Month: July 2007

THROUGH gap in the dressing room door, Clare captain Frank Lohan can be seen shaking the hands of play- ers and thanking them. The place is almost empty. Players are filing out, heading back up that cavernous stretch under the David Stand.

Lohan, shakes the last of hands, says a few more words before ac- knowledging the two lads with the tape recorders.

He makes his way out the front door of the dressing room. Outside the stillness is rocked by another de- lerious roar as Cork and Waterford endeavor again to bring the very best out of each other.

He’s known better days on the big stage and knows the way Croke Park can provoke a thunderous response in a team.

On Sunday, it just wasn’t there. A genuinely dejected looking Lohan offers his thoughts on why Clare

failed to rise to the occasion.

Too many wasted chances. Allow- ing Limerick to get a run on them. According to Lohan it was a combi- nation of factors. “We gave them a soft goal and that put them a bit away. They got ahead of us so it was prob- ably that bit comfortable for them at the end of the day.”

With Limerick renewed by their three game saga with Tipperary, Lo- han said it was always going to be difficult once Clare fell behind.

“They had that bit of a cushion. It was three points for a bit and then it was seven or eight points and you can’t do that with a team like Lim- erick and let them have that sort of a cushion.”

Lohan also had words of praise for goalkeeper Philip Brennan. The Tul- la man had been the focus of unfair attention earlier in the season after filling the position vacated by David Fitzgerald.

‘Philip has had a great year. He’d a

difficult year too. He is a great goal- keeper and he is going to show that in years to come. We had three lads in Croke Park who were playing for their first time, maybe even a few more and hopefully that will stand to them”’.

“We came up with the intention of getting to an All-Ireland semi final and I suppose we didn’t play as well as we wanted. But that’s it, fair play to Limerick,’ he added. There was nothing left to say.

JONATHAN Clancy emerged from a soundless dressing room to offer a player’s perspective on Clare’s flat performance against Limerick.

The Clarecastle player produced some sparkling moments. Namely when he drifted across from the left

wing and fielded Gerry O’Grady’s clearance to land his first point.

Even with the game up, he still mo- tored up and down finishing Clare’s best-constructed move of the match from under the Hogan Stand.

Nice moments, but ones you sus- pect Clancy won’t dwell on.

Like his manager he’s thinking

about the ones that got away.

With his back against a _ wall, Clancy spoke of his frustration as he contemplated another early exit from the All-Ireland series.

“We missed a number of chances in the first half that will haunt us for a while. We didn’t enjoy the bounce of the ball, which is always important

in such tight matches. We are sick and tired of coming up here giving good performances and not winning. I’d rather have played a bad game and won than a good one and lost.” However, he said the experience would benefit the team in the long run. According to Clancy, Clare could do with a little rub of the green.

“We still have a very good team, but we need to be contesting All-Ireland semis and finals to bring it on. There is very little between the teams when you reach this stage of the champi- onship. Games can go either way. Just look at what Wexford achieved against Tipperary on Saturday. All we need is a little bit of luck.”

RICHIE Bennis is not the sort of man to take punishment from author- ity lying down. Having been banned to the stand for the most important game since he took charge of Lim- erick last year, Bennis was unable to curb his emotion in the latter stages of this quarter final and took it upon himself to move down closer to the action, positioning himself behind the substitute enclosure.

“It was a joke. I was told on Friday that I had to sit in the stand. Then today, I was escorted up and had to walk all the way around to the back

of the stand. It was scandalous be- cause my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. I’m alright when I’m on the sideline but when I’m that far away, my eyesight is not good at all. So late on in the game I came back down myself because I had to watch it from somewhere.”

Ironically, Bennis got his chance to take over the Limerick hotseat in the aftermath of the pummelling which Clare gave them just over a year ago in the qualifiers and after perform- ing major surgery on his player’s at- titudes and performances, Limerick have emerged a radically different side this year, not in personnel but in

personality. And while Bennis may not have 20:20 vision, he is well able to air his opinions. Reflecting on the seven point victory over neighbours Clare, it was obvious that he was delighted to have turned a corner on Sunday.

