Tag Archives: Stephen Walsh

The increase in the volume of red tape and bureaucracy involved to comply with environmental agricultural schemes has been criticised by a new Clare farm leader. Veteran IFA East Clare member, Stephen Walsh was unanimously elected unopposed as the new Clare IFA chairman following the organisation’s annual general meeting in the Woodstock Hotel, Ennis on Monday night. In an interview with The Clare Champion, Mr Walsh warned the form filling that is required for farmers has got a hundred times worse than when former IFA President, John Dillon railed against the bureaucracy farmers had to endure. “Someone is going to have to have a look and find out what is this all about. We have to get professionals now to fill out our forms. There are so much criteria and red tape if we make a mistake it is too serious,” he said. “Farmers have to pay farm planners up front. We were promised money under the ACRES scheme last …

THE brother of a Kilrush woman, who was murdered 17 years ago, is seeking a meeting with Justice Minister Helen McEntee to address a number of issues affecting families who have lost loved ones in similar circumstances. Ann Walsh from Kilrush, was 23 years and four months old when she was strangled by her former boyfriend, Raymond Donovan from Cooraclare in the grounds of St Senan’s Church, Kilrush on August 24, 2005. Donovan was convicted of her murder at the Central Criminal Court in Ennis with Justice Paul Carney imposing a mandatory life sentence following a unanimous guilty verdict by a jury. Ann had been going out with Donovan for three years but had split from him a year previous to the attack. Mr Donovan was recently transferred from Shelton Abbey Open Centre to Castlerea Prison, which is a closed medium security prison. It is understood that Mr Donovan was transferred to a closed prison after allegedly contravening prison rules. …

Despite confessing to Ann Walsh’s killing, Raymond Donovan remained defiant when gardai charged him with her murder, members of the Walsh family recalled on last week’s Marú inár measc programme. In fact, Donovan pleaded not guilty to this crime, arguing it wasn’t premeditated. Ann’s brother Stephen Walsh was present for all of the trial which began on May 26, 2006. “It was hard. Ann was now gone, dead, buried never to be seen again. Raymond Donovan was still sitting there breathing, still alive, denying what he did, putting us through hell. “He was dragging and dragging it out. He never showed one bit of remorse throughout every bit of it. Throughout the whole trial he tried to claim he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. “They were saying he didn’t mean to kill her, they were having sex in the back of the church and he had his hands around her neck and next thing was he couldn’t wake …

The tragedy of a young life being cut short, hopes and dreams dashed was crystalised this week on TG4 when Stephen Walsh recalled how his sister Ann had just received her first passport ahead of a trip to Spain, but the photograph ended up adorning her headstone instead after she was murdered. On Wednesday, August 24, 2005, three days before flying out to Spain for the first time in her life, the 23-year-old was getting ready for a final night out before this holiday. Stephen recalled it was Ann’s first passport. “Ann never had a passport before. Her passport picture ended up on her headstone.” Stephen’s mother, also named Ann, recalled speaking to her daughter on the phone that day and the last word she told her was “I will see you later Ma”, but she never saw her alive again. When Stephen saw Ann and Raymond outside the door of Crotty’s Kilrush, he entered the premises and found him …

THE Walsh family in Kilrush whose treaured Ann was murdered in 2005 have given emotional and personal interviews as part of a TG4 series that airs next Wednesday. The latest in the Marú inár measc, true crime documentary series by Midas Productions for TG4, features the Walsh family who recall the night Ann was murdered and how this tragedy has changed them profoundly. On August 24 2005, Ann was strangled by her former boyfriend, Raymond Donovan in the grounds of the local church in Kilrush. Shortly after 1am in the morning, the Walshes woke to the devastating news that their beloved daughter and sister had been murdered. Gardaí arrested the man who committed the crime at the scene. Despite confessing to killing Ann, Raymond Donovan remained defiant when Gardaí charged him with her murder, however he was found guilty after a short period of time and sentenced to life. Although Donovan was convicted of Ann’s murder he remains one step …

THE family of a Kilrush woman who was murdered 17 years ago has welcomed the transfer of her killer from an open to a closed prison, writes Dan Danaher. The Clare Champion has learned that Raymond Donovan was recently transferred from Shelton Abbey Open Centre to Castlerea Prison, which is a closed medium security prison. It is understood that Donovan was transferred to a closed prison after allegedly contravening prison rules. Ann Walsh from Pella Road, Kilrush, was 23 years and four months old when she was strangled by her former boyfriend, Raymond Donovan from Cooraclare in the grounds of St Senan’s Church, Kilrush on August 24, 2005. Donovan was convicted of her murder at the Central Criminal Court in Ennis with Mr Justice Paul Carney imposing a mandatory life sentence following a unanimous guilty verdict by a jury. Ann had been going out with Donovan for three years but had split from him a year previous to the attack. …