The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
A PARTEEN publican was back pulling pints in his bar on Saturday night after recovering from an abduction attempt in West Africa early last week.
Councillor Cathal Crowe claimed Ger Mulconry was in good form after his lucky escape when he and former defence minister Willie O’Dea met him in the Tail Race Bar, Parteen last Saturday night.
Patrons in the bar welcomed the 69-year-old father-of-two back to South-East Clare following his ordeal outside his hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone the previous Tuesday.
“I feel sorry that his private affairs have been made public over the past week. I am glad to see he is back and is well considering it could have been a lot worse. I hope he will be given some space to get back into some sense of normality in his own life,” he said.
Efforts by The Clare Champion to contact Mr Mulconry earlier this week proved unsuccessful. When contacted on Wednesday, his brother, Michael, declined to comment on reports that Ger had invested a six-figure sum in an African investment.
In a statement issued to a Sunday newspaper, Mr Mulconry thanked the authorities in Sierra Leone for the prompt action that may have saved his life.
“On behalf of my family and myself, I want to express my appreciation to the authorities in Sierra Leone and to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland for the support they have given me following a security incident in that country.
“I have no wish to discuss the details of this week’s events and to do so might well jeopardise other proceedings which may take place in that country in due course.
“However, I am greatly appreciative of the support which I have received and the goodwill which has been directed to me,” he said.
Known locally as ‘Flash’ for his plucky business ventures, Mr Mulconry flew to Sierra Leone to help local police with inquiries to locate the alleged fraudsters and recover the money he had invested.
When he returned to his hotel in the capital Freetown to get more documentation, he was ambushed by three men who handcuffed him and bundled him into a car at around 11am on Tuesday, May 18.
However, witnesses alerted the anti-corruption police who responded quickly and managed to force the car to a halt.
Mr Mulconry was freed and three men were arrested. Contrary to some media reports, Superintendent Henry Logan from Sierra Leone police confirmed Mr Mulconry was not placed in the boot of a car.
Estimating the whole incident lasted less than 30 minutes, Superintendent Logan stated Mr Mulconry had previously made a formal statement about the gold business and he was assisting police in trying to locate the alleged fraudsters.
He told The Clare Champion the three men are to appear before a court this Thursday, where it is expected a date for trial will be set.
Originally from Erribul a few miles from Kildysart, Ger is married to Marie from Murroe in County Limerick and has two grown-up daughters, Eve and Avril. He came to Parteen in the early 1970s and purchased the Tail Race Bar about 20 years ago. In addition to working as a haulier for Roadstone, he went into the plant hire business and did a lot of work for Limerick City Council. He also had a pub in Moscow.
According to a source, he had told close friends he was not happy with his investment in Sierra Leone. “Ger was a Trojan worker. He would work from dawn to dusk,” he said.
Former Fine Gael county councillor, Tony McMahon knows Ger for over 40 years. “You would not meet a nicer neighbour and a helpful man. It is great to have him home for his family,” he said.
