Shopping in Meath

Peadar Tobin TD, Sinn Fein, No to Thatcher's Poll Tax

2012-01-27T08:53:00.001Z

Sinn Fein TD for Meath West, Peadar Tóibín, has declared that he will not be paying the new household charge, but will instead donate the money to the St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP).

As he prepares to hold a series of meetings across the constiuency in protest agains government cuts and additional taxes, he said there is a build-up of enormous pressure on struggling families.

"In solidarity with these people, I will refuse to pay the household charge. I will instead donate the amount to the St Vincent De Paul," he said this week.

He said he has thought "long and hard" before making the decision.

"The household charge is a grossly unfair tax. Henry Mountcharles will be charged as much as a person in a three-bedroom semi-detached who is up to their neck in negative equity," he added.

"This money will not be invested in our local authorities - it will instead be handed over to the promissory note-holders and the bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank."

Deputy Toibín said he wanted to be clear that he was not advising others not to pay it. "That decision is up to each individual. I have seen other campaigns advise mass non-payment in years gone by and when the campaigns come to an end, many struggling citizens are left behind to pay massive arrears.

"It is irresponsible for politicians to tell people not to pay and then leave citizens with big bills to pay. If people decide themselves not to pay, they must understand what will be the consequences of their decision." he said.

The Sinn Fein TD said the household charge, along with other cuts and charges, were just the start of the policy of the government to transfer money out of our communities into the hands of the ECB and private bondholders.

"Ireland is being transformed into a massive debt repayment agency where lower and middle income earners are being hit hardest. On top of this, the government is doing all they can to deny the Irish people a referendum of the upcoming EU austerity treaty. An alternative growth and stimulus strategy is available to the state if the Labour/Fine Gael government would just stand up to the Troika in interests of the Irish people," he said.

Deputy Tóibin is also organising a series of Community Against Cuts meetings, the first of which will be held in Collinstown Community Hall in Co Westmeath tomorrow (Thursday) followed by Bohermeen Community Centre next Wednesday, 1st February, and the Newgrange Hotel, Navan, on Thursday 2nd February. A meeting also will take place in Ballivor Community Centre on the 9th February.

He urged people who would be directly affected by the household charge, the septic tank charges, broadcast charges or water charges to attend.

He also is asking those affected by cuts to DEIS schools, small schools, guidance councillors, CE schemes, hospital and nursing homes and services, such as the Women's Refuge, and cuts to rural Garda stations, to attend.

"Irish people have been far too passive for far too long. Nearly half a million people are unemployed and 70,000 people emigrated last year. The future of this State is being sold off in its billions and its time we stopped giving out about it and made a stand," the TD added

Missing Person, Tony Mcloughlin, Navan Gardai, Gardai Navan

2012-01-27T08:48:00.000Z

Dont Forget Your Meath Chronicle this Week

Daughter's emotional appeal for information on Navan father-of-two

Missing Navan resident Tony McLoughlin.

The distraught family of a missing Navan resident have issued a desperate appealing for information on his whereabouts.

Tony McLoughlin, a 57-year-old married man and father-of-two, was last seen on Monday 16th January at 1.15pm near Johnstown Shopping Centre.

His daughter, Lisa, said that his disappearance is "totally out of character" and that Tony, who works in catering in the Dublin area and lives at Athlumney Abbey, had been on antibiotics for a respiratory condition at the time he went missing and had been due to visit a specialist about it.

Mr McLoughlin had recently collapsed on holiday and had pneumonia and his daughter said the medication he was on made him groggy and sometimes disorientated.

"He got quite groggy and confused about (his daughter) Sophia's birthday, which was the day after he was last seen. I've never seen him confused like that before - he's a young man," said Lisa.

Mr McLoughlin is a keen dog-walker and would often walk the banks of the Boyne, at the Ramparts and near the IDA business park in Johnstown.

"Sophia's 30th was the day after. He would never let that go by without saying 'happy birthday', at least. It's just very, very out of character for someone so dependable and reliable.

"The last few days before (he was last seen), his breathing was very bad but he must have gotten a burst of adrenalin and gone for a walk," she added.

"He was frustrated at being cooped up and wanted to go outside. When there was no sign of him, we started to worry and mum got in the car and went one direction and my aunt got in hers and went in the other direction and we rang around.

"One of mum's friend's daughters saw him at 1.15pm at the shopping centre and they noticed each other but she said he was walking slowly and was hunched," recalled Lisa.

On Monday 23rd January, Gardaí set up checkpoints in the Johnstown area to ask motorists around Johnstown Shopping Centre about Tony's disappearance in the hope that they might be regularly in the area on a Monday lunchtime.

The story appeared on TV3's Breakfast Show that morning and gardaí received a few calls as a result - one of which suggested that the missing man had been seen on a bus going from Navan to Kells.

Unfortunately, the person who contacted gardaí proved to be mistaken as, when gardaí stopped the bus, they found a man only with similar features to Mr McLoughlin.

The missing man is described as 5'6" in height, of slim build with grey hair.

When last seen, he was wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt and a brown, waist-length jacket.

Leaflet appeals have been made in various locations - Navan, Dunboyne, Clonee, Tallaght, Dundalk and Drogheda - for any information relating to his disappearance.

"We're just trying to keep positive and keep hopeful," added Lisa.

So far, Meath River Rescue, Meath Civil Defence, the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service and local gardaí all have been involved in searches along the Boyne - from Old Kilcarn Bridge towards The Ramparts in Navan.

Tony McLoughlin's family have expressed their gratitude to all groups so far involved in the search.

Gardaí say they are concerned for Mr McLoughlin's safety and anyone with information is asked to contact Navan Garda Station on (046) 907 9930 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (046) 907 9930 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

Missing Person, Monica Riordan, Navan Gardai, Gardai Navan

2012-01-27T08:46:00.000Z

Missing Person Alert, Monica Riordan

Monica Riordan was last seen in Holles Street area on 20 December

Gardai have issued an appeal to trace a 39-year-old woman who has been missing since Tuesday, 20 December.

Monica Riordan, from Navan in Co Meath was last seen in the Holles Street area of Dublin at around 11am.

She is described as being of average height, thin build and with shoulder length blonde hair.

When last seen, Monica was wearing a long grey coat, dark jeans and grey or white trainers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact to contact Pearse St Garda Station 01-6669000 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Enda Kenny, World Economic Forum, Fianna Fail, Davos, Sinn Fein

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000Z

Campaigners and opposition parties have criticised comments made by the Taoiseach at the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland.

Enda Kenny told the forum that Irish people went mad borrowing in a system that spawned greed, and that this led to the crash of the Irish economy.

Fr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland said the Taoiseach's remarks were "amazing and extraordinarily lopsided."

He said Mr Kenny failed to recognise that the generous bank guarantee and subsequent socialising of the debt lie at the root of Ireland problems.

Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins said there was a stark contrast between the Taoiseach's comments in Davos and his televised address to the nation last month, in which he told the public that the crisis was not their fault.
Sinn Féin's Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said Mr Kenny's comments were clichéd and showed an appalling lack of economic knowledge.

Leonard Watters sentenced, Breaking news, louis walsh, x factor

2012-01-25T09:47:00.001Z

Life for Liars, groups campaigning for a stronger approach to those who make false allegations of sexual assault are calling for the sentence to be increased to LIFE, a spokesman for Life for Liars said:

"Louis Walsh is one of the lucky ones, many innocent people have been jailed on the basis of well rehersed stories in order to extract money and achieve almost pop star status for their lonely and pathetic lives, Louis Walsh was lucky to have good Gardai investigating the allegations and not Gardai who may have got carried away with the baying tabloid mob".

Leonard Watters, Navan, Meath, who falsely accused X-Factor judge Louis Walsh of groping him in a nightclub will be sentenced today, it is expected that he will be sentenced to three years which will be suspended for three years dependent on being of good behavior.

Unemployed dance teacher Leonard Watters pleaded guilty to making two false reports to Irish police that the pop music mogul sexually assaulted him in Dublin nightspot Krystle last April.

The 24-year-old went into the witness box in the city's District Court to say sorry to Mr Walsh.

"I would like to sincerely apologise to Mr Louis Walsh for all the stuff I put him through. The allegation was false," he said.

Judge Dermot Dempsey ordered a probation and welfare report on the defendant and adjourned sentencing to January 5.

"I'm considering a custodial sentence given the gravity of it," warned the judge, who can impose a fine of 634 euro (£547) per charge and/or 12 months in prison. It's a very serious matter."

Watters, a father-of-two from Navan, Co Meath, has previous convictions for breaching a barring order under domestic violence laws and driving offences.

Louis Walsh has received an apology from Watters (Pic: ITV)

Detective Inspector Michael Cryan told the court the defendant had claimed the assault happened on Saturday, April 9, after Westlife had performed in Dublin's 02.

Watters and Walsh had been socialising in a pub and travelled to Krystle together, he said, but at about 4am to 4.30am Watters approached a Garda officer on patrol outside the celebrity spot on Harcourt Street alleging he had been sexually assaulted by Walsh.

The defendant was taken to Mountjoy Garda Station where he made the same allegation, before being examined at a sexual assault unit - which revealed bruising in his genital area.

More than two months later, on June 20, he showed investigators the toilet in the nightclub where he alleged the offence took place and made his first formal statement.

Within days Mr Walsh was interviewed under caution and denied the allegation, added Det Insp Cryan. Watters made a second false statement on June 27 and was shown CCTV from the nightclub.

"It became obvious the CCTV did not support his allegations," he added.

When Watters was arrested at his home on June 28 he admitted Walsh did not sexually assault him.

"He continued to claim he was sexually assaulted in the toilets but that Louis Walsh did not do it," the detective added.

In mitigation, solicitor Cahir O'Higgins said his client was now seen as a pariah in his home town and a Walter Mitty type character.

He maintained Watters was a fragile, vulnerable person who was psychologically shaky and recently self harmed. His respected parents have been left traumatised by being in the public domain.

The early school leaver suffered severe burns in an accident when he was 12 or 13 and received a large award, which he made his way through staggeringly quickly, the court was told.

The former ballroom dance teacher, who is on disability benefit of 188 euro (£166), has been left unemployable, the solicitor added.

Outside the court, Mr O'Higgins said Watters - who was dressed in a black suit, black shirt and black and white stripped tie - absolutely and without reservation acceptedWalsh did absolutely nothing wrong.

"He is extremely sorry and wishes to formally and publicly apologise for any hurt or any pain he caused to Louis Walsh," he said.

"Whatever occurred in Krystle nightclub has nothing to do with Louis Walsh in any shape or form."

Mr O'Higgins said his client considered himself blessed not to be jailed.

"He sees it as an opportunity to change his life, to make a fresh start and to take maximum advantage that he possible can from being remanded to liaise with the Probation and Welfare," he added.

Walsh became a household name in 2004 when he was announced as a judge on X Factor and is the only remaining member of the original panel. He has managed a number of groups and performers, including boy bands Boyzone and Westlife.

Meath GAA Row

2012-01-19T13:51:00.001Z

Delegates frown on handling of membership issue

Eamonn Barry at Monday night's adjourned convention at Áras Táilteann.

Former Meath senior football manager and out-going Co Committee coaching officer Eamonn Barry was finally sidelined at Monday night's adjourned GAA convention at Áras Táilteann in Navan.

Barry's re-election bid for the position of coaching officer was derailed at the December convention when he was told only seconds before the vote that he was ineligible as he was not a member of the GAA.

That caused a heated exchange between Barry and chairman Barney Allen who had been returned by a substantial majority to serve a fifth and final term. At that stage the convention was adjourned.

Delegates at a packed Áras Táilteann on Monday night were reminded by the chairman that Barry was ineligible for election due to his failure to pay his membership for 2011 before 31st March last year.

"You will remember from the last meeting (the annual convention) that the rule on this matter has to be applied," stated the chairman.

"We discussed this matter at our management meeting a couple of weeks ago and it was agreed then that Eamonn Barry is not entitled to stand for election as coaching officier.

"Eamonn registered his membership during the convention on Saturday 10th December and you cannot do something like that.

"I have no option other than to apply the rule, you were not a member and are not entitled to contest the position of coaching officer, if Eamonn Barry wants to go further with this then that's up to him," added the chairman.

"Eamonn Barry has been a member of Walterstown for more than 35 years, why is this happening here tonight, why wasn't everyone asked for membership on the way in, was the convention last December legal?" queried Walterstown's John Daly.

Another delegate queried the validity of the vote for Irish Officier that finished in a tie, 70-70, and asked if Barry had voted in that particular election?

"Eamonn Barry was eligible to vote at the convention because he was a member of the outgoing management committee," stated the chairman.

The former Meath manager outlined his position to delegates and stated that Walterstown would confirm that they had made an error when they failed to register him before the deadline last year.

"Other people have been in positions on the executive and been members of sub-committees who have not been fully paid up members of the GAA," said Barry.

"You were aware of this problem in the week before the convention and you waited until just before the vote to make it known, it was devious what you did, it was deplorable," he added.

Former Co Committee vice-chairman Eugene Comaskey echoed those sentiments.

"Would it have been the decent thing to tell Eamonn Barry that he wasn't registered when you found out about it?" queried Comaskey.

"This is one of the most petty things I have seen, it's a disgrace the way it was handled," he added.

Simonstown Gaels delegate Gerry Fitzpatrick broadened out the discussion.

"Is it okay for a club delegate who is not a club member to vote at convention?" asked Fitzpatrick while Kiltale's Ann Gilsenan suggested that this type of approach would turn people away from the GAA. "This will come back to bite us," she stated.

Boardsmill delegate TJ Reilly told the chairman that he had handled the matter badly. "These registration numbers are treating members like cattle at a mart," he said.

Finally, the way was clear for the election and as there was only one candidate, PJ Cudden (Castletown), he was elected unopposed.

"I have no gripe with PJ Cudden and I wish him the best of luck," stated Barry.

"I was nominated in good faith and I'm prepared to take on the role, it's unfortunate it was in these circumstances," stated the Castletown clubman

Navan Town Council, Rates, Property Tax

2012-01-05T10:26:00.001Z

Dont forget your Meath Chronicle this week meathchronicle.ie

Hard pressed Navan businesses can expect a 2.61 increase in rates when the town council adopts its annual budget for 2012 next week, but parking charges are likely to remain at current levels.

