Category: News

A COUPLE living in Shannon have been given seven-year sentences after being caught in Dublin handing over cash they brought from Limerick to exchange for heroin with a street value of almost € 50,000.

The couple got lost in Finglas as they headed back to Limerick with the drugs before gardaí pulled them over. They told gardaí they were in financial difficulties and were to get € 500 from criminals for the drugs run.

Ross Buckley (22) and Barbara Campion (23), both with an address at Delacey Park, Shannon, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to possession of the heroin for sale or supply at North Road, Finglas, on August 4, 2009.

After the couple were arrested they each attempted to take responsibility for the offence and absolve the other. Their co-accused, Gerard Ledwidge (26) of Cappagh Road, Finglas, also pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply on the same date and was also given a seven year sentence.

Judge Katherine Delahunt commented it was a difficult case involving the parents of young children but said she was satisfied they were all fully aware of what they were doing and had engaged in it willingly. She suspended the final two years of each sentence.

Gardaí, on foot of certain information, observed a car driven by Buckley with Campion as a passenger, being driven up Cabra Road before stopping at the junction of Ratoath Road.

Two males approached the car, one of which was later found to be Ledwidge, and the window was rolled down.

Ledwidge handed in a small package and Campion handed out a bag. The car left the area and was followed by gardaí. Ledwidge was arrested in a nearby house shortly afterwards.

Gardaí following Buckley and Campion, activated their sirens and pulled the car over on North Road. They found a bag in the glove compartment which contained heroin with a street value of € 48,060.

Campion told gardaí she had come from Limerick with € 8,000 in cash and guessed she had to collect heroin. She and Buckley were to get € 500.

She said they had been asked to go to Dublin and had been given a phone number to ring to find out the location of the hand over. She said she rang the number and handed over the money to Ledwidge in return for the drugs.

Campion, who worked as a catering assistant, said she did not have a drug problem and would not name the person she was working for.

Buckley initially told gardaí he was committing the offence to clear a drug debt but later admitted he had done the run in return for cash payment. He mentioned at one stage the money was to be used for a holiday to Spain.

He said they were to return to Limerick with the drugs for a drop off but he did not realise the value of the drugs.

Ledwidge has 31 previous convictions while Campion has one conviction and Buckley has five convictions.

Det Gda Byrne agreed with Ms Grainne O’Neill BL, defending Campion, that the couple’s role was “amateurish in nature” and they had no plan if they were stopped.

Ms O’Neill submitted that Campion had a disruptive childhood but a strong work ethic. She said she had suffered post natal depression and had been in financial difficulties after returning to work on a part-time basis after her maternity leave.

She said Campion made “a very, very bad decision” which she and her child will have to live with. Det Gda Byrne agreed with Mr James McCullough BL, defending Buckley, that the couple made no attempt to evade gardaí and there was no evidence of high living. He said he was not aware of any threats being made.

Mr McCullough said Buckley, who played soccer at underage and senior level with Shannon Town, was remorseful and that he was a vulnerable man who was quite naive. He said the couple were devoted to their young child who would suffer trauma as a result of her parents going into custody.

IMPROVING the quality of healthcare to the people of Clare will be a priority for the Labour Party if they return to government for the first time in 14 years, with party leader Eamon Gilmore telling

A MAN HAS appeared in court charged in connection with the illtreatment of horses in the county.

John Joe Fitzpatrick (57), of Mountbellow, O’Briensbridge, is facing two charges of cruelty to an animal, on January 25 and January 27, 2010.

He is also facing two charges of permitting a carcass to remain unburied at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, on January 25, 2010.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shannon District Court on Thursday that the case could not go ahead this week as he required veterinary inspectors and personnel from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) to be present for the hearing and he sought a later date.

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the case until February 17, when a date for the hearing will be fixed.

LIKE all high profile races, the runners and riders are announced well in advance but punters can’t be sure that injury won’t remove a contender or that a new contestant won’t be added before the starting lineout is complete.

It is with the same trepidation that The Clare People looks at the participants in the upcoming General Election, also keeping in mind that a week is no longer considered a long time in politics – it is now an eternity.

With the political ground changing every minute the affect on the riders and the daily change in the odds is huge.

With just weeks until polling day, time is running out for Fine Gael however to add a fourth candidate to the ticket if it decides to change its current strategy.

With just three candidates now in the race it will more than likely be hoping for two seats, with the third candidate used as a vote sweeper.

While many have questioned the geographical positioning of its candidates so far, the party should be confident of retaining two seats; the question seems to be which of the two candidates are likely to take those seats?

Fianna Fáil in Clare has come out fighting, and despite its dishevelled appearance two weeks ago, it is better organised than many constituencies that still have to hold their conventions.

Geographically its candidates are well placed, but while for now Dr John Hillery has north-west Clare to himself, Deputy Timmy Dooley could feel the pressure in the east.

