Category: News

THE CLARE branch of St Vincent de Paul say they will pay for Christmas presents for children this year – if it means that families won’t be forced to use non-traditional moneylenders.

Clare SVP president, John Cullinane, is urging Clare families to contact the society now – before the pressures to go into debt to fund Christmas presents begins.

Speaking in the aftermath of a Gardai crackdown on illegal money lending in Clare, Mr Cullinane said his organisation can provide toys, food and fuel to needy families this Christmas.

“We have had some people coming to us in recent times reporting that they have gotten in trouble with money lenders but we fell that most of these people don’t actually contact the SVP,” he said.

“We feel that a large amount of people are using money lenders before they contact SVP.

“We would really urge people to contact us, especially coming up to Christmas time when families need more money.

“We would urge people not to go money lenders looking for money they should go to their local St Vincent de Paul instead.

“We will provide everything we possibly can for people and families coming up to Christmas.

“We can help people with food, clothing, toys and fuel – we are in a position to provide people in need with a wide array of materials that will help them steer clear of moneylenders this Christmas.

“It is so easy when a moneylender calls to your door.

“It is very tempting to avail of it at the time but then when you are paying back at interest rate of 300 per cent or more, people can get caught in a cycle with the money lenders and become trapped by the weight of their debt.”

The St Vincent de Paul carries out an assessment of all applications to prevent people who don’t need it from accessing their services.

“However, once a person or family have passed the application, they is funding in place to help them with a variety of materials in the run up to Christmas.

People thinking of using money lenders are also urged to contact Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).

GARDAÍ are urging anyone affected by illegal money lending in the town of Kilrush to come forward and speak to them.

The appeal comes following a dawn raid on businesses and homes in the Kilrush area by gardaí investigating illegal money lending, on Tuesday last.

A total of 11 people were arrested following the searches, which commenced at 7am.

They were later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The planned search followed months of investigations involving local gardaí assisted by Criminal Assets Bureau, Regional Support Unit, and Special Detective Units from Galway, the National Criminal Intelligence Unit as well as officials from Revenue, Social Welfare and Clare County Council.

The arrests included five males aged between 18 and 55 years, and six females aged between 20 and 49 years.

All those arrested were detained at various Garda Stations in County Clare, Limerick and Galway under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, centres around complaints received from various individuals and is focused on those suspected of being engaged in unlicensed money lending. _

There had been a number of reports to gardaí of intimidation relating to the illegal money lending during the last year, but those making the complaints were often too frightened to make statements.

Kilrush Gardaí along with CAB and other local bodies began to carry out further investigations leading to last week’s searches and arrests.

This is the second major investigation requiring extensive Garda resources, to be carried out in the town in the last number of months.

Gardaí in Kilrush, in conjunction with the National Drugs Unit have been tackling the supply of illegal drugs issue with a special five-month undercover operation spanning the end of last year and the first quarter of this year.

A total of 1,400 Garda man-hours were used in Operation Luxor, which resulted in at least eight arrests that have come before the courts so far.

A TEENAGER has asked a Judge to lock him up for Christmas so he can get help for his drug addiction.

The 18 year-old made the request through his solicitor at Ennis District Court on Wednesday. The boy was previously ordered to complete 120 hours of community service in lieu of two months detention. The order was imposed in respect of a shoplifting offence whereby the teenager stole a jumper worth € 14 from Dunne Stores, Ennis on September 8, 2013. The case was adjourned to allow for a report from the Probation Serv- ices. But on Wednesday solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client was asking for the sentence at St Patrick’s Institution for Young Offenders to be activated instead of the community service order. Ms Godfrey said her client had developed a “pernicious addiction to weed” and believes the best thing for him is to get off the streets of Ennis. “He says he will get help there (St Pats). He says he needs it and he wants it”, Ms Godfrey added. Ms Godfrey said this was the first time a person of her client’s age had asked her to make such an application to the courts. “He doesn’t trust himself at liberty at this time,” she said. Judge Patrick Durcan asked the teenager if he had ever spent time in St Patrick’s Institution before. The accused told Judge Durcan he had spent a few months there. Inspector Tom Kennedy said it was not open to the accused to come into court and tell the court what orders to impose. “Its rather incredible really” he added. Insp Kennedy continued, “He should do what he is asked to do by the court.” He said it was not open to the teenager to treat the court in an “a la carte” manner. Probation Officer Paula McNamara told the court she would require time to speak with the accused. Judge Durcan adjourned the case to December 11.

A DISTANT RELATIVE of US President Barrack Obama has been told to pay € 500 to the court poor box after he pleaded guilty to careless driving near Ennis last year.

