The Clare People Archive

AN ENNIS man has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to the mur- der of a man in Dublin last year. Michael Downes (42), of no fixed abode but originally from Mar- ian Avenue, Ennis, pleaded guilty to murdering Finbar Dennehy (50), Seafield Road, Clontarf, Dublin, be- tween September 24 and 26, 2007. Detective Sergeant Paul Slattery told the Central Criminal Court last Tuesday that Downes and Mr Den- nehy, both gay men, were previously PYOre UE NUNIKeLO b Downes had travelled to Dublin on the Sunday before the murder and had arranged to meet Mr Dennehy. They socialised and returned to Mr Dennehy’s apartment that evening. The garda said that Mr Dennehy’s body was found in his apartment the following Wednesday. He was “tied up elaborately on the couch, a plastic bag was tied over his head and there was a pool of blood on the floor be-

side him.”

Mr Dennehy died from strangula- tion and a stab wound to the groin.

Downes was arrested in Dublin that Friday. He told gardai that he had been with Mr Dennehy in his apartment the previous Monday and that “a dispute had arisen in relation to sex.”

Downes got a knife from the kitch- en, returned to the living-room and asked Mr Dennehy for cash. Mr Dennehy pushed him and Downes pushed back. He told gardai that there was a struggle and that there was blood on the floor.

The accused told gardai that he tied up Mr Dennehy on the couch, waited in the apartment that night and stran- gled him the following morning.

COUNTY finals are unpredictable beasts of things.

They often go to script with the favourites winning out. Then again scripts are frequently shredded and then thrown over the rusting hulk of Cusack Park’s shed terrace and left to float down river and out of town.

You only have to go back 12 months. The Townies were talking domina- tion before their head-on collision with a Lissycasey team that simply weren’t going to be beaten in county finals two years in a row.

The Townies had beaten bluebloods

Doonbeg and St Senan’s Kilkee to get there – two teams with 11 county titles between them over the previous 20 years. Lissycasey had nothing – the victory could be marked down.

History now tells us that something very different panned out….

And, a different story will unfold between Kilmurry Ibrickane and Liscannor. 2007 is a good starting point though.

All because, Kilmurry mightn’t be talking domination publicly, but their form has been such this year that domination fits them like old cus- tom-made and handcrafted Black- thorn football boots.

Liscannor may have beaten the bluebloods of Lissycasey, Eire Og and Doonbeg, but it’s Kilmurry Ibrickane’s county final. That’s what 90 per cent of the football population will tell you this week.

After all, Liscannor were 8-1 to win the championship before they kicked a ball against Doonbeg in the semi-final.

Word is that Liscannor folk, who are no strangers to big punts thanks to generations of coursing dogs in John Scales’ Field, mowed in with their money before the Doonbeg game. And, they won’t be laying off the bet before Sunday’s final.

No, Liscannor’s script has a fairy- tale ending! It’s why Liscannor and surrounds will be emptied of its pop- ulation on Sunday.

The barony of Ibrickane will be de- populated too.

Both are expecting – Liscannor are ready to welcome Jack back to McHugh’s; Kilmurry are primed to roll the green and red carpet out in the Quilty Tavern.

The county final script on its own will tell us if Jack Daly takes a left turn at Inagh for Quilty or goes straight ahead for Liscannor.

Maybe Liscannor will hit the form they showed in the last six minutes of

the Cusack Cup final in 2006 when they scored five points on the bounce to beat Lissycasey by two.

Maybe they won’t.

Maybe Kilmurry will repeat their county semi-final form against Kil- oro

Maybe they won’t.

The ‘What Ifs’ are the great- est things about county final week countdown.

The countdown begins here.

A ROMANIAN woman who stole two dozen bottles of alcohol from a Shannon supermarket – by hiding them under her coat – has been hand- ed a week-long jail term.

Aurelia Sindie took 24 bottles of alcohol on two dates within a week from Dunnes Stores in the SkyCourt shopping centre, Shannon.

Sindie (29), of Emerson Avenue, Salthill, Galway, pleaded guilty to stealing eight bottles of Hennessy brandy on April 24 last. She also admitted stealing 10 bottles of Jame-

son whiskey, two bottles of Hen- nessy brandy and four bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey, one week later, on May 1. The total cost of the bottles amounted to €946.36.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shan- non District Court last Thursday that on May | last, the accused went shopping in Dunnes.