“We are very pleased because of the way they worked. You know peo- ple were saying that we are a kind of a hard working side more than anything else but we are well capa- ble of hurling too and they proved that today. All over the field we had character today. Clare came back at us in the second half but I think we weathered the storm well and came

good again in the last five minutes. These lads have great character and are great yokes. They want to win something this year beacause they are not known to have won anything. They won three under 21s but that is not enough for these players. They really want to win more.”

During the week, Bennis_ had stressed the need for big performanc- es from his players in this real test of their development and so he was par- ticularly impressed with the contri- butions of Andrew O’Shaughnessy and substitute Donie Ryan who com- bined scored 1-12 out of Limerick’s total of 1-23. But while he is relieved

to have got over the abnner on Sun- day, he was at pains to stress that this is only a stepping stone in Limerick’s plan for the campaign.

“We are not happy with that. This was the best performance since ’96 but now that we are in the sem1’s, we have no preferences who we meet. We don’t care because we can beat them all now. We are in the top four now which is a big thing for Lim- erick because we weren’t in the top four this morning, we were in the top eight. The team is getting better now with every outing and there is a lot more to come from them, I can as- sure you.”

A FLOPPY ham sandwich in one hand, half a bottle of Lucozade gripped tightly in the other. It was a slightly perplexed Tony Considine that faced the thicket of reporters outside the Clare dressing room af- ter his side had gone down by seven points to Limerick.

His mood was quickly explained. Missed chances. Clare had too many of them.

The Clare manager said his side’s failure to score at critical junctures in the game was the main reason for their exit from the All-Ireland se- ries.

He was also full of praise for Lim- erick, a side he said were better pre- pared for the contest by virtue of their rigorous four-game Munster campaign.

He said, “you can’t afford to miss the chances we missed and expect to win a match, especially in the first half. We missed goals that we should have got. Look it we came up, as un- derdogs and I knew that. People were building up Limerick and things like that. This is a god Limerick team make no mistake about it. They will put it up to anyone left in the cham- pionship. Jesus lads, you can’t af- ford to miss the chances we missed. Whatever you do whether you do it wrong in training, it’s just maybe fel- las don’t see the posts when they get out there. At the end of the day when you miss those chance you’re not en- titled to win those matches, you’re not entitled to win the match.

“We died and we came back again and we brought it back to three points. Of course we gave away a very soit goal as well. In Croke Park you get mistakes like that, you get mistakes. The one thing that you have to do is get over them. Everyone can make a mistake; I can make them myself as well. At the end of the day, I think Limerick deserved to win. They were the better team and I wish them the best.”

Considine also revealed that Gerry Quinn’s selection was in doubt right up until he took the field in Croke Park.

Quinn, who lined out at centre back, wasn’t expected to start due to a knee

ligament injury. However, a late fit- ness test at the team hotel and the pre-match warm up, convinced Con- sidine and his selectors that Quinn was fit to play.

With three players making their Croke Park debut — Philip Brennan, Brendan Bugler and Bernard Gaff- ney — Considine said inexperience played its part.

“There was inexperience as well. We made silly mistakes as well. They came back they got the fourth

point and the fifth and the sixth. That kind of kills a team as well. I thought our lads gave everything as well. I can’t fault any of them lads for the effort they gave out there. Lynch has been a superb man for years, I think he has been superb for the last thirty years. He gives it everything. You can’t fault anyone. Everyone goes out there to do they’re best. I done my best for the team as well same as Pat O’Connor, Ciaran O’Neill and Tim Crowe. We did our best and it wasn’t

good enough today.”

The sandwich now gone, Consid- ine drained the last of the Lucozade before taking questions on his own JaUUHUNRon

After a stormy year at the helm, the Cratloe man gave no indication whether or not he would like to con- tinue in the role.

‘Well I have been shot so may times this year that a few more bullets won’t do me any harm at this stage. That’s for another day, maybe that’s

for other people, maybe that’s for an- other day. You don’t think about that now.

“We all know what sport is and we all know what tragedy is as well. Sport is only part of our life. We give or best everyday we do it, whether that’s at club, county or any other level.”