Moneygall man Henry Healy (29) was involved in a crash when he momentarily lost control of his car at Shraheen, Clooney at around 7pm on May 8, 2013, Ennis District Court heard on Wednesday.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court Mr Healy was driving towards Tulla when his car veered across the line of traffic and into the side of an incoming car. Insp Kennedy said, “The two cars didn’t hit head on, they hit sideways and there was a collision.” Garda Brian O’Callaghan told the court he responded to a 999 emergency call about the accident on the night. He said Mr Healy’s car “travelled quite a distance down the road on impact”.

Garda O’Callaghan said the female victim knew there was going to be an impact and braced herself for it. “I was subsequently speaking to Mr Healy. He has no recollection of it”, added Garda O’Callaghan

Mr Healy, with an address at Moneygall, Offaly, and the female occupant of the other vehicle were both hospitalized but their injuries were not serious, the court heard.

Garda O’Callaghan said, “He wasn’t speeding. He momentarily lost control before impact.”

Addressing Judge Patrick Durcan solicitor Michael Collins said his client had never been in trouble before. “I am hoping that we can come out of here today without anything on our record,” he added. Mr Collins said Mr Healy had a momentary lapse on “what I believe is a notorious stretch of road.” Mr Collins said Mr Healy is involved in tourism development and his job requires him to be constantly on the road.

Judge Durcan remarked that Mr Healy is from an “internationally recognized part of Ireland.” Mr Healy is the eighth cousin of US President Barrack Obama. He has visited the White House and accompanied Mr Obama on his historic visit to his ancestral home of Moneygall in May 2011.

Judge Durcan said: “This is a man of 29 years of age, he has an impeccable record in terms of road traffic and he has some record of service to the State,” he added.

Judge Durcan said that if Mr Healy paid € 500 to the court poor box he would strike out the charge. The money was paid into court.

GARDA plans aimed at curbing crime in Ennis town centre over the Christmas period will be unveiled at a meeting on Monday night.

The annual Christmas Business Watch meeting will take place at Ennis Garda Station on Monday, December 16, 6.15pm-7pm.

All businesses are invited to attend the meeting. The Ennis Chamber Garda Accord was established in 2003 to formalise meetings between the business community and the local Gardaí.

Members of the Garda Crime Prevention Unit and Business Liaison Team will be in attendance to give advice to businesses on how best to protect themselves, cash and premises in the busy Christmas period. The Gardaí will also answer any question from the business community in relation to security issues throughout the year.

Businesses will also hear first-hand Ennis Gardaí’s activities in relation to Beat-on-the-Street and about conditions for Pedestrianisation in the Christmas Shopping Period. Ennis’s Purple Flag Award will also be discussed as to how the town can ensure the retention of this accolade in 2014.

The meeting comes after businesses in the Market raised concerns over “aggressive behaviour” of some groups of young people in the area.

Ennis councilor, Johnny Flynn (FG) said the concerns were highlighted at a recent meeting with representatives of businesses in the Market.

He stated, “During the meeting the majority expressed serious concerns for themselves, their staff and customers as a result of aggressive behaviour of groups of young people

He continued, “The businesses claim that it is the same group that are causing damage to both business and negatively impact on the public perception of safety whilst shopping or strolling through their business area.

“The ability of businesses to pay rates, other local government costs, etc, they say, are directly related to the ability to trade successfully in a safe and attractive area. They believe that all the good work of both the Council and both in promoting and managing Ennis can be undone by this small sector of society”.

According to Cllr Flynn, some business owners “have witnessed tourists and locals leaving their street at haste when some hassle between the youths and or various families ‘kicks off’.”

Onlookers in Kilrush were staggered early on Tuesday morning when local gardaí assisted by Criminal Assets Bureau, Regional Support Unit, and Special Detective Units from Galway, the National Criminal Intelligence Unit as well as officials from Revenue, Social Welfare and Clare County Council staged a series of raids on properties in Kilrush. A number of premises were searchged and a total of eleven people were arrested following the searches. Those arrested were later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. The garda operation had commenced at 7am on the Tuesday, traditionally Children’s Allowance Day in Kilrush.

According to locals in Kilrush, gardaí will find it very difficult to convince people to testify in any cases brought before the courts as a result of this operation.

“There is no doubt about it,” said The Clare People source in Kilrush, “but they won’t get anyone in Kilrush to testify against these people. Even the people who were beaten up and the person who got his hand broken by moneylenders won’t testify. It just won’t happen.”

The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, centres around complaints received from various individuals and is focused on those suspected of being engaged in unlicensed money lending.

IT was a case of lucky 13 for the people of Shannon on Thursday night last – the number who were honoured by Shannon Town Council as part of its annual Liosta na Laochra civic awards initiative that took place in Sean Lemass Library.