Councillors are facing a stark budget process with an 8.98 per cent reduction in funding from central government.

They will hold a preliminary meeting tonight (Thursday) and are expected to formally adopt the budget next Tuesday night. Government funding to the council this year is €392,000, down from €430,000 last year.

The council is obliged to raise commercial rates this year as part of the process of bringing them in line with Meath County Council charges.

Under the town boundary extension, which took place in 2009, conditions were imposed on the Navan local authority, obliging councillors to increase the rate over a number of years until the rate in the town and county were the same.

Other measures proposed by the county manager for this year's budget will be the allocation of €250,000 for refurbishments of dwellings in St Ultan's Terrace, St Brigid's Villas and Flower Hill Crescent.

Councillors are expected to agree to the allocation of €40,000 for a business development fund and €78,000 towards the development of the town park.

Cllr Shane Cassells has hit out angrily at the large decrease in central government funding.

"I am disgusted at such a huge decrease. We are already seeing that the household charge is not likely to be a modest €100 charge, but is more likely to be €600 on hard pressed families.

"Before they were elected, Fine Gael said they were against a property tax and would avoid it by cutting funding to local government.

"Now we have both a property tax and a cut in funding. This is even more deception by Fine Gael," he said.

Cllr Cassells said he was amazed at the silence of Labour, Fine Gael and Sine Fein on the issue of rates increases.

"They were all attacking Fianna Fail about rates increases but all is silent on the battle field this year," he said.

However, we must remind ourselves that it was Fianna Fail and their bagmen who bankrupted Ireland. Brian Cowen and John O Donoghue where spending 900 Euros per night on 5 Star Hotel rooms, while the working people of Navan were left on hospital trolleys without dignity or care.

Meanwhile, Navan Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the increases in rates faced by retailers and businesses in Navan over the last number of years and has echoed Chambers Ireland's recent call for local government rates to be set at appropriate levels for 2012.

Frank Harrington, vice president of Navan Chamber, said the rates burden on businesses in Navan had increased every year since 2008.

"Rates in Navan have increased by over 15 per cent since 2008 while other comparable towns have seen decreases during the same period. Navan Chamber accepts the necessity of local government rates but highlight the need for them to be set an appropriate levels to ensure competetiveness. Small and medium enterprises have a crucial role to play in rebuilding Ireland's economy. Government, both national and local, must play a role in ensuring competitiveness within the sector".

Mr Harrington also highlighted the need for more transparency and consultation between businesses and local government and looked forward to entering constructive dialogue with the council with the benefit of all stakeholders with an interest in the town of Navan in mind.

He echoed the call by Hilary Haydon, chair of Chambers Ireland's Ratepayers and Local Government Council who said that the dependence on commercial rates to fund local government services was still too high and if rates rise further, the future of local business and jobs would become 'increasingly uncertain'.

Navan Gardai, Missing Person, Monica Riordan

2012-01-05T10:14:00.000Z

Navan Gardai

Missing Person Alert, Monica Riordan

Monica Riordan was last seen in Holles Street area on 20 December

National Union of Journalists, NUJ, Media Ireland

2012-01-05T10:05:00.003Z

Sexual Crime

The Media and Sexual Crime

As more and more journalists across the modern world come before the courts and tribunals of inquiry, accused of heinous and outrageous crimes, we look here at the role of the media in terms of facilitating, participating and encouraging criminality. In Ireland we have had daily STAR journalist, Ian Bailey accused of murder, we have had Irish Times journalist, Tom Humphries exposed as a paedophile, we have RTE and other journalists exposed as liars and defamers. To join the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ireland, all you need is a proposal and seconder from people like Ian Bailey or Tom Humphries or any of the many drug snorting, alcohol consuming journalists around the country. We had the bizarre situation in Monaghan Town where RUC informer Owen/Eoin Smyth created a proxy journalist in Patrick ‘the dwarf’ Tierney so that Smyth could send out press releases to pursue vindictive campaigns against good and decent people. Both Smyth and Tierney are now persona non grata.

John Muncie (2000) sets the media and public’s attitude to crime, into context, when he tells us that:

Any cursory glance at television programme listings, the contents of mass circulation newspapers or the shelves of fiction in book shops will confirm the extent to which an audience perceives crime not just as a social problem but as a major sourse of amusement and diversion, the way in which we enjoy violence, humiliation and hurt casts doubt on the universal applicability of harm as always connoting trouble, fear, loss and so on. For participants, too, the pleasure in creating harm, or doing wrong or breaking boundaries is also part of the equation and needs to be thought through (p.225).

Prof. Paul O’Mahony (1996) goes further in addressing the media and crime, when he says:

Sections of the media never tire of reflecting a fearful message of crime back to the public and amplifying it through selective reporting, sensational headlines and frequently inflammatory editorialising. For most part the media rhetoric of fear and moral panic is built on isolated cases taken out of the broader context of crime in Ireland. Traditional barriers of good taste and reticence have been broken down. As the parameters of the permissible have expended some sections of the media have developed a reprehensible, approach which is sensational and voyeuristic. Supposedly factual accounts and purportedly serious analyses and comment are often exaggerated, unsubstantiated by any reliable supporting evidence, and intended to provoke hysterical response (p.167).

This manufacturing of hysterical responses guillotines public and political debate and pushes certain weak politicians towards quick fix and usually harsh and ill considered repressive and punitive legislation, the results of which are more damaging to society in the long term. Brenda O’ Brien says:

I have always said that the media have played a positive role in helping us to come to terms with child abuse, but there is a real danger that they will become intoxicated with their own power (Irish Times. 2002).

This positive/negative role played by the media in relation to child sexual abuse was picked up by Bishop Willie Walsh when he said:

Can I ask the media to be aware of the danger that it might use its power to occupy that oppressive and uncompassionate role which hopefully the Catholic Church has vacated or at least begun to vacate (Irish Times.2002).

Psychotherapist, Marie Keenan said of sex offenders, alleged or real, and the way the media treats them:

They were constructed as non-persons and icons of evil. Labels turn people into nouns and hence the paedophile is born (Irish Times.2002).

Marie Keenan was critical of the media’s role in this demonization and its indifference to families of offenders by the repetition of cases and repeated use of photographs of abusers. In the majority of child sexual abuse cases the victim/s are from the same family as the abuser and in high profile cases lurid reporting by what has become known as Journophiles[1] can have a devastating impact on innocent members of the extended family. However, we must also remember that many of these Journophiles have no interest in the victims in these cases and are simply reporting sensational headlines in order that they can sell the paperback book they will publish from the transcripts of the trial.

Certain media reporting can also see grave injustice done to the victims alleged or actual in such cases. In 1994 the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed a conviction which had led to a fourteen year sentence, because newspaper articles and pictures that were published during the trial period, which named the Defendant, were likely to prejudice the jury against him. In 1994, Mr Justice Kelly find the Star £10,000 for publishing a report that did not reflect what had gone on in Court and was neither ‘fair or true’. This report led to the dismissal of the jury. In 2002 the reporting of a case appearing before Mr Justice, John Neilan at Mullingar District Court, relating to a charge of false imprisonment and sexual assault of a child, Mr Justice Neilan said of an interview with the alleged victim’s family on RTE:

It was outrageous and a nauseating matter (Irish Independent.2002).

In the case of Tim Allen a celebrity Chef and the first person to be ‘sentenced’ as a result of Operation Amethyst[2], the trial Judge said he had to take into account the substantial media coverage surrounding the case. The Tim Allen case caused ‘muted’ outcry as he was given 240 hours of community service and agreed to pay £40,000 to a children’s charity. Mr Allen had paid for and down loaded one thousand pictures of children from as young as five being raped (Irish Times. 2003). These acts of legal and moral courage by members of the judiciary to face down the bullying tactics of certain sections of the media and reactionary politicians are the exception rather than the rule.

What influence can be put upon a jury by even minimal pre-trial publicity is impossible to measure; however, we can be certain that many accused persons have been denied their Constitutional right to a fair trial due to accesses by certain sections of the media. This is particularly the case in provincial towns in the Irish Republic where serious crimes are tried before the Circuit Court. Crawford (1997) reminds us that:

An assertion of community at a local level can be beautifully conciliatory, socially nuanced and constructive but it can also be parochial, intolerant, oppressive and unjust (p.294).

Accesses by the media can impugn a convicted person’s ability to seek and receive rehabilitative care when entering the prison system and can destroy the reputation of an acquitted person. This commitment to a fair trial, as set out in the Irish Constitution, Bunreacht na hEireann, and International conventions, was confirmed by Mrs Justice Denham of the Supreme Court in 1993, when she stated:

Article 40.3 incorporated a right to fairness of procedures which incorporated the requirement of Trial by jury unprejudiced by pre-trial publicity…the right to a fair trial was a fundamental Constitutional right and was superior to the communities right to prosecute (O’Mahony.1996.p.11).

A small number of politicians have not been silent on the matter of accesses by the media, although such disquiet has not been followed through by legislation. The establishment of the Press Complaints Commission is a small step in the right direction, however, when a person’s freedom is at stake no stone must be left unturned in order to guarantee a fair trial to an accused person. On the 4th of May, 2001, Donnie Cassidy, the leader of the Senate at that time said:

The rights of citizens were being eroded by some sections of the media and the Oireachtas would have to be courageous in addressing this problem.

Mr Maurice Manning, the Fine Gael Leader of the Seanad responded to Mr Cassidy by saying:

I would like to draw attention to the fact that this very morning one criminal trial cannot go ahead because of the antics of some newspapers yesterday (Irish Times.2001).

In an article in The Irish Times (2003) Fintan O’Toole gave an excellent analysis of the negative role played by some media in the murder trial of Catherine Nevin. O’ Toole concludes this article by saying:

The media industry, which rightly demands that others account for their use of power, has a lot to account for (p.16).

The jury is not the only consideration where the accesses of the media are concerned. In 2001 a Circuit Court Judge, ordered the media from his Court as he sentenced a man found guilty of sexual offences. The judge stated that his reasons for ordering the media from his court was that, he felt the presence of the media would influence his sentencing of the accused man. While this decision by the Circuit Court judge was later over turned by the High Court, it opened up the somewhat muted debate about the effects of popular sentiment and legislative provision for harsher sentences on the actual practice of judicial discretion. However, the muted debate disappeared with the headlines. Even where a judge of the lower courts has banned the publishing of names of persons involved in sexual crime cases in the interest of the victim/s, the High Court has over turned such decisions (Irish Times.2002).

Yet there is a moral schizophrenia in sections of the media when it comes to sexual crime alleged or real. While one can read tabloid headlines such as ‘Sex Beast’ and ‘Sex Monster’ (Stanko.2000) the flick of the front page of the tabloid will bring the reader into a world of intimate, lurid and graphic descriptions of sexual crimes and fantasies. The material to be found on these voyeuristic journeys, is equal to the depths of depravity to be found on deviant sexual websites on the World Wide Web, sites developed and maintained for an ever more voyeuristic public, deviant sexual sub-cultures there in, and the young and the vulnerable. These lurid and voyeuristic accounts of criminals proceedings, sex orientated advertisements and perverted sex chat lines are a clear indication of the moral schizophrenia of those sections of the media, which are high on rhetoric but low on morality.

On a daily basis there are millions of examples of this moral schizophrenia in the media. Staying specifically with the area of child sexual abuse and exploitation, I have looked at the sex orientated adverts in the tabloid press. While the extent of this article is too confined to give the depth of analysis that I would like, I will however, set out some examples. In the Weekly Sport tabloid, sex orientated adverts run alongside distasteful lurid details of sex crimes before the courts, a sample of these sex orientated adverts is:

Young Girls Want to Talk to You 1-2-1

Bored Young Girls Waiting for You to Call

Lively Girls on Line Now

Young Girls Willing to Talk

Sex adverts and selective reporting of sexual crime in The Star (tabloid) follow a similar pattern. However, The Star goes further by using popular children’s movies to lure potential young customers to their sex adverts, Home Alone (a popular children’s movie) and versions thereof. The Joint National Readership Research group have reported that The Star has some 400,000 readers in Ireland each day, on any given day there are up wards of forty sex adverts in The Star, including titles such as:

Bi Girls

Sixth Former

Irish Girls

Hot and Horny

Chat with Girls at Home

Girls looking for Men

Girls at Home

This supply of lurid material that often runs alongside advertisements for children’s summer camps and other sporting activity of interest to children must surely be of concern to those in Irish society who genuinely want to see, sexual crime and the environment that facilitates and normalises it eliminated. It is interesting to note that these perverted sex adverts for sex chat lines are excluded from our advertising standards legislation. The proliferation of child owned mobile phones combined with this easy access to lurid material pose a real danger to community safety.

Who are these lurid advertisements directed towards? If not the weak minded, the vulnerable and the young. The word Girl in the Oxford English Dictionary means, ‘Female Child’. This discourse coupled with the use of child movies as an introduction to sex chat lines, can leave one with no other conclusion than that these sex orientated adverts are aimed at grooming children, those with a distorted sexual script and any one in the community who derives pleasure from the normalisation of sexual deviance, that these adverts portray. While much reporting of a lurid and voyeuristic nature is broadly confined to the tabloids and certain internet sites it is not exclusive to same. Some Broad sheets and visual media outlets have also tapped into this marketable commodity especially at times of high profile cases.

Tom Inglis, in his book, Lessons in Irish Sexuality (1998), sets out the findings of his research when he examined the Sunday Independent, for two separate six month periods. The first six months in 1963 and the second in 1993, his analysis indicated that over the thirty-year period, the number of explicit articles and photographs increased from two to thirty-three; the number of indirect items about sex increased from one to forty-four; and the number of direct items increased from eleven to seventy-six. Roger Grafe (2000) found in his research that:

The broad sheets report about three times the actual proportion of violent crime and the tabloids about ten times. The picture of the world one gets from crime news is that it is a very violent place. Inflated perceptions of the level of violence create pressure for something to be done (p.31).

What is most significant about this increased supply of lurid and deviant material by sections of the media is that it has gone unchallenged by the Government and those NGOs, voluntary and community groups who allegedly have the interests of victims at heart. Indeed these very same organisations know well that they will themselves need banner headlines when they seek their next trench of funding from Government. The double standards of some politicians were highlighted with the resignation of Government Minister, Mr Bobby Molloy in 2002, after it was disclosed by the right Hon. Mr Justice O’Sullivan, that Mr Molloy, had phoned him in relation to the sentencing of a man convicted but not yet sentenced for raping his daughter. However, the web of intrigue did not stop there; Under a Freedom of Information request by RTE’s, Good Morning Ireland, the Department of Justice was forced to disclose that the then Minister for Justice, Mr John O’Donoghue, ‘Mr Zero Tolerance’, had exchanged fifteen letters with Mr Molloy about the man convicted of, but not yet sentenced for raping his daughter.

