News

A jury took over five and a half hours to find an  80-year-old former school principal guilty of indecently assaulting 11 female students over a 21-year period. The jury at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court unanimously found Patrick Barry of Well Road, Kilkee guilty on 59 counts of indecent assault against the school girls between 1964 and 1985 at Moyasta National School. Judge Gerald Keyes had directed the jury to find Barry not guilty on eight outstanding counts for legal reasons. Counsel for the State, Anthony Sammon SC, said: “It is the express wish of the complainants that Mr Barry be named.” The judge ordered that Barry be identified and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register. Judge Keyes remanded Barry on continuing bail to reappear before the court in October 28 to fix a date for sentence.

SHANNON-BASED Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy says the news that Shannon Airport recorded a 15% increase in passenger traffic during the first half of 2014 is “a welcome development in light of the impending formal establishment of Shannon Group plc.” The Shannon Aviation Services and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill recently passed through the Dáil and is shortly expected to be ratified by the Seanad. The legislation will result in the setting up the new Shannon Group to take control of the running Shannon Airport and its surrounding landbank. According to Senator Mulcahy: “Ever since independence was secured from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), significant progress has been made by management at Shannon Airport in reversing the downward trend for passenger traffic. The expansion of existing services and the commencement of new services to and from Shannon has re-established the airport as Ireland’s second busiest airport, behind Dublin, which is an outstanding achievement for everyone concerned. It is further evidence of the …

VERY Rev. William Canon Cummins, who is parish priest of Mervue in Galway City, has been appointed parish priest of Ennistymon where he previously served as curate. He succeeds Very Rev. Derek Canon Feeney who has been appointed parish priest of Craughwell. The new diocesan appointments, which come into effect from next Friday, July 18, have been released by Most Reverend Martin Drennan, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora. In the changes, Very Rev Michael Dean Kelly, parish priest of Craughwell, has been appointed Pastor Emeritus. Fr David Cribbin, chaplain at University College Hospital Galway, has been appointed parish priest of Kinvara while current parish priest, Very Rev Francis Canon Larkin is to be assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s in Galway. Fr Robert MNcNamara, curate of Knocknacarra, is the new chaplain at UCHG while Fr Ben Hughes of Clogher Diocese, has been appointed chaplain at NUI Galway. Fr Patrick O’Donoghue, chaplain at NUI Galway, is the new …

CLARE County Council is urging the general public to have their voice heard in relation to the formulation of a 6-year social and economic development plan for Ennis and surrounding areas. The new Ennis and Environs Local Area Plan 2015-2021 will guide the development of the Clare county capital and its environs in terms of economic development, recreational and community requirements, as well as residential, retail, transport and infrastructural needs. A draft of the Plan is due to be completed by the end of 2014. Community groups, individuals and stakeholders are encouraged to make written submissions or observations no later than 4pm on Tuesday,  July 29 next. Senior planner with Clare County Council, Gordon Daly explained: “The Local Area Plan will seek to guide and facilitate the future growth and economic and social development of Ennis. Therefore, it is vitally important that the council receives the input from all sectors of the community.” “The overarching aim of the new plan …

ESB WestWave, a Clare project developing Ireland’s wave energy potential, has been awarded €23 million by the EU. This innovative project will develop the first wave energy project in Ireland by 2018, generating an initial five megawatts off the west coast of Clare. It will provide the equivalent to the electricity consumption of households in nearby Kilrush and Kilkee of clean renewable electricity from the plentiful wave energy resource available off the west coast. John McSweeney, head of Innovation, ESB said Ireland’s oceans have the potential to provide large quantities of indigenous, renewable energy and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. “Demonstration projects like ESB WestWave are critical if we are to realise the ultimate aim of progressing to larger commercial scale projects and a low carbon future. The funding award is a huge boost to the ESB Westwave project and to Ocean Energy development in Ireland and Europe.” The funding will be used to demonstrate technologies that will subsequently help …

A MAN who crashed his car while being pursued by gardai near Lissycasey was later arrested after taking to the fields. The incident happened near Lack on Thursday when gardai became suspicious of a vehicle traveling on the N68. When they proceeded after the car in an effort to stop it, the driver took off and turned down a country road towards Ballynacally. A short distance down the road, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed. He then abandoned the vehicle and tok to the fields leaving a pregnant female passenger behind in the car. However, the driver was arrested a short time later and taken to Ennis Garda Station for questioning. He was later charged and released on bail pending further investigation.

THE Fourth of July is known in America as Independence Day but it was also the date that McNamara Park opened and there were celebrations there last Friday for its 50th anniversary. Colin Fitzgerald was born there back in 1964, one of a small number of children to arrive in the year the estate opened. He was involved with the celebrations and said they had sought to remember those who have died from the original residents. “Everyone that passed away from those who moved in originally were recorded in a booklet. After that we had a mass, the brass band played before that and we had entertainment then until midnight.” He said a new structure was put in place to mark the half-century milestone.“There is a brand new statue erected. The council put it up to celebrate it, it’s at the right hand side of the green. There’s a bit of the history on it and it explains the name. …

NEXT Tuesday night will mark  the culmination of more than three years of preparation when the report of the Shannon Social History project will be launched at  Seán Lemass Library. The title of the report, Shannon-Between Old World and New World, comes from a quote from Brendan O’Regan and it was chosen to reflect two perspectives of Shannon’s story-that of the people steeped in a traditional way of life, whose farms were purchased for the building of Shannon and those who settled in the fledgling town. The report brings together around 40 interviews that were conducted with long term residents. Written accounts were also donated to the project by people who were among the town’s earliest residents but have since moved away. Olive Carey co-ordinated the project and speaking about it she said, “Over the last three years it has been a fair amount of work to record the interviews, then transcribe them, then collating them and putting all of the …