Month: August 2012

CABIN crew aboard a United Airlines flight to Shannon on Saturday were forced to handcuff a drunk American passenger who engaged in “obnoxious” and “threatening” behaviour, a court has heard.

Stephen Herring (40) consumed alcohol and ambien, a form of sleeping, prior to boarding the flight from Newark to Shannon on August 18. He was arrested in Shannon after failing to obey the directions of crew.

Mr Herring, with an address at 1216 Hawthorn, Heuston, Texas, appeared at Ennis District Court on Monday, charged with three offences under the Air Transport and Navigation Act. He pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour with intent to cause a breach of the peace; being intoxicated to such an extent that he might endanger himself or others, and, without justification, causing serious annoyance having been requested by the crew to cease such behaviour.

Insp Kennedy explained that Mr Herring had become difficult and refused to comply with crew during the flight. The court heard that Mr Herring was restrained in handcuffs. “He was arrested in Shannon. He was clearly intoxicated,” Insp Kennedy said.

The court heard that Mr Herring co-operated with gardaí and expressed remorse for his actions.

Mr Herring has no previous convictions in the United States or in Ireland. Insp Kennedy said he had dealt with a number of cases where passengers had engaged in difficult behaviour on flights.

He said that in most cases, a passenger’s behaviour forced a flight to divert to Shannon, causing huge cost and disturbance to all involved.

Insp Kennedy said this case was different as the United Airlines flight was scheduled to land in Shannon.

He said “obnoxious and disagreeable” of the type Mr Herring had engaged in, can cause “huge anxiety” to passengers.

Insp Kennedy added, “This would not be on the more serious end of the scale of incidents like this.”

Solicitor Aoife Corrigan said her client had come to Ireland for a weeklong holiday. She said Mr Herring had obtained Ambien from his doctor, due to a fear of flying. Mr Herring consumed some alcohol on his flight from Texas to Newark prior to taking the sleeping tablets.

Ms Corrigan said, “He completely blacked out. He doesn’t remember anything until waking up on the plane with handcuffs on.”

Ms Corrigan said family and friend were shocked to learn of Mr Herring’s behaviour. She said she had received 15 character references on behalf of her Mr Herring.

She added, “This is totally out of character. He is very ashamed and very sorry for his behaviour.”

The court heard that Mr Herring could possibly be banned from traveling with United Airlines again. Judge John O’Neill said he could understand “the anxiety of passengers, never mind nervous passengers”. He described Mr Herring’s behaviour as “obnoxious”.

Judge O’Neill added, “I would not have enjoyed being a passenger on that plane observing his behaviour.”

He said that if Mr Herring paid € 500 to the children’s charity, the Clare Crusaders, then he would strike out all charges.

A 29-YEAR-OLD South East Clare woman, who fought bravely for more than two years to recover from a horrific crash in the United States, was laid to rest on Saturday.

On February 8, 2010, Nicole RyanGraham from Meelick suffered severe head injuries in a car crash in Kansas, which left her in a coma for 100 days.

Following a lengthy recuperation and with the financial support of family and friends, she entered a rehabilitation programme in the States, but she lost her fight for life last June.

Graham, who had been living in the US since 1998, was a passenger in the car involved in the accident which took place on February 8, 2010. She suffered multiple injuries, including severe head injuries, in the incident, which took place in extremely poor conditions for driving.

Locals in Meelick rallied around Nicole and her family following the accident and raised a considerable about of money to help fund her treatment. Nicole’s health insurance ran out on February 3, 2010, five days before the accident which left her in a coma.

In mid 2010, Ms Graham was transferred to the Meadowbrook Rehab Center in Gardner, Kansas. She is survived by her three children Kendra, Katie and Keslley, who was just 22-months-old when the accident took place.

THEY were friends. They were second-next-door neighbours in Sea View Park in Quilty. They were fishermen.

Symbols of this bond between Michael Galvin and Noel Dickinson were much in evidence on Friday last afternoon when Quilty village came to a standstill as locals and visitors paid their respects to the two fishermen who tragically lost their lives the previous Monday when their trawler, the Lady Eileen, sank off Spanish Point.

Both coffins, carried shoulder high, by family, friends, fishermen and footballers made the journey from Sea View Park to the Star of the Sea Church.

First it was for Noel Dickinson, the 33-year-old whose partner, Helen, is due to give birth to their first child in three months’ time.

