Month: April 2008

IN a close contest, last year’s event winners, Patrick Ellott/Paul Good- man (Subaru WRC) edged out Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Subaru WRC) on a tie-break to win the Fels Point Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally, the second round of the Dunlop se- ries. On the final stage, they finished

two seconds ahead of Maguire/ McLaughlin, that gave both crews an identical overall time and El- liott/Goodman got the verdict on a tie-break – as they were fastest on the final stage. It was the second event in succession that a round of the Dunlop National Rally championship went to a final stage decider.

Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty

(Subaru) finished third overall — 29 seconds further behind, that was also decided on a tie-break with Michael Barrable/Dermot O’Gorman (Ford Focus WRC) finishing fourth. As a result of his victory, Elliott moves to top spot in the Dunlop series. The Group N category was won by Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Mitsubishi), they were tenth in general classifica-

tion.

Top Clare crew Anthony O’ Halloran /Charlie McEnery punctured on stage four after clipping a rock on the inside of a corner and had to stop to change the wheel. They lost about six minutes which pushed them well down the leaderboard but they even- tually went on to finish 35th. overall.

The top Clare Crew were Alan

O’Callaghan/Gerard Murphy from Ssixmilebridge who battled through the very wet and slippy conditions in their Subaru Impreza to finish 20th overall.

NUMBERS unemployed in Clare have reached an 11 year high accord- ing to the latest figures from the Cen- tral Statistics Office (CSO). The live register now totals 5,126 — the high- est number since March 1997 when 5,253 were unemployed.

The figures show that the unem- ployment rate has increased by al- most 20% in the past 12 months, the lowest level having been in October 2000 when only 2,778 were on the live register.

The slowdown in the Clare con- struction sector in recent months is believed to be responsible for a large

slice of the increase.

It’s not all bad economic news for Clare, however. Ennis has proved to be one of just two towns in Ireland that are bucking the national trend of a shopping slowdown.

According to a _ just-published Retail Excellence Ireland review, O’Connell Street saw an increase of 39% in terms of hourly footfall be- tween March 2006 and March 2007. The number of people shopping in the street was up from 1,917 per hour to 2,658 per hour.

Responding to the unemployment figures, Deputy Joe Carey (FG) called for the fundamentals of bal- anced regional development to be

implemented to ensure Clare is well- positioned should the economy re- bound later this year.

“There is little doubt that the in- ternational banking and credit crisis has impacted on the Irish economy, fuelled by a downturn in the housing market, and I believe that sustained investment in the mid-west is vital for the region,’ he said.

On recent job losses in Clare, Dep- uty Carey commented: “We have seen these at companies such as Aer Lingus, Tyco Electronics, John Crane Ltd and Thompson Financial. We have also seen companies going on three-day weeks, unsure of what their future 1s.

“We have not seen this rate of in- crease for a very long time and there is nothing to indicate that either the rate or overall number will abate in the near future.

“So, as far as the region’s econom- icS are concerned, we need to start boxing clever”

Sinn Féin spokesperson Cathy McCafferty reacted to the CSO fig- ures, “The blame for this increase lies squarely with Government. De- spite unprecedented tax returns over a number of years the Goverment failed to plan ahead, deciding in- stead to rely on construction and the spending boom to keep the economy on track.”

THE Government’s commitment to the mid-west has been called into question after legislation was de- ferred for the development of a new €20 million Customs and Borders facility at Shannon in time for the busy Summer season.

In order for the facility to proceed, the Government needs to have put legislation in place and concluded talks with US authorities. However, the necessary legislation was not on the schedule of bills to be enacted before the summer recess which was published by the Government last week.

Last year, the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) secured planning permission for the proposal and is ready to construct the facility once legislation is passed. In response to questions from Deputies Joe Carey and Pat Breen, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said that negotiations took place with the US authorities on January 29 and further discussions are envisaged.

“I look forward to making good progress with the US authorities in the period ahead,” he said. “Given HD OT-LaM A OCoam OOTeTARe) MB KCMIO DOOMED OLOLs) um t(ox%O]8T- tion it is too early to say when I will be in a position to publish any neces- sary legislation.”

This failure to have the legislation in place to coincide with the ending of the ‘Shannon stop-over’ follows the months-long delay in publishing the economic and tourism plan for Shan- non. Earlier drafts contained a com- mitment to provide €20 million over five years. However, this was deleted from the plan published in January and the region is to receive only €3 million for a marketing campaign for the US and UK this year.

