Month: November 2012

A MAN told gardaí that he had no memory of stealing a woman’s handbag from a pub in Ennis a court has heard.

Norman Hogan (50), with an address at 40 Fergus Park, Ennis stole the handbag from Lucas’ Bar, Parnell, Street, Ennis on July 8 (2011).

He pleaded guilty to the theft at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that the accused “opportunistically” took the bag from the pub. The bag contained a digital camera, a mobile phone and € 60. Insp Kennedy said Mr Hogan removed the contents before discarding the bag.

CCTV was used to identify Mr Hogan who later told gardai that he had very little memory of the incident. The contents of the bag were not recovered.

Defence solicitor Siobhan McMahon said her client had a serious addiction to alcohol.

She said this particular type of offence was the “not the norm for Mr Hogan.”

She told the court that Mr Hogan was with his partner on the night and may have picked up the handbag thinking it was hers.

Ms McMahon added, “He cannot recall the situation. He was drinking vodka straight.”

She said Mr Hogan is now taking steps to deal with his alcoholism. Ms McMahon added, “I would urge you to give him this last chance.”

Mr Hogan also pleaded guilty to the theft of groceries valued at € 38 from Tescos in Ennis on July 27 (2012).

Judge Aeneas McCarthy imposed a nine month suspended sentence in respect of the theft of the lady’s handbag.

He imposed a three-month consecutive suspended sentence in respect of the Tesco’s theft. He also ordered Mr Hogan to be of good behaviour for a period of two years.

Judge McCarthy warned Mr Hogan that any further offence would not be tolerated by the court.

Addressing Ms McMahon, the judge said, “Advise your client of the consequences of coming back before me.”

THE Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is expected to issue directions later this month in the case of four people charged in connection with a disturbance at a roundabout in Ennis last month.

Bernard McDonagh (45), Christopher McDonagh (38), Bernard McDonagh Jnr (22) and a 16-year-old boy are alleged to have committed a number of offences arising out of the incident at the Maid of Erin on October 14.

Bernard McDonagh (45), with an address at 1 Ashline, Kilrush Road, Ennis is charged with the assault of John Doherty.

He also faces three charges of criminal damage and one charge of dangerous driving.

It is further alleged that Bernard McDonagh (45) drove a vehicle in a dangerous and reckless manner, which created substantial risk of death or serious harm to another.

Christopher McDonagh, with an address at 1 Davitt Terrace, Cloughleigh, Ennis, is charged with producing an iron bar while about to commit an assault.

He also charged with possession of an iron bar with intent to cause injury to John Doherty, Martin Doherty and Jimmy Doherty.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons is charged with possession of a hatchet with intent to cause injuries to John Doherty, Martin Doherty and Jimmy Doherty.

He is also charged with the production of a hatchet while about to commit an assault.

Bernard McDonagh Jnr (22), with an address at 1 Ashline Kilrush Road, Ennis, is charged with possession of an article with intent to cause injury and the production of an article in the course of a dispute.

He is also charged with assault causing harm.

The four people appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the State are awaiting directions from the DPP. He requested the matters be adjourned for another two weeks.

He said the State is working to “expedite” the cases, which he described as “not easily moved on.”

Defence solicitor for all accused, Daragh Hassett, consented to the adjournment.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy adjourned the case for two weeks to allow for DPP’s directions. All four people were ordered to appear again in court on November 21.

A LARGE number of parish priests in the Killaloe Diocese have given their backing to a revolutionary new document which calls for an end to clerical celibacy, the ordination of female priests a radical change to how the diocese is operated.

The diocese has just published its first report of a series of “cluster” meeting involving more than 700 priests and lay people in Clare and Tipperary.

The process, which was set in mo- tion by Bishop Kieran O’Reilly, has resulted in the creation of a new blueprint for the future of the diocese – as envisioned by local parish priests and lay people and not by The Vatican.

The process started in October of 2011 with two large open meeting one involving the parish priests of the Killaloe Diocese, the other involving representative of the lay community. These meeting led to the creation of 12 “cluster” groups in different areas across the diocese where priests and lay people have been regularly meeting for months.

