Tag Archives: Carol Byrne

A 60-year-old West Clare man has appeared in court this week charged with dangerous driving causing the death of three-year-old Estlin Wall in Inagh earlier this year. Senan O’Flaherty, with an address at Lower Gowerhass, Cooraclare appeared before Ennis District Court on Wednesday. He is charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Estlin Wall at Ballyea South, Inagh on March 15, 2017. The substance of the charge alleges that the defendant drove in a manner, including speed, which, having regard to the circumstances of the case, was dangerous to the public thereby, causing the death of Estlin Wall. Garda Ruth O’Sullivan gave evidence of arresting Mr O’Flaherty at 9.45pm on Monday, September 30 at his address. She said he made no reply after caution in respect of the single charge of dangerous driving causing death. Solicitor Joe Chambers, representing the defendant in court, said he did not have an application for free legal aid. Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecuting, outlined that the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the case proceed on indictment to the Circuit Criminal Court for trial. He said a Book of Evidence would be required in the matter and requested an adjournment to facilitate this. Judge Patrick Durcan, presiding, adjourned the case to December 13 next and granted an application to extend time to serve the Book of Evidence in the case. It is expected that the book will be served on the accused on that date Estlin Luna Wall was the daughter of Amy Dutil Wall and Vincent Wall from Ennistymon and was a sister to Mannix. She died just 11 days shy of her fourth birthday. Her dad, Vincent, is the brother of Steve and Joe Wall of the band The Stunning. He was also in the car on the day she was killed. The family, who run a framing business in Ennistymon, made the decision to donate Estlin’s organs before taking her off life support a number of days after the crash. Arising from the tragedy, Steve Wall set up an online fund to help the family and it received a significant amount of support, with more than €70,000 raised for the family. Donations above this were made to Temple Street Children’s Hospital. In memory of Estlin, her former créche, Inagh Ark Childcare, planted a pink cherry blossom tree. They said when they look at it, they will recall Estlin as “the most beautiful girl with curly fair hair”, “funny, witty, playful and loveable. She had a heart of gold and the most infectious smile”.

There has been a 29% drop in the uptake of the free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme for girls in County Clare since it commenced in 2010, according to figures released by the HSE. Provisional figures show that the uptake of the vaccine in the county is 10% above the national average at just slightly below 60%, but this has fallen from 89% since the vaccine programme was first introduced. This reduction is something that has not been helped by the comments made by, and later retracted, by Bishop of Waterford Alphonsus Cullinan, who is originally from Lahinch, according to a HSE spokesperson. Bishop Cullinan was quoted in the media last week suggesting that the vaccine would encourage promiscuity. In an interview with WLR (Waterford Local Radio), he preached abstinence, stating the vaccine was “lulling teenage girls into a false sense of security”. “We have to do better than giving our boys condoms and our girls injections,” he said. …

UPDATE: Gardai at Kilrush, investigating the fatal stabbing of a man at Marion Estate, Kilkee at approximately 1.15am this morning, Sunday August 6 have arrested a second man this afternoon. A 25 year old male received serious stab wounds and was removed to Limerick University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A 22 year old man was arrested a short time later in connection with this investigation and is currently detained at Kilrush Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act – 1984. A second man, in his 20s was arrested in the Kilkee area and he is also being detained in Kilrush Garda Station this afternoon. The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination. The Garda Technical Bureau is scheduled to attend the scene later today. Gardai wish to appeal to witnesses who may have been in the area at the time of the incident or have information  to contact them at Kilrush Garda …

Clare Champion journalist Carol Byrne has again been acknowledged for her outstanding work in the field of legal reportage and features. At the annual Justice Media Awards event, held in Dublin on Thursday (June 22), Carol received her fifth Justice Media accolade for her story on how law researchers at the University of Limerick worked with the late Judge Michael Reilly, Ireland’s first inspector of prisons, on a report recommending the creation of a database to record deaths in Irish prisons. The judging panel awarded a certificate of merit in the regional print category to the Ennis resident for her article entitled ‘Breaking new ground in prison law: the late Judge Michael Reilly’. The graduates’ work with the late Judge Michael Reilly, was compiled in a report which was presented to Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald last year. The Justice Media Awards recognise outstanding print and broadcast journalism that contributes to the public’s understanding of law and justice, the legal system, or specific …

It has been three years since Ballynacally resident Pascal Kenny found himself in a very dark place but having sought out Pieta House, he said the welcome he received has led him to a place where he is now medication free after 20 months. “I struggled for many years with my mental health, mainly in the form of depression and anxiety. I was on medication and I had been treated by the mental health services for many years. I continued to do the best I could at the time and it was a huge challenge. There were times when things were a little bit better and there were times when things were really bad. When I visited Pieta House three years ago, the light had gone out in my head,” he said. Pascal said he doesn’t remember getting to Pieta House, he just remembers not being able to find it. “The hope I had was to find it. I was …

AN inquest has returned a verdict of manslaughter in accordance with the findings of the Central Criminal Court into the death of 43-year-old Ballyvaughan woman Deirdre McCarthy. Just days before the sixth anniversary of Ms McCarthy’s death, Colm Deely of School Road, Ballyvaughan was sentenced to eight years in prison for her manslaughter. He had denied murdering Ms McCarthy but in early March 2017 he pleaded guilty to her manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court. At a sitting of the County Coroner’s Court in Ennis on Thursday, an inquest found that Ms McCarthy’s death was due to asphyxia, with blunt force trauma as a contributory factor. County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said, in holding this inquest, she hoped it “helps to bring some closure to what was a tortured and arduous journey” for Ms Carthy’s family. Superintendent John Galvin, acting as coroner’s officer, offered his sympathies and those of An Garda Síochána, describing this case as something that has “been going …

A Mountshannon farmer has received a suspended three year jail term and ordered to pay a €3,000 fine after it was uncovered using DNA tracing that he was responsible for three separate thefts of a total of 15 cattle from his neighbour. Ahead of delivering his sentence at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Gerald Keys told Padraig O’Brien, (42), of Magherigh “what you have done to your neighbour is unforgivable”. O’Brien had pleaded guilty to 15 counts of theft of the cattle worth €17,000. The offences involved the theft of five in-calf heifers from Bohatch, Mountshannon between January 17 and 18, 2015; the theft of six heifers from Kilrateera, Mountshannon between May 23 and 24, 2013, and the theft of four cows from Bohatch between December 8 and 9, 2013, a total of 15 charges. The court heard that gardaí were led to O’Brien after they found “sporadic hoof marks on the ditches” in frost, leading to his farmyard in …

AN exhibition by Crusheen musician, photographer and raconteur has gone on display in Glór for the duration of the Fleadh and will give visitors a snapshot of the many great musicians and characters to have come out of the county. The photography exhibit, entitled Where the Heart Lies, features more than 40 original photographs, many unseen, as well as others which don the walls in the homes of household names such as Brad Pitt. He has taken the title, as well as some of the photographs, from a book of the same name which he produced with Peter Woods 20 years ago. Christy explains that he relied on this idea, Where the Heart Lies, because it was something that was emotive for him. “When you think about where your heart lies it’s home and it’s place”, and he said this idea of home is where the heart lies is what he wanted to convey in this exhibit. Having been invited …