Category: Uncategorized

A YOUNG man who was deliver- ing leaflets to homes succumbed to temptation and stole a wallet he Saw in one of the houses, a court has heard.

Igor Kudriashov (23), of Oakfield, Fr Russell Road, Raheen, Limerick, admitted entering a building as a trespasser and stealing a wallet with

€20 cash, on November 12 last.

Inspector John Galvin told Ennis District Court that the property has been recovered and the accused was co-operative.

Defending solicitor Vincent Shields said his client delivers leaflets to eters

‘On the date in question, he was de- livering leaflets and he passed by this open window. He put his hand in the

window and took the purse.

‘He had passed by the window earlier. When he passed it the sec- ond time, he was tempted,’ said Mr See else

“He doesn’t know what overcame him. He panicked and took €20 from the wallet and threw the wallet into the bushes,” added the solicitor.

JS omT-NICMMY Use MN CSIRO Iota e-em erO ee fronted by gardai, he immediately

brought them to the bush where he had thrown the wallet.

Kudriashov, a native of Lithuania, has lived in Ireland for more than a year and has never been in trouble before, the court heard.

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded him on continuing bail and ad- journed the case to establish if he has any previous convictions in his na- tive country.

has also learned that almost 180 new clients reported that they had been raped or sexually assaulted in the mid-west last year.

Rape Crisis Midwest, which offers support to rape and sexual abuse vic- tims in Clare, Limerick and Tipper- ary, believes this figure is “only the tip of the iceberg”’.

The Rape Crisis outreach centre in Ennis increased its counselling last year. It offered 258 counselling hours to victims of rape or sexual abuse last year, which is an increase on 223 hours in 2006. It provided 173 hours in 2005, after opening in May of that year.

14 new clients were seen at the out-

reach centre in Ennis last year. All of those clients were from Clare, while a number of other clients from Clare travelled to the centre in Limerick.

There is also a continuous waiting list of one or two people in Ennis.

The co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Midwest, Miriam Duffy, said there was a definite need for the outreach centre to be opened in Ennis.

“It was identified by a number of clients in Clare as it was much more difficult for them to have to travel to Limerick. It is a lot more convenient

for those who can access it,’ she Cr HOR

“We are constantly aware of the level of sexual abuse that is out there,’ said Ms Duffy.

The number of hours offered to cli- ents varies, depending on each ind1- vidual case.

‘There is a waiting list, but we al- ways prioritise somebody who is in crisis,’ she added.

Ms Duffy said that 90 per cent of victims know their attackers.

“This idea of being dragged down

a dark alleyway does happen but the risk of being sexually assaulted by someone you know is greater,” she added.

Some victims do not report the abuse for years and their bad memo- ries are triggered by media coverage of fresh cases.

Ms Duffy said victims should re- port abuse as early as possible. ““The earlier they can get on to us, the bet- ter for themselves, as it will be less negative for them as they get on with their lives,’ she said.

THE fight for the continuation of sustainable farming in the Burren is being taken to the streets of Dub- lin today as the BurrenLIFE Project Stages its first awareness day in the Cree

OW atom hirse-Nusdslotmer hymnal omelets pemRy alae] the official launch of the first ever conference on sustainable farm- ing ever hosted in Ireland, which will take place in Ennistymon next peareyeleee

Attending the official launch will be the chairperson of Teagasc and the Heritage Office, Dr Tom O’Dwyer; Senior Conservation Scientist of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Michael Berkery; Chief Executive Officer of the IFA and Clare TD, Tony Killeen.

“It is critical to get a focus on this in Dublin. We have learned from other projects like this all across Eu- rope that it is critical to get the infor- mation out there. It 1s important both to get the information out there but also to get political support for the project,’ said Ruairi O Conchuir of the BurrenLIFE organisation.

“It is critical that the politician, the media and the general public all buy in to this project. At the end of the day, it is EU taxpayers’ money that is being used to support this project.

It’s Irish taxpayers’ money that is be- ing used to support this project.

“It’s very important for us to let people know what this conference is about and more importantly to let them know what the project as a whole is about.”