Deputy Joe Carey commented yes- terday, “Despite promises, this Gov- ernment has not delivered for Shan- non and the mid-west. I understand negotiations with the US authorities are still ongoing but it was intended

that these negotiations would be completed before open-skies came into effect. This hasn’t happened.

“I also note that the Minister for Justice did not discuss the extension of the customs and borders facility at Shannon when he visited the US re- cently. I find that very disappointing.

“IT am calling for the new Fianna Fail leader to take an active interest in the issues facing this region. I ask that the negotiations with the US be committed to wholeheartedly, and that a comprehensive, adequately funded marketing and promotion fund is put in place immediately to advance the positives of this region to the international market,’ he added.

in Clare when he dropped his bombshell in Dail Eireann by mak- ing a complete u-turn on Ms Ge-

oghegan Quinn’s decision and sacri- ficing the special status Shannon had enjoyed since it became a world hub for transatlantic air traffic in the late ees

A radical restructuring blueprint put forward for the national carrier, Aer Lingus, by its then executive chairman, Bernie Cahill, proposing the abolition of the stopover was put forward by Cowen in the Dail and endorsed by 80 votes to 52.

However, the decision had short- term consequences for the Fianna Fail organisation in Clare, with Dep- uties Sile de Valera and Tony Killeen resigning the party whip in protest.

This lead from Clare’s two Fianna Fail TDs was followed by similar resignations by the 17-strong Fianna Fail complement on Clare County Council. It meant that for a period of six months before the councillors’ return to the fold, Fianna Fail was no longer the majority party on the local authority for the first time in over 60 erase

how he believed “most definitely” that Ahern was not corrupt, but made the fatal mistake of not taking things too seriously.

“I was never in the Government dealing with him when he was Taoi- seach. From what I could gather, he had a very decisive and efficient way of doing business. Apparently he adopted a lot of the high-powered strategy that was adopted by previ- ous taoisigh, such as CJ Haughey, be- cause he made decisions and where there were problems he appointed sub-committees to deal with it,’ said DEA

“IT had a very detailed discussion with him when I was in social wel- fare, because I was part of the social partnership as well back in 1991 and just before the 1992 General Elec- tion. If you remember, there was an all-out strike threatened at that time.

‘He was very involved in trying to find a resolution that made sure that the whole country wouldn’t close down.”

The Cooraclare man believes that uniting the Fianna Fail party and tackling the Northern Ireland issue will be remembered as his greatest achievements.

“I would say bringing together Fi- anna Fail and bringing Fianna Fail along with his views on Northern Ireland, because it was very much d1- vided at the time he took over, that is

what he will be remembered for.”

Daly said that when Ahern took over as leader, there were a lot of di- vision, most of which was a throw- back to the arms trial.

“There was a lot of tension and friction in Fianna Fail. I would say the most important thing from the country’s point of view was that he was able to bring along the Fianna Fail party with him on the negotia- tions on Northern Ireland, because

at one stage there wasn’t a chance you could go down the road he was going. There were a lot of people writing to the British asking them to declare their interest in getting out of Ireland, that kind of stuff.

“IT remember he shot down a cou- ple of lads there at a meeting in En- nis one night when they were saying Ireland, the 32-county republic and all this, and he said do you want this killing to go on for another 30 years.

‘He had the charismatic approach in the Fianna Fail party, healing any divisions and bringing people who weren’t maybe supporters of his in1- tially on side. The most important thing was he brought a party that was very nervous about how it would set- tle Northern Ireland along to his way of thinking. If he hadn’t done that, he wouldn’t be able to get the results.”

And the Fianna Fail leader’s big- gest weakness?

“T think he would have underesti- mated and been a bit carefree with things that were serious. I think he was a bit carefree with the tribunal at the start, and he didn’t give it the at- tention and the time that it deserved. I think he thought it just might not work out the way it is working out.

“My own view was that the tribu- nal approach was a very, very big mistake, because first of all after the beef tribunal, to the best of my knowledge, there was a decision made that there would be no tribunal Set up ever again.