All of the communications focused on the possibility of getting temporary release or bail for the convicted person, an intervention that is both unlawful and un-constitutional. The same Minister for Justice was a regular contributor by way of articles and interviews with the same lurid tabloids. Indeed Mr O’Donoghue would see himself before the District Court when a convicted person sought summonses issued against Mr O’Donoghue in a private criminal prosecution, after it was disclosed under the FOI Act that Mr O’Donoghue had sent an unlawful communication to the DPP in relation to that convicted persons case (Irish Times.2002). And while Mr O’Donoghue was telling the people of Ireland that sexual crime against children would not be tolerated, he and others were signing off on a deal that would see Religious Child Rapists getting bailed out to the tune of hundreds of millions of Euro, at a time when the majority of the 5500 children in the ‘care’ of the State don’t have access to professional help. Mr O’Donoghue resigned from his position as Chair of the Dail in 2009 after it was disclosed that he had spent vast amounts of tax payer’s money on extravagances for himself and his wife, including Gondala rides in Venice, while staying in 900 Euro per night Hotel rooms.

Few politicians or groups are prepared to challenge accesses by the media. Voluntary, community, ‘victims’ groups and others in the ‘victims industry’ depend on media coverage to high light their profile, which in turn helps them to secure funding from Government each year. An unprecedented ‘bogus moral panic’ was created when a ‘victims’ group colluded with the tabloids to gain banner headlines. In 2003 a ‘victims’ group claimed that over the previous five years there had been a substantial increase in drug induced rape and sexual assault cases. In fact the Gardai and the Sexual Assault Unit at the Rotunda Hospital stated that not one single case of drug induced rape or sexual assault had ever been brought to their attention. Following comprehensive investigation by the Sexual Assault Units around the country, this investigation included toxicology reports on each victim, it was clearly established that the women making such allegations (if they ever did) had simply consumed so much alcohol that they could not remember what they had done the night before. Yet nobody seemed to bat an eye lid when this bogus moral panic was exposed in an RTE 1, Crime Line Report, 26th January, 2003.

The Irish Independent (2002) reported how a 17 year old French youth, claimed to have been driven by a cult horror movie ‘Scream’ to commit the gratuitous murder of a fifteen year old girl. French Justice Minister, Dominique Perben, commenting on the case said:

The Government must quickly come up with a way to avoid this repetition of scenes of violence at the disposition of adolescents. These violent scenes set in motion some particularly fragile adolescents who then play out misdemeanours or crimes.

Sex orientated sites on the internet are an extension of this tabloid supply of deviant material, to an ever more voyeuristic public and particularly those with a distorted sexual script there in. Millions of web pages now provide a wide range of sex orientated pornography and literature. The scales of provision go from curious voyeurism, to the most lurid taste, reaching into the dark recesses of unstable minds. In February, 2001, seven people were convicted in London for their part in the ‘Wonderland Club’ which was the world’s largest known child pornography web site. The ‘Wonderland Club’ internet data base held some 750,000 images, including the rape of babies as young as two months old (Irish Indpendent.2001). It is clear from the many cases coming before the courts in England and Ireland, that the higher socio-economic groupings are the main yet not exclusive users of this new technological deviance, this was clear from Operation Amethyst (Irish Times.2002) and was reinforced by experts in this field who were interviewed on an RTE, Prime Time programme on this subject on the 31st May 2010.

For generations Irish people were constrained by the condemnation of all, but normal marital sexual relations by the Catholic Church, however, following the Ferns, Murphy and Ryan reports into religious child rapists that constraint is laid bare, the constraints of moral and religious teaching for generations, has been sharply lifted by the expose of the Catholic Church and the voyeuristic and lurid material of a newly liberated technological era. One would be a fool to suggest that sexual deviance is not a marketable commodity, however, with that marketing must come responsibility. Tony O’Neil CEO of Palmstories.com one of the biggest providers of porn on the internet and mobile phones says of the industry:

As far as the web is concerned, pornography has always been at the cutting edge technology wise, the industry is worth billions of dollars generating more money than music or movies (Irish Times. 2001).

Emer O’ Kelly told us in the Sunday Independent, that she and other citizens are scourged by sexually explicit pornography, that is sent to them via the internet, into the privacy of their own homes, yet this is not illegal. Supply and demand for lurid and voyeuristic material and sexual stimuli for an ever more voyeuristic public and deviant sub-cultures there in, are growing unhindered, and sections of the media have not been wanting in feeding that demand and exploiting the aquiesants of the Government and others who turn a blind eye to this moral quagmire. Prof. Paul O’ Mahony (1996) says:

Pornographic portrayals of the relations between men and women and adults and children permeate our society. Pornography inevitably plays an important role in forming sexual attitudes and quite possibly, in facilitating and promoting sexual crime (p.219).

ISPCC Chief Executive, Paul Gilligan, reacting to Operation Amethyst, supported this view expressed by O’ Mahony in that pornography can facilitate crime and can be an integral part of sexual criminality when he said:

There is clear evidence from other countries that those in possession of child pornography represent a real risk to children and that those who actively purchase such material represent a greater risk. Some of the biggest paedophile rings and the most compulsive paedophile offenders have been caught on the basis of storing this type of material (Irish Independent.2002).

That said of course, the many thousands of religious child rapists including Homophiles, Hetrophiles and Paedophiles who operated within the Catholic Church would not have had access to such pornographic material in the 1940s/50s/60s and so forth. The ever more voyeuristic public and particularly those with a distorted sexual script there in, as set out in this article, are vulnerable to the detrimental influences of deviant literature and photography and persons outside this profile, who lack countervailing influences, particularly the young, can be taken along on a tide of sexual deviant activity and criminality. The conviction in England in May 2010 of two ten year old boys for the attempted rape of an eight year old girl, begs the question, why are children engaging is such activity, they did not learn it from watching the Telly Tubbies or Bosco.

In a survey published in July, 2002, the National Centre for Technology in Education found that 73% of 8-10 year old children had internet access at home. In an RTE Prime Time investigation aired on the 31st of May 2010, it was shown that 99% of children now have access to the internet at home. The report in 2002 further stated that as many as 25% of children with internet access at home had encountered pornography on the internet. In the Prime Time programme in 2010 this number is much greater and the dangers posed by chat rooms and social networking sites are an ever increasing danger. This normalising of deviant activity by the pornographic web sites, other sections of the media and an acquiescent Government and others have lowered the barriers, and provided a constant stream of images and literature to create and feed unhealthy and grossly unrealistic fantasies. The great disappointment with the Prime Time programme was that it failed to address the role played by the tabloids and other media in normalising and facilitating sexual crime, and rather seemed to suggest that it is only those sites that exchange child pornography or have a cyber-contact element that pose the only threat to children, again enforcing the image of the paedophile, homophile or hetrophile as a man in the cyber bushes wearing a rain coat.

What is important to remember about deviance, says Young (1973) is that:

Deviant behaviour….is a meaningful attempt to solve the problems faced by a group or isolated individual – it is not a meaningless pathology (p.42).

Young’s proposition raises the question, Why does society prefer to decry rather than confront sexual deviance in an open and constructive forum? May explanations can be offered and some have been put forward in this paper, however, unlike ‘homosexuality’ other sexual sub-cultures particularly those relating to child sexual abuse, cannot be so easily set outside the dominant sexual culture. It is perhaps this fear of examining too closely sexual crime and particularly sexual crime against children (Operation Amethyst, Ferns Report, Murphy Report, Ryan Report) that allows the hard line consensus to square their shoulders and shout ‘hang them’, however, as we have learned in Ireland, it is usually those who shout the loudest that do so to conceal their own crimes.

If the figures, relating to sexual crime in Ireland presented in this article in terms of Operation Amethyst and so forth are even close to the true extent of sexual crime, then one wonders in a population of less than four-million people, what family in the broadest sense is without its own difficulties. The recent revelations by Sinn Fein, President, Gerry Adams that he had known for decades that both his father and Brother Liam were child abusers, exposes the reality of how many dark secrets remain untold in Ireland. However, all is not lost as Brenda O’ Brien reminds us that:

An important Canadian study shows that untreated sex offenders have a 35% recidivism rate, while it is less than 10% for those who are un treated (Irish Times.2002).

When John O’Donoghue TD was Minister for Justice, dozens of convicted sex offenders applied to go on the sex offenders treatment programme at Arbour Hill Prison, the majority were told that there were no facilities to treat them due to lack of funding, this at a time when the Department of Justice spent vast fortunes on expensive trips abroad and squandered tens of millions of Euro on lavish expenses. Many within the hard-line consensus like British Home Secretary, Jack Straw (1997-2001) who introduced ill-considered and punitive measures against sexual deviance, found that he had to build the scaffold close to home when his brother was charged with sexual crimes against two young girls in 2000. In July 2001, the Taoiseach’s Office was quick to play down reports that it was the subject of a major investigation by the Director of Equality, into allegations of serious sexual harassment against a former female employee. While some Cabinet Ministers, had in the weeks prior to these allegations against the Taoiseach’s Office been able to illegally comment on certain cases of a sexual nature before the criminal courts, the Taoiseach’s Department had ‘No Comment’ in relation to its own dirty laundry that was being hung out in the public arena.

This hypocrisy is not exclusive to weak politicians, in 2005; The Editor of The Star paid a sex offender who had just been released from prison 400 Euro for photographs of the said sex offender. The said sex offender had asked a friend to take pictures of him as he walked in O’Connell Street on the day he was released from prison, the said sex offender then sold these photographs to The Star for 400 Euro, the following day The Editor of The Star published the photographs claiming that a Star photographer had ‘captured’ the pictures as he seen the said sex offender on O’ Connell Street. The Editor of The Star continues to be a paid guest on many Irish television programmes where he continues to lecture the Irish public on matters of morality and good citizenship.

The vitriol expounded by certain sections of the media for those accused of sexual crime, particularly against children, it is not a new phenomenon. In the not too distant past ‘homosexuals’ were the target of the editorial ‘moralists’. In the 1980s and 1990s Ireland’s sexual closet flung open with a vengeance and from this sexual expose, homosexuals were reluctantly ‘accepted’ into the status quo as an oppressed sexual minority, as opposed to a ‘sexually deviant sub-culture’. Such is the strength of the ‘homosexual’ lobby today in the UK and Ireland, that laws have been introduced to reflect a more liberal approach to the gay community. What ‘was’ seen as being seriously criminal by the Governments of the UK and Ireland a few short years ago is today not only ‘tolerated’ but is legislated for. Sexual activity with a child must remain criminal as no child can consent to such activity, however, child protection, community safety and crime prevention cannot be delegated to certain weak politicians and editorial ‘moralists’, whose only motivation respectively is self-preservation and gross commercialism.

Cross (1979) quotes Lord Summers, to sum up, attitudes to homosexuality before the prevailing liberalism:

Persons who commit the offences now under consideration seek the habitual gratification of particular perverted lust which not only takes them out of the class of ordinary men gone wrong, but stamps them with the hall-mark of specialised and extraordinary class as much as if they carried on their bodies some physical peculiarity (p.366).

In a more contemporary address of homosexuality, Monsignor, Andrew Baker of the Vatican’s Congregation of Bishops said:

Homosexuals may be more familiar with certain patterns and techniques of deception and repression…Nor can a homosexual be genuinely a sign of Christ’s spousal love for the Church…if the homosexual could be healed from such disorder, then he could be considered for admission to the seminary and possibly to Holy Orders, but not while being afflicted with the disorder (Irish Times.2002).

In deed these words may well have meant something if they were not being uttered by a representative of the Catholic Church, a Church that has concealed the rape of thousands of children across the world at the hands of Homophiles, Hetrophiles and Paedophiles within the Catholic Church. An interesting observation that I make in relation to the current trend by certain sections of the media to burn male sexual deviants, alleged or real, at the stake, while excusing their female counter parts as being mentally ill. Is the fact that a number of journalists who belonged to the once flogged sub-culture of ‘homosexuality’, set aside more than a fair share of column inches to condemn the deviance of recently emerging sexual sub-cultures. Perhaps these individuals unsure of their own membership of their particular group need to vilify others for some form of security and acceptance into an uncertain world. Why do these journalists create the illusion that all religious child rapists were paedophiles when in fact over 95% of them were Homophiles, this misinformation helps to create the illusion that certain sections of society do not rape children, when the evidence is very clearly to the contrary.

However, out of this vilification and recrimination needs to emerge rational and reasoned debate about how to develop best practice in child protection, crime prevention and community safety, how many lives could have been saved if the ‘Gay’ debate had not been left for so long in the hands of the ‘moral’ guardians in the media and politics. The difficulty with the supply of lurid and voyeuristic material in the media and especially that which feeds the habits of those with a distorted sexual script and facilitates sexual crime in general (O’ Mahony.1996), is that it normalises deviance in the minds of people already suffering from a variety of psychological, emotional, moral and social crisis. Many sex offenders come from non-nurturing back grounds; they can’t express their emotions or even ask the questions that could set them free from a life time of mental torture (Casey.1999). A Press Ombudsman is a good start to setting some standard in a runaway media, however, much more needs to be done if another generation are not to be morally bankrupted by those who help normalise and facilitate sexual crime in Ireland.

[1] Journophile is the term used to describe those persons who write or contribute to those media outlets that facilitate and normalise sexual deviance by way of their objectification of men, women and children through the advertising of perverted sex chat lines, pornographic imagery or lurid sexual literature.

[2] Operation Amethyst was an FBI led investigation that identified people all over the world who had accessed, paid for and down loaded child pornography from the internet. 100 people were identified in Ireland including a Circuit Court Judge who would later have the charges against him dropped as the search warrant used to seize his computer was some hours out of date. The Judge in question had been one of the founder members of the now defunct Progressive Democrats, the ‘anti-corruption’ party.

