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South Galway

Call for re-think on hen harrier protection

ICSA rural development chairman, Billy Gray has called for a complete re-think on how to protect the hen harrier, an endangered bird that is found in the East Clare/South Galway region. Recent extensive gorse fires in the area increased concerns for the long term future of the bird. Mr Gray argues that the Government response to the hen harrier is a denial of reality which will not safeguard the bird but will continue to have a devastating impact on farmers with hen harrier designation. “The GLAS scheme is of some help to farmers with smaller areas of designation, but it is inadequate for many farmers,” said Mr. Gray. “The ban on afforestation needs to be reviewed as there are considerable doubts about whether it is actually warranted or whether a more nuanced approach could yield better results. Most importantly, the Government needs to wake up to the reality that the hen harrier cannot thrive in rural communities if its presence …

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Pensioner hospitalised after burglary

AN elderly man was being treated in hospital on Wednesday, following an aggravated burglary in his South Galway home. The 80-year-old was at his home in Creggmulgreaney, between Kilchreest and Craughwell, on Tuesday night when three men entered the house at about 9.45pm. The men assaulted the pensioner, threatened him and locked him in a bedroom, before ransacking the house and leaving with a sum of money. The man’s wife, also aged 80, was also in the house at the time. She was uninjured but the couple are said to be extremely shaken by the incident. The man was taken to University College Hospital, Galway where his injuries are understood to be not life-threatening. One of the men involved in the attack was described as being 6ft tall, of thin build and was wearing dark clothes. A second man was described as being smaller, in his early 20s and wearing a light coloured jacket. Anyone with any information in relation …

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Seamount savour All-Ireland camogie glory

All-Ireland Post Primary Schools’ Senior “A” Championship Final   Seamount College 1-5, St Flannan’s Colllege, Ennis 0-6 Seamount College, Kinvara survived a late rally from a spirited St Flannan’s outfit to clinch the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools’ Senior “A” Championship final in Gort on Saturday afternoon. This absorbing tussle, which attracted over 1,000 patrons to Gort, could be summed up as a tale of two penalties. The Kinvara girls converted their penalty opportunity two minutes before the interval while St Flannan’s were left to rue what might have been after their effort from a placed ball was blocked eight minutes before the end. Having dominated the opening 22 minutes, Sinéad Quinn converted her fourth free to earn wind assisted St Flannan’s a 0-4 to 0-1 advantage. Five minutes later Katie McMahon looked set to unleash a goal attempt until she was brought down inside the square by Carol Browne, who was left with no option but to concede a penalty. Seamount centre …

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€50,000 award for garda in Gort siege

A 21-HOUR siege in Gort eight years ago was recalled this week when a retired garda sergeant, who suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following the incident, was awarded €50,000 damages in the High Court. Mr Justice Bernard Barton said during a Garda Compensation hearing that Peter Carr had been in a dangerous and life threatening situation and it was of no surprise that he had suffered psychological injuries. The court had heard that gardaí received a call from a woman at around 11.20pm on October 8, 2006, stating that shots had been heard at Crowe Street, Gort. Two garda cars were dispatched and it had transpired that a domestic dispute had taken place at No 67, where Anthony Burke had fired shots. His partner and three children had fled to a neighbour’s house. Mr Carr told the court that Burke, who had two shotguns and around 1,400 cartridges, had been firing round after round from his house, from the front …

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Body recovered from Gort river

The body of missing South Galway woman Una O’Driscoll was recovered from a river in Gort on Sunday morning. Gardaí in the town had been searching for the woman, who was reported missing the previous day. Her body was found in the water in the town centre shortly after 10am.  A post mortem took place in University Hospital, Galway on Monday. A meeting that had been scheduled to take place between Burren Lowlands representatives and Minister Ann Phelan on Tuesday in the town was cancelled. Ms O’Driscoll is survived by her husband, Tim; children, Maireád, Tomas and Fiona; brother, Mick; grandchildren, Sophie, Holly, Ethan and Rhys; sons in law, Michael and Peter and daughter in law, Anna.      

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Clare man charged with rape in Galway

A 20-year-old County Clare man has been charged with the rape of a woman in a Galway city apartment last year. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Galway District Court on Monday where he  denied two counts of raping the woman on the night of July 23-24, last year, contrary to Section 4 and Section 21 of the Criminal Law Rape Amendment Act, 1990. Garda Conor Barrett gave evidence of going to the man’s home earlier that morning and arresting him. He took him to Galway Garda Station and charged him there. He said the man replied “not guilty” to both charges. Garda Barrett said he had no objection to bail provided conditions were attached. Judge Aeneas McCarthy remanded the man on his own bail of €1,000 with no lodgement required, to appear before the court again on March 11 for service of a Book of Evidence. Bail was granted on condition he surrender his passport …

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Families call for extended maternity review

Pressure is growing on Health Minister, Leo Varadkar to extend the timescale and scope of a review of maternity services in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, after claims that the number of babies who died or have been deprived of oxygen is more than double the official figures. Many women from the East Clare area avail of maternity services at Portiuncula. The Saolta Group, which runs Portiuncula Hospital, has sanctioned a review into maternity services at the hospital, after the deaths of two babies and oxygen deprivation for five more. This review covers the nine-month period from February to November of last year. However, Warren and Lorraine Reilly, Loughrea, who lost two babies in Portiuncula Hospital within two years, have requested Minister Varadkar to extend the terms of the proposed inquiry from 2008 to 2014. The couple lost babies Asha and Amber, in 2008 and 2010 respectively, in the hospital. Asha was stillborn, while Amber had to be rushed to Holles Street …

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Hen harrier concerns for hill farmers

Following a series of public rallies in the West of Ireland, a new national farming organisation, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has been officially established. Since the draft Rural Development Programme was sent to the European Commission on July 3, 2014 by the Departments of Agriculture and broadly endorsed by the farming organisations, a passionate group of hill farmers and those farming designated lands, including farmers with hen harrier sites, have sustained a campaign to make changes to the RDP. The reasons for this was that commonage farmers could access the GLAS scheme as individuals and where Natura lands have been devalued  by designation, that measures would be added to help keep those farms viable. Massive rallies were held in Westport (1,700 farmers), Letterkenny ( 900 farmers), Maam Cross (1,000 farmers) to highlight the unfairness of the proposals in the draft and culminating in a march for fairness by 2,500 farmers in Castlebar.  

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