Not only is he the sole face of the current administration in Clare, he must also contend with neighbouring candidate – Labour’s Michael McNamara.

Mr McNamara is untested on general election ground, but fared well in the European Election in Clare as the only Clare candidate.

The Green Party in Clare has not really been a serious challenger when it came to the last counts in general elections in Clare and it is unlikely this will change this time around, with the party likely to pay the price for being the small party in a very unpopular coalition.

The Independents are also on stand by to run the favourites off the field with former TD James Breen (Ind) the most likely to spring a surprise and come home in the first four places.

A CLARE-based freight and transport service provider, Eoin Gavin Transport, has won a prestigious industry award at the third annual TPN Awards. The awards are designed to reward excellence and to raise the standards and public perception of the freight and logistics industry in Ireland. TPN (The Pallet Network) members from around the country voted in the awards, judging their peers on their performance in categories such as customer service and contribution to the national network.

Mairead Barrett, a longstanding employee, was awarded the TPN Outstanding Contribution Award 2010 for the depot. The award recognises excellent service for the customer and business and contribution to the overall success of TPN. Eoin Gavin, Managing Director, said, “We were delighted to hear that Mairead achieved such an award for the company, particularly in this difficult economic climate. The team have worked incredibly hard over the last year and it is great to be recognised by peers in the industry and within The Pallet Network. These awards demonstrate how the transport and logistics industry has radically changed the way it operates and reflects the forward thinking of transport, logistics and freight companies like Eoin Gavin Transport.”

Operating from a purpose-built 5,000 square foot warehouse in Bunratty, Eoin Gavin Transport currently employs over 15 staff with a fleet of 13 trucks. Via the TPN network, the company provides domestic overnight delivery to the 32 counties and 48-hour delivery to the UK, as well as international express deliveries. TPN is the only network in Ireland or the UK that has achieved ISO9001:2000 accreditation for all depots across the country and was also recently awarded the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO9001:2008.

A NORTH Clare road, which was severely damaged during the construction of a water scheme more than two years ago, was described as nothing mote than a “cow path” at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council.

The road, which is located in the Dromoher/Crossard area of north Clare, was down for inclusion in the annual roadwork’s programme in 2010 but was dropped due to lack of funding.

Speaking on a motion put forward on yesterday’s meeting, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) urged the road to be included as a priority for the 2011 programme.

“It’s almost not a road anymore, it’s a cow path. Just because these people live in rural Ireland, they pay their road tax, it doesn’t mean that they are not entitled to a half decent road to go to work and to the shops on.

“If there is to be any road works budget this year, we need the message going forward to have this road dealt with. We had an understanding before that roads which were withdrawn in 2009 were on the programme for 2010. I think the same situation should be used for this road, which was withdrawn because of lack of funding in 2010.”

TWO Fianna Fáil councillors yesterday blamed the former Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader, John Gormley, for the failure of many rural sewage schemes in Clare to gain funded over the past two year.

Commenting on a motion in relation to the Miltown Malbay wastewater treatment plant put forward by Cllr Michael Hillary (FF) at yesterday’s North Clare Area Meeting, Cllr Richard Nagle and Michael Kelly claimed that a combination of red-tape and a bias in favour of Dublin projects, resulted in a number of Clare projects not going ahead over the past few years.

“I would hope that when we have a new Minister for the Environment, that the first thing that is done is to simplify the process of applying for a treatment plant,” said Cllr Nagle.

“Over the last number of years the system has been so bureaucratic that we did not do very well in the number of projects which got funding. It seems that the priority was given to larger development in places in the surrounds of Dublin. We were definitely the poor relation. The last thing that we need is that there remains so much bureaucracy that it continues to bogs down the whole process.”

According to Cllr Michael Kelly, the proposed redevelopment of the Miltown Malbay sewage system and a number of other projects would have received funding had it not been from red-tape from the Department of the Environment.

“We are now in the unhappy situation where sewerage systems would have been put through by now had it not been for the bureaucracy of the Department of the Environment,” he said.

“This was not the fault of Clare County County, it was a bureaucracy land mine,” Cllr Kelly concluded.

This debate was sparked off by a motion from Cllr Michael Hillery, who is worried that the Miltown Malbay wastewater treatment system will not be granted an EPA licence for 2011.

“We have been looking for a proper sewerage system in Miltown Malbay for many years but with the financial situation at the moment that wont be happening for awhile. However, the system in Miltown does need to be upgraded if it is to get a EPA licence,” said Cllr Hillery.

“The sewerage system there was built in the 1940’s and is not suitable to deal with the increase in population which has taken place over the last few years.”

THE MAIN road between Ennistymon and Lahinch came within an inch of being closed over the Christmas period, it was revealed at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council.

The road, which carries an estimated 20,000 cars per week during the winter months, was severely damaged as a result of the pre-Christmas cold snap, with local authority crews forced to conduct daily emergency repairs on the road.