An east Clare widow is refusing to give-up lands valued at €1.4 million to allow the lands be sold on, a court hearing into a family land dispute has been told.

At Ennis Circuit Court last Friday, Marie O’Halloran contested an ac- tion by her sister-in-law, Josephine Barry (72) to have her vacate 66 acres of farmland two and half miles from Tulla.

Mrs O’Halloran told the court that her late husband, Stanley O’ Halloran, reached a deal in the late 1970s with the owner of the farm, his late broth- er, Michael to purchase the lands for £65,000.

Mrs O’Halloran also told the court that Stanley paid different sums of

cash over the years to Michael, who was a bachelor farmer.

However, counsel for Mrs O’Halloran, Leonard Parker BL, acknowledged that no record of the agreement existed, nor had Mrs O’Halloran been able to recover any record of cheques paid by Stanley to Michael due to the time that had elapsed.

In evidence, Josephine Barry dis- missed the monies paid by Stanley O’Halloran to Michael as “pocket money’ and said that she had no knowledge of the alleged deal be- tween the two to sell the farm to NEDA

Mrs Barry’s sister, Ida Rohan told the court, “If there was a deal, it wouldn’t hold water.”

Counsel for Mrs Barry, Gerry Kie-

ly BL, said that Michael O’Halloran died aged 64 in May 2004 intestate and that without a will being made, his farm was divided three ways, be- tween his two sisters, Mrs Barry and Ida Rohan and Stanley O’Halloran.

Stanley died four months later aged 68 and his share passed onto his wife, Marie O’Halloran.

Mr Kiely said that Michael O’Halloran was diagnosed a chronic schizophrenic in the 1970s and evi- dence would be given from a con- sultant psychiatrist that he wouldn’t be capable of entering any agreement to sell his lands.

A retired school teacher and admin- istrator of the estate, Mrs Barry told the court that her brother, Michael was first admitted to psychiatric care in the winter of 1973-74.

He was admitted again in 1985 and stayed in institutional care until his death in 2004.

Mrs Barry said that Stanley “com- mandeered Michael’s lands after he was admitted in 1985 and moved his animals onto the lands without consulting anyone’ and that Mrs O’Halloran was now refusing to re- move the animals from the lands.

Mrs Barry said that at Michael’s ‘month’s mind’ Mass in June 2004, Stanley approached her, said “what about Mike’s land?” and offered €100,000 to each of his sisters for his brother’s farm.

Mrs Barry said that she was sur- prised that Marie O’Halloran was now laying claim to all the lands. She said: “Everyone was due to get their fair share and I was surprised that

someone was being greedy in look- ing for more than their one-third.”

She said, “I don’t accept that there was any agreement between Stanley and Michael over the lands. Michael only had €1,100 in his account when he died and €300 of that was put through by my eldest son days before he died.”

Mr Parker told Mrs Barry, “Mrs O’Halloran wants to keep the lands for her two sons and waive any right she has to the lands”’.

Mrs Barry said, “We can’t all do what we like. I have four sons too.”

Mr Parker said that Mrs O’ Halloran had made an offer of €400,000 to the two sisters to purchase the lands in April 2006, but this was rejected.

Evidence in the case is in the au- tumn.

ALLEGATIONS over the disappear- ance of three old fireplaces and the discovery of animal carcasses at the farm of the late Michael O’ Halloran underlined the bitter divide between the two sides in the land dispute at Ennis Circuit Court last Friday.

In evidence, sister of the late Stanley and Michael O’Halloran, Ida Rohan told the court that three fire-

places and an antique dining room table disappeared from the home after Michael was taken into care at Our Lady’s psychiatric hospital in Ennis. Before Judge Harvey Kenny, Ms Rohan said, “Everyone was ques- tioning who took them.”

Asked did she know who took the tables, Ms Rohan said that her late brother, Stanley was seen at an antique dealer’s shop in Limerick around that time.

However, this provoked an angry response from Stanley’s wife, Marie O’Halloran when she took the stand to give evidence.

