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A 41-year old Clare man has appeared in court charged with the illegal possession of 7,606 images and 139 video files of child pornography. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Detective Sergeant Dara O’Sullivan gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution of the man and the accused made no reply when charged. The man faces a charge that on September 4, 2013 he knowingly distributing child pornography for the purpose of distribution, publication and exportation contrary to Section 5(1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. The man is also accused of knowingly having in his possession the 7,606 child porn images and 139 video files at a Clare address on the same date contrary to Section 6 (1) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. Inspector Tom Kennedy said that the case will be going forward on indictment to the circuit court. In the circuit court, the accused, if convicted, faces a prison term up to five …

A woman who was repeatedly raped by a family friend as a child has faced her abuser in the Central Criminal Court, saying, “he has no shame”. Noel Kelleher (64) was found guilty by a jury of six counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of oral rape and one count of attempted oral rape of his victim at various locations in County Clare between June 1991 and August 1992. Kelleher of Gort na hAbhna, Roslevan, Ennis was found not guilty of a further 16 counts of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault by the jury following a Central Criminal Court trial last November. Kelleher will now be a registered sex offender. His victim, who was aged between 12 and 14 at the time of the attacks, wished to waive her right to anonymity, the court heard. Kelleher was in his late thirties and married when he carried out the abuse. Detective Garda Claire O’Shaughnessy told his …

An aircraft interior modification and refurbishment specialist, previously trading as indigenous Irish company UJet Group at the Shannon Free Zone, has announced that it is expanding its business operation and establishing a European Hub at Shannon Free Zone. The merger with US company STS Component Solutions will lead to the creation of 28 jobs at the Shannon operations over the next two years. STS Component Solutions is a division of STS Aviation Group, which currently offer materials management, engineering services, technical support, original equipment manufacturer distribution, and supply chain management solutions to the aerospace industry based in Florida. Making the announcement, Mark Robertson, president, STS UJet said, “We are delighted to be expanding our operation to Shannon Free Zone. Our new facilities provide us with the space to grow and expand into the future. Within two years we expect to more than double our workforce to 50 people, which currently stands at 22 people. aircraft interior modification and refurbishment specialist, previously tradin

BUSINESS people at Barrack Square and Old Barrack Street in Ennis were invited to an exhibition of new proposals for the area at The Old Ground Hotel on this week. Some raised concerns about what the proposals would mean for access and parking in the area. The preliminary proposals for the area include: • Introduction of a one-way traffic flow westwards, from O’Connell Street to Market Place; • Creation of a traffic-calmed pedestrian-priority plaza, with high-quality surface materials; • Increased footpath widths along Barrack Street to encourage improved pedestrian linkage between the Market and Square; • Provision of a central focal feature/gathering area, comprising a lightweight canopy structure; • Removal of on-street parking; • Provision of a loading and short-term parking bay; • Introduction of distinctive street furniture, including public seating, lighting, public artwork and new trees; • The retention of vehicle access to Westby Lane and existing residential properties. A council document on the proposals states, “Currently, the opportunities …

MORE than €190 million was spent on property in Clare during 2017, according to property price register figures. In all, a total of €192,553,535.10 changed hands, well over €3.5m per week. Most of the money was spent in the second half of 2017, when transactions of €108.7m took place. The total for the first quarter was €42,891,537.16, while it was marginally lower at €40,686,186.90 in the second quarter. In the third quarter it was substantially higher at €50,097,538.60 and rose higher again to €58,698,606.40 in the last three months of the year. In the year as a whole, there were 1,278 transactions, giving an average value of €150,667. The first two months of the year were relatively sluggish in comparison with what was to follow, with just over €12.5m spent in the month of January and €12.23m in February. The March figure was far higher at €18.1m. April saw combined values of €9.36m but in May, the equivalent figure was …

MOST Most. Rev. Dr Brendan Kelly will be formally installed as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora this Sunday. The ceremony will take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, Galway. Born in Derrybrien, County Galway in May 1946, he was the second of nine children born to Sean and Annie Kelly. Following his Leaving Certificate in 1964 he was accepted by the then bishop, Michael Brown, to study for diocesan priesthood in the Galway Diocese. He was sent to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth in September of that year. As a seminarian Bishop Brendan completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1967 and a Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1970. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1971 by Bishop Brown in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas. His first appointment was to the parish of Kinvara as a curate before being appointed to the teaching staff of Coláiste …

THE draft National Planning Framework developed by Government has been described by the IFA as “Dublin-centric and lacking ambition for rural Ireland.” “The Government’s aspiration to develop a planning framework out to 2040 in a balanced and coherent way fails rural Ireland, particularly in the addressing following four areas: the decline of rural towns and villages; the need to rebalance development towards the regions; the need for rural housing; and, supporting community based renewable energy development,”said Thomas Cooney, IFA Environment chairman. In a submission to Government, IFA has detailed a number of areas that need to be addressed. To reverse the decline of rural towns and villages, IFA says new business start-ups should receive incentives, such as exemptions from rates, for an initial time period and relief from capital gains tax, to encourage innovation and enterprise. Double tax relief should be provided on rental expenditure for businesses establishing in rural towns and villages. A condition for a valid planning application for …

The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau is reminding the public about the dangers of providing personal and financial details to third parties, following a number of recently reported scams. The first relates to a Bank Compromise Fraud (Vishing). The victim was contacted by an individual purporting to be from their bank stating their account had some suspicious transactions. In order to provide a refund, the victim was instructed to send funds via financial money transfer to locations including Nepal, Kenya and Cambodia. The second relates to a fraud targeting Indian and other nationalities after recently travelling to Ireland, who were contacted by phone and told they had incorrectly filled in a form at the airport in their country of origin. They were told their Visa would be invalid and they would be deported unless they sent funds via financial money transfer to India to rectify the issue. Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Lordan, Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, said, “I want …