[3] Owen/Eoin Smyth was a member of the republican movement in Monaghan Town, and turned RUC informer when arrested by the RUC in 1981 in relation to the murders of pensioner Norman Strong and his son James. Smyth did not go into the witness box against IRA members and so was allowed to return to Monaghan and remain a member of Sinn Fein; Smyth is in 2012, persona non grata. It is not unusual for such informers to be allowed to continue to work for Sinn Fein, Eamon Collins was allowed to return to Newry after turning RUC informer, Eamon was later murdered by members of the Real IRA for being critical of their campaign.

Missing Person Alert, Monica Riordan

2011-12-30T19:37:00.000Z

Monica Riordan was last seen in Holles Street area on 20 December

O Reilly Solicitors, Navan Meath, Solicitors Meath

2011-12-28T14:07:00.001Z

Patrick O'Reilly - Solicitor

Meath GAA, GAA Meath,

2011-12-28T14:05:00.000Z

Meath's long-serving midfielder Nigel Crawford has this week confirmed that he will not be part of the senior football panel for 2012.

Stopping short of announcing his retirement from the inter-county scene, Crawford confirmed that he was stepping away from the Meath panel at the moment.

The Dunboyne player captained Meath to the Leinster SFC title in 2010, but he refused to bring the curtain down permanently on his long inter-county career.

It is understood that while he will not be involved with the Meath panel in 2012 that he has not ruled out the possibility of challenging for a place on the county team again in the future.

The Meath Chronicle were unable to contact Crawford on Tuesday morning and Meath GAA PRO Anne McDonnell could not confirm the details although she was aware of it.

"I have not heard anything regarding Nigel Crawford retiring. I have no idea if he will be involved with Meath in 2012 or not, other than what was in the national papers this morning," the PRO told the Meath Chronicle on Tuesday morning.

Crawford joins goalkeeper Brendan Murphy in stepping away from the Meath team and while Anthony Moyles has yet to clarify his intentions, it is also expected that he will not be part of the Meath panel for 2012.

Those three departures along with the absense of Ballinlough's Peadar Byrne and Skryne's Paddy O'Rourke from the early winter training programme will provide opportunities for new players to stake claims for places on Seamus McEnaney's panel.

The Meath manager is also expected to be without Simonstown's Shane O'Rourke for at least three months.

O'Rourke is expected to undergo surgery to correct a long-standing hip problem and his absence would be a major handicap.

Another player on the doubtful list is Nobber's Brian Farrell who is still recovering from a back operation and will definitely miss the early action.

Na Fianna's Jamie Queeney and Longwood's Mickey Burke could also miss the early part of Meath's campaign as they will travel to Ethopia to show their support for the GAA nominated charity 'Playing for Life'.

With Meath's first game of 2012 scheduled for two weeks time, Sunday 8th January against Wexford in the O'Byrne Cup and another game the following Sunday, McEnaney is expected to give opportunities to a number of players that have impressed in club games.

Those include Alan Forde (Navan O'Mahonys), Mark Collins (Duleek/Bellewstown), Donal Keoghan (Rathkenny), Donncha Tobin (Blackhall Gaels) and Justin Carry-Lynch (Gaeil Colmcille).

Meath Property, Property Meath, Lettings Meath

2011-12-28T14:01:00.000Z

Royal Rentals offers a professional Letting and Management Service to its clients and tenants. Royal Rentals ensures that the properties in their care are maintained to the highest standards and that both property owner and tenant get the best value possible from their investment. If you are a property owner and would like your property to be yielding good solid returns then contact Royal Rentals on 046-9072742 / 046-9072742 or e-mail navan@royalrentals.ie

Winter Solstice, Newgrange History

2011-12-21T09:39:00.001Z

Vincent McKenna is a writer, poet and artist based in County Meath and has for many years written about, photographed and painted the history and culture of the Royal County, below Vincent tells us about Newgrange in County Meath.

On Saturday, 17^th of December, 2011, I made my way to the archaeological site in County Meath, Ireland, known as Bru Na Boinne. Within this archaeological site there are three very important passage tombs the oldest of which Newgrange pre-dates the Pyramids in Egypt by over 1000 years. Such is the significance of New Grange in County Meath, Ireland, that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated the entire area known as Bru Na Boinne as a World Heritage Site. I have translated, to explain the above in some different languages.

Ar an Satharn, 5 Meitheamh, 2010, rinne mé mo bhealach don chéad uair i mo shaol ar an suíomh seandálaíochta i gContae na Mí, Éire, ar a dtugtar Brú na Bóinne. Laistigh den suíomh seandálaíochta tá trí tuamaí pasáiste an-tábhachtach ag an duine is sine a New Grange roimh na dátaí-an Piramidí san Éigipt le níos mó ná 1000 bliain. Is é sin an tábhacht na Nua-Grange i gContae na Mí, Éire, go bhfuil na Náisiún Aontaithe Oideachais, Eolaíochta agus Chultúir na hEagraíochta (UNESCO) ainmnithe an limistéar ar fad ar a dtugtar Brú na Bóinne mar Shuíomh Oidhreachta Domhanda.

Am Samstag, 5. Juni 2010 machte ich meinen Weg zum ersten Mal in meinem Leben, die archäologische Stätte in der Grafschaft Meath, Irland, als Bru na Bóinne bekannt. Innerhalb dieser archäologischen Stätte gibt es drei sehr wichtige Stelle Gräber von denen die ältesten New Grange vor der Zeit der Pyramiden in Ägypten von mehr als 1000 Jahren. Das ist die Bedeutung von New Grange in County Meath, Irland, dass die United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) bezeichnet das gesamte Gebiet als Bru na Bóinne als Weltkulturerbe bekannt.

上周六的2010年6月5日，我为我的生命中第一次在米斯郡，爱尔兰著名的布鲁钠Boinne，考古现场的路上。在这个遗址有三个非常重要通道，其中最古老的坟墓新格兰奇预先日期超过1000年在埃及的金字塔的。这就是新田庄在米斯郡，爱尔兰，意义，联合国教育，科学及文化组织（教科文组织）指定的整个地区的布鲁钠Boinne称为世界遗产

Larunbata ekaina 2010 5ean, nire bidea egin nuen nire bizitzan lehen aldiz egin Meatheko konderria, Irlanda, Bru Na Boinne izeneko web gune arkeologikoa egiteko. hau aztarnategiaren barruan, hiru pasarte oso garrantzitsua hilobi zaharrena horietatik New Grange pre-datak Egiptoko piramideak 1000 urteetan zehar. Hala nola, New Grange garrantzia County Meath, Irlanda, da, Nazio Batuen Hezkuntza, Zientzia eta Kultur Erakundea (UNESCO) izendatutako Bru Na Boinne bezala ezagutzen Gizateriaren Ondare bezala, eremu osoa duten.

Le Samedi 5 Juin 2010, j'ai fait mon chemin pour la première fois dans ma vie pour le site archéologique dans le comté de Meath, en Irlande, connu sous le nom Bru na Bóinne. Dans ce site archéologique, il ya trois passage très important tombes dont les plus anciennes New Grange avant les dates des Pyramides en Egypte par plus de 1000 ans. Telle est la signification de New Grange dans le comté de Meath, en Irlande, que l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO) a désigné toute la région connue sous le nom Bru na Bóinne comme site du patrimoine mondial.

Pada hari Sabtu 5 Jun 2010, aku berjalan untuk pertama kalinya dalam hidup saya ke laman web arkeologi di County Meath, Ireland, yang dikenali sebagai Bru Na Boinne. Dalam halaman arkeologi ini ada tiga bahagian yang sangat penting makam tertua yang Baru Grange pra-tarikh Piramid di Mesir oleh lebih dari 1000 tahun. Itulah pentingnya Grange Baru di County Meath, Ireland, bahawa PBB untuk Pendidikan, Ilmu Pengetahuan, dan Budaya Organisasi (UNESCO) yang dilantik oleh semua kawasan yang dikenali sebagai Bru Na Boinne sebagai Tapak Warisan Dunia.

El sábado 05 de junio 2010, me dirigí por primera vez en mi vida a la zona arqueológica en el Condado de Meath, Irlanda, conocido como Bru Na Boinne. Dentro de este sitio arqueológico hay tres tumbas paso muy importante la más antigua de New Grange, que es anterior a las Pirámides de Egipto por más de 1000 años. Tal es el significado de New Grange, en el condado de Meath, Irlanda, que las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) designó el área entera conocida como Bru Na Boinne como Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

The site known as Bru Na Boinne is a short distance from a number of key locations, best known of which would be Slane village in County Meath, famous for its annual concerts at Slane Castle. I have highlighted Newgrange as it is the best known and largest of the passage tombs within the Bru Na Boinne area, however, there are two further large passage tombs known as Knowth and Dowth. The reason this area is known as Bru Na Boinne is due to a spectacular bend in the River Boyne that runs close by, Bru Na Boinne meaning in Irish, the Palace or Mansion of the Boyne.

I brought my digital camera with me on my visit to Bru Na Boinne and I have tried to capture as much of the experience as possible from the moment of arrival to the moment of exit. I have taken a great many photographs and so have only displayed some here due to the time it takes to up load pictures. I hope my pictures help you to enjoy the Newgrange experience from a distance; however, I would have to say that only a visit will truly quench your thirst for knowledge and a sense of history.

I arrived at the car park of the Bru Na Boinne Visitor’s Centre early as I was told by staff when I phoned on Friday that due to the mild weather and the predicted this weekend it could be busy. At 9am there were already some cars in the car park and people, more prepared than I, were putting on their wellington boots, placing hats on their heads, I was of course in short sleeves and jeans. As I made my way to the Visitor’s Centre, which is clearly sign posted, I was immediately excited by the long winding, rustic walk way that was cobbled with Indian sand stone and covered over by a solid timber trestle. Along the walk way some large rocks are placed in order to give the visitor a taste of what might lay ahead.

As I approached the Visitor’s Centre which is about one hundred metres from the car park, I could see a modern day rock and water feature that again showed how much care and attention to detail has been paid by those who opened up this area so that it could be shared by people from all over the world. Upon entering the Visitor’s Centre I was immediately greeted by friendly and helpful staff, I knew exactly where and when I was supposed to go in order to get the full benefit of my time at Bru Na Boinne.

The Visitor’s Centre has an exhibition some of which I have captured in pictures for you, it is an excellent exhibition and it really does take you back in time. It is so easy to imagine how people lived 5000 years ago. Contrary to much public myth these people were not savages; they were in fact architects, builders, astrologists, artists, farmers and much more, we know this from the vast amount of archaeological material found at Bru Na Boinne.

A video in different languages is shown at the Visitors Centre at regular intervals. Bru Na Boinne Visitor Centre interprets the Neolithic monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. The extensive exhibition also includes a full scale replica of the chamber at Newgrange as well as a full model of one of the smaller (satellite) tombs at Knowth. All admission to Newgrange is through the visitor’s centre and visitors are taken to Newgrange and Knowth by shuttle bus, it is all very well organised and streamlined.

Having viewed the exhibition I then made my way to the tourist information area to collect literature about Bru Na Boinne and other sites of importance in the area. Some gifts and craft work can also be purchased. There is a very pleasant and well laid out café area which serves meals, sandwiches and soft drinks. However, you may also bring your own food and drinks if you wish, which can be enjoyed in the many seated areas around the Newgrange and Knowth sites. It was then time for me to make my way along a short picturesque walk way to board the shuttle bus for the passage tomb known as Knowth. The walk way takes you along a winding path and over a cable suspended bridge that hangs over the River Boyne.

The shuttle buses leave every fifteen minutes and you are designated to a particular bus by time. A small stick on badge is issued to you so that there is no confusion, if your badge says 9.30am you will join twenty-three other persons on the 9.30am bus, there is no confusion, then 9.45am and so on. The ticket that I had purchased at the visitor’s centre allowed me to visit both Knowth and Newgrange for 11 Euro. If 11 Euro is all you wish to spend then that is all your day at Bru Na Boinne will cost you. The comfortable shuttle bus ride takes only a few minutes to Knowth.

Upon arrival at Knowth you dismount the bus; you then have a few minutes to enjoy the scenery before being taken by a tour guide to the passage tomb and surrounding area. The tour guide is informative, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the subject under consideration. Knowth is at the western end of the Bru Na Boinne area. 127 kerbstones surround the main passage tomb at Knowth, however, there are also at least eighteen smaller tombs dotted around the main tomb, two of these smaller tombs were built before the main passage tomb. These kerbstones are massive some with a weight of ten ton and more, when one is told that these stones were brought here 5000 years ago by pure man power, it is breath taking. You can see from my pictures of the exhibition how it has been suggested that these stones were moved across land.

In 1967/68 Professor George Eogan and his team of archaeologists discovered two of the tombs within the large central mound, one of the features of which is the great wealth of decoration on the structural stones. Ceremony and settlement existed at Knowth both before and long after the end of the Neolithic period. The guided tour of Knowth sets out the many epochs in Knowth’s complicated history. It highlights tremendous examples of Neolithic art and examines many possible interpretations of their meaning. There are standing stones and settings of what would be considered exotic stones outside the entrance of the tombs. A Timber Circle has also been reconstructed in a way that archaeologists believe it may have previously existed. This timber circle has been carbon dated to a time approximately 2,500 years BC. This wooden circle appears to have been a place for ceremony or indeed worship, there is no proof either way so it is up to each individual’s interpretation. It does however dominate the eastern side of the site at Knowth.

Inside the mound at Knowth visitors are allowed to take pictures, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the passage tomb at Newgrange. I have taken some pictures of the passage tomb in Knowth and I hope that you can see the incredible work and expertise that went into creating these passages over 5000 years ago. Inside the mound a room has been specially designed to allow visitors an opportunity to view the passages and also a huge ditch exists which was most likely dug out in early Christian times. There also remain on the Knowth site foundations of an early Christian house as well as many souterrains, of course the Christians came long after Knowth was constructed.

Following the guided tour at Knowth we were able to walk around the site at our leisure taking pictures and enjoying the incredible view. It is easy to understand why many people through many epochs chose this site to live, work and die; it is not so easy to understand what the people who lived here 5000 years ago were thinking about, their wonderful carvings on solid rock, their mastery of archaeology, structure and farming show that these were an intelligent, artistic and creative people who lived as one with mother earth. I try to imagine these massive rocks being ferried by wooded raft along the coast, up the BoyneRiver and then man handled up the slopes of Bru Na Boinne, what an incredible people. Today we call ourselves advanced and modern, yet compared to these people who had nothing but wood and stone, and who lived at one with nature, we may be everything but.