She paid for household items, but concealed the alcohol – worth €590.44 – and did not pay for it. Se- curity staff detected her.

It later transpired that she had been in the store exactly a week earlier – at 3pm in the afternoon – when she had

concealed eight bottles of brandy.

“That investigation was only con- ducted because she was detected on May 1,” said Inspector Kennedy.

The court was told that while the accused had no previous convictions in her native Romania, she had been convicted of shoplifting in Roscom- jeaCOyempaMLetelon

Her solicitor Daragh Hassett said she “stole with the hope of selling the bottles on to her friends.”

“She was in doing some shopping and yes, she succumbed to tempta- tion due to financial hardship. . . She now has three strikes on her record.

She has only been here a year,” he Cree

“She was walking into shops, putting bottles under her coat. It beg- gars belief that she would think she would get away with this,’ he said. He added that the accused has now learnt her lesson.

Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a seven-day jail term and ordered that the Health Service Executive be noti- 1nsreb

He fined her ©200 and ordered that the remaining compensation – €355.92 – be paid. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.

A FIRE service employee lost his job after being stopped by gardai on sus- picion of drink-driving and for driv- ing while banned, a court has heard. A judge jailed the father of eight- week old twins after hearing he was drunk behind the wheel.

Richard Steadman (23) of Abbey- ville, Limerick Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to drink driving and to hav- ing no insurance on the night he was stopped. Judge Joseph Mangan was told that Steadman had been banned from driving for a previous offence under the Road Traffic Act and “on the night, he got drunk and unfor-

tunately got into his car and drove. He drove five days before the ban on his driving had expired,’ his solicitor Daragh Hassett told the court. Pointing out that Steadman “real- ises 1t was a very wrong thing to do”, Mr Hassett said that his client “was employed by the fire brigade and has lost his job as a result of this occur-

rence. He is the father of twins, born eight weeks ago”.

Steadman was banned from driv- ing for four years and 13 days and sentenced to two months in jail with sentences to run concurrently.

The judge fixed bail for an appeal at Steadman’s own bond of €1,000 and an independent surety of €1,000.

A 33-year-old man exposed him- self at a Shannon supermarket three times in as many weeks.

The accused pleaded guilty to three counts of indecency, on December 26, 2007; January 2, 2008 and Janu- ary 13, 2008.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shan- non District Court that at 8.30pm on December 26 last, the accused exposed his penis to a female staff member, before leaving the premis- es.

He repeated this just before 7pm on January 2 and again on January 13. The court was told the accused was

identified from CCTV footage.

His solicitor said the accused made full admissions to the investigating garda. He said that on the scale of things, the garda would put the be- haviour on a rating of two or three, on a scale of one to 10.

“He did not know these ladies. It was casual. It didn’t have any serious

effect on them at all. From their point of view, it was mischievous, rather than frightening,” said the solicitor.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until later in the year and ordered that a probation report be carried out.

A HOUSE with uninterrupted sea views iS a winner every time, as proven by the €530,000 sale price achieved by Sherry FitzGerald Hus- sey Madden on Friday, October 10, when this modest, but perfectly sited house in Clahane went under the hammer.

Credit crunch, gloomy outlook, stock market blues all disappeared to make way for a bright and lively auc-

tion. The price achieved exceeded the guide price by €80,000, so much for that credit squeeze.

According to auctioneer Evelyn Madden, “The auction opened at €350,000, there were 37 bids and the hammer finally came down at €530,000. This auction result has topped what has been a very busy week for us and it makes us feel con- fident that the property market may well turn the corner in the near fu- ture”.

SENTENCING in the Ennis con- spiracy to murder case will take place in three weeks’ time at the Central Criminal Court. Sharon Col- lins and Essam Eid appeared in court last Wednesday, when a date for their sentencing was set.

Collins (45), formerly of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, was found guilty by a jury in July of so- liciting to murder PJ Howard and his sons Robert and Niall.

Eid (52), a native of Egypt and for- merly of Las Vegas, was found guilty of demanding €100,000 from Rob- ert Howard to cancel a contract on

his life and the lives of his father and brother. Eid was also convicted of handling stolen property.

At the end of the eight-week trial on July 9, sentencing had been adjourned as psychological reports were to be carried out on Collins and medical reports were to be made available in the case of Eid. The three-minute hearing last Wednesday was told that psychological reports on Collins were ready, but medical reports in the case of Eid were not yet available.