Gifts representing Noel’s life were brought to the altar by family members – a fishing rod symbolising his love of the sea, a claret and blue Aston Villa scarf, a Limerick flag to signify his love for his native county and a bar of chocolate to mark his love for his nieces.

Michael Galvin’s coffin was draped in the colours of his beloved Kilmur- ry Ibrickane as it made the 700-yard journey from his residence in Sea View Park to the church just after 3pm.

Gifts brought the altar included photographs of his family, a Kilmurry Ibrickane jersey, his Australian hat, a fishing net and a violin, which symbolized his deep love for traditional Irish music.

Mr Galvin’s wife was Liz was comforted by her children, Michelle, Aidan and Brian, who returned from Australia for the funeral mass.

Meanwhile, Michael Galvin’s brother Martin told mourners that he had walked away uninjured from a serious car accident in San Francisco, only to hear a few days later that his younger brother was missing at sea.

Speaking in Clare on Friday, where he was attending the Merriman Summer School, Marine Minister Simon Coveney said, “My heart goes out to all the families who are struggling to deal with the loss of their loved ones.

“This has been a shocking and tragic week with fives lives lost in as many days in a year that has seen so much loss and sadness at sea.”

FISHERMEN have a special place in Quilty. They always will.

It’s history; it’s heritage; it’s family; it’s been a way of life for so many down the generations, that has touched so many families as a job of journeywork, a livelihood.

In Quilty fishermen know the floor of the sea like farmers know their land. They do, because it’s part of their DNA, part of what they are and it’s something they’re proud of, and fiercely so.

Pride at this long association with the waters around Mutton Island is everywhere. In the plaque on the sea wall opposite the Quilty Tavern that reads, ‘Heroism remembered: On October 3, 1907 tragedy was averted in Quilty village’. The crew from the French ship, Leon XIII, were rescued from their stricken ship by local fisherman and despite stormy conditions not a single life was lost; in the artwork on the same wall; in the name of the local chipper that commemorates the Leon XIII; in the church that’s named Star of the Sea; in the bell in the sanctuary of the church that once belonged to Leon XIII.

When the church bell rang out on Friday afternoon for Noel Dickinson and Michael Galvin, there was still pride at that association with the sea, but overwhelming sadness had enveloped the village. Quilty was a community in mourning, and a community drawing on each other for comfort, or as parish Fr Pat Larkin said in search of “meaning”.

One of the laments played at Noel Dickinson’s funeral was ‘Fiddler’s Green’, while members of the fishing community from Clare and as far away as the Aran Islands were present to pay their respects to the two men and their families for their tragic losses.

Fr Larkin, told the congregation about how the previous Monday, August 14, was “like any other day for Michael Galvin and Noel Dickinson” before turning to a double tragedy that had rocked the community.

“Just another ordinary day going out to work to check the pots and put out the nets and, above all, hope there would be a catch coming back in,” said Fr Larkin.

“But things changed, changed drastically, changed forever. And in that change, hearts are broken, lives are turned upside down and we search for meaning. We look for hope and we turn to each other. That’s what we’ve done over the past week – turning to each in support,” added Fr Larkin.

WARM tributes have been paid to the two fishermen from Quilty who died in tragic circumstances at sea last week.

Michael Galvin (64) and Noel Dickinson, who was in his late 20s, were near neighbours.

Last week, friends and neighbours recalled two men who were popular in their local community.

Speaking last week before both men were laid to rest, Martin Lynch, Chairman of the local Kilmurry Ibrickane GAA club, said the community was still struggling to come to terms with the double tragedy.

He said, “The bigger community are only trying to be there for both fami- lies. It was just horrendous to see two hearses brought into Seaview Park and to see those two men brought into their houses and only one house between them. Even being there you can’t put words on it. I would only hope that people would be strong enough for both families. We have to think about Noel Dickinson’s partner who is expecting a child. Hopefully the local community will be able to be there for her.”

Mr Lynch added, “I can see already that people are coming out in droves to help out with traffic control in the area and around the village. People are just trying to help out with whatever is trying to be done.”

Both men were also remembered for their involvement in local sport.

Mr Lynch said, “Michael Galvin was so involved in the GAA – he was a total supporter and player. He would’ve mentored a lot of teams at underage down the years. Noel Dickinson was a dedicated follower of all teams.”