She said, “Stanley didn’t touch one thing. Under no circumstances did we take anything that belonged to Michael. The fireplaces were prob- ably taken by ‘Travellers. For Ida Rohan to say 1n any way that Stanley took anything is a downright lie. Stanley O’Halloran never stole that

much (holding up and pressing her thumb and forefinger together) in his life.”

Mrs Rohan also alleged that Michael’s lands that were taken over by Stanley “are deplorable. It doesn’t do me any good to go back there”.

Mrs Rohan said that in May 2005 When she returned to the farm with auctioneer, John de Courcy, she spotted two animal carcasses on the lands. She said, “One ewe was left to

rot. It was disgusting.”

Asked to respond, in evidence, Mrs O’Halloran said, “That is being said to blacken me. In the summer of 2005, I spent five to six weeks at the regional hospital. I was sick.”

She added, “Ida Rohan claimed that Stanley didn’t pay for his mother’s funeral as well. She has caused a lot of hurt and trouble.” Mrs O’Halloran said, “My husband, Stanley didn’t trust his sisters not one iota.”

THE upcoming Bank Holiday week- end means a curtailed fixture list in this week’s schoolboy soccer pro- eramme.

League officials have decided to cut back on the amount of games played this weekend.

Twelve games are down for decision this week with no games expected to be played over the weekend.

Tonight Fern Celtic could go clear

at top of the under 16 league should they beat Newtown in Ballycasey.

However a win for the home team could see them draw level at the top of the table with early leader Avenue United.

Turnpike Rovers take on Bridge United at Lees with both sides look- ing to get their first points on the board.

On Thursday the under 11 league takes centre stage with games taking place in all three divisions.

Ennis Town A take on Lifford at Lees Road while at the same venue Avenue United A face Moher Celtic.

Meanwhile the early pacesetters in Division three St Pat’s have the night off with Avenue United C taking on Cratloe Celtic and Lifford B battling second place Burren United.

In the under 13 Division One Av- enue United A and Ennis Town A meet at Lees Road with Mountshan- non Celtic traveling to the Cassidy Park, the new home of Lifford.

A 21-year-old man who took part in a frenzied knife attack on two Lithua- nian brothers, which “could have re- sulted in a fatality”, has been jailed for four years.

David O’Loughlin, Finian Park, Shannon, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Arturas and Aivaras Segzda at Tullyvarraga, Shannon, on December 9, 2005.

The 21-year-old confronted the two Lithuanian men in an area known as

the Black Path and assaulted them with a knife, because he wrongly be- lieved they had raped his sister.

The two suffered multiple stab wounds. The court heard that Aivar- as was Stabbed in the neck, head and Shoulder, while Arturas was stabbed in the stomach and shoulder.

Limerick Circuit Court heard yes- terday that the brothers did not return to work until the following February because of their injuries and with no money, they were both evicted from their accommodation.

Before imposing sentence yester- day Judge Carroll Moran said Mr O’Loughlin lost control in the fren- Zied knife attack because he wrongly believed the two brothers had raped his sister, which was untrue.

“It’s debatable whether this is a mitigating fact at all and even if it was true he (Mr O’Loughlin) 1s not entitled to take the law into his own hands,” said Judge Moran.

The judge said Mr O’Loughlin could have killed Arturas Segzda and “would have done so if the blade

on the knife had been longer”.

According to Garda evidence the defendant, who has previous convic- tions, has a “fixation with knives” and is a habitual drinker.

Mr O’Loughlin has two previous convictions for serious assault and is still serving a three and a half year sentence imposed for the stabbing of a young man in Ennis in June 2005, the court heard.

Judge Moran imposed a four-year sentence on the latest charge.

He also imposed an 18 month sus-

pended sentence on a young mother of two who was charged with a less serious offence arising out of the Same incident.

Jessica O’Leary, (22), was found in possession of a screwdriver on the day of the attack but there was no evidence to suggest she used the weapon, the court heard.

Judge Moran said the circumstanc- es between the two accused parties were “entirely different’ and sus- pended Ms O’Leary’s 18 month sen- tence.