Having taken lots of pictures and enjoyed a can of coke on the slopes of Knowth it was time to return to the Visitor’s Centre and prepare for the next short journey to the largest of the passage tombs at Newgrange. The shuttle bus drops you back to the centre and you are given clear instructions as to when your shuttle will be leaving for Newgrange, you have your time sticker on your jumper just in case you forget. This system of stickers may seem childish and unnecessary, however, it is to the contrary, everyone knows exactly where they are going and when, so there is no pushing and shoving for places on the bus or in the tours of the tombs.

As I have said earlier Newgrange is the largest and the best known of the passage tombs, the reason Newgrange is known worldwide is due to the winter solstice phenomenon. Newgrange was excavated between 1962 and 1975 by Professor M.J. O’Kelly who discovered the Roof Box through which the mid-winter sun penetrates into the inner chamber. This is a truly magnificent mystery as the exact location of the box only allows the sun to penetrate for 17 minutes each year, what an incredible construction for a people over 5000 years ago. Professor O’Kelly also, some would say, controversially, designed the reconstruction of the white quartz façade that is to the front of this massive passage tomb. Unlike the site at Knowth where the quartz was left on the ground possibly depicting a court yard or place of offering, Professor O’Kelly believed that the quartz had been a retaining wall that had fallen down over millennia.

From the site at Newgrange one can see the site at Dowth that remains open to view externally only; one can also see the bends and twists of the River Boyne in the valley below. It is easy to imagine why an ancient people would view this area as prime real estate. The significance of the 5000 year old entrance stone and roof box are explained by the tour guide as we make our way into the 5000-year-old passage tomb. When we make our way to the inner chamber the winter solstice phenomenon and burial ritual are explained. Following the guided tour we are again let loose with our cameras and imagination, Newgrange is surrounded by 97 kerbstones, the size of these stones, especially when one considers how they were brought here are impressive to say the least. The mound covers a single tomb consisting of a long passage and cross shaped chamber. There are the remains of two smaller tombs immediately to the west of Newgrange and at least one and probably two to the east.

The landscape and view here are second to none, the maintenance and restructuring of the site are done with due diligence. To see the inner chamber of the Newgrange tomb that was built from massive rocks and sealed with grass sods, yet has remained water proof for over 5000 years, is an experience to be hold. How many of us have seen modern ‘marvels’ built and demolished in our own life times. Dowth is not as well known as Newgrange and Knowth, however, it is just as significant from an archaeological perspective. The mound at Dowth has 115 kerb stones and has two tombs facing westwards. There are also smaller satellite tombs to the east and south-west of the large mound. Like Knowth, Dowth appears to have been a focus of activity in the first millennium AD.

The area of Bru Na Boinne has an incredible history and one is touched by a sense of spiritually and historical awareness by visiting the site. Our forefathers were much more than hunter gathers, they were, from the evidence presented at Bru Na Boinne an intelligent, artistic, creative people who lived at one with the land and the environment. I could write all day about these wonderful people, however, I think my pictures should give you a clear understanding of how wonderful our forefathers really were. At 12.30pm it was time to get the shuttle bus back to the Visitor’s Centre, where I enjoyed some refreshments in the café. This was a great day, a great experience, the entire journey through five millennia took about three and one half hours, and it is a journey back in time not to be missed.

I finished my day out by travelling the short distance from the Visitor’s Centre to the village of Donore, where I enjoyed an excellent lunch in Daly’s Pub for the reasonable sum of 10 Euro. The beef, vegetables, potatoes and other fine foods are locally sourced and the meal gets a five start rating from me, five star being the highest merit. *****

Winter Solstice, Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland

2011-12-21T09:13:00.000Z

Winter solstice marked at Newgrange

A stream of sunlight passes through the window box and along the passage way leading into the burial chamber of Newgrange during the 2006 Winter Solstice. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

People are gathering at Newgrange, Co Meath this morning to mark the mid-winter solstice on the shortest day of the year.

The passage tomb at Newgrange, built over 5,000 ago, is unique as the rising sun on the morning of the solstice lights up the chamber deep inside the tomb.

Hundreds are expected at the tomb, although only a certain lucky few handpicked in advance will actually get into the chamber.

If the sunrise is visible, the chamber lights up as it was designed to do so by its neolithic builders.

The event can be watched live on the Office of Public Works’s Heritage Ireland web site at http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/

Slane Village Meath Child Abuse Charges

2011-12-19T11:06:00.000Z

Meath Courts, Meath Gardai, Meath Crime

A 45 year old man, unemployed father of two children, from Slane Village in County Meath, will appear in Court again this week in relation to earlier charges brought before Navan District Court of Child Sexual Abuse. The well-known local man, did with others, including his wife, lead a campaign of harassment in 2005 to have a man accused of sex crimes forced from the area, this campaign also involved locals previously and since convicted of crimes before the courts. The man charged is related to many of the ‘campaigners’ and so those campaigners have now fallen silent, one local woman said:

“It’s amazing that these so called campaigners only appear interested when it is someone from outside the village who has been before the courts, it appears they don’t want to shout too loud when their own are charged with sex crimes, hit and run, assault, child pornography, attacking our emergency services, no wonder they want a by-pass, they don’t want the outside world to look behind their own doors”.

Meath Hero, Navan Gardai, Meath News

2011-12-17T09:35:00.000Z

Gardaí in Navan are refusing to rule out the return of a mysterious knife raider who targeted shopowners in March and May after an abortive robbery on a shop in Navan this week. Gardai have now arrested a man and locals are hailing Navan Gardai and Mr Michael Lynch as heros.

The same threatening manner of attack, a lone, tall male, wearing a balaclava, brandishing a knife, was employed at a newsagents in the town but with one notable difference - this time the shopowner fought back.

On Monday morning 12th December, at around 11am, a man, around six feet tall, carrying a kitchen knife and wearing a balaclava, entered Lynch's at Flower Hill and demanded money.

The shopowner, Michael Lynch, was alone in the shop at the time but refused to give him anything.

During an ensuing scuffle, Mr Lynch overpowered his attacker and took the knife and removed the balaclava.

The would-be raider, however, escaped on foot.

Gardaí say that one of their suspects for the attempted armed robbery has is not the same one who terrorised five shopowners around the county in March - however, they are also reluctant to rule out the serial offender.

Mr Lynch's courage only saw him sustain "just cuts and bruises" while his attacker came off worse and is also thought to have cut his hand.

The would-be raider later burned his jacket nearby in an effort to conceal his identity.

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2011-11-24T14:58:00.001Z

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Slane by pass, Budget 2012

2011-11-16T14:40:00.001Z

The Slane by-pass will not be proceeding and it is unlikely that it was ever even on the cards under the previous government according to a former Fianna Fail Minister. The Minister has told Slane News:

“We were trying to get councillors elected and so we said what we had to say”.

Many people were hoodwinked by Fianna Fail promises; however, the Slane by-pass was never a priority for Fianna Fail at any level, other than trying to get their politicians elected.

It is no real surprise to the people of Slane that the by-pass is not going forward, but it is a disappointment to those who believed the promises of Fianna Fail politicians.

Slane is presently having significant social problems and one politician has said that Slane has one of the highest social welfare dependency rates in the country, he said:

“It is no wonder we can’t pay for a by-pass when there are so many claiming lone parent, the dole and other social welfare payments in Slane. In recent weeks we have seen the emergency services attacked by drunken mobs of unemployed youths, while their parents are lying drunk in the local pubs. I think Slane has more to worry about than a by-pass”.

The Government has prioritised important projects such as the Children’s Hospital; however, it is unlikely that the Government will spend any further money on Slane which is seen as a financial liability due to the high rates of social welfare claimants and the continued lawlessness in the village.

Budget 2012

2011-11-10T17:28:00.001Z

No easy way forward. That was the message from Finance Minister Michael Noonan last week as he unveiled the government's Medium-Term Fiscal Statement which will chart the road ahead for Ireland over the next four years.

Meath Chronicle, Get Yours, Get all the News and Views from Meath

The government plans a total of almost €12.5 billion worth of austerity measures during that time as it looks to reduce the country's indebtedness at the same time as cutting our growth forecast from 2.5 per cent to 1.6 per cent. These 'adjustments', as they are politely called in Upper Merrion Street, account for about eight per cent of the economy - and follow previous spending cuts and tax rises of over €20 billion imposed on the citizens of this country since the steam began leaking from the economy in 2008.

The key points of the Dept of Finance's forecast are cuts on €3.8 billion in 2012, with the further measures totalling over €12bn between now and 2015 - €7.75bn of which will come from spending reductions and €4.65bn from revenue-raising measures. This 2012 target is larger than the €3.6 billion the government signaled earlier this year, saying the new figure was necessary to ensure compliance with the deficit target agreed with the EU/ECB/IMF troika.

However, even after enduring a further four years of austerity, the imbalance between what the State takes in and what it spends will still be over €5 billion by 2015. The likelihood is that it will take until close to the end of this decade - another nine years - until Ireland's books are balanced, unless there is some unexpected economic miracle in the interim.

It is the lack of any strategy from Government Buildings for economic growth, job creation or any semblance of a stimulus to help restore consumer confidence that is almost as disappointing as the realisation that we are far from out of the woods in Ireland. Neither is there any certainty for consumers and taxpayers about how taxation measures might be introduced over the next few years and how this might affect them. As a opposition spokesperson pointed out in the wake of the launch of the government forecast last week, without a clear and coherent plan for economic renewal, the task of achieving the public finance targets will be all the more difficult.

It appears Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his ministers are banking on our outperforming export sector to provide the boost needed to the economy, but even that is now being jeopardised by the slowdown taking hold in the rest of the world. Slowing global economic growth is likely to complicate Ireland's efforts to cut its debt. The euro-area economy, in particular, is struggling and likely to be heading into a 'mild recession'.

However, all this is academic in the real world of the domestic economy, where a feeling of helplessness and a crisis of confidence still continues to hold people in an iron grip. Consumer confidence remains on the floor, with those lucky enough to still have jobs fearful about spending any cash they have saved. The consequence of this is that retailers and other small businesses do not know from one week to the next whether or not they will be able to keep their doors open and staff employed. It is a frightening scenario that threatens to visit long-term damage upon towns the length and breadth of Ireland unless action is taken to assist small businesses in these hard times.

Eight respected economists surveyed recently now expect retail sales to fall 2.25 per cent again this year, compared to a drop of 1.9 per cent previously, and sales are set to drop a further 0.8 per cent in 2012. This bleaker outlook for domestic demand may well discourage the government from further austerity measures, but what people want to see - and have not yet seen - is a credible plan to restore consumer confidence. The only way this can happen, in reality, is for the employment situation to improve. But can a government struggling with such a massive debt burden give the labour market the boost it so desperately craves?

As more people slip into the ranks of the long-term unemployed, it is a situation which threatens to produce lasting economic and social problems. The bottom line for the government is that households need to be incentivised to spend through targeting the labour market with initiatives to take people off the dole queues. Only then can there be the necessary injection of confidence which will see more money in circulation and demand for goods increasing.

Navan Hospital, Peadar Toibin, Meath Chronicle

2011-11-04T09:27:00.002Z

An investment of €725,710 in the Louth-Meath Hospital Group in a bid to fight unprecedented levels of overcrowding at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will see the provision of additional beds at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan.

The Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, announced the funding boost through the Special Delivery Unit for a range of measures to tackle overcrowding in Drogheda, where a record 58 patients had been waiting on trolleys one day last month.

The measures include increasing beds available in Our Lady's Hospital and the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, as well as further measures in the community.

An additional 28 non-acute beds are to be provided in Navan and Dundalk along with 27 non-acute beds in the community and a further eight beds in Drogheda.

The acute Medical Admissions Unit will be extended to operate 18 hours a day seven days a week and five additional long-term beds are to be organised.

Additional assisted discharge packages, including home help, home care and funding for aids and appliances, will also be provided.

The funding will last until the 31st December this year and it is expected that the measures will stay in place in January of 2012 with funding from the HSE.

The measures have been welcomed by Deputy Peadar Tóibin, chairman of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign, who had called for a HIQA investigation into overcrowding in Drogheda.

"We welcome this and hope that it goes some way to alleviating the problem. However, we will monitor this situation over the coming weeks to ensure that people are not left waiting on trolleys," he said.

The TD pointed out that there had been between 45 and 55 patients on trolleys and chairs in Our Lady of Lourdes in recent weeks.

"This is the highest number of inpatients without beds in any hospital in this State. In a further recent development, three patients and an unspecified number of staff in Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, were screened for TB two weeks ago. The enormous pressure on the emergency department represents a clear threat to patient safety and welfare," he said.

He said government plans to close the A&E in Navan were ludicrous in their own right and should not not be even countenanced in the face of such overcrowding in Drogheda.

He recalled that, a year ago this week, 10,000 people marched in Navan in protest at the closure of surgery in Navan.

Irish Presidential Election 2011 Results, Vote 2011

2011-10-26T21:07:00.001+01:00

Presidential Poll 2011, Michael D Higgins Tops the poll

Presidential Election 2011: In a second poll conducted by the Irish Observer following this week’s revelations about Sean Gallaghers money matters, Dana’s blow-out, Martin McGuinness’s disclosed interview with Hot Press magazine (1985) where McGuinness said it was OK for IRA members to murder Gardai, and which included 1000 respondents in Dublin and Meath show Michael D Higgins leading the way in the Presidential election 2011. Michael D Higgins took 39% of the total poll while Sean Gallagher polled in second place with 31%, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness came in third place with 15% up 1% from last week, Gay Mitchell took 9%, Mary Davis 1%, David Norris 1% and Dana 1% with the remaining 3% of respondents stating that they had not yet decided.

When respondents were asked why they Would vote for particular candidates the following categories took precedent:

1. Sean Gallagher (good business sense)

2. Michael D Higgins (can be trusted)

3. Martin McGuinness (realised that violence was wrong)

4. Gay Mitchell (consistent)

5. Mary Davis (work with Special Olympics)

6. David Norris (Gay Rights)

7. Dana (won the eurovision)

This is the second poll conducted by the Irish Observer for the Irish Presidential Election 2011, however, it should be noted that the Irish Observer, using public polls, predicted the result of the General Election within a one-two seat error.

