Month: October 2007

THE Keep Clare Clean Environ- mental Project is currently being run by Golden Vale Clare Commu- nity Games in association with Clare County Council and Shannon Devel- opment. The purpose of the competi- tion this year is to create awareness about the impor- tance of keeping our community clean and _ free from all types of Tit me CC OE hae) entries will take place later in No- vember. At present, 97 schools in vari- ous communities throughout Clare are registered for the Green Schools programme. 42 of these schools hav- ing been awarded the __— prestigious PaO N MEIER a lee mee number of schools involved since the start of the programme 10 years ago. Joan Tarmey, Environmental Awareness Officer commented, “I am delighted that Clare Community Games is SO proactive in encourag- ing good citizenship to bring about a cleaner and greener County Clare. “It 1s wonderful to see the young people making their parents and

community more aware of environ- mental issues. This bodes well for Wee RUIRUT Koa

Pat Daly added, “Shannon Develop- ment is very pleased to be associated with such a worthwhile project and we wish all the participants the very best of luck in the competition.”

The competition will be run with

three categories – poster, poem, slogan.

Each category will be run at under six, under eight, under 10, under 12 and under 14 age groups, with a special category for children with Special Needs. Siva lebKoismpeeleniam eye under group age on July 31, 2008. One competitor in each age group in each category from your area will go forward to the county compe-

tition.

All entries for the competition should be returned to Mrs May Phe- lan, Shannon Road, Sixmilebridge.

The closing date for the competi- tion is Friday, November 16.

Further details can be obtained from Mary Phelan at 061 369628 or your local Community Games Com- POD LA Rorer

A SHORTAGE of staff in the proba- tion and welfare office in Clare has caught the attention of District Court Judge Joseph Mangan.

The judge made reference to the absence of a probation officer for Shannon on a number of occasions at Shannon District Court last Thurs-

CEMA

There has been no probation officer in Shannon for several months, since the officer in charge of that area va- cated his post.

According to the probation and wel- fare service, the post was advertised and an appointment is pending.

Probation reports were required in several cases at last Thursday’s court.

Although no probation officer was in court, reports were present in most of the cases.

During the case of a 19-year-old man who was in court on public order charges, the judge remarked that a probation report would not be available until December.

He adjourned the case, peremptory against the probation service.

In another case, the judge read out a note on an accused’s file, stating that the report was not ready due to staff shortages.

“The probation report is not avail- able due to staffing difficulties in the probation service,” he read out.

In a third case, in which a 20-year- old man was before the court on pub- lic order charges, the judge indicated

he would remand him on continuing bail for a probation report to be car- ried out.

However, when he learned that there was no probation officer in court he imposed a detention sen- tence, suspended.

In another case, he referred to the State not provifing “a proper proba- tion service in Shannon”.

A WOMAN has recalled heartbreak- ing pain, as she saw her husband’s body being swept out to sea, after he was struck by a wave, while fishing in Doonbeg.

Latvian native Olegs Artemjevs (27) drowned after he fell from a rock, while fishing at the Blue Pool, Doonbeg, on November 5 last year.

He had been fishing with his wife Lubova, when the tragedy occurred.

At Ennis Coroner’s Court last week, Lubova recalled travelling from Athlone to Doonbeg, early that morning.

The couple arrived in the west Clare area at 12 noon. The sea was normal and there was no wind.

“My husband started fishing from the rock,” she said, in her deposition to the Coroner’s Court.

“At about 2pm I was watching my husband and my phone rang. I turned around to get it. It was a call from my husband.

“I turned around to the sea again and I saw my husband being swept out to sea. I shouted for help. Two Polish men came,” recalled Lubova.

“I could see my husband. He was wearing chest waders when he went into the water.

I watched him being swept further and further out.

“We rang 999 and we were put on to Marine Rescue. Marine Rescue got to my husband in about five to 10 minutes,’ she said.

Garda Ken O’Day recalled attend- ing Kilkee Rescue Centre that day. He said Mr Artemjevs had sustained cuts to the nose and bruising to the panel

“When he was fishing, he was struck by a wave and pushed out into the sea,” said the garda.

Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl carried out a post mortem examination on the deceased’s body, on November

He concluded that death was due to asphyxia, secondary to drowning.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said “one can only imagine the trauma” suf- fered by Mr Artemjevs’ wife, seeing him being pulled out to sea.

She suggested that the jury bring in a verdict of accidental death and the jury agreed with this.

“It should be acknowledged the tro- jan work being done by the Rescue Services,’ said the coroner.

“The Marine Rescue Services come out in all sorts of weather and provide a great service, as do the gardai,’ she added.

A MAN tragically lost his life after he fell from a roof, while painting a friend’s house in Kilfenora.

James Howard (55), of Ballybreen, Kilfenora, died from head injuries, as aresult of a fall at a house on July 31 last.

At Ennis Coroner’s Court last week, Mary Greene said her son Martin had hired Mr Howard to paint his

house, on July 30 last.

The following day she was passing the yard when she thought she heard James on the phone. A short time later, she passed by and saw James lying in a pool of blood.

“What I thought was James talking on the phone was him moaning,” she recalled.

She attempted to put him in the re- covery position. “I did everything I could,” she said.

The deceased’s widow said he had left for work at 8.30am on July 31. He had been due to return home at mid- day as they were to go to the races.

However he did not return home and several attempts to contact him on his mobile phone failed.

Mrs Howard received a call at tea- time that evening, indicating that her husband had been in a bad accident.

He was on a life support machine and died on August 2.

Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl carried out an autopsy on Mr Howard’s body at Limerick Regional Hospital, on August 4.

He said death was due to head in- juries and skull fractures, consistent with having fallen from a height.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the ap- propriate verdict was one of acci- dental death and the jury brought in this verdict. Solicitor for the Howard family, Marie Keane said the acci- dent was “very tragic and took the life of a very kind and decent man”’.

‘He will be a terrible loss to his family and all who knew him,” said Ms Keane.

A MAN who died suddenly at his Ennis home had an enlarged heart, three times normal weight.

Brendan Corcoran (53), a native of Mayo, died at his home at Bishop’s Court on May 17 last. At Ennis Cor- oner’s Court last week, Brendan’s

brother Gerry recalled last seeing him at around 8.45am that morning. He said Brendan, a part-time busi- nessman, had been in “good form”’.

Some 12 hours later, Gerry re- turned home. Brendan was in the kitchen. He called out his name but did not get a response. He touched his forehead and it was cold.

The emergency services were con- tacted and Mr Corcoran was pro- nounced dead at 10.20pm that night.

Garda Michael Sweeney told the inquest he received a call to go to the Corcoran home. When he arrived at the scene, the body of Brendan Corc- oran was lying on the kitchen floor.

Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl carried

out a post mortem examination on the deceased’s body, at Limerick Re- gional Hospital, on May 19.

He said the level of alcohol in his blood was “extremely high” and also noted that his heart was enlarged.

He said, in his opinion, death was due to acute cardiac failure, second- ary to heart disease and coronary

heart disease, in association with the levels of alcohol. “His heart was approximately three times normal weight. That would be the most sig- nificant factor here,’ said Dr Fawl.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said she felt that the appropriate verdict was in accordance with medical evidence and the jury agreed with this.

that the programme for the west “is nearly there.”

The doors in the Galway and Cork Breastcheck clinic will be opening soon, she said, with a lot of the 100 jobs already filled.

Although recruitment is ongoing a unit manager and a clinic director has been appointed to Galway and Cork. There will be 50 staff per unit.

Breastcheck was not able to con- firm when the first Clare woman would be screened. The screening schedule will be announced one month in advance for the following three months.

The Breastcheck unit for the west will be based in the University Hos- pital Galway, which will accommo- date both the base for the west and the existing symptomatic breast dis- ease service in UHG.

In addition to its base in Galway, Breastcheck will have three mobile screening vehicles covering coun- ties Clare, Tipperary North, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

Almost 58,000 women in this re- gion, aged between 50 to 64 years, will avail of this service on a two- year cycle.

Health experts expect a 70 per cent up take in Clare, with more rural than urban women taking part in the screening.

Approximately five per cent of the women screened will require further assessment and approximately one per cent will require surgery.