A MAN who purchased a site in Cratloe more than 30 years ago only to discover some years later it had been sold a second time to a former member of Clare County Council has been awarded €80,000 in dam- ages as well as his costs.

Michael Costelloe, originally from County Kerry, initiated legal pro- ceedings against two defendants in the case — the executors of the estate of the late Mr Thomas Flan- nery of Brickhill East, Cratloe, from who he originally bought the site, and former Clare county councillor, Joe O’Gorman. The case was heard on Thursday at Ennis Circuit Civil

Sour

Mr Costelloe was working in Shan- non in 1973 when he purchased the half-acre site from Thomas Flannery, at a cost of £1,500.

Mr Costelloe had sought planning permission to build on the site. How- ever, Clare County Council rejected his application. Mr Costelloe was granted permission on appeal, but he later moved to County Kerry to work and didn’t get to build his new home.

While living in Glin in County Limerick, Mr Costelloe made regu- lar trips to Cratloe to visit the site. During this time, solicitors for Mr Costelloe had attempted to register the property with the Land Registry.

The site was never registered offi- cially and remained in the name of Mr Flannery.

One of the solicitors who acted for Mr Costelloe in the 1980s was Joseph Mangan who was later made a judge of the District Court.

Mr Mangan handed Mr Costelloe’s file over to another solicitor when he gave up his practice to take up his position in the District Court. While listed as a witness, Judge Mangan was not called to give evidence.

It was during a site visit in 1997 that Mr Costelloe discovered that a house was being constructed on the site he had purchased. He immediately con- tacted his solicitor.

It emerged that in 1989 the same

plot of land was sold along with 8 more acres to Joe O’Gorman who at the time was a member of Clare County Council, for £10,000.

The court heard that the transac- tion was dealt with in a “one stop aCe) oMmmont-vevelss mm-ViCO MnO er-lM\y bum mItTebeomy did not engage his own solicitor to oversee the deal. Mr O’Gorman took Mr Flannery (then 79 years old) to the councillor’s solicitor in Scariff where the deal was completed during the short visit. Judge Harvey Kenny described the transaction as “very ir- Korea bd eB ae

He said that there was no evidence the Mr O’Gorman was aware that part of the land had been sold pre- viously to Mr Costelloe. But if Mr

O’Gorman had investigated the his- tory of the site he would have seen that Mr Costelloe had sought per- mission to build there. The judge also said that despite denying so, Mr O’Gorman must have seen marking posts placed on the land by Mr Cos- telloe’s engineers.

While Mr O’Gorman claimed he purchased the land for agricultural use, he later sold seven sites on the property and gave two acres to his son. The court heard that the site Mr Costelloe purchased for £1,500 would be worth €250,000 today.

Judge Kenny awarded damages of €80,000 to Mr Costelloe and ordered that the plaintiff’s costs to be covered by both defendants in the case.

CLARE volleyball team CbPhoto.ie will feature in RTE2’s coverage of the Coca Cola Beach Volleyball Fes- tival on Monday, August 6.

CbPhoto.ie won the tournament which was played earlier this sum- mer in Bray.

This was the biggest beach tour- nament held in Ireland to date and is proving to be very important, at- tracting international players from the USA and Australia.

Daniel Apanowicz and Slawek Wrzesniak represented CbPhoto.ie volleyball club in the mens tourna- ment, while Lina Klim took part in the womens tournament.

The mens pair are currently ranked in the top three in the beach circuit

with Lina is actually the leading wo- mens player in the country.

These players are concentrating on the beach circuit at present until the indoor competition restarts in Octo- ber. It is a fantastic result for the club to win this prestigious tournament in Bray which has now become a ma- jor attraction and part of the Annual Bray Festival.

OB Sport (RTE2) on Bank Holiday Monday at 8.30pm will show the lo- cal side 1n action as well as some in- ternational players in this fast grow- ing sport of volleyball.

CbPhoto.ie volleyball club is also welcoming new players at all levels for indoor volleyball or beach volley- ball at present and for information check out cbphoto.ie/volleyball or send a text to 085 7681838.