This process has been directed by Bishop O’Reilly, Fr John Kelly, Fr Pat Malone, Fr Donagh O’Meara and Sr Clare Slattery alongside lay members Leonard Cleary, Sean Conlan, Michael Geaney, Maureen Kelly and Marie O’Connell-Quinn.

A report into the clusters operations to date was published on the Killaloe Diocese earlier this month. Of the 12 clusters who took part in the report, 11 indicated that allowing priests to marry, ordaining women into ministries, creating a new role of lay people in the church and fostering appreciation for local priests were priority issues.

Nine of the clusters cited the ordination of women as an important issue, with three citing the promotion of vocation and two raising the issue of priests from abroad coming to the diocese to preach.

The report also found that a crisis of faith among young people, a disconnect with the church itself and the development of the clusters system to be important issues in the diocese.

“One of the most striking impressions from these conversations is that many people feel a strong affinity and connection, a sense of iden- tity and belonging with their local parish community, despite feelings of disconnect with the institutional Church,” said the report.

“However, it is also true that hurt or anger with stances or decisions taken by the institutional Church impacts negatively at local parish level and leads to people walking away.

“It is clear that these are days of immense change. There are new needs to be met and new challenges are set before us. These conversations set out the reality of these challenges.”

The report can be read in full at www.killaloediocese.ie.

LAY Clare people involved in the Killaloe Diocese’s listening process, believe that change in the church must begin locally, even if many of the recommendations suggested by the process can only come from The Vatican.

West Clare woman Maureen Kelly, who is part of the steering committee for the listening process, believes that local engagement in relation to issues like ordaining women priests can have a knock-on effect on overall church policy.

“Any change must begin with what we can influence ourselves – our sphere of influence as those who write about change put it. We may not be able to effect all that people are asking. There are issues on which the wider Church must decide,” said Maureen.

“There is however much we can do locally to ensure that the issues people have raised are addressed. Change begins on the ground and that has a wider impact.

“The issue of ministry of women is frequently raised as one we cannot change. There is much we can do locally to enhance the participation of women and their input into decisionmaking at local level.”

While Bishop Kieran O’Reilly has prompted this process to take place – he has not taken an active steering role to order to allow both lay people ad parish priests to express their opinions in freedom.

“Listening is the first step in engaging with people. Bishop Kieran made this clear when the process began. He wanted to give people an opportunity to express their views on the present reality of the Diocese. He wanted to give space to people to say what is on their minds. The working out of a response will take time but there is a commitment to doing so,” continued Maureen.

“It is also important to give people who are involved on a regular basis to speak their truth. As the conversations go on people gain confidence in speaking the truth of what is important to them, in speaking about how important a faith dimension to life is.

“A comprehensive report has been prepared on the collated findings from the conversations we’ve had to this point. An outline of findings will soon be available for distribution throughout the diocese for those who might not have the time to read the full report.

“We are presently going back to the Parish Councils in the Clusters to present the report and it is being warmly received. The Report is also available on the Diocesan webpage.”

ANYONE travelling in East Clare this week is being asked to be on the lookout for a mythical unicorn which has, apparently, gone missing in the Tulla area.

A number of posters have been erected in the Tulla area in recent days, asking that anyone who spots a the female unicorn to report it immediately.

Unicorns are mythical legendary animal who exist in the folklore of many European countries. The mythical creatures are believed to resembles a white horse with a large, pointed horn projecting from its forehead. They are also sometimes depicted as having a goat’s beard and cloven hooves.

According to the posters, one such animal is currently wondering the East Clare area. People in the Tulla area are asked to keep their eyes peeled for a what is described as a “large female unicorn with friendly disposition” who was last seen “galloping in the Tulla area with native cattle”.

While the mythical creature is described as having a “friendly disposition” it is not clear whether it would be safe to approach the animal.

The unicorns owner, who does not include any direct contact information on the posters, asks that anyone who spots the mythical creature to post the location of the sighting on social networking site Twitter, using the tag #unicornsanonymous.

