Month: February 2012

CONCERNS have been expressed at the location and availability of lifesaving defibrillators in the county town. Ennis Town Councillor Paul O’Shea (Lab) believes that the local authority should provide 24-hour access to defibrillators that are placed at convenient locations, in sight of CCTV cameras on the main streets with no less than a three-minute walk from each installation.

Ennis Town Council currently has three defibrillators. One is located in the Customer Service office of Ennis Town Council and two in the council’s Sports and Leisure Facilities – one in Ennis Leisure Complex and one in Lees Road.

Ennis Town Clerk Leonard Cleary said, “Staff have been trained in the use of this equipment. Clare County Council also has a defibrillator, which is located on its property within the town. The local authority does not have a role in relation to other privately-owned or community-owned defibrillators. The council’s CCTV network is available as a resource for the gardaí, with whom Ennis Town works closely.”

Cllr O’Shea raised concerns, however, that the council offices close at five, the leisure centre at 9pm and Lees Road at 10pm. He said that defibrillators should ideally be positioned three minutes from each other, and be available 24 hours a day.

“We probably need a few (defibrillators) but we need a 24-hour one,” he said.

Mr Cleary explained that there are a number of other defibrillators in the town centre owned by voluntary organisations.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said it was an issue of awareness. “I don’t know where they are located,” she said.

The councillor called for all defibrillators to be clearly marked and visible to the public.

Ennis Town Manager Ger Dollard reminded the council that the provision of defibrillators is not a function of the local authority.

“Perhaps the HSE have a better idea of where the defibrillators are located,” he said.

MORE than 700 jobs could be fasttracked to Ennis this year with a planned new private hospital set to circumvent the local planning sys- tem and gain planning permission in as little as 26 weeks. Construction work on a new € 60 million private hospital, which is proposed for the former Our Lady’s Psychiatric Hospital, could begin before the end of the summer should An Bord Pleanála classify the hospital as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID). The project is being put forward by Ennis-based company Duesbury Ltd, which lists John and Allen Flynn of the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis as its company directors. Allen Flynn purchased the site with builder Martin Fitzgibbon and Paul Talty from Clare County Council for € 5.2 million in October, 2005.

A MAN has received a three-year prison sentence for an incident in which a 10-month-old baby suffered “horrific injuries”.

At Clare Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Larry Connors (19) with an address at Cronan Lawn, Shannon, was convicted on a charge of child cruelty and neglect.

The charge arose out of an incident in the Shannon area in December (2010) during which a 10-month-old boy suffered a broken leg, arms, a dislocated right elbow, multiple bruising, marks and significant bleeding to the brain. The court heard that the mother found Connors in a room holding the child, who had blood on his face, on the night in question.

Garda David Laing told the court that the injuries included a bite mark to the face and injuries consistent with burning. In her victim impact statement, the child’s mother said, “He used to slap, punch, and throw my child around the place like a toy.” She said at the height of the abuse, Connors became “psychotic”, locking himself into the room with the baby and screaming at him.

She said her son is now “fine and running around” but will require further treatment for a dislocated elbow and a tear in his mouth. The court heard that the baby was brought to hospital last January following the incident.

The court heard that a doctor reported the injuries to Gardaí through a social worker. The incident gave rise to a Garda investigation. The court heard that Connors and the child’s mother moved in together in December (2010).

In a statement to Gardaí, the boy’s mother said that it was at this point that Connors became abusive to the baby. One day when the baby was crying, the court heard, Connors pushed him into his high chair with his foot and tightened the straps causing the child to be out of breath.

The court heard that the child was subsequently placed in care for six months. The baby is now back living with his mother.

Barrister Brian McInerney said his client came from an “extremely dysfunctional family”. He said he had received no education and his father was a very strict disciplinarian.

He said Connors was “ill prepared, ill trained and ill conditioned to the stresses that come with minding a small baby”. He said the accused was “deeply remorseful” for his actions.