This poll is a snap shot in time and should be viewed in that context; The Irish Observer would suggest that the Presidential campaign winner will be Michael D Higgins and that while he will not achieve the quota on the first count the majority of transfers from Gay Mitchell will go to Michael D Higgins and this will see Michael D Higgins elected as President of Ireland.

Martin McGuinness will pick up a similar vote to that achieved by Sinn Fein in the General Election.

Martin McGuinness Sinn Fein Candidate

When Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD, gave his father Gerry Adams Snr a full-IRA military style funeral, Gerry Adams knew that his father was a serial child rapist, when Gerry Adams helped his brother Liam Adams set up home in Dundalk in County Louth, Gerry Adams knew that his brother Liam was a child rapist.

It has never been an issue for Sinn Fein activists to commit, facilitate and conceal the rape of children. On many occasions Martin McGuinness used his position in the Provisional IRA to ensure that victims of Sinn Fein/IRA criminals, including rapists, were not allowed to report their abuse to the authorities. This is no surprise, Martin McGuinness did not discriminate when it came to the physical abuse of children, McGuinness has been forced to publicly admit that he used physical violence on his own children as well as brutalising other children in the community.

When the IRA kidnapped, tortured, murdered and secretly buried school boy Columbia McVeigh in Monaghan, Martin McGuinness had no issue regularly meeting with and cooperating with the men and women who carried out that evil act, it is no , surprise that the Detective who found the bodies of the children kidnapped, molested, murdered and secretly buried by Moore’s Murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady is now searching the foot hills of Monaghan trying to find the body of schoolboy Columbia McVeigh.

In 1985 Martin McGuinness gave a recorded interview to Michael O’Higgins SC for Hot Press Magazine in which Martin McGuinness stated that the murder of Gardai and Irish Army soldiers by Provisional IRA criminals was justified. This declaration by McGuinness allowed the IRA to murder in cold blood Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996.

Martin McGuinness has been involved with the British Secret Service for almost 40 years, should we be surprised that the murder of Irish Catholics and the rape of Catholic Children is not at the top of McGuinness’s concern list.

Paul Quinn Murder by Sinn Fein/IRA criminals

The parents of a man, beaten to death in County Monaghan four years ago by Sinn Fein/IRA criminals, have said they remain hopeful his killers will be brought to justice.

Stephen and Breege Quinn were speaking on the anniversary of their son Paul's murder.

Last night, hundreds of people attended a mass in memory of the 21-year-old in his hometown of Cullyhanna in south Armagh.

Paul Quinn was savagely attacked by a gang of masked men after being lured to a farm in Tullycora, near the village of Oram in 2007.

His parents say they still believe people living locally "know all about" Paul's murder and have called on them to go to the gardaí or the PSNI to "get it off their chest".

They blame IRA members for the killing, and this view is supported by the Gardai and PSNI, as Sinn Fein/IRA criminals continue to maintain a stronghold on smuggling in the border areas.

Despite a major cross-border investigation into the murder and a significant number of arrests, as yet no-one has been charged with offences relating to the fatal attack.

Stephen Quinn said at the time of his son's death, young men were being regularly beaten in the area but that since then this has stopped because the "people have spoken out" and want "no more of that kind of brutality".

He says he believes he will get justice in the courts for his son.

Liam Adams Extradition

Sinn Fein and the IRA have a long history in relation to the torture, murder, mutilation and rape of children. The IRA kidnapping, torture, murder and secret burial of school boy Columbia Mc Veigh in Monaghan in the early 1970s showed clearly that Sinn Fein and the IRA have more in common with the Moore’s murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. The body of Columbia Mc Veigh has never been found, although the IRA have admitted that they murdered and secretly buried the child in Monaghan.

Liam Dominic Adams, brother of Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD appeared before the Dublin High Court on Tuesday 26th July 2011 for an extradition hearing. Liam Dominic Adams is wanted in Northern Ireland for the alleged Rape of his daughter Aine when she was four years old. Gerry Adams TD has already admitted that he knew about the alleged Rape since the 1980s and that he believed his niece Aine when she told him that Liam had Raped her over a number of years, beginning when she was four years old. However, Gerry Adams TD did not report the matter to the authorities and it was only in 2007 when Gerry Adams realised that Aine would no longer remain silent that he made a statement to the PSNI through his solicitor.

Liam Adams was a senior member of both the IRA and Sinn Fein in Belfast and Dundalk, long after Gerry Adams TD knew about his brother’s alleged Rape of a child, Gerry Adams continued to promote Liam within the republican movement, giving Liam unquestioned access to children both in Belfast and Dundalk. Gerry Adams TD also concealed the fact that his father Gerry Adams Snr was a child rapist and then proceeded to give his father a full IRA funeral to further compound the hurt of those children raped by Gerry Adams Snr.

Child Abuse and Sinn Fein

As the Cloyne Report was published 16/7/2011 one could not help but feel sick at the comments by some Sinn Fein politicians who seem to think that Sinn Fein have clean hands when it comes to the rape of children and the cover-ups of child rape in Ireland. Caoimhghin O Caolain TD seemed detached from the reality of his party’s history with child rape.

In recent times Sinn Fein have tried desperately to cover-up the fact that many of their members have engaged in the rape and sexual abuse of children. This cover-up was heightened when Liam Dominic Adams, brother of Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD, was exposed as a child rapist by his daughter Aine Tyrrell. Liam Adams will face an extradition hearing in the High Court in Dublin on the 26th July 2011, in relation to allegations that he raped his daughter Aine from she was four years old.

Gerry Adams said he believed his niece when she made the allegations in 1987. However, Liam Adams went onto become a prominent figure in Sinn Féin. As chairman of the Louth comhairle ceantair in 1996, he was the party's most senior official in the county.

He canvassed with Gerry Adams in the 1997 Dáil elections and went on to hold positions, including treasurer of a cumann, in West Belfast despite previous claims from his brother that he had long been expelled from Sinn Féin. So while Gerry Adams and known, and by his own public admission, believed that his brother Liam was a child rapist, Gerry continued to offer succour and promote Liam within the republican movement.

However, Liam Dominic Adams is not the only skeleton in the Sinn Fein/IRA wardrobe, Michael Marron a Sinn Fein/IRA activist from Barcroft Park in Newry who ran a smear campaign against former IRA man, turned peace campaigner, Eamon Collins (murdered by the IRA 1999) pleaded guilty and was sentenced to several years in prison for raping a female child in Newry. Marron like many hundreds of others had used his unquestioned position in Sinn Fein/IRA to carry out his evil deeds against little children.

It is well known that an IRA ‘punishment squad’ that operated out of Drumargh Park in Armagh City was made up of child rapists and paedophiles who were given a free hand as many of them were informers, this group was made up of members from Armagh and Monaghan and its informers never severed one day in jail.

In Monaghan Town, Brendan Toal, father of Monaghan, Sinn Fein Councillor, Malachy Toal was arrested and questioned on two occasions in relation to separate instances of child molestation at Mullaghmatt housing estate in Monaghan Town. As the children sexually molested were only 4 years old the DPP decided the children would not be able to give evidence in an open court. Indeed in 2000 Donna Toal, Malachy Toal’s daughter set herself up as a campaigner for victims of sexual crime, however, at the very time that she was ‘campaigning’ her own cousin on her mother’s side of the family was before Monaghan Circuit Court for the systematic sexual abuse of his two nieces.

Sinn Fein and the IRA in Belfast have had a long history with child abuse and rape, Gerry Adams Snr, father of Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD was a known child rapist, but his crimes were concealed by Sinn Fein and the IRA and he was actually given a full IRA military funeral.

The OC of the provisional IRA in north Belfast used his position on many occasions to rape and molest women and children, when victims did go forward to the authorities these victims and their families were forced out of the area by Sinn Fein/IRA, this pattern was repeated in all areas where Sinn Fein/IRA wielded power.

In Armagh County it is known that several women and children were raped by an IRA active service unit, this unit included Aidan Starrs who was a prolific sex offender, all three members of this unit were shot dead by the IRA for being informers, the person who carried out their murders, Freddie Scappactini was in fact an M15 agent and this is now public knowledge.

Martin Forbes (53) from Strabane in County Tyrone was a senior member of Sinn Fein/IRA, he also used the alias Drew, Forbes had been a senior member of the IRA and had served several years in the IRA Blocks at Long Kesh for IRA activity, upon his release Forbes had been selected by the Sinn Fein leadership to run as a candidate in local government elections. Forbes had used his position in Sinn Fein/IRA to sexual molest both women and children.

In stark contrast to the crimes being committed by Sinn Fein/IRA members and being concealed by those organisations, Sinn Fein/IRA actually used their mouth-piece tabloid An Phoblacht/Republican News to lambast people who were outside of Sinn Fein/IRA but who came before the courts for sex related and lesser crimes. While Sinn/Fein IRA were lambasting petty criminals in their tabloid rag, behind closed doors Sinn Fein/IRA from their leadership down were concealing the Rape and sexual molestation of children. Niall O Dowd, Editor, Irish Voice tabloid in New York who has been a cheer leader for Sinn Fein over many years never mentioned any of this Sinn Fein/IRA paedophile activity.

In Dublin several child rapists worked hand in hand with Sinn Fein/IRA, Christy Griffin and Stephen ‘Rossi’ Walsh were key players associated with Sinn Fein/IRA in Dublin, both Christy Griffin and Rossi Walsh are now serving long sentences for child rape. The list of child molesters and rapists exposed in Sinn Fein/IRA over the years is endless; however, those who protected these rapists and concealed their crimes remain at large.

One stands amazed that so-called republicans can justify concealing the rape of children and protecting their rapists, however, one must remember that Sinn Fein/IRA is an organisation that has for four-decades been engaged in the kidnap, rape, murder, mutilation and torture of men, women and children the length and breadth of Ireland.

Saturday, October 22, 2011Sinn Fein Murder, Paul Quinn

The parents of a man, beaten to death in County Monaghan four years by Sinn Fein/IRA criminals, have said they remain hopeful his killers will be brought to justice.

Stephen and Breege Quinn were speaking on the anniversary of their son Paul's murder.

Last night, hundreds of people attended a mass in memory of the 21-year-old in his hometown of Cullyhanna in south Armagh.

Paul Quinn was savagely attacked by a gang of masked men after being lured to a farm in Tullycora, near the village of Oram in 2007.

His parents say they still believe people living locally "know all about" Paul's murder and have called on them to go to the gardaí or the PSNI to "get it off their chest".

They blame IRA members for the killing, and this view is supported by the Gardai and PSNI, as Sinn Fein/IRA criminals continue to maintain a stronghold on smuggling in the border areas.

Despite a major cross-border investigation into the murder and a significant number of arrests, as yet no-one has been charged with offences relating to the fatal attack.

He says he believes he will get justice in the courts for his son.

Presidential Poll 2011, Michael D Higgins Tops the poll

When respondents were asked why they Would vote for particular candidates the following categories took precedent:

1. Sean Gallagher (good business sense)

2. Michael D Higgins (can be trusted)

3. Martin McGuinness (realised that violence was wrong)

4. Gay Mitchell (consistent)

5. Mary Davis (work with Special Olympics)

6. David Norris (Gay Rights)

7. Dana (won the eurovision)

Martin McGuinness will pick up a similar vote to that achieved by Sinn Fein in the General Election.

Win Panto Tickets Christmas Draw

2011-10-19T12:33:00.000+01:00

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McGuinness, Presidential Candidate, Election 2011

2011-10-06T15:00:00.000+01:00

When Garda Gerry McCabe was murdered by a Provisional IRA Unit in 1996, the IRA Army Council meet to discuss the fall-out from the killing which had occurred as a direct result of an IRA Army Council sanctioned Robbery. At the IRA Army Council meeting were Martin McGuinness, Kevin McKenna, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy and Michael McKevitt, Martin McGuinness had the following to say about the summary execution of Garda Gerry McCabe:

“This is about the death of a Freestater who attempted to interrupt the work of the Provisional IRA, I am not going to play any part in disowning IRA volunteers in the interests of political expediency” (McGuinness, 1996).

The above Diaries which were maintained by a member of the East Tyrone IRA contain details of Martin McGuinness being arrested in Monaghan in 1986, they also contain details of Martin McGuinness attending a meeting in Monaghan in 1987 following the Enniskillen bombing on the 8^th November that year. The diaries detail how Martin McGuinness in the presence of other IRA members shook hands with and congratulated the Monaghan man who constructed and planted the Enniskillen bomb that murdered 11 people including a young nurse who died in her father’s arms. The Enniskillen bomb was direct and intentional retaliation for the summary executions of eight IRA members and a civilian by the SAS at Loughgall earlier that year.

McGuinness explained to those senior IRA gathered at the Monaghan meeting, that while he was personally satisfied with the Enniskillen attack, the leadership would have to issue a statement through An Phoblacht distancing themselves from the civilian deaths. The IRA member who constructed and planted the Enniskillen bomb had been reared in a council housing estate (Tully) in Monaghan Town with IRA commander Jim Lynagh who had been executed at Loughgall, and who had been betrayed by an informer based in Monaghan Town. The republican leadership statement issued in relation to the Enniskillen bombing was written by a senior Sinn Fein member from Monaghan Town and was released by (PO’Neil) which was the sudo-name for a leading republican who was based on the third floor of 44 Parnell Square, Dublin.

Martin McGuinness, who was arrested in Smithboro, County Monaghan in 1986 when he had just attended a meeting with East Tyrone IRA commander Kevin McKenna has been endorsed as Sinn Fein’s candidate for the presidential election. However, while Martin McGuinness accepts that he was a senior figure in the Provisional IRA he denies responsibility for directly or indirectly murdering anyone. This is a comprehensive lie; Martin McGuinness personally and directly was involved in the murder of at least 23 people and gave the command for the murders of dozens of more people mainly civilians (Read this FREE e-Book).

Martin and a close relative overseen and was directly responsible for taking the family of Patrick ‘Patsy’ Gillespie hostage in 1990, strapping Patrick Gillespie into a car that was carrying a 1000lb bomb and forcing Patrick to drive that bomb into the British Army base at Coshquin, Martin McGuinness and his IRA unit then detonated the bomb by remote control and thereby murdering Patrick and five soldiers from the Kings Regiment. Patrick Gillespie was a Catholic who had worked as a civilian cook in an army base, this tactic of targeting civilians who carried out menial work for the British had been sanctioned by Martin McGuinness, Kevin McKenna and others in 1986 and was mainly directed at terrorising the Protestant population in the north.