The lost and found poster also included a poem dedicated to the unicorn. The poem bears a striking resemblance to ‘My Lovely Horse’, a song taken from the Fr Ted television show. In fact, the poem reuses the exact lyrics of ‘My Lovely Horse’, except with the word “unicorn” used in place of horse.

To date, no sighting of the unicorn has been made, either on Twitter or to local emergency services or animals welfare services in the Tulla area.

THE Department of Agriculture will not be returning any services to its Ennis offices – even on a two-day a week basis. The offices were closed to farmers in April of 2010 with all services for Clare farmers transferred to the department’s offices in Limerick.

Saving on costs was given as the reason for closing the offices, but it emerged before services were cut in Ennis that the Department of Agriculture owned the Ennis offices, while they had to pay rent on the offices in Limerick.

A number of local campaigns to reopen the Ennis branch on a twoday a week basis or to set up a satellite farm advice service as Ennis mart have both been rejected by the Department of Agriculture in recent weeks.

In a letter issued by the department last week, it was confirmed that a part-time office would not be taking place.

“A key reason why this arrangement is necessary is because staff number at the Department [of Agriculture] continue to fall, and in order for the Department’s local office network to provide a fully integrated service to our farm customers and the wider agri-food and rural environmental sectors, our resources need to be concentrated on a regional level,” said Kevin Galligan, private secretary to Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG). “This reorganisation has and continues to yield significant annual savings to the exchequer in the order of € 30 million.”

This decision means that Clare will continue to be the only county in Munster with no Department of Agriculture local offices – despite the fact that the department continue to own a building on the Kilrush Road in Ennis.

PARENTS of children with diabetes are not just fighting to control their child’s condition, but the majority of Clare parents are fighting to get on a waiting list for an insulin pump, for better on-going testing and for a dietician and specialised nurse promised two years ago to be finally appointed.

Adding to their worries is the claim by Diabetes Ireland this week that the HSE is presiding over a health disaster as diabetes amputations have climbed by 20 per cent.

Newly available HSE statistics show there were 781 diabetes related lower limb amputations in Ireland during 2010 and 2011, a 20 per cent increase on the previous two year period.

Diabetes Action says the HSE is amplifying this public health disas- ter by failing to fill critical posts and make retinal screening available, despite funding being available since 2010.

The diabetes clinic in Limerick, which serves the majority of Clare people, is still without a designated dietician promised two years ago.

Gráinne Flynn, Secretary for Diabetes Ireland Clare branch, said, “Management of diabetes revolves around matching doses of insulin to the food we eat. A dietician is responsible for teaching people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes how to measure the food eaten and learning how to match insulin. Limerick does not have a dedicated dietetic service for either adults or children with diabetes, despite the fact that the funding has been provided since 2010.”

A PROBLEM resident has taunted neighbours plagued by anti-social behaviour by claiming he will buy their homes if they want to leave a troubled estate.

The man, a convicted criminal, made the claim in a letter delivered to homes in the estate in Ennis.

Residents have suffered numerous instances of anti-social behaviour and raised their concerns in a meeting with senior Gardaí in Ennis last month.

The situation got so bad for one mortgage payer that he has been forced to leave the area to live in another part of Ennis.

Other residents are also believed to be considering leaving.

According to one person who has seen the letter, the document contained an element of threat.

Gardaí have been made aware of the situation and extra patrols have been visible in the estate.

The typed letter was hand delivered by members of the man’s family to certain homes in the estate.

In it the man boasted that he could afford to purchase homes in the estate and give them to members of his family.

In the letter he refers to a wide circle of cousins who he would like to see move into the estate, if his neighbours felt they wanted to leave.

It’s understood that the letter was delivered after a local newsletter highlighted the presence of Garda patrols in the area.

A Garda spokesman confirmed yesterday that a delegation of residents of the estate had raised their concerns during a meeting at Ennis Garda Station.

Ennis councillor Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said new legislation is required to protect residents from anti-social behaviour.

“People who live in estates and other areas should be able to live in peace.

“People should be living and working together to make estates better environments to live in,” he added.