Broadcasters, journalists, athletes, kick-boxers and All-Ireland under 21 and senior winning hurler Aaron Cunningham were among those presented with awards by Mayor of Shannon Greg Duff.

Each year Shannon Town Council honours residents from the community who have achieved national or international recognition or have achieved their national/international recognition with a club, society or organisation operating within the functional area of Shannon Town Council.

The award winners were broadcasters/journalists Valerie Sweeney, Aisling O’Loughlin, Rachel English and Orla Walsh; All-Ireland winning athletes from Shannon Athletic Club; Geariod McMahon, Colin Curran, Dylan O’Brien and Seamus McMahon; medal winners at the World Kickboxing Championships and members of Shannon Kickboxing Club in Leona O’Shea, David Ryan, Caimin Murphy and Darren McNamara as wll as Aaron Cunningham.

The Mayor of Shannon noted that “the awards winners have brought great pride to the Shannon community through their achievements by their achievements in their chosen sports and professional careers”.

On the night civic honours were also awarded to Clare Civil Defence and EI Electronics. Clare Civil Defence were awarded a civic honour in recognition of their ongoing voluntary work on behalf of the communities in Clare including Shannon.

“The assistance of the Civil Defence in the organisation of the St. Patricks Day parade each year is much appreciated,” said Mayor Duff, while he also praised “the tireless voluntary work of the civil defence over the last number of years, especially during the severe weather incidences that have effected Ireland”.

EI Electronics celebrated their 50th year in business earlier this year. The company manufacture detector alarms from their facility in Shannon, a landmark that was honoured by the town council in recognition of “the much needed employment the company brought to local people” but they also because of the company’s generous sponsorship of community organisations and events.

A JUDGE has said he does not accept an Ennis woman accused of breaching a protection order taken out by her ex-boyfriend suffers from a “serious psychiatric problem”.

Rather Judge Patrick Durcan said he believes Siobhan Downes (34) acted out of a “bold determination to pursue” the alleged victim.

Judge Durcan was speaking at Ennis District Court on Wednesday where Ms Downes appeared charged with breaching a protection order on October 3 by allegedly going to her former boyfriend’s home.

Ms Downes previously avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty in September to six separate breaches of a protection order originally imposed by the court in February. At the time Ms Downes agreed to be admitted for psychiatric treatment.

The court heard Ms Downes’ former partner secured the order after the breakdown of the couple’s relationship.

In October Judge Durcan warned Ms Downes as to her future behaviour and ordered her to give a sworn undertaking that she would not make contact with the alleged injured party or make enquiries of him.

On Wednesday, Judge Durcan said he was “not happy” with a report prepared by the Probation Services

Addressing the former airhostess, Judge Durcan said; “I do not believe you are cooperating with the Probation Services. I believe there is an element of foxing as far as you are concerned.”

Judge Durcan said he did not accept there is a “serious psychiatric problem” as far as Ms Downes is concerned.

“I believe there is a bold determination on your part to pursue the victim”, he added.

Defence solicitor Turlough Herbert told the court that a psychiatrist’s report is still awaited for his client.

Judge Durcan warned the accused that if she did not comply 100% with the requirements of the Probation Services he would finalise matters with a prison sentence.

He said that a time of limited resources, State agencies could not afford to waste time trying to work with people who fail to engage with services and attend appointments.

“You’d want to shake up and wake up or I’ll wake you up”, he said.

Judge Durcan remanded Ms Downes on continuing bail to appear again at Ennis District Court on February 5, 2014 when he said the case would be finalized.

He granted liberty to the State to re-enter the cases should Ms Downes breach conditions of her bail. “The codding has to stop”, he added.

THE DEVELOPMENT of a new road layout at Blakes Corner in Ennistymon is back on track – with An Bord Pleanála agreeing to fund an Environmental Impact Statement [EIS] into the development.

Progress on the development has been virtually stalled since October 2011 – when the Save Ennistymon’s Heritage group indicated its intention to refer planning permission for the project to An mBord Pleanála – should Clare County Council and the National Roads Authority [NRA] go ahead with planning without first completing an EIS.

This tactic had previously been used by objectors to a new pier in Doolin to delay progress on that development. Clare County Council has made a number of unsuccessful requests that funding be made available by the NRA over the past two years.

A council spokesperson confirmed yesterday that NRA funding will be made available next year to complete the EIS. “Clare County Council has received confirmation from the NRA that the required funding will be provided during 2014 to enable the Council, in conjunction with the NRA, to proceed with the EIS in relation to resolving traffic issues at Blakes Corner, Ennistymon. Work on this EIS will begin once this funding has been received,” said a council spokesperson.