Imposing a three-year sentence, Judge Carroll Moran acknowledged Connors’ guilty plea. He added that Connors would suffer additional opprobrium from other prisoners because of the nature of his crime.

Judge Moran said, “The injuries were pretty horrific on a defenceless baby.” Judge Moran imposed reporting restrictions.

A KILRUSH-BORN garda is being hailed as a hero after a dramatic gun attack in the Newport area of Tipperary on Monday of last week.

Garda Gerry Brassil, who is stationed in the area, has been praised for his “quick-thinking” that one resident who witnessed the incident on the Thurles Road out of Newport said helped save the life of fellow garda, Sergeant Deborah Marsh.

Anthony McMahon was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving on Monday night at 7.30pm, with a source close to the investigation saying he was seen driving “in an erratic manner” moments earlier.

However, when Mr McMahon (44), originally from Janesboro in Limerick, was approached by Gda Brassil and Sgt Marsh, he fired a number of shots from one gun and then, after a struggle, turned another gun on himself and died.

“I saw the whole thing,” said local resident Shane O’Brien. “I could see the lady garda at the front of the car. I could hear another male voice – I presume the male garda – and he was saying: ‘Don’t go for the gun, don’t go for the gun’.”

Gda Brassil wrestled with McMahon for control of the shotgun while Sgt Marsh pepper-sprayed him, before racing to Mr O’Brien’s house to raise the alarm. “They wouldn’t be alive only for each other. They were brilliant in fairness,” said Mr O’Brien.

After the initial struggle as the two gardaí ran for cover, Mr McMahon is believed to have fired another four or five shots from a rifle, before turning the gun on himself.

An investigation into the incident is being led by officers from the Office of the Garda Ombudsman, while a local Limerick politician, Cllr John ‘Rocky’ McGrath, has said the immense courage of Sgt Marsh and Gda Gerry Brassil should be recognised.

“Definitely they should receive medals for bravery. What they did was unbelievable and thank God they weren’t injured,” he said

“Only for the grace of God and their heroic actions, we would be marching behind a hearse,” one garda told The Clare People .

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy has been sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institute after pleading guilty to burglary in Shannon last year.

At Ennis District Court last Wednesday, the boy also pleaded guilty to charges of the unauthorised taking of a vehicle and handling stolen property. The offences arose out of an incident in Ros Min, Shannon, last December. The court heard that the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has 55 previous convictions.

A Detective Gwarda told the court that the boy entered the house, taking a set of car keys, house keys and a quantity of cash. A car was also taken in the incident.

The court heard that the house was occupied at the time of the burglary. The boy gained access through the front door, which was closed but unsecured, the court heard.

The accused was subsequently arrested in Tipperary where he admitted his involvement to gardaí. The car was recovered undamaged.

Solicitor Eileen Whelan told the court that her client had entered an early guilty plea so as to spare civil- ian witnesses the “trauma” of re-living the burglary in court.

She said her client, who was accompanied in court by his parents, had “certainly been mixing with the wrong people”. Ms Whelan said her client intended finishing his Leaving Certificate and had enroled in a mechanics programme. “He’s having a real eye opener. He’s here to take his medicine”, she added.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy noted that the boy had “umpteen previous convictions”, adding, “He hasn’t got a good record”. Taking into the account the accused’s plea of guilty and other mitigating circumstances, Judge McCarthy imposed a ninemonth sentence for the burglary charge. A three-month concurrent sentence was imposed for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

CLARE’S Labour TD Michael McNamara has launched a stinging attack on his Government colleagues, describing them as cowards who “hide behind bureaucracy” instead of making real decisions.

The East Clare TD singled out the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan (FG), and the Minister for the Arts, Jimmy Deenihan (FG), for spe- cial criticism while he also accused Clare county councillors of hiding behind the county manager.