Despite these efforts, a large number of minor accidents were reported on the road during the Christmas period.

Responding to a motion put forward by Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) at yesterday’s meeting in Ennistymon, council engineer Stephen Lahiffe said that the road “was in danger of being closed” over the Christmas period.

This section of the N67 is one of the main routes in north Clare and is also a major tourism artery, carrying more than € 1 million visitors to the Burren each year.

Clare County Council yesterday confirmed that a new contractor has been hired to strengthen and tar the road with works expected to get underway in five weeks. This follows difficulty in engaging a contractor before Christmas, with one chosen contractor going into liquidation and a second being unable to raise a bond for the project.

“The money is still there and work will start in the next five weeks and that is good news. I would hope that when the work is completed that we will have a state of the art road between Ennistymon and Lahinch,” said Cllr Nagle.

“I have been inundated with complains about the state of the road over the last few weeks. That there had to be daily works carried the road just to keep it open shows how bad it was.”

Seconding the motion, local councillor Martin Conway (FG), said that the road should have been prioritised long ago.

“This is the main connnectivity route to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Even at off peak we are talking about 20,000 cars per week and much more in the summer,” he said.

“This is one of the most used stretches of road in the county. Really and truly it should have been prioritiesed long ago. I would like to commend the council for the work they have done to keep it open. It is just such a pity that so many small acident had to take place on the road over the last while.”

CLARE COUNTY Council yesterday denied allegations that a road through the Meadowlands estate in Miltown Malbay had been changed from a cul-de-sac to a through road.

The local authority is at present drawing up an architectural plan for the road which will see it be opened to through traffic. However, according to correspondence received from a number of local residents, the properties were purchased in 2003 under the condition that the road would remain a cul-de-sac.

According to Cllr Michael Hillery (FF), this change could lead to major safety concerns for the local residents.

“I am concerned about the safety of children in the area and the public safety in general at this road. This was to be a cul-de-sac and now it is to be the through road. It is of critical importance that this is looked at.

“This road is soon to be used for though traffic and we don’t want any accidents.”

According to Cllr Martin Conway (FG), a number of local residents claim to have been given assurances that the road would remain a cul-desac before they bought the property.

“I have been speaking to residents and they maintain that when they bought the houses back in 2003 it was stated that the road was a particular type of road,” he said.

“They contend that negotiations took place between the contractor and Clare County Council and it finished up with the road being classified as a through road which is very different from the road that they thought they would get.”

This was disputed by a spokesperson from the council who said that the road was always intended to be a through road by the local authority.

“We did have a meeting with the residents. As a result of this meeting we undertook to look at the road and see could we come up with a way of alleviating their concerns,” said engineer Stephen Lahiffe.

“It was always intended to be a through road, it was stated before the planning for that houses that it was to be a through road. We have not yet completed the road design for that road and we will engage with the residents again before that happens.”

Meanwhile, the local authority has been asked to look into a way of improving the conditions the old traveler halting site at Ballymacraven in Ennistymon.

The site, which is to become the new council chip dump, has been targetted by illegal dumpers in recent months.

THE founding members of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard were recognised this weekend for the long and dedicated service to the people of Clare.

Six members of the Doolin Coastguard were awarded prestigious Long Service Medals at a ceremony at the new Costello Bay Coast Guard Station in Galway on Friday evening last.

Medals were awarded to founding members Mattie Shannon and Thomas Doherty, as well as long serving members Conor McGrath, Ray Murphy, Richie Jones and Ian Lambe. The coastguard, which has been the busiest in Ireland over the last 10 years, was founded 23 years ago by Mattie Shannon and Thomas Doherty – who are currently the stations officer in charge and deputy officer in charge respectively.

“The long service awards are given out to people who have been involved in the coastguard for 20 years so it shows the great commitment which has been there down the years. We also have a number of volunteers who have been involved for 17 or 18 years and they will qualify for awards in the coming years,” said Mattie.

“It is great for the volunteers who have given all that time over the years – it is nice to have that recognised. They will always have something now, they will have a medal as a token that they can pass on to show their commitment over the years.”

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard has been so successful in attracting members in recent years that they currently have more volunteers than they can bring into the unit.

“We are recruiting at the moment. We have interviewed 12 people from the north Clare area and we are hoping to take five new members on over the coming weeks. The interviews are ongoing at the moment and we will be making up our mind come the end of February,” continued Mattie.

“We had a great response to this latest call for members but we are really looking to get members who are based as close as possible to Doolin. We had a lot of people applying from Ennis and different areas, which is great, but they really need to be based close to Doolin in case of an emergency. We will take on a few people living in the local area and then we will go a few miles outside of that for the last few people. But unfortunately for anyone who is living 10 of 15 miles away it is just a bit too far.”