“There were some recommenda- tions made in the beef tribunal that were implemented that would prob- ably have been done anyway, but there was a lot of time and effort and expense involved in the beef tribunal and my understanding is that after the beef tribunal report there would never again be one set up and then they went down the road of setting up tribunals all over the place.

“T always felt that the courts and the police and the fraud squad and CAB were the people to investigate these kind of things, not tribunals, and I was very much opposed to the Dail going down that road of setting up in- vestigations within the house itself. I refused to chair one of those. I didn’t think it was a politician’s job to get involved in what was more a legal matter and maybe more of a job for id elomr-elmeeyw LB (oe

“If he (Ahern) went down through his books and his accounts and his finances in detail he would not have got into the situation he got into, in my opinion.”

FIANNA FAIL Minister for State, Tony Killeen was remaining tight- lipped on how he saw his future un- der the new Taoiseach.

The Corofin man who has served as junior minister in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natu-

ral Resources and the department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government for the past 10 months said he was happy to fill whatever role the new Taoiseach desired.

He said while there was a lot of speculation as to what moves would be made in cabinet and in the gov- ernment under Brian Cowan, he did

not get involved in such speculation.

He said Minister Cowan is famil- iar with the issues in Clare through his previous portfolios in health and transport and has an overview of 1s- sues as Minister for Finance.

Former Clare TD Brendan Daly, who was quite close with the Offaly man while in Dail Eireann, said he

believed that Cowan would make an impressive Taoiseach.

“T think Cowan will be less charis- matic than Bertie Ahern. He will give straight answers to straight questions and will take things very seriously and won’t underestimate the implica- tions of some of the things that might be taking place.

“Bertie tended to gloss over things that on the surface might not have been looked at but deep down were very serious,’ he said.

“He (Cowan) will be firm, he will be decisive, he will say if something can be done or can’t be done, and he wont second-guess anything,” he Sr HLOe

A WOMAN who lived beside the McDonaghs in Bridge Court told the trial that Charlie went through the knife rack in her kitchen, some time before his death.

‘He took the first knife out but he said it wasn’t sharp enough. Then he got out another one but he didn’t take WerLmssinelos

“Then he took out another knife and put it up his sleeve,” Cara Moy- lan said.

She could not understand a lot of what the brothers said to each other, but heard Charlie calling his brother ‘Paddy Pudding’.

Patrick said he was in the hospi- tal and Charlie now owed him “ten

grand”.

Charlie asked Patrick was he home and Patrick replied, “Ill see you in two minutes.”

Ms Moylan agreed that she had told gardai, “He told me he was going to cut him (Patrick) up and he told me what he was going to do to him.”

Charlie told her to tell the other neighbours to stay off the road as there was going to be trouble.

Charlie left by the front door, tak- ing off his jacket as he went. Patrick came towards him carrying an axe and the brothers fought.

They were separated by their sis- ter and her husband but, as Charlie walked back to his house, Patrick picked up the discarded knife and ecbaue-lanevbeeF

THE brother-in-law of Charlie and Patrick McDonagh told the jury he was ashamed of the fact that he had not been able to prevent the death when he intervened in the fight.

“I risked my own life because I went into the middle of them but it was for nothing because I didn’t save him (Charlie),”’ said James O’ Loughlin.

Mr O’Loughlin said he and his wife Ann Marie tried to persuade Patrick to stay away from Bridge Court after he had received hospital treatment for injuries received in an earlier argument with Charlie.

Patrick insisted on going home to his wife and three children.

Back at home, Mr O’Loughlin said he tried to calm Patrick down, telling him everything could be sorted out with his brother in the morning.

He said that Charlie went out onto the street, naked from the waist up and waving a knife.

Mr O’Loughlin said Charlie ap- peared to be very drunk and was waving the knife around very slow- M4 He agreed that he had told gardai

Charlie was shouting, “Come out, come out Paddy Pudding” and that he had said this nickname was a “term of argument”. Patrick fetched a hatchet and went outside to his broth- er, despite attempts to stop him.

Mr O’Loughlin said there were “more thumps being thrown than us- ing the weapons”.

He said that after a few minutes he and his wife managed to disarm the two men and they were pulled apart. Mr O’ Loughlin dragged Char- lie back towards his house with the help of another man, Anthony Ward, Charlie’s wife’s brother.