Deputy McNamara was speaking about an independent report, commissioned by Clare County Council, on the future of the historic building at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon. The report, which cost € 15,000 to produce, has been completed for nearly a year but the local authority have so far refused to publish it.

McNamara has contacted Clare County Council as well as Minister Hogan and Minister Deenihan in an effort to force the publication of the report. “I am very disappointed with the minister’s response. Is it too much to expect that in our democracy that a survey commissioned at taxpayers’ expense should be made available to the tax payers?,” he said to The Clare People yesterday.

“I have now raised this matter with the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Phil Hogan, who referred me to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, who has now referred me back to Clare County Council.

“I’m beginning to understand why the public is so skeptical about the need for elected representatives in Ireland when the IMF/EU Troika determines the headline budget figures and ministers, with few exceptions, will not exercise the little power they have but instead hide behind bureaucracy like county councillors who hide behind the county manager.”

Fine Gael councillor, Joe Arkins, who was the only North Clare councillor in favour of publishing the report, said the matter should never have gone to ministerial level.

“It would not have been necessary for anyone to contact any ministers about this report if the councillors in North Clare had agreed to allow the report to be published. We bought it, we paid for it, and if it’s fit for purpose, we should be allowed to see it,” he said. “Any report that has been paid for with tax-payers’ money should be made available to the public – not just this report.”

The future of the 19th-century protected structure at Blake’s Corner remains in doubt, with plans to demolish and rebuild the building to make way for a new road junction on hold.

Clare County Council last month decided to delay the planning process on the site to allow an Environmental Impact Statement to be carried out. This will delay the project for a further year and cost in the region of € 100,000. The Clare People contacted Clare County Council in relation to this but no response was received at the time of going to press.

GARDAI in Kilrush are making progress in a disturbing case in which a pig’s head was sent to one of its members.

The severed head was sent by registered post to the garda’s home.

Colleagues of the officer, based in West Clare, are outraged that he was singled out in this manner.

The officer in question is well respected in the local community and highly regarded by those he works with.

It is still not known how the gruesome item was packaged but it did not arouse any suspicion among postal staff.

The registered package had to be signed for when it was delivered to the garda’s address.

Gardaí are now attempting to es- tablish who sent the package to their colleague.

“It was a very personal attack. To have something like this sent to a person’s home address is a despicable act,” said a source.

“It was a full pig’s head that was sent to him in a package. It was sent to his home and an incident like this would cause anyone distress, not least a person who is just trying to do their job and make a living.”

The informed source added that the garda is highly thought of by those who know him and people he has met through the course of his duties.

The garda is heavily involved in community work in the region.

“He is extremely approachable to all living there and is very good at his job.

“He did not deserve this whatsoever,” the source added.

THREE men have received prison sentences for their role in an aggravated burglary in Sixmilebridge two years ago.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, sentences were imposed on Simon Gentles and Noel and Martin O’Callaghan.

A 14-year-old boy, his mother and his elder brother were victims of an aggravated burglary at their home in Ardkyle, Sixmilebridge, on January 7 (2010). A man, armed with a loaded shotgun, kicked in the door of the house and demanded to know the whereabouts of a safe.

Simon Gentles (25) with a previous address at Casement Drive, Finglas West, Dublin and Noel (50) and Martin O’Callaghan (23), both with a previous address at 8 Cronan Lawn, Shannon and Fergus Drive, Shannon, were all charged with aggravated burglary. All three men had pleaded guilty to the charge.

Of the three men’s roles in the burglary, the court heard that Gentles entered the house with a loaded shotgun and demanded to know where the safe was. Martin O’Callaghan and Gentles planned the robbery while Martin’s father, Noel, played a “lesser role” in the crime. The court heard that Noel O’Callaghan did not know a gun would be used in the incident.

Judge Carroll Moran said that after prodding the woman in the stomach with the shotgun, Gentles told the boy that he “would blow his mother’s head off” if he was not told where the safe was. He said the family had been in “mortal danger of their lives”.

