News

THE number of regulation breaches at a psychiatric care unit for the elderly in Ennis dropped by 66% following a second inspection requested by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) it emerged this week.Concern about a number of “dysfunctional systems” were expressed by the Inspectorate of Mental Health Services following an announced visit of Cappahard Lodge, Tulla Road, Ennis on June 3 last.

TWO men charged in connection with an alleged assault on 26-year-old Lissycasey man, Brian Casey on St Stephen’s night appeared before Ennis District Court this week where it emerged “more serious charges are to come”.

THE Met Éireann weather station at Shannon is set to record its coldest December since 1976 and the cold snap is set to continue into the New Year.

ALTHOUGH he has served for more than four and a half decades as a priest, Lissycasey parish priest Fr Joe Hourigan has never witnessed anything like the devastation to hit his community this week. The trio of tragic deaths in the parish have stunned not just Lissycasey but the entire county.“It’s unbelievable and incomprehensible. I’m here 10 years now but I’ve never seen anything in any parish like this and I’m a priest nearly 46 years,” Fr Hourigan commented. Pat Kelly, Tommy Meere and Brian Casey sustained fatal injuries within hours of each other on St Stephen’s Day. “I’ve never experienced a situation where, within 12 hours, three people died in very tragic situations, bringing such grief to a small community,” he added. The only positive to emerge from a week that has shocked Lissycasey has been the community reaction. “People were shocked and horrified at the beginning but then gradually they began to come together in the face of …

MEMBERS of Lissycasey GAA and all in the community are in deep shock this week following the tragic deaths of a current and former player.

FORTY-eight-year-old Lissycasey father of six Pat Kelly, died following a road traffic accident on St Stephen’s Day.  He was driving between farmland in the Cragg/Coolbawn area.

A new countywide gritting scheme for minor county roads manned by volunteers in local communities would significantly reduce the number of people who are left housebound during a freeze-up Councillor Martin Conway claimed this week.