A fisherman and former tradesman, Mr Galvin played for and coached teams with Kilmurry Ibrickane.

“He was larger than life. He was so spirited. He was so humorous, witty and, no matter how bad a situation seemed to be, he seemed to find the positive out of it. On the lead up to the All Ireland final, he gave great support to the team.

“He goes back further than that. For under 14 and under 16 teams, when we needed transport, he was the man who pulled up with his long station wagon and brought people to games. It goes beyond words to describe what kind of a clubman he was. His heart was always with Kilmurry Ibrickane.”

Mr Galvin was also known for his passionate support of his local football team. Mr Lynch said, “He played at all levels. When the chips were down, Michael was definitely the man to rally the troops. The bigger the challenge, the higher Michael rose to meet it.”

Mr Lynch added, “He really came into his own in opposition territory, be that in the terrace or an opposition pub. He never left anyone in any doubt about where his loyalties lay. He was well known for his passionate way of supporting the club and team.”

JUST one day shy of 90 years to the day that Michael Collins was shot dead at Béal na mBláth, the woman that played a lead role in the Neil Jordan film that brought the lost leader of the Irish revolution to the silver screen made a whistle stop tour of the county capital of Ennis on Monday.

Forty-four year old Julia Roberts, who won an Oscar for her role in Erin Brockovich in 2000 and rose to stardom in Pretty Woman, played Kitty Kiernan in Michael Collins movie that was filmed in Ireland in 1996. Ms Roberts spent much or her time in Ennis in Tony Honan Antiques in Abbey Street in Ennis.

She has been holidaying in Ireland over the past week in the west of Ireland, with her husband Daniel Moder and their three children, Henry (5), twins Finn and Hazel (3).

DESPITE the cost of divorce thought to be proving a deterrent in most parts of Ireland, Clare saw a rise of 40 per cent in the number of couples getting divorced in the county in 2011.

According to new figures for the county released by the Central Statistic Office 69 divorces were granted to Clare couples last year – with a further 66 applications for divorce being made.

Experienced Clare based Family Law solicitor Marie Keane says the rise can be attributed to the type of divorces being negotiated as well as the age profile of couples getting divorced.

“The vast majority of divorce cases are now being settled before going to court, with both parties consenting. From my experience I would guess up to 95 per cent of cases settle in this manner,” Marie told The Clare People on Monday.

“There is also a definite trend of divorces amongst mature people, couples who have their children reared so custody of children no longer remains an issue,” she said.

“In a lot of cases these couples have been separated for a long number of years and are only now seeking actual divorce decrees in order to remarry, finalise wills, pensions etc,” she added.

“Couples in their fifties are probably the most common divorce applicants in Clare.

“They are older, have more life experience and very often have lived through separation for the past fifteen or twenty years,” she told us.

A couple must be living apart for four of the previous five years before a divorce can be granted.

According to Ms Keane, who is a member of the Family Law Committee of the Law Society of Ireland, cost is not really an issue amongst the vast majority of couples seeking a divorce.

“The average cost of a divorce is usually somewhere in the region of € 3,000 plus VAT when consent exists between the parties involved.

“The huge figures mentioned occasionally in the media are the very rare occasions when divorces go through lengthy court proceedings. That would be highly unusual in Clare,” she stated.

FORGET Katie Taylor, a woman from Miltown Malbay may have the most recognisable Irish female face on the planet.

For the last six months, Lourda Sexton, from Ahey Bridge in Miltown, has been broadcasting to hundreds of millions of people on the Chinese television network CCTV.

The Chinese state broadcaster has a potential reach of more than half a billion people in China, but also broadcasts internationally on a number of cable television platforms. Based in Dubai, Lourda has been back home for the last four weeks, compiling a number of broadcasts from Ireland, including one from the Willie Clancy Summer School.

“I worked in TV and radio in Dubai for a number of years and I was delighted to get this chance to work for CCTV. China Central Television is like the BBC or the RTÉ of China – it has 13 channels and I work for the news channel, which is an Englishlanguage channel,” said Lourda.

“I’m normally in Dubai and I cover a mixture of stories but I’m spending the summer in Ireland covering a lot of different stories from here. It’s exciting work, I get to go to a lot of interesting places and meet a lot of different people.”