Judge Moran said extensive phone evidence had implicated the accused. He said two cars had been used to bring Gentles and Martin O’Callaghan to the house. A car was also used to transport the gun, the court heard. Judge Moran commended the mother for her “fortitude in this appalling incident”.

He said, “The use of a gun in a criminal enterprise, especially burglary, is a very serious aggravating factor.”

Acknowledging all three men’s guilty pleas, Judge Moran sentenced Gentles to four years in prison; Martin O’Callaghan to three years in prison; and Noel O’Callaghan to three years in prison.

WITH slurry storage capacity reaching critical levels on many Clare farms, the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), last week released the details for next year’s nitrates regulations.

As a Zone B county, Clare farmers were legally allowed to begin spreading slurry again on their farms from mid-January but this process was severely delayed on many farms because of poor soil conditions.

However, following the recent cold and dry conditions, it is expected that many farmers will be in a position to begin emptying their slurry tanks in the coming days and weeks.

Speaking in Dublin last week, the Minister for Agriculture announced the application requirements for farmers seeking a nitrates derogation this year with exact details of the derogation process now available on the Department’s website.

As in previous years, the closing date for receipt of applications has been set for March 31 and no applications for derogations will be accepted after this date. A copy of the fertiliser plan must be submitted with the application unless the farmer has either an approved derogation for 2010 or 2011 or an approved REPS 4 plan in place.

“This is the ideal time to consider whether or not to apply for a dero- gation in 2012. Intensive grassland farmers are allowed to exceed the general limit of 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year from livestock manure on their farm, up to a limit of 250 kg, provided that they have a derogation in place,” he said.

“The Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements for 2011 will be issued to the more intensive farmers shortly. These statements are there to assist farmers in deciding whether or not they need to apply for a derogation.”

The minister encouraged farmers that will exceed the nitrates limits to apply for a derogation or take other remedial action and thereby avoid penalties being applied to their scheme payments.

“The Department is continuing with the initiative introduced last year to inform the less intensive farmers of their estimated capacity to take in and use organic fertilisers as an alternative to buying in chemical fertiliser,” he said. “A key element of the growth projections under Food Harvest 2020 is the drive for greater efficiencies at farm level including the cost of input. The efficient use of organic fertiliser is a key point in this context.

“I was encouraged by the response to last year’s initiative and I expect an even greater interest this year from farmers who previously would not have considered taking in slurry.”

FOLLOWING a number of dog attacks on sheep in Clare over the last few weeks, dog owners in the county are being urged to ensure that their animals are kept under control at all times, especially during the busy lambing season.

One dog, which had been causing trouble for sheep, was killed by a landowner in the Crusheen area last week and farmers all over the county are asked to be vigilant and look out for their sheep.

Farmers are allowed to shoot dogs who are caught attacking sheep or dogs who come onto property where sheep have recently been attacked.

The IFA National Sheep Chairman, James Murphy, last week launched their ‘Do You Know Where Your Dog Is?’ campaign to highlight the damage being done by stray dogs.

“The IFA campaign is aimed at dog owners and is reminding them of their responsibilities to ensure they are in control of their pets at all times,” he said.

“Up to 2.5 million lambs will be born on 30,000 sheep farms across the country over the next three months. Sheep flocks are very vulnerable to dog attacks at this critical time, especially during the night.”

Dog attacks on a sheep flock are extremely stressful and damaging events for farmers and can inflict savage injuries and often fatalities on farms.

“Aside from the economic losses, for which dog owners can be held liable, the welfare implications for the flock can be very severe and longlasting.

“Sheep never recover fully from a dog attack and can suffer ongoing difficulties, including reproduction problems and increased nervousness affecting their general health,” continued James.

“If a dog worries livestock, the owner or any other person in charge of the dog shall be guilty of an offense unless it is established that at the time the dog worried the livestock for the purpose of removing trespassing livestock and that having regard to all the circumstances the action was reasonable and necessary.”