WHILE questions may remain over the future management of Shannon Airport, business at the ailing airport got a boost yesterday with the announcement that daily transatlantic flights to Philadelphia will resume next year.

After a four-year absence, US Airways announced that it would begin the service on May 22, generating an additional 30,000 passengers through the airport next year.

The new flights to Philadelphia the sixth most populous city in the US – will operate on a daily basis with a two-class 176 seat Boeing 757 aircraft. The service will run until September 3, departing Shannon at 11.35am daily, and arriving in Philadelphia at 2.05pm local time. The return flight leaves Philadelphia at 9.05 p.m., arriving in Shannon at 8.40am the following day.

Welcoming the news, Mary Considine, Director of Shannon Airport said, “This is a great boost for Shannon as it adds another new transatlantic service for 2013. We are really pleased also to be welcoming US Airways back to Shannon and look forward to helping them build a strong base of business and leisure travellers to and from Philadelphia, as well as cities that they serve beyond the gateway.

“Philadelphia is a major hub for US Airways and offers onward connections to 175 destinations in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean so this opens up huge opportunities in terms of markets to and from Shannon through Philadelphia.”

Said Andrew Nocella, US Airways Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning. “As a popular destination in Europe, US Airways is thrilled to return to Shannon with seasonal service from our international gateway at Philadelphia International Airport.

“Beginning next spring, our customers will again have non-stop access to both coasts of Ireland. Customers can begin their trip with the Cliffs of Moher outside of Shannon and end it with seeing all that Ireland has to offer. As an additional benefit, customers can clear U.S. customs and immigration before departing Shannon, allowing for a quick and efficient arrival experience at Philadelphia International Airport. Customers who receive pre-clearance at Shannon Airport arrive as domestic passengers, are able to check their baggage through to their final destination and ultimately reduce the amount of time needed to connect to their next flight.”

THE Fianna Fáil leader was in Shannon on Friday to launch the State Airports (Amendment) Bill 2012, which states that Aer Rianta International (ARI) must be part of any future independent Shannon Airport.

The Government is proposing to cut the Clare airport loose, erase its estimated € 100 million debt, and give ARI to the Dublin Airport Authority.

The opposition party argues, however, that for the airport to survive, it must retain ARI, and is willing even to keep the debt if the profit-making company is retained in its Shannon birthplace.

Clare Fianna Fáil TD and Transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley said Fianna Fáil does not agree with separation at the moment.

“If that is the decision that is taken, it is imperative that Shannon has the appropriate means to survive into the future,” he said.

“Shannon in its current format even if you had no debt – is not profitable and unlikely to be profitable, now in a recession and in a normalised environment, unless you drum it down to a Farranfore style airport. If it is just a Farranfore style airport it is not going to accommodate the larger jets that are such an integral part of the US tourism business here. The infrastructure needs upgrading, so it needs a recurring revenue base,” he told a group in Shannon.

Among those listening were former airport employees Liam Skelly and Michael Hanrahan.

They argued that money directed to Dublin through ARI should be repaid to Shannon and Cork.

“Writing off the € 100 million is in no way compensating Shannon. We must make sure that Shannon gets a viable chance of being viable for the future,” said Mr Skelly.

“I feel that we need someone independent spells out what Shannon has lost by not having ARI and not getting a piece of the sale of the Great Southern Group. To date Shannon has made € 100 million during the 16 years it was under the old Aer Rianta.”

It is also estimated that ARI made € 160 million in the last eight years.

“Fianna Fáil believes that in the middle of an economic crisis, separating Shannon from the DAA is the wrong thing to do. However, we support the work of the steering group; particularly the aviation business development task force in identifying business opportunities for the new Shannon entity and the change management task force committee in working towards the transitional arrangements; charged with developing Shannon Airport and the region,” said Deputy Dooley.

Meanwhile the Government is expected to announce details of an arrangement with Ryanair and possibly other airlines in the coming weeks. “We are all very clear that hitching your boat entirely to the Ryanair brand certainly leave you open to potential difficulties in the future,” said Deputy Dooley.