When Martin McGuinness arrived in Smithboro in 1986 it was to visit Kevin ‘The Assassin’ McKenna the Provisional IRA commander of the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional IRA and later IRA Chief of Staff, under whose command operated Jim Lynagh, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Kelly, Michael ‘Pete’ Ryan and so forth, who collectively had murdered hundreds of people in the border counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh as well as murdering Gabriel Murphy, Columbia McVeigh (school boy) and many other innocent civilians on the southern side of the border.

Mc Guinness had travelled to Monaghan in 1986 to ratify a new ‘military’ strategy that would allow for the specific and intentional, yet ‘justifiable’ targeting of Protestants. This new strategy which was based on a Maoist philosophy adopted by IRA Commander Jim Lynagh while in Portlaoise Prison would mean that anyone who in any way supported the British presence in the North could be directly and intentionally targeted. So a man delivering bread, or a woman cleaning the toilets in an RUC station would be as legitimate a target as a fully armed SAS soldier.

When Mc Guinness had concluded his meeting with McKenna (who was living in a mobile home at that time) and other senior IRA members in Smithboro in 1986 Mc Guinness was arrested, however, he was quickly released again when a senior M16 Agent, Michael Oakley contacted Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park. A Garda detective who had been involved in the preparations for the interrogation of McGuinness in 1986 said:

“It was all done over our head; we were told in no uncertain terms that the British authorities wanted McGuinness released without charge”.

Sinn Féin has formally endorsed Martin McGuinness as its Presidential candidate at a top-level meeting in Dublin last week; Martin McGuinness remains a senior member of the Provisional IRA, however, due to his long standing close links with M16 the British have adopted a hands off approach to senior Provisional IRA members, and in particular Martin McGuinness who is viewed as a key Intelligence asset.

While McGuinness has said he was ready to tackle questions about the IRA during the campaign. He said he believed he had played a key role in ending the decades of violence and wanted to look to a new future, however, Martin’s denial of murder is fraudulent as is the claim by Gerry Adams TD that he was never a member of the IRA.

On the prospect of meeting British royalty if he was to become Ireland’s figurehead, McGuinness has said: “If the people of Ireland decided that I should be their president, my responsibilities and duties would be to meet heads of state from all over the world and to do that without exception, and that would be my position.”

Opponents have already said his former IRA role could become a roadblock and could spark campaign debates that risked upsetting victims of republican violence.

“I hope it does not,” he said. “No doubt there will be people within the media, particularly the hostile media, who will attempt to do just that.”

Mr McGuinness said the same prospect had faced Gerry Adams when he moved into politics in the South, but it had not prevented him winning a seat in the general election.

He added: “The past is a terrible place but I think I am seen very much as a part of the future. This is about new beginnings and I have been at the heart of new beginnings.”

Sinn Féin said it had the backing of four Independent TDs to ensure Mr McGuinness could stand in the election.

With 17 Sinn Féin Oireachtas members, he needed at least three extra signatures on his nomination paper.

TDs supporting his nomination are Dublin North Central’s Finian McGrath, Roscommon-South Leitrim’s Luke “Ming” Flanagan, and Kerry South’s Tom Fleming and Michael Healy Rae.

Independents Mary Davis and Sean Gallagher officially became candidates on Monday after each secured the necessary support.

They are on course to fight it out with front-runner Michael D Higgins, of Labour, and Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell.

Independent senator David Norris said in a Late Late Show interview on Friday night that he would like to re-enter the race, having previously dropped out.

Child Abuse and Sinn Fein

Liam Adams Extradition

Child Rape and Sinn Fein

As the Cloyne Report was published 16/7/2011 one could not help but feel sick at the comments by some Sinn Fein politicians who seem to think that Sinn Fein have clean hands when it comes to the rape of children and the cover-ups of child rape in Ireland. Caoimhghin O’Caolain TD seemed detached from the reality of his party’s history with child rape.

Meade Potato Photo Competition

2011-09-07T14:50:00.000+01:00

GREAT NEWS! We are holding a competition for our 2012 calendar. We want to use YOUR photos, paintings or drawings. We need 12 images for each month of the year and there will be a prize for each winner! Along with that you will have the opportunity to have your work seen as we distribute our calender worldwide. You can post us in your image or you can upload it to our facebook page. This is open to ALL AGES so get drawing, painting or get snapping your camera.

Leonard Watters Court Appearance Louis Walsh Claim

2011-09-07T08:45:00.000+01:00

Liar Liar. A man who accused 'X Factor' judge Louis Walsh of groping him in a nightclub is due back in court today.

Leonard Watters is charged with knowingly making a false report to gardaí that the pop music mogul indecently assaulted him on a night out in the Krystle nightclub in Dublin.

The 24-year-old unemployed man will appear before Dublin District Court this morning, where his case is expected to be adjourned to a later date.

He is on bail on condition that he does not contact Walsh or any member of Westlife.

Watters, from Navan in Co Meath, is accused of making the allegation against Walsh at Harcourt Terrace Garda Station in the city centre on June 20.

He was charged under section 12 of the Criminal Law Act on June 29.

Penalties for the alleged offence range from a €500 fine to five years in prison.

Dublin v Donegal Win All Ireland Tickets

2011-08-27T11:06:00.000+01:00

GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Win GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Tickets for GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship.

Would you like the opportunity to watch the GAA All Ireland Final 2011 with a friend or loved one, from the comfort of a Corporate Box at Croke Park, would you also LIKE to have two nights Bed and Breakfast FREE while you enjoy the All Ireland weekend. To be in with a chance of winning this amazing offer, all you have to do is LIKE the Town House Hotel Dublin and/or Globetrotters Hostel Dublin on Facebook. If you LIKE both you are entered in the draw twice. Winner will be announced 9^th September 2011.

GAA : Dublin manager Pat Gilroy has named an unchanged side ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final clash with Donegal on Sunday.

Gilroy saw enough in the seven-point win over Mickey Harte's Tyrone team in the quarter-final to keep faith with the starting XV for the visit of the Ulster champions.

It will mean another chance to shine for the midfield combination of Denis Bastick and Michael Darragh Macauley, while Barry Cahill will continue at centre forward, with Dairmuid Connolly at full forward flanked by the Brogan brothers.

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has restored full forward Michael Murphy to his starting line-up after he came off the bench to score 0-3 against Kildare in the quarter-final.

Murphy was replaced by David Walsh minutes before the Lilywhites clash, apparently because of a hamstring injury, but impressed off the bench and his return will be a welcome boost.

Paddy McGrath (hamstring) and Michael Hegarty (knee) have also been included. Neither finished the Kildare game but Ardara clubman McGrath has been named at corner back and Hegarty is set to start at centre forward.

Neil Gallagher and Rory Kavanagh will face Bastick and Macauley in midfield.

Dublin (SF v Donegal): S Cluxton; C O’Sullivan, R O’Carroll, M Fitzsimons; J McCarthy, G Brennan, K Nolan; D Bastick, MD Macauley; P Flynn, B Cahill, B Cullen; A Brogan, D Connolly, B Brogan.

Donegal (SF v Dublin): P Durcan; P McGrath, N McGee, F McGlynn; A Thompson, K Lacey, K Cassidy; R Kavanagh, N Gallagher; M McHugh, M Hegarty, R Bradley; P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden.

GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Win GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Tickets for GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship

2011-08-25T10:58:00.000+01:00

GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Win GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Tickets - Tickets for GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship

GAA All Ireland Final Tickets: For those of us who are looking around for tickets for the All Ireland GAA Final, for the event as opposed to the teams, there are two chances that I have just spotted to win tickets for the All Ireland GAA Final. Both The Irish Times and The Town House Hotel Dublin are running separate competitions offering tickets for the All Ireland GAA Final and FREE accommodation. In order to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is LIKE The Irish Times and the Town House Hotel on Facebook. Visit their sites irishtimes.com and townhouseofdublin.com and be in with a chance of winning premiere tickets and accommodation, a recession beating opportunity. If you are not in, you can’t win, and it costs nothing to try.

Navan Bomb man injured

2011-08-24T11:26:00.002+01:00

If you have any information please contact Navan Gardai:
Navan gardaí can be contacted on (046) 902 1445

A man was taken to hospital this morning after a viable device exploded outside a house in Co Meath.
Gardaí are investigating the incident which occurred at 8am at a house in Beechgrove, Navan.

A man opened the door of the property and the device subsequently exploded.

The man sustained injuries which were not said to be life threatening. He was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth for treatment.

A Garda spokesman said there was minor damage to the property after the explosion.

The scene has been preserved for an examination by a Garda technical team.

GAA All Ireland Final Tickets

2011-08-23T12:05:00.003+01:00

Meath Road Deaths Crash 23/8/2011

2011-08-23T10:13:00.000+01:00

Two men killed in Meath crash

Two men, aged 20 and 21, have died following a single vehicle road traffic collision in Co Meath this morning.

The incident happened at 2.05am on the Ratoath to Dunshaughlin Rd (R152) approximately 6km outside Dunshaughlin when the car crashed into a tree.

The men were pronounced dead at the scene and there were no other passengers in the vehicle. Their bodies were removed to Navan hospital.

The road has been closed pending a forensic collision examination and diversions are in place.

Witnesses are asked to contact Dunshaughlin Garda station on 01 8258600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

Leaving cert results 2011

2011-08-17T08:50:00.003+01:00

Well done everyone: Ten star students today shared the top spot in this year’s Leaving Certificate results, achieving eight A1s in higher level papers.
Another 39 pupils managed to secure seven A1s, while 92 teenagers will find out they got six A1s.
And some 214 students achieved full marks in five subjects.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said all candidates should be rightly proud of their achievements.
“Today is the culmination of many years of hard work and I hope that your dedication is reflected in the results that you receive today,” he said.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) revealed the number of high achievers varied from last year - when one teenager got nine A1s, six secured eight, 37 got the top mark in seven papers and 92 were awarded six.
Eleven teenagers got eight A1s and one scooped nine in 2009.
The details of the top students’ schools will be made public later this morning.

Jobs

2011-08-16T14:55:00.003+01:00

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has launched details of a major careers event in Dublin next month.

The event will take place over two days at Dublin’s Mansion House on September 10 and 11 with 50 Irish and international companies, professional bodies, educators, recruiters and enterprise organisations in attendance.

Major multinational organisations such as Amazon, Intel, Deloitte, Pramerica and Ericsson will be exhibiting at Career Zoo and will be available to the 10,000 visitors that are expected to attend.

The first Career Zoo held in Ireland last January was attended by 7,000 candidates.

Minister Richard Bruton said such events "can help create a new future, not only for the workers and the companies involved, but also for our economy".

“If we are to get out of this crisis, we must not only be highly ambitious about the number of jobs we can create in Ireland, but also ensure that we have skilled candidates available to fill the positions that are available.

"A series of recent reports have indicated that vacancies for skilled professionals exist across the economy, particularly in IT, and a key challenge for government is to ensure that our education and training infrastructures can respond to this need," the Minister said.

Pets take care of your pets -

2011-08-13T12:19:00.000+01:00

Please Take Care of Your Pets

GAA Death

2011-08-13T12:18:00.004+01:00

A Gaelic Athletic Association referee has collapsed and died during a game in Northern Ireland.
Martin Mulholland, aged in his early 50s, was in charge of a hurling match in Swatragh, Co Derry. A defibrillator was used but he was pronounced dead, an Ulster GAA spokesman said.
“He was well respected and had refereed at many levels,” he added.
Mr Mulholland, from Maghera, Co Derry, was overseeing a fixture between Kevin Lynch’s and Ballinascreen hurling clubs.
Paramedics treated him on the pitch and then brought him to the changing rooms where the defibrillator was used. He was later taken to Coleraine hospital.
Around 700 to 800 people were at the game.
On Sunday, a defibrillator was used to resuscitate GAA referee Gabriel Tumelty after he collapsed on the pitch during a match between Burren and Longstone in Newry, Co Down.
The 46-year-old was taken to Daisy Hill Hospital for treatment.
Last month, Chris McNeill (17) collapsed during a Milk Cup football game in Portstewart.
He was revived with a defibrillator by a doctor whose son was playing in the game, and members of the St John Ambulance.
The teenager was taken to Coleraine Hospital and later underwent surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Meath Child Abduction Attempts

2011-08-11T20:48:00.003+01:00

Dont for get your Meath Chronicle this week

Gardaí in Navan and Trim are investigating three claims that children were almost abducted. On Wednesday afternoon of last week it was reported to gardaí that a 10 year-old girl from Canterbrook estate, Navan, was approached by a man in a car on the estate and offered sweets to get her into the car.

However, the girl refused and told her mother.

Navan gardaí carried out door-to-door inquiries in the area and took statements of up to 20 people but there was little information available. The description from that incident is of a white male with blonde, spiked hair and he was driving a navy car. As yet there is little more on either the vehicle or the man.

A similar description was given for a man who attempted to get a 15-year-old girl into his car the following day (Thursday 4th August) at a similar location and time.

The description of the man at the centre of that incident was given as being late 30s or early 40s and with either blond or reddish spiky hair. Again, a dark blue saloon car was seen in the area between Canterbrook and Balreask Manor on the Trim road between 8pm and 9pm on the night.

Navan gardaí carried out door-to-door inquiries in the area for both incidents and took statements off residents but, again, there was little more information available.

However, it has emerged that Trim gardaí are investigating a similar incident that occurred on Saturday 23rd July in Kilmessan, two weeks previous, where a 10-year-old girl was approached by a man, exposed below the waist, driving a navy blue Nissan Primera or possibly Almera. The car followed the girl to near her home just off the Trim Road.

When she was just a few houses from home he called her over to the car. When she saw he was naked from the waist down she ran home. Again the description was of a man in his late 30s or early 40s with spiky fair or red hair.

Garda Sergeant Dean Kerins, who is the crime prevention officer for the county, said: "There was an incident [on Wednesday] where a man attempted to get a young girl into his car in the Canterbrook estate in Navan. The male was described as white with spiky hair and driving a dark coloured saloon car.

"He offered the young girl sweets to get into his car. The young girl had great sense not to get into the car and to call for help immediately.

"It is important that any suspiciously activity be reported to the Gardai in Navan immediately.

"Should a incident occur vital information such as car description, colour, make or registration, if possible, should be obtained. Accurate description of any persons in the car if possible should also be noted. Please be extra vigilant and always keep an eye on all children within your estate," he said.