After the visit of Chinese VicePresident, Xi Jinping, to a Clare farm and the Cliffs of Moher earlier this year, hopes are high that agricultural and tourism links can be forged between the Banner county and China.

“I’ve already covered the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway and the Willie Clancy Week in Miltown and I’d hope to do a few more stories from this side of the country. It really is a mixture of trying to show off Ireland, and what it can offer, and the links between China and Ireland,” said Lourda.

“In China, they do have an interest in Ireland. They have an interest in everywhere. There are around 60,000 Chinese in Ireland for one, so they do want to know what is going on here.”

Lourda will remain in Ireland until September and is on the look-out for any local stories which may have an interest for a Chinese audience. Anyone who thinks they may have an interesting story can contact Lourda on lourdasexton@gmail.com.

Anyone who wants to see Lourda in action can locate her on channel 510 on SKY.

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy is recovering in hospital in Galway today after receiving head and neck injuries while diving in Kilkee on Sunday.

Limerick teenager, Killian Rae, received 30 stitches to a large headwound after he dived into shallow water at the East End of the pier in Kilkee just after midday on Sunday.

Mr Rae, who is a regular visitor to Kilkee with his family, struck his head off jagged concrete underwater the water and was airlifted to hospital. The Clare People understands that he has responded well to treatment and should be released later today, August 14, with no permanent neck or back damage.

The youngster was rescued from the water in a joint operation by the Kilkee Rescue Service and the Kilkee Unit of the Irish Coast Guard and was treated on site by the HSE rapid response unit.

The Shannon-based coast guard helicopter was dispatched to airlift the youth to hospital but it was unable to find a suitable landing spot close to the pier. Instead, Mr Rae was transported to the Kilkee Golf Club where he was airlifted from the first tee.

Spokesperson for Kilkee Marine Rescue Manuel Di Lucia said the lack of a dedicated helicopter landing site in Kilkee could put lives in danger in the future.

“It worked out okay in this situation – except that all the sand from one of the bunkers on the first tee was blown away – but this is not an acceptable situation.

We need a proper helicopter landing space closer to the pier in case of an emergency like this,” said Mr Di Lucia.

KATIE Taylor’s historic Olympic triumph came as no surprise to one former teammate of the Bray boxer.

Ennis woman Edel Malone wore the green jersey alongside Katie on Irish soccer team from under 17 right up to senior level.

Having observed up close the dedication of Ireland’s newest Olympic champion, Edel says Katie is the perfect role model for any young sportsperson.

She continues, “When you speak with her, she’s the most humble person and she has this gentle spirit about her but when she gets onto the pitch and into the ring, the fire inside her, her passion for that sport, comes out. Her training was always number one. Any athlete should use Katie as a role model, for her attitude, work ethic and natural ability. Just look at how far it has taken her.”

Apart from their Ireland days, Edel and Katie also crossed paths on the club scene, most famously in 1998 when Clare took on Wicklow in the prestigious Kennedy Cup.

Edel recalls, “We probably know each other since we were 12. She played with Lourdes Celtic and I was with Lifford. We would’ve played against each other in All-Ireland competitions. If there was someone you had to really mark on the other team, that was Katie. Then we played in the Kennedy Cup. It’s traditionally a boys’ competition but that year there were three girls in the whole tournament. She was with Wicklow and I was with Clare. The two of us made it to one of the finals so we got to play against each other.”

A Clare team, managed by John O’Neill and Vinny McDermott, claimed a narrow 1-0 victory.

Now living in New York where she has just completed a Masters in Documentary Studies and Production, Edel had to rely on updates from her mother and friends to follow Katie’s nerve-shredding quest for gold.

She thinks that having fulfilled a life-long ambition, her former teammate could hang up the boxing gloves for a return to soccer.

Edel, who is currently nursing a knee injury, says, “It will be interesting to see if she returns to football. She could do that. She’s achieved everything in boxing. If it wasn’t a boxing tournament she was preparing for, she was getting ready for a soccer match. I think she could very well go back to playing soccer also.

“You can only imagine the amount of pressure she was under. One of our other friends who plays soccer and is quite close with her, she texted a few days ago saying she had met Katie after she’d won gold. She said that Katie was over the moon and that she was so relieved,” she adds.

Selina Moylan and Susan McNamara are two Clare women who also played with Katie Taylor on Irish soccer teams.