Breastcheck screening commenced on a phased basis in 2000 and now covers the East, North East, South East and Midlands.

In March 2005 the Minister for Health Mary Harney gave Breastch-

eck the go ahead for a €25 million programme to extend breast screen- ing to the rest of the country.

Clare Country Councillor and council representative on the HSE forum Brian Meaney (GP) told

FIVE people – including two moth- ers – have appeared in court, charged in connection with a long-running ‘volatile’ traveller feud in Ennis.

Four of the five were arrested after a row broke out as parents brought children to school in Cloughleigh, last Friday morning. The fifth was arrested at Ennis courthouse later Were ee hVA

As allegations that members of one family awaited the other family out- side Ennis courthouse last Friday, security was tight as several gardai were deployed to the scene.

Before the court were Anne (43), Christopher (22) and Jim (18) Mon- gans, of Shalee Drive, Ennis, and Margaret (44) and Mary (20) Molloy, of Gordon Drive, all charged with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, at Cloughleigh Road, Ennis, last Friday morning.

Christopher Mongans is also ac-

cused of damaging Mary Molloy’s car.

The court heard from gardai that the charges arose from a ‘tense’ and ‘volatile’ feud between the two Dee e Sloe

“This is part of a feuding incident between the Molloys and the Mon- gans. It is ongoing, sporadic, over the past couple of years. Over the past 24 hours, it has escalated into violence occurring between both sides,” said Inspector Tom Kennedy, RON eUlan ites

He said it “boiled over” when par- ents were bringing their children to school that morning and resulted in one woman, Anne Mongans being taken to hospital with a head injury.

He appealed to Judge Joseph Man- gan to remand the accused in custo- dy, “to diffuse what is going on and to curtail them from fighting”.

“Outside the court, some of these parties are waiting for others. I have to be fearful. What happened this

morning could be a lot more seri- Ole

“It is escalating from damaging property to physical assaults. Insult- ing and degrading language is now escalating into physical contact and fighting,’ he added.

“I don’t think it’s in the capacity of any of the parties to hold their feel- ings in accordance with conditions set down,’ said Inspector Kennedy.

Solicitor for the Mongans, Tara Godfrey said, “There is a generali- sation made that if some members of each family are put 1n prison, this won’t continue. It will.”

The Molloys’ solicitor William Cahir said his clients were “not the ageressors” of the incident.

The case was adjourned for a number of hours. At 6pm, the judge asked had anything changed.

Mr Cahir said he had had a full consultation with his clients.

“Margaret Molloy is a mother of 11 and has never come to the atten-

tion of the court before. Her daugh- ter Mary never came to the attention of the court before. They are willing to abide by a curfew and any un- dertaking the court would impose,’ said Mr Cahir.

Ms Godfrey said she would concur with Mr Cahir.

She said, in the past, mediators were involved and she suggested that these people be contacted, in an effort to see if this option was open.

However Sergeant Paul Slattery then brought it to the court’s atten- tion that efforts had been made to get both parties together, during the day.

“I brought representatives of both parties together outside to try to come to some agreement. After that, I heard Anne Mongans engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour with a member of the op- posing family,” said Set Slattery.

“I was forced to intervene, to pre-

vent it escalating. There doesn’t seem to be any gra by either side to bury the hatchet,” he said.

Ms Godfrey said her client made an allegation about something that had been said, but that complaint had not been dealt with.

“It was a very serious threat, an immediate threat. The person that issued the threat is not before the court at the moment,” she said.

She said there was “resentment” if things said to her client were being ignored by the State.

“My client was provoked. There was a reason for her reaction,” she said.

Judge Joseph Mangan said it was “unusual” that the State would ask to remand people on public order charges in custody.

He remanded all five in custody, with consent to bail, to appear in court again later this week. They were ordered to keep away from each other and abide by curfews.

FOUR people who brought thou- sands of cigarettes home from their holidays have been fined in court.

Jean and Anthony Keogh, of Clounanna, Patrickswell, Limerick, appeared before Shannon District Court last week, arising out of an in- cident last December.

