decline exacerbat- ed by continued depopulation. These problems must be addressed through levels of growth beyond the housing

requirement of the local population. SUMNER Ceyer Dame) IOC DMmS le e-lKorca ami tee gests that any demand for residential development in such areas should be accommodated.”

This includes most of the central area of the west Clare peninsula, with the exception of a large area around Kilrush town and Kilmurry Ibrickane. According to the draft plan in structurally weak areas there is no “significant advantage for hav- ing in land zoned for housing”.

This policy also seeks “to encour- age the redevelopment of derelict or

vacated sites that present opportu- nities for development in the open countryside as an alternative to new one off housing developments.”

The brief for tourism within the draft has also been altered to encour- age activities with more local reve- nue generating potential than holiday home construction.

“The only reference before was holiday homes. The area is still suit- able for holiday homes, but we are looking at others that would bring economy to the area, for example hostels,” said Ms O’Nuallain.

COLM Honan was lost for words after watching his beloved Clonlara end their 89 year wait for a senior ti- tle on Sunday.

The former club and county star said Clonlara’s fierce work ethic and sheer belief saw them over the finish line.

“Tm stuck for words. It was a fan- tastic game’, said Honan. “It looked at different stages that they were go-

ing to take it away, or took over. They came at us real quicktake But the lads settled and just worked and worked and worked. They have a fantastic work ethic. They went in in twos and threes all the time. The scores were hard earned today. We just edged ahead at crucial stages”.

Clonlara have enriched Clare hurl- ing over the past few months with their remarkable ascent to the top.

Honan, who’s son Darach played a key role on Sunday, said Clonlara’s

ability, particularly in the second half, to deliver fast ball to the for- wards, proved crucial.

“Tt was very hard to hurl. Condi- tions were dire. You couldn’t turn. The ball wasn’t bouncing or rolling for both teams. But in fairness to both teams it was a superb game of hurling. Considering the conditions, the condition of the pitch was dire”.

One of the key moves of the game saw Darach Honan move out to the half forward line and John Conlon

move to corner forward. The switch saw Clonlara win a greater share of possession and the east Clare side, after a poor start, settled into the game. “We got the goal and kept the flow of the ball going back in. Play- ing with the wind as well it was hard to get a nice ball into them. The sec- ond half, our centre field gave them some nice ball”.

Honan was still shaking his head as Paul Collins finished his speech. Unbelievable.

TO MARK its 20th birthday, the Shannon craft fair is set to be a much bigger, bumper event this year.

A wide array of items, such as jew- ellery, pottery, knitwear, home bak- ing and handmade cards will be on sale during this year’s fair, which is scheduled to take place at the Sean Lemass library in Shannon, between

Monday, December 8 and Wednes- day, December 17.

“We hope to have up to 20 stands this year. We are encouraging peo- ple to support it and keep it going. It will be the place to get that special present. The majority of the stands are run by local people,” said one of the organisers Tess Barry.

“We have a lot to offer this year and we expect that it will be supported,”

she added.

Since the craft fair committee was first set up, there have been many changes in personnel over the years. Bridie Halton was a key member of the committee for many years and has handed the reins over, over time.

‘Many people over the years have helped to make the craft fair a suc- cess. We have had a lot of gifted crafters in the town,’ said Ms Barry.

Last year’s fair ran for just one week and the committee has decided to extend it this year, to cater for de- mand. The next meeting of the craft fair committee will take place next Tuesday, November 4, at the library, SITU BUNTcare lig ov eeF

Anyone interested in holding a stand at the craft fair should contact Tess Barry on 061 352241 or Carmel Daly on 061364266.

UP TO €100,000 damage was caused in a suspicious weekend fire in Killaloe that destroyed two boats and damaged two others.

The bank holiday weekend blaze which is being investigated by gardai, led to chaos at the moorings close to the Harbour Village apartment com- plex in Killaloe on Sunday evening, amid fears that the fire would spread

to dozens of other boats that were moored in the immediate vicinity.

A 36-year-old man was taken from the water by two people who dis- covered the blaze. He was taken to hospital in Cork, where he is being treated for burns to the body.

The pleasure boats were parked to the rear of the apartment complex and were privately owned by locals. Gardai are awaiting forensic reports before they ascertain how the blaze

started at around 8pm.

The boats were empty at the time, but several other boats were moved from the area, amid concerns that the fire would spread. Two of the boats are irreparable, while the other two were smoke damaged.

Killaloe Coastguard was dis- patched to the scene, where 15 crew were on duty. Killaloe and Ennis fire crews also attended the scene of the blaze.

THE amount of land zoned for hous- ing in west Clare is not justifiable on the basis of current or predicted de- mand. That is according to the Draft West Clare Local Area Plan 2009 – 2015, which also states that a third of all houses in west Clare are unoc- cupied.

Eilis O’Nuallain, Senior Executive Planner said that even with a high population growth prediction, the land identified as available for hous- ing is 903.85 hectares or 1,390 per cent more than required.

“The current pattern of applica- tions outside settlement boundaries suggest that a sizeable percentage of homes will be sought on unzoned land which will not place a demand on the quota,” she said.

Members of Clare County Council have argued that not all of this land 1s accessible. “There are people sitting on land parcels that see it as money in the bank. They do not want to sell,” said Cllr Pat Keane (FEF).

The draft plan also maintains that 597 new houses will be required in the next three years in the west Clare area, in what is described as a low growth scenario.

Senior Executive Planner in For- ward Planning, John Bradley, main- tains that in the current economic

climate the initial low growth sce- nario for the population of the west is now regarded as the high end of projections.

The low growth projection indicat- ed that by the end of the area plan the population would reach 18,191 peo- ple – an increase of 1,202 people on the 2006 census.

In a high growth scenario a popu- lation projection of 19,856 for 2015. This increase of 2,867 would require 1,019 houses to be built in the area.

As population growth is uneven throughout the area, house vacancy rates range from seven per cent to 65 per cent moving east to west.

According to the population sur- vey for 2006 contained in the plan, as many as 65 per cent of the houses in Kilfearagh and Kilkee are vacant, 55 per cent of the houses in Queerin are vacant, and 46 per cent of those in Rahona.

In its projections the draft plan maintains that Kilmhil will have a population decline of 48 people by 2015, and therefore predicts that 19 less houses will be required in the area. A population decline of 45 is predicted for Knock and 17 less homes.

Councillors said that the predic- tions and survey did not take into ac- count holiday homes and homes no longer fit to live in.