Collins’ barrister Paul O’Higgins SC, said there had been some confu- sion in the matter. He said that the Courts Service had acquired a psy- chologist to see Collins the week

before. This, he said, caused confu- sion as the defence had previously arranged with the Department of Justice to have Dr Brian Glanville see her. He pointed out that Dr Glan- ville’s psychological reports were at hand. However, David Sutton, SC for Eid, said he was having difficulty assembling medical reports for his client and he was seeking another four weeks to complete this. Una Ni Raifeartaigh BL for the prosecution said the State was ready to go ahead with the sentencing.

Mr Justice Roderick Murphy fixed Monday, November 3, as the date for the sentencing to take place.

THE bravado was back. Sharon Col- lins’ beaming smile returned to the Four Courts for a brief sojourn last week, exactly 13 weeks after her pre- vious appearance that had culminat- ed in her being led away to prison.

On the evening of Wednesday, July 9 last, Collins, aka ‘Lying Eyes’, left the building in custody, having been found guilty by a jury of soliciting and conspiracy to murder her multi- millionaire partner PJ Howard and his sons Robert and Niall, in En- nis, two years ago. Despite her de- nials, a jury found her guilty of at- tempting to hire a hitman over the internet – through an email address lyingeyes98 @yahoo.ie – to wipe out the Howard family, in order to get her hands on PJ Howard’s wealth.

At the end of the eight-week trial, She was taken to Dochas, the wom- en’s section of Mountjoy prison, where she has remained since, await- ing sentence. Her departure for the prison in July was laced with tears, but as she returned to court last Wednesday – for her sentence date to be fixed – her radiant smile had also re-emerged.

She faces a wait for her sentence – November 3 is d-day for the mother- of-two – but her mid-week appear- ance was comparable to that of a woman without a care in the world.

The 45-year-old has gained a small amount of weight while in prison. Her neat black trouser suit is less roomy, while her gaunt face has be- come plump and rounder.

Throughout her life, image – and retaining her petite frame – has been a priority for Collins. She has al- ways been eager to remain slim and even took Reductil slimming pills at one stage. Undoubtedly her weight gain, albeit slight, will not come as a source of comfort to her in the lead-up to her sentence being handed Cleni0e

Nevertheless, there was no sign of any concern as Collins displayed a healthy glow on Wednesday. Her well-groomed blond bob – which has grown in length from her high- profiled trial – and dazzling smile became the focus of attention around

the Four Courts for the morning.

Accompanied by her youngest son David, Collins chatted freely to her legal team. There was no shortage of smiles and laughter. The confidence and bravado that had dominated Col- lins’ mood during most of the trial had returned.

That trial had seen two very differ- ent sides to Collins. For the first 25 days of the case, she strolled around the Four Courts, displaying a phe- nomenal air of self-confidence. But her world came crashing down after she went into the witness box on day 26 – Tuesday, July 1. That was the day that Una Ni Raifeartaigh’’s cross- examination tore Collins to shreds. Yet, she continued to display confi- dence and mettle throughout the first bout of probing. However, when she returned to the court the following morning, for the remainder of the cross-examination, what she present- ed was a shadow of her former self. Gone was the confidence; replaced only by streaming tears. The bra- vado had evaporated and the worry emerged.

Remarkably, Collins remained pale-faced for the remaining days of the trial and she never again regained her composure as the dramatic finale took its course.

But Wednesday showed an amaz- ing turnaround. Gone was the strain; the smiles had returned. The com- manding Collins was back; the se- riousness of the situation she finds herself in apparently to the back of the mind.

Psychological reports have been carried out on her over the summer by Dr Brian Glanville, at her new abode in the prison. These will fo- cus on her outlook in the wake of her convictions.

Dr Glanville’s reports, along with character references, will be present- ed to Mr Justice Roderick Murphy as he hands down sentence on Novem- ber 3. Collins faces up to ten years in jail on each of the six charges on which she was convicted.

STEPHEN Cunningham cut a com- posed figure for much of this county semi-final — standing on the sideline there wasn’t much motion out of him, even if he must have been put through the whole gamut of emotions over the OB eeb telecon

There was nothing to worry about in the early exchanges because Crush- een were the better team, old hands at county semi-finals these days and when they led by 0-5 to O-1 as half- time closed in, Cunningham possibly reflected on a job being well done.

Then it all changed — the pen- alty could have put Crusheen out of reach, but when it was missed and Clonlara tacked on two points before half-time it was as if Cunningham and company sensed that the black and amber tide was growing.