Patrick had found the knife, thrown away during the fight, and ran at Strabo

He stabbed him 12 times in the stomach. Charlie died in hospital a Seem BDA CoM C-lKo)

Mr O’Loughlin said that there was some bad feeling within the McDon- agh family.

“They couldn’t believe he went so far on his brother. They were dis- gusted. You wouldn’t do that to an elephant,” he said.

A FIGHT between two brothers end- ed in one fatally stabbing the other, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Patrick McDonagh (27) of Bridge Court, Roslevan, Ennis, denied mur- dering his brother Charlie (30), at Bridge Court, on January 28, 2007. He also denied the alternative charge of manslaughter and a further charge of producing a knife in the course of a fight.

In his opening speech, prosecuting counsel Tom McConnell SC told the jury of seven women and five men that, after an evening of drinking, a row between the brothers developed into a “serious, almost gladiatorial fight” that led to a “fratricidal kill- Thea

After a fight involving a knife and a hatchet, Charlie McDonagh received 12 stab wounds including the fatal wound to his stomach.

Anthony Ward said he had been staying with Charlie McDonagh

while his sister, Charlie’s wife, vis- ited her mother in Galway.

They started drinking cans of Guin- ness and Red Bull at around 8.30pm. After about three cans they opened a bottle of vodka.

Mr Ward said that Charlie rang the accused to bring over a bottle of coke for a mixer.

They later went to Patrick’s house, Where they continued drinking. Patrick’s wife Donna joined them. Some time later that night, a row developed between the brothers, in

Patrick’s house.

Mr Ward said that Charlie McDon- agh had a volatile temper and had once bitten his ear. He said Charlie left to move his van and he went back to Charlie’s house and locked Watomelereye

A few minutes later Patrick arrived and started banging on the front door and shouting. Mr Ward said he was “frightened, terrified’, so when Patrick disappeared round the side of the building, he ran across the road to arelation’s house.

Patrick meanwhile started breaking the windows of Charlie’s house. The gardai and an ambulance were called and Patrick was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

Some time later Charlie returned and saw the damage to his house. He attacked Patrick’s car, which was parked on the street outside his Olen en

Mr Ward said a neighbour, Ms Cara Moylan, came out and brought them into her house for a cup of tea and a glass of wine.

THE sister of the two McDonagh brothers said that “one was as bad as WsTome) 0 8(o) uae

Ann Marie O’Loughlin – said Patrick was “crying like a baby” when she and her husband arrived at the hospital that night. Patrick had been treated for injuries including a split lip, broken nose and slashed ear, received during an earlier fight with Si itbab ler

She said that Patrick insisted on going home to his wife and three children.

Ned McDonagh, a third brother, said Charlie arrived at his house at about 11.30 pm that night. He seemed drunk and was very upset about the fact that Patrick had broken the win- dow of his van during the argument.

Ned tried to calm him down, tell- ing him they could sort everything out in the morning. Ned agreed with Brendan Nix, defending, that Charlie had been known to bite people when he was drinking and was in a tem- per.

He said Charlie ran off down the street and hailed a taxi. Ned followed in a van with his brother-in-law.

The taxi driver, Paul Kelleher, agreed with Mr Nix that Charlie told him he was being chased by his

brothers who intended to hurt him,

They’re after trashing my van. I’m Court, Charlie saw that Patrick had

but also agreed that Charlie had going to kill them.”

told gardai, “They’re my brothers.

When they arrived back at Bridge

smashed the front windows of his house. Gardai were at the scene.

Charlie told Mr Kelleher he would wait until they had gone and would get a Slash hook.

Ned McDonagh told the trial that he asked gardai to arrest Charlie so that no one got hurt, but they re- GUI or6 B

The trial heard that a short time af- ter Patrick returned to his home, he received a phone call from Charlie. “Charlie was offering Patrick out- side,’ Ann Marie O’Loughlin told the trial.

Despite attempts to stop him, Patrick picked up a hatchet and went out to his brother. Charlie was stand- ing bare chested in the middle of the road, holding a knife he had taken from a neighbour’s house.

Ms O’Loughlin said that the two men started to fight. She and her hus- band eventually managed to disarm them and separate them but Patrick picked up the knife from where it had been thrown and ran towards his brother.

‘He grabbed the knife, his eyes were wide open and that’s when I went into shock.”

She said her brother Charlie was a “gentleman, 100 per cent”.