A Customs and Excise officer at Shannon airport told the court that Jean Keogh had more than 13,000 cigarettes, with Anthony Keogh had more than 12,000 cigarettes, on De- cember 13, 2006.

They had arrived in Shannon, from Malaga.

Jean Keogh told the court she was pleading guilty and said the ciga- rettes were for family.

The officer said he believed the

cigarettes were for resale as she told him it was her tenth trip to Spain that year and she is a non-smoker.

The customs officer said Anthony Keogh’s cigarettes “were not sourced in an official outlet in Spain’. He said that 800 cigarettes are allowed, per passenger.

Both were fined €500.

In a separate case, John and Mar- tina Reape, of Caladashan, Knock- more, Ballina, Mayo, were stopped after they arrived from Gran Canaria with more than 11,000 cigarettes, in October 2005.

Their solicitor said most of the cigarettes were a Spanish brand and that they had stocked up on cheap cigarettes. He said both accused were “very heavy smokers” and the cigarettes were not destined for sale. Both were fined €200.

A YOUNG man who suffered major teeth damage when he was kicked while on the ground has had to visit six consultants, a court has heard.

Owen Walsh was assaulted by Trevor McMahon, outside Sheil’s ga- rage, Gort Road, Ennis, in the early hours of August 25 last year.

McMahon (36) of Sandfield Centre, Ennis, has pleaded guilty to assault- ing Mr Walsh, causing him harm.

The case had previously been ad- journed to hear from the injured eva Ae

Mr Walsh’s mother Marian told Ennis District Court on Friday that her client has been to an orthodon- tist and five consultants, as a result of the damage to his teeth.

‘He got emergency treatment when

it happened. It’s going to cost a lot of money to get his teeth repaired,” she said.

Judge Joseph Mangan asked did her son intend to make a claim for eyeal ole y-leceyee

She replied, “He was hoping he would be compensated 1n some way, ’ but pointed out he had not engaged a solicitor.

The judge replied, “This court would like to assist you in the mat- ter of compensation but it would ap- pear you have taken no steps towards compensation. The defendant is also entitled to closure.”

He adjourned the case until next month and said, “Unless the injured party has taken some steps in the matter, I won’t concern myself any further with the matter of compen- sation.”

GORT is set to become a key indus- trial and residential hub for the en- tire Burren region following the an- nouncement that it 1s to be connected to the national gas pipeline.

The south Galway town has more than doubled its population in recent years with as many of 40 per cent of the inhabitants believed to be of Bra- Zilian origin.

This latest statement follows an- nouncements last year that Gort would receive two entrances on the

planned Gort-Crusheen bypass.

It is also planned that Gort will be a main stop when the Western Rail Corridor is reopened.

“We were very keen to see Gort added to the towns that were already earmarked to receive gas. Gas for Gort should significantly cut down on energy costs to businesses and consumers alike,’ said Dr Niamh Clune, head of the Gort Regional Al- liance for Community and the Envi- ronment (GRACE).

“Although it will mean some more disruption to the town’s roads and

pavements, at least the digging to in- stall all necessary services to benefit the future development of the whole town of Gort should be completed in the near future.”

GRACE were invited to take part in a feasibility study into the inclu- sion of Gort on the gas pipeline ear- lier this year when a group met with Bord Gais senior executives.

“IT am very pleased to hear that Gort has been selected to get natural gas. It will mean a very substantial saving for our hotel and new leisure centre, aS we are very dependent on

gas,’ said local businessman Michael O’Grady.

“O’Grady Construction Gort Ltd has just completed a housing scheme of 200 houses at Oranmore using natural gas. We know that the use of natural gas on our next housing scheme at Gort will be a big selling factor.

‘I am very happy to be associated with the GRACE Organisation in its efforts to bring gas to Gort.”

Bord Gais has undertaken an ex- tensive study to evaluate the exten- sion of the natural gas network to

new towns around the country since early 2006.

In November 2006, Phase One of the study was published and saw 11 towns along the route of the Mayo- Galway pipeline qualifying for con- nection to the network.

Construction has already com-

menced on this €40 million project. This announcement represents

Phase Two of the study, with six towns to be connected to the natural gas network at a cost of some €23 million.