“The reality is,” said Cunningham afterwards, “that when you get ahead like that in a championship game as we were in the first half and you don’t punish them, you suffer. That’s what happened us and when we didn’t go further ahead at half-time Clonlara were always going to come back at Saas

And when they started coming, Cunningham was powerless to do anything about it, save throw in substitutes to try and change things around and also hope that Clonlara’s high tide ran its course.

Didn’t look like happening though.

Crusheen slipped behind when Conlon goaled, then as the minutes passed, the differential started to grow as wide as five points. By the last ten minutes Cunningham would have been forgiven if he thought that after five wins in-a-row, Crusheen’s

season was crashing in around them.

He was still composed though, and gradually as the comeback started he became more animated. And when Paddy Meaney crashed home the goal that put Crusheen ahead for the first time in 28 minutes, he raced on

to the field punching the air. Whatever his counterpart, the ani- mated Jimmy Gully can do, Cun- ningham can also do. “Credit our lads,” he said drawing breath. “They dug back in there and got the goal and got a draw when with a few minutes

it looked as if they were gone. With a few minutes left we would have set- tled for this. Clonlara are a fine out- fit, they’re on a serious roll and are very unlucky not to have come out of here with a win. We have another day out got, that’s the way we’re looking at it,” he added.

Then it was time to draw more breath and reflect some more on a tumultuous few minutes. “Things revisit you at times,’ said Cunning- ham in reference to Paddy Meaney’s missed chance in the 55th minute when he kicked the ball inches wide of Ger O’Connell’s right hand post from a distance of no more than sev- SIUM L TROLS

“But this time we had the time to come again and get another chance at goal. That famous day against Tulla we got a chance, but after we didn’t take it we didn’t have the time to come again. It means we have an- other chance. We’re still in it. I keep saying it, but the fact we’re in it is great. We’re not gone.”

With that Cunningham was gone — back to the dressing room to be with his players. Talk them through it, steel them for another day, start preparing for that day.

It could have been very different.

WHATEVER Kilmurry Ibrickane can do with the big ball, Newmar- ket-on-Fergus can do with the small ball.

That was the message announced to the hurling world in Cusack Park on Sunday afternoon as the storied Blues rolled back the years to when they were the most feared combina- tion in Clare hurling to reach only their second county final in 27 years with a sparkling display every bit as good as what the men from the bar- ony of Ibrickane produced against Kilkee.

Newmarket were beaten two years ago in the final by neighbours Wolfe Tones, but now the title is theirs to plunder. This was the general con- sensus of supporters leaving head- quarters after the weekend’s semi-fi- nal programme.

While Clonlara and Crusheen played out a draw in a game that only really touched the heights of qual- ity fare in a hectic finish, the Blues turned in a command performance in beating St Joseph’s Doora-Bare- field by 1-20 to 3-7.

A seven-point differential, but truth told,this was a hammering as a very disappointing St Joseph’s side only made the final scoreline look respect- able when they closed out the game with goals in the 58th and 62nd min- utes of a very one-sided encounter.

“It’s great to be in a final,” said Newmarket-on-Fergus manager D1- armuid O’ Leary afterwards. O’ Leary, who assumed the management reins at Newmarket last year after a string

of under 21 successes, is now on the cusp of delivering a senior title to the most decorated club in Clare for the first time in nearly three decades.

Newmarket won the last of their 22 titles in 1981, but O’Leary, mind- ful of the club’s failure to deliver in the 2006 final and the quarter-final against Tulla last year was taking nothing for granted.

‘“There’s no medals for today,” he warned as the reflected on his side’s best display of they year.

Meanwhile, Newmarket will have to wait until next Saturday to know who their county final opponents will be, after Crusheen and Clonlara drew 1-10 apiece in Saturday’s open- ing semi-final.

“We’re still in it,’ said Crusheen manager Stephen Cunningham after his side came from five points adrift in the closing eight minutes to win another day out.

“With three minutes to go we should have gone on and won, but we let it slip,’ said Cunningham’s coun- terpart Jim Gully. “But when they got the goal we showed great character to come back to get the equaliser.”

If Newmarket play Crusheen in the final it will be a repeat of the 1974 decider, which the Blues won on a scoreline of 1-6 to 2-2.

A Clonlara/Newmarket final would be their first final match-up since the East Clare final of 1936 that doubled as a county semi-final.

The Blues won that day.