The news comes on the foot of cor respondence between Lahinch Councillor Bill Slattery (FG) and Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, earlier this year.

“This matter has dragged on for a considerable time and no progress is being made on the issue. The lack of progress has been very frustrating,” he said. “We are now getting the money that we need for the EIS.

“This means that we can proceed right away with procurement of consultants to do this work and make a submission to An Bord Pleanála. I also received an assurance from Tom Tiernan [Senior Engineer with Clare County Council], that the steps leading down to Blakes Corner will be back-filled soon. This will make the situation there much safer.”

Once the EIS is completed Clare County Council/NRA will be in a position to go ahead with planning permission for the junction. This plan could see the front of Blakes and Linnanes building demolished and rebuilt on a site a number of metres back from the junction.

A WOMAN found by gardaí to be driving without insurance on nine separate occasions in areas of North and West Clare last year has received a suspended 12 month prison sentence.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, mother of two Caitriona Kennedy (26) was warned the sentence would be activated if she re-offended.

Ms Kennedy, with a former address at Spanish Cove, Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, had pleaded guilty to driving without insurance on nine occasions in Miltown Malbay and Lahinch between September 21 and November 16, 2012.

The case was adjourned to allow for reports from the Probation Services and the Health Services Executive (HSE).

Defence solicitor Fiona Hehir told the court her client has not come to garda attention since the offences were committed.

Ms Hehir said her client, who is now living in Newcastle West, had been investigated by the HSE who “found nothing”. “She is a good mother”, added Ms Hehir.

Ms Hehir continued, “She knows she will not be behind the wheel of a car for a long time. She’s not someone I think will re-offend. The penny has dropped.”

The court heard Ms Kennedy now uses public transport to visit family in Clare.

Judge Patrick Durcan said he wanted to hear from the gardaí who stopped Ms Kennedy.

Garda John Reidy of the Clare Garda Division Traffic Corp said, “On the first time I met her, there was a child standing between the seats. It was reckless.”

Garda Brian O’Callaghan said in his interaction with Ms Kennedy, she showed “total disregard” for the traffic laws.

Judge Patrick Durcan said that while the accused has not been in trouble since last November, he could impose prison sentences totaling 18 months.

Judge Durcan imposed sentences totaling 12 months and disqualified Ms Kennedy from holding a driver’s license for eight years.

He suspended the sentences on condition Ms Kennedy enter into a bond to be of good behaviour. A JUDGE has said he needs to see a medical report before deciding whether to accept jurisdiction of a case where it is alleged a man assaulted a woman in the Tulla Road area of Ennis last month. The 28-year-old man appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday, charged with assault causing harm to a woman in the Tulla Road area of Ennis on November 16. The case was adjourned to allow for directions to issue from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court the DPP had consented to summary disposal of the case. He said the alleged incident was regarded as being at the lower end of Section 3 assaults. Insp Kennedy said it was his understanding the alleged victim was not hospitalised. However Judge Durcan said he had some knowledge of the case and he required medical evidence before making a decision on jurisdiction. Judge Durcan also acceded to a request from the State to amend the accused’s bail conditions. Judge Durcan said the State had been granted liberty to re-enter the case as part of the accusued’s bail conditions. He said he wanted the case to be carefully monitored. The court heard both parties are affected by severe learning difficulties. Judge Durcan said the question of whether he should preside over any hearing the case would also have to be

addressed. A GALWAY man has been told he can look forward to a “few weeks walking and cycling” after losing his driver’s license for illegally parking in a disabled parking space.

At Ennis District Court on Friday, Kevin Maughan (21), with an address at Coole Haven, Gort, Co Galway, received a € 100 fine and was disqualified from holding a driver’s license for two months. This was after the court heard Mr Maughan parked illegally in a disabled parking bay at Lifford, Ennis on May 22, 2013. Mr Maughan was initially fined but says he did not receive the fine notice because he was serving a prison sentence at the time.

Asked by Judge Patrick Durcan to explain his behaviour on the day, Mr Maughan said, “It was busy on the day. I was in a bit of rush. I’m really sorry.”

The court heard the father of two is currently serving a prison sentence. Urging the court to be lenient, defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client had been extremely upfront in his attitude to the charge.

Judge Patrick Durcan said Mr Maughan had “shown a complete lack of thought.” Imposing a nominal € 100 fine, Judge Durcan said he was aware Mr Maughan was a father of two young children and that Christmas was approaching. He also disqualified Mr Maughan from holding a driver’s license for a period of two months. “When he comes out of prison, he’ll have a few weeks walking and cycling before he’s authorised to drive again,” he added.