Navan gardaí can be contacted on (046) 902 1445 while Trim Garda Station is on (046) 948 1540.

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Moynalty Show 2011, 14th August 2011

2011-08-09T10:27:00.000+01:00

Moynalty Steam Threshing and Working Show

36th Annual Steam Threshing Show

Moynalty, Kells, County Meath.

Sunday 14th August 2011

This Sunday 14thAugust 2011 it is Moynalty time again. Moynalty is one of the few outings that I have in my diary each year. It is a day out that transports me back to when I was a child and enjoyed the good things in life, such as homemade butter, cutting turf, cutting wheat, using horses and donkeys for farm work that is now done by automated machine. My memories are perhaps blinkered by all that I have endured in my adult life, but for me those were great times.

2010 My Day at Moynalty: In Moynalty yesterday I viewed the most wonderful Vintage cars, tractors, horse drawn machinery, and stationary engines. These machines are maintained to the highest standard by great men and women who want the past to remain part of the present and the future, a reminder that we did not always have ATM machines, computers and mobile phones.

I then made my way to an area that was filled to capacity with volunteers as they baked bread on an open fire and skillet, pan cakes and champ (mash potatoes and spring onions – topped with real butter) thank you God. This was a feast fit for a king. I then moved towards the field that is set aside for public displays of harvesting, the way it used to be done. There were men reaping and binding the wheat, the threshing of the wheat was done by steam locomotive, horses ploughed while guided by steady hand. It was truly a flash back to the past and what a wonderful sight.

The food and craft fair is certainly the best that I witness each year as I travel around the country and this display of home baking and cooking sits majestically amongst the sounds of traditional music and Irish traditional dancing. There was also a BBQ and pig on a spit, all palettes were catered for.

The Dog Show attracted all breeds, shapes and sizes. These animals are clearly loved and cared for by their owners. Sheep, goats, dogs, ducks and any number of animals were on display and for sale; I did not buy anything this year as I am over stocked as it is, although I was tempted to buy another puppy.

There were many active crafts on display yesterday including basket weaving, cooking, woodturning, blacksmith, harness making, kitchner steam driven saw, milk churning, tinsmith, spinning, water wheel, forge and so much more all adding to the uniqueness of this annual event.

On site there is also a museum which is well worth a visit, I was able to walk around and be amazed at the collection of antiques and other historical artefacts that were used by our forefathers. This is country living at its best. For the kids there was a fairground, puppet show, face painting, swings and slides, bouncing castles and crazy golf.

The proceedings were officially opened by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mary Hanifin and the Minister reflected the view that Ireland has in recent years begun once again to fully appreciate the value of family, friends and community in difficult times.

Having listened to the Minister’s speech it was time to go for a cup of tea and enjoy a sit down after walking about five mile around the fields. It was a great day out and as usual I have taken many photos for you to enjoy. If you visit Ireland in August please put Moynalty in your diary.

Meath Courts, Meath Gardai, Meath Crime

2011-08-04T09:54:00.000+01:00

Meath Courts, Meath Gardai, Meath Crime

In the past week there have been a string of burglaries around Navan, if you have any information in relation to any criminal activity, Please contact the Gardai in Navan 046-902 1445, your information will be treated with strictest confidence.

Navan Rape charge: A man appeared in Navan Court 27th July 2011 charged with an alleged rape in a Navan apartment. The man in his late 30s is charged with the alleged rape in Navan in February of this year, he cannot be named to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

A Dublin man was jailed for ten months for sexually assaulting a 16 year old girl when he appeared at Trim Court. The man admitted sexually assaulting the child on the 23rd August last year, the man convicted was described as being 26 years old, single father.

More than one half of all calls made to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre helpline last year related to childhood sexual assault, a 30% increase over the past eight years.

The counselling service received more than 9,000 calls in 2010, 52% of these related to child sexual abuse cases.

Meath Courts, Meath Crime, Meath Gardai

Gardai in Trim have charged a local man with the alleged possession of child pornography.

A 48 year old man was arrested in the Mornington area of the town and was charged under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. The man was remanded to Cloverhill Prison and appeared at Navan Court 26th July 2011.

A 45 year old man, unemployed father of two children, from Slane Village in County Meath, was remanded in continuing custody when he appeared at Navan District Court 20th July 2011 on charges relating to child sexual crime.

A 52 year old Ashbourne man, Derek Leggett, of Tara Lawns in the town, was sentenced to three years for sending texts threatening to Rape a female work colleague.

Dominic Hannigan TD

2011-08-03T15:48:00.003+01:00

Labour Party TD Dominic Hannigan is to volunteer in the Philippines this summer with leading development charity, Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).

The Meath East Dail deputy will be participating in VSO's 'Politicians for Development Programme' in which Irish government representatives volunteer during the summer recess.

Deputy Hannigan is an experienced business consultant and engineer and will be placed as an advocacy adviser with an organisation that works to build peace across divided communities in the Philippines. He will be sharing experiences from the Irish peace process, as he was recently made chair of the Committee for the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

This will be the local politician's third time volunteering with VSO. In 2008, he worked as a business management adviser in Mongolia, while in 2010 he worked as an advocacy adviser with Nepalese civil rights organisation, Blue Diamond Society.

"I was delighted to have recently been appointed as chairman of the Good Friday Agreement Committee. So now, to take Irish learning to the Philippines, will be a great opportunity. Working with Filipino peace-builders will be insightful. There are mny things we can learn from other communities internationally, something VSO promotes," he said.

Another Meath resident, Carmel Bradwell, is a serial VSO volunteer. She is a special needs teacher from Navan and is on her second volunteer assignment with VSO in Uganda.

A retired teacher aged 59, she is the focus of VSO's door-to-door fundraising drive which has been taking place nationwide since 2010, whereby people can sponsor a volunteer in the field.

Speaking of her work in Fort Portal, western Uganda, Ms Bradwell said: "The children I work with in western Uganda are absolutely amazing. They are happy and smiling. The fact that you come to their school to help train the teachers fills them full of joy and they become your friend. I am the luckiest person in the world as I have so many friends who greet me everywhere in Uganda with a big smile and who want to be around me."

She is working in Canon Apollo College, training primary school teachers to improve their teaching skills.

Years of conflict and underfunding have left the education system in Uganda extremely weak. As a result of this, many Ugandan teachers have had very little schooling or teacher training. Consequently, they are often unable to provide even a basic education to Ugandan children.

Malcolm Quigley, Director of VSO Ireland, is eager to promote sharing of learning and expertise between Ireland and other countries. "VSO works with grassroots organisations who have specifically asked for help with campaigning and lobbying. I believe Deputy Hannigan and volunteers like Carmel can add value plus bring back learning to Ireland. We now live in an inter-dependant world and we can foster knowledge brokering between different communities," he added.

Sex Crime and Prisons

2011-08-01T12:42:00.001+01:00

Prisons and Sexual Crime

Dr Ian O’Donnell, Institute of Criminology, Law Faculty, UCD, explains that in Ireland, Britain and the USA:

One consequence of the politicisation of crime has been a surge in prison populations. Placing more people behind bars might satisfy a thirst for vengeance, if only until the next outrage.

The former Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue (1997-02) was quick to relate the ‘fall’ in crime to the expansion of the prison population in the IrishRepublic (Sunday Times.2003) upon examination we see that such headline grabbing is not supported by the facts. The former Minister for Justice was falling in behind the discourse of what Bottoms (1995) describes as:

Populist Punitiveness

Contrary to O’Donoghue’s spin in the media a comparison between the Garda Siochana Annual Reports (2000-02) paint an entirely different picture than that presented by O’Donoghue about the true state of reported crime in Ireland in this period. In this period of increased prison populace (Irish Prison Service Reports. 1999-00. p.10 also 2000-01) there was increases across all ten categories of ‘headline’ crime. These include the most serious offences such as homicide, assault, rape and robbery. In 2000-02 there was an average of one murder per week, while reported sexual crimes reached unprecedented levels (1,070 < 1,956 < 3,174 respectively). Remembering that the Sex Offenders Bill was introduced in 2001 as the great deterrent against sexual criminality, its effects were to the contrary and continue to be so. It should also be remembered that the conviction of a person for multiple rape is recorded by the Gardai as one crime.

It is this discourse of populist punitiveness and the juggling or massaging of crime figures by weak politicians and their spin doctors that ensures that the public continue to look to imprisonment as a primary means of preventing crime. Marcus Felson (1994) suggests that those societies that depend on the ‘old’ criminal justice agencies as the main sourse of crime prevention:

Have already lost the battle against crime (p.xi)

Unfortunately in the Irish Republic the majority of Ministers only hold the Justice portfolio for a five year period or less and therefore they can survive in office without even attempting any reform of the system, they can in fact spin and weave their way from one Ministerial portfolio to the next without ever taking responsibility for anything including their lavish expense accounts. Muncie (2002) reminds us that in the aftermath of the murder of three year old James Bulger in England in 1993, the youth justice system in particular took a sharp turn down the road to retribution when he says:

Custody was once more promoted as the key means to prevent re-offending through the in-capacitive slogan ‘Prison Works’. As a result, it has been argued that, particularly in England and Wales, a legal discourse of guilt, responsibility and punishment has always tended to surface and resurface as the dominant position in the definition and adjudication of young offending (p.145).

Unfortunately there have been many James Bulger’s since and nothing has changed, in Ireland it is clear that those who pose the most serious threat to society continue while behind prison bars to run criminal empires and order murder and drug shipments by way of mobile phone the way ordinary citizens would order pizza. It is my contention that any growth in the penal population inevitably mutes any commitment to promoting rehabilitation and therefore preventing recidivism amongst offenders in all categories of criminality. From as early as 2003 the effects of a global down turn, in terms of economic growth, were already being felt within the prison system here in Ireland with penny pinching cut backs in education and rehabilitation, even the traditional Christmas packet of cigarettes given to prisoners by some Governors was taken away.

While Ministers for Justice such as John O’Donoghue and Michael Mc Dowell could spend vast fortunes of tax payer’s money on their five start life styles, they failed the public by making mealy mouthed cuts within the prison system. The closing of Shangallagh House by Michael Mc Dowell was described by the Governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonnegan as:

An Act of pure Evil

These mealy mouthed cuts have continued each and every year since 2003, while capital projects such as the extension to Wheatfield Prison have went ahead, these moves have been of set by the closure of the Curragh Prison, Spike Island Prison and so forth. The revolving door system that operated in the 1980s is fully operational in 2010, as overcrowding is at an unprecedented level and 1000 prisoners on early release. Regional papers carry court reports of Judges expressing surprise as defendants that they sentenced to terms of imprisonment appear before them on new charges when they should still be serving those custodial sentences. However, even during years of substantial economic growth in the IrishRepublic, a period known as the Celtic Tiger, there was no significant investment in new imaginaries of rehabilitation within or outside the penal system. Generally political administrations appear short sighted when it comes to crime prevention. However, even when light appears at the end of the new imaginaries tunnel, it simply takes one ‘bogus moral panic’ and certain weak politicians, to send even the most progressive political administration into penal regression, as the spin doctors set out to suppress the lurid tabloid headlines.

It is unfortunate that former Ministers for Justice, such as John O’Donoghue could find time within their schedule to write articles for the lurid tabloids and persecute individual citizens, but could only skulk in and out of Wheatfield Prison on a thirty minute visit like some political pervert. Rene van Swaaningen (2002) quotes Garland (2000) to suggest that prison:

On an instrumental level it provides a place where people who cannot be fitted into a ‘free country’ of consumer choice can be warehoused (p.263).

However, in Ireland we are acutely aware that such warehousing is excessively reserved for those who are economically superfluous (O’Mahony.1993). It is clear in Ireland in 2010 that some of the most corrupt and criminal politicians, bankers and property speculators will never see the inside of a prison cell even though they have bankrupted the country through acts of criminality which are economically comparable to the damage done to America by the 9/11 atrocity in New York. It is important to remember that even in countries that have been testing and adapting new imaginaries in crime prevention and particularly the management of offenders within such a paradigm, the penal industry is a growth industry (Christie.1993). Furthermore, Hughes et al (2002) reminds us that:

We continue to live in brutal times, with old crimes and punishments coexisting alongside the new reductive architecture of control and security (p.337).

When a person is convicted of a sexual crime, of which there are many categories, finds him or herself imprisoned, they are in a weird suspended animation. In many cases persons convicted of sexual crime have themselves been abused while in the ‘care’ of the State, Church or domestic setting and have from that went on to be abusers (Casey.1999 and Hoggett.2000). In prison, persons convicted of sexual offending and particularly those with the split victim/perpetrator profile find themselves in an environment populated by abusers, and the socialisation and normalisation process that goes along with such an environment. Eighteen year old boys with the split victim/perpetrator profile are housed with well seasoned abusers, and soon find themselves being sodomised for the price of an ounce of tobacco. Marie Keenan tells us that research indicates that:

Abusers experienced a deficit in intimacy and social skills, leading to emotional isolation. Abusers have a distorted sexual script which allowed abuse; emotional dysregulation which inhibited effective management of feelings, and cognitive distortions/implicit theories which allowed the abuse (Irish Times.2002).

Paul Hoggett (2000) supports this view of abused becoming abuser, when he says:

Bodily and physically integrity, freedom from physical and emotional violence, are central to the development of our being. Traumatised subjects are haunted by a past which casts its shadow over all assertions of agency, in the worst case leaving them doomed to repeat past injuries in future encounters: as we now know, so many abusive fathers were themselves once abused as children (p.146).

Wheatfield Prison in Dublin, was purposely built in the 1980s with modern standards in mind, there is an education unit, work shops and a range of services. Yet with all of these services available, at least one quarter of the prison population rarely leave their cell or landing due to fear of physical attack or psychological abuse. Those persons who do leave their landing to seek help, employment or training, particularly those identified in the media as being convicted for a sexual crime against a child, must run a gauntlet of abuse on a daily basis. In many instances those dispensing the abuse have been convicted of similar crimes, but they have not been identified in the media and so shout loudest to conceal their own crimes. If persons being abused attempt to defend them-selves, the attackers will have ten witnesses to say that the prisoner attacked was the instigator of the violence. Prisoners are then put on a prison charge, known as a P19, and can lose remission.

Many prisoners cannot afford to purchase nor would they ask