Following the formal launch of the BurrenLIFE’s ‘Farming for Conser- vation’ conference, the organisation will then visit four Dublin schools and host presentations and work- shops designed to explain the work of the Burren farmers to the Dublin school teachers.

This will be followed by a formal evening lecture and illustrated talk and wine reception hosted by Dr Brendan Dunford, Dr Sharon Parr, Ruairi O Conchuir and Dr James Moran of the BurrenLIFE Project.

The three-day international *Farm- ing for Conservation’ conference will take place in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon from February 24 to 27.

The conference will include speak- ers from Ireland, the UK and a number of other European countries. It will also mark the first official en- gagement of a Green Party minister in the county as the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Green Party leader, John Gormley will attend along with the newly appointed director of Tea- gasc, Professor Gerry Boyle.

A DRIVER who failed to remain at the scene of a road accident has been banned from driving for five years and warned he will face jail if he fails to pay compensation.

Ennis District Court heard that De- clan O’Dea was involved in a crash close to Francie Daly’s garage in Ennis, on October 17, 2006, during which €1,500 worth of damage was caused to another vehicle.

O’Dea, of Hazelwood, Ennis, who

was driving a car, was ‘eventually lo- cated’, the court was told.

JS CSBUIDLSE-VO MAC CoreN(eOm POO) A(cre eles slmm alone later admitted his role in the incident. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges arising out of the accident.

Inspector John Galvin told the court that on March 30, 2007, the accused “admitted it was him when there was evidence put to him by the gardai”.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client lost his job in Septem- ber 2007. Otherwise, he would have

paid compensation, he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan said _ to O’Dea, “You were working for al- most a year after this and you haven’t paid a penny compensation.”

He noted that the accused did not admit his role in the accident for sev- eral months, adding, “You dragged this out. You behaved dishonestly on the night.”

“I am giving you a month to pay that (€1,500) and you are going to prison if you don’t come up with it,” added the judge.

He banned O’Dea from driving for five years and fined him €1,600 for failing to keep his vehicle at the scene and failing to stop.

He imposed a two-month jail term for failing to produce appropriate in- formation to gardai, but substituted this with community service.

He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal, of his own surety of €6,000; €4,000 of which was to be lodged to the court.

He adjourned the case for payment of compensation.

Coie tre for Environmental Living and Training (CELT) in Scariff to plans for the development of eight 410 ft high turbines that will supply elec- tricity to 22,000 homes.

As part of the plan, the developers propose to remove 425 acres of for- est plantation.

Clare County Council is due to make a decision on the submission by Ventus Energy before the end of the month but local residents have

already lodged objections and the Department of the Environment has also expressed concerns.

In a fresh objection, CELT claims that “contrary to local community attempts to regenerate the economy, available data shows that house and farm prices in the vicinity of wind farms drop by up to 20 per cent”.

The group claims that this would be unacceptable to the local commu- nity who are “trying to regenerate the economy of this disadvantaged region’.

The objection continues, “Small turbines for single households or small communities are the only type acceptable. The proposal for new generation 3MW massive turbines is

totally out of the question; standard- sized turbines as at Derrybrien are unacceptable.

‘“Land-based wind farms should be a thing of the past. There is now the technology and opportunity to situ- ate wind farms at sea where they will maximise use of the Atlantic winds and minimise pressure on the envi- ronment, tourism and local commu- nities.

“If they must be situated on land, then it ought to be in an unpopulated area away from designated landscape and near to the coast and a smaller scale development.

“The size of designated areas is totally inadequate and on this basis CELT would be concerned that these

designations will be forcibly en- larged by intervention from the EU and any damage to the landscape/ ecology/habitats would then have to be rectified.

‘To interfere with this important ecosystem and habitats is contrary to all efforts to improve and enhance biodiversity in accordance with EU directives.

‘Several migratory bird species are known to frequent the area including protected greenland white-fronted geese, lapwing, golden plover, red erouse, merlin, peregrine, kestrel, snipe, curlew and a number of spe- cies of bat — all of these would be threatened by rotating wind turbine blades,” the CELT objection states.

THE Green Party in Clare will be supporting both a yes and no vote in the EU reform Treaty later this year.

The Clare branch of the Green Par- ty reflected the national consensus at the special convention this week, as the majority of the eight Clare del- egates voted in favour of the treaty.

Clare’s most senior Green Party member, Cllr Brian Meaney, said that he would be supporting the yes campaign.

“TI believe that some of the argu- ments made by the no side are ri- diculous and don’t relate to anything proposed in the treaty.”

The Clare County Councillor now fears that many people will vote against the treaty for the wrong rea- sons, such as dissatisfaction with the government. He admitted that the treaty 1s complicated and putting it through a referendum isn’t necessar- ily making it more accessible.

At the last meeting of the Clare branch of the Green Party just one

person said that they were not in fa- vour of the treaty.

This weekend the Green Party leadership, including its two cabinet ministers proposed a yes vote for the referendum, but they failed to secure the 66 per cent support to allow the party commit to the yes vote.

As aresult the party cannot take an official position on the treaty.

Meanwhile, the head of the Irish Drivers Association, Clareman John Lernihan, will meet with Galway millionaire, Declan Ganley, in the

next two weeks to finalise details for a national coalition against the Euro- pean Reform Treaty.

Ganley is heading up a coalition of interested groups who are campaign- ing for a no vote on the treaty.

Mr Lernihan also met with Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna last week who has also committed her support to the no campaign.

‘This is a very serious situation and people don’t realise it. This treaty will lead to a European army in no time and soon our children could be

conscripted into a European army. And we wont have a Say over it any- more,’ said Mr Lernihan.

“We are holding off until we meet with Mr Ganley over the next few week and then we will decide what strategy we are to take. The green party have done a total u-turn on this. Once you make anyone a min- ister they automatically go back on what they have said.”

The Irish Drivers Association are campaigning for an end to Vehicle Registration Tax.

A FORMER heroin addict has told a court she lost everything during a two-year spell and wants to get her life back together, having undergone a detox programme.

Anett Hausmann (30), of Bishop’s Court, Ennis, pleaded guilty to pos- session of heroin, on May 16, 2006.

Sergeant John Brennan told Ennis Circuit Court that as a result of in- formation, a taxi was intercepted at Ballina, Killaloe.

Two people were taken to Shannon Garda Station, where the accused

handed over a quantity of heroin which she had concealed internally. The street value of the drugs was €555.

“She was being used by another person to convey drugs from Dub- lin to Ennis. We were concerned she was keeping company with this indi- vidual,” said Sgt Brennan.

At a previous sitting of the court, Hausmann pleaded guilty and gardai expressed concerns in court last July about the company she was keeping.

Ennis Circuit Court heard last week that Hausmann left Shannon Airport for Stanstead on July 29 last. She

then travelled to her native Germany, where she stayed for some time. The court was told she had previously injected heroin, but has not used it since July.

In September, gardai in Ennis be- came aware that she had returned to the town.

“She hasn’t come to the notice of gardai, but we are aware she is in the company of heroin abusers,” said Sgt Brennan.

Hausmann’s barrister Pat Whyms said his client went into a four-week detox programme in Germany. He said she had been living in Ireland

for more than seven years and want- ed to return to her friends here. Judge Carroll Moran said, “She is entitled to be here.”

Hausmann told the court that she had stayed with a former associate for just two nights when she returned, but since moved to another address in Ennis. “I have lost everything over the past two years. I hope to start again where I left off,’ she said.

Judge Moran said the case “mer- its the intervention of the Probation service. He told her to co-operate with the Probation service, and ad- journed the case until March.

AN INDEPENDENT radio producer from Scariff has been nominated for an award in the radio documentary category of the prestigious Interna- tional Celtic Media Festival which will be held this year in Ireland.

Paula Carroll of Rag and Bone Pro- ductions previously won the award, regarded as the “Oscars of the world- wide radio industry”, in 2004.

The Celtic Media Festival, held each year in one of the Celtic coun- tries, 1s a celebration of radio, TV and film work produced in those ar-

eas. This year the Festival returns to Ireland for the first time since 1998.

The radio documentary ‘I’ll Find a High Mountain’ tells the story of the O’Donoghues, one of the last Travel- ler families who still take to the road in the West of Ireland every year. Produced by Ms Carroll, it was made with the support of the BCI’s Sound and Vision Scheme and broadcast on RTE Radio One in 2007.

Radio listeners in Clare will be familiar with the work of Rag and Bone Productions through the re- cent, hugely successful series of live traditional music broadcasts “The

Kitchen Sessions’ on Clare FM.

Paula Carroll won the Celtic Media Festival award in 2004 for her docu- mentary ‘Living with Dara’, also broadcast on the Clare station. That also won the World Silver Medal at the New York Festival for Radio Pro- eramming.

Another independent radio produc- er associated with Clare FM, Mary Owens of Well Said Productions, has been nominated in the same category for her documentary on Hanna Gre- ally, who was forcibly detained in a midlands psychiatric hospital for al- most 20 years.

The aim of the festival is to pro- mote the languages and cultures of the Celtic countries onscreen and in broadcasting.

The Festival is an annual three-day celebration of broadcasting, film tal- ent and excellence from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brit- tany and is supported by broadcast, film, cultural and economic develop- ment organisations throughout those Kosta (Once

The awards presentation will be made at the Celtic Media Festival in Galway which will take place from April 16 to 18.

THE beautiful Vale of Belvoir nes- tles into the countryside between Kilkishen and Sixmilebridge. Its beauty inspired local Bard Martin Kennedy from Violet Hill Broadford to write about this tranquil place of peace and serenity. On Sunday, Feb- ruary 17, people will get a chance to retrace the Bard’s footsteps as they will be led on a ramble through the Vale.

It is all for a good cause. Emer Cleary, a young girl from Ennis, will be taking on the challenge to climb the great mountains of Kiliminjaro on the Kenyan border at the end of February. The ramble through the Vale will help Emer to raise funds for the charity Bothair who do tre- mendous work in helping people in third world countries to help them- So Aone

Over the years, Bothair has sent breeding animals such as _ heifer calves and goats to farmers in third

world countries to help them stock their lands.

By climbing Kiliminjaro, Emer will help in keeping this dream alive.

By rambling through the Vale of Belvoir, you will be able to help out in keeping the dream alive as well. Base camp is Kilkishen National School where registration takes place at 12.30pm with the ramble leaving for the Vale at lpm sharp.

There will be a short five minute history lecture on the poetry of Mar- tin Kennedy and on the vale before the ramble leaves. Local traditional singer Sean Mc Mahon from Kil- murry will give a rendering of the poet’s creation on the vale at the old forge in Belvoir while the walkers are having a short break.

The ramble is 10 kms and people are asked to bring suitable walk- ing gear as well as a little food and drinks.

Sponsorship cards are available by contacting Eoin on 086 2572792 or people can contribute on the day.

A FORMER Killaloe doctor who was charged with 18 offences last month, including defrauding termi- nally ill cancer patients, faced a fur- ther 26 charges yesterday (Monday).

Pascal Carmody (60) of Bally- cuggaran, Killaloe, was originally arrested on December 17 last and charged with 18 offences.

These charges included defrauding three terminally ill cancer patients of between €100 and €20,000 between January 2001 and December 2002.

At Killaloe District Court yester- day, Detective Sergeant Oliver Nevin gave evidence of arresting Mr Car- mody at Cullina, Ballina, County Tipperary, and charging him with 26 additional offences.

The accused made no reply in re- sponse to the charges.

The alleged offences include steal- ing cheques and obtaining monies under false pretences, contrary to the Feo aa

Mr Carmody is also accused of deception, contrary to the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Act.

The original 18 offences are similar to the new ones preferred yesterday and involve six alleged injured par- ties in total.

All the offences are alleged to have occurred at a clinic in east Clare. Some of the charges allege that the

former GP obtained money “by false- ly pretending that cancer would be cured by photodynamic treatment.” In court yesterday, the State did not object to the accused being remand-

re Moye ealomcr Den Com oy HOMO Neca leIm-nKM als OURAN NMe Nr bushy

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded Mr Carmody on continuing bail to appear in court in March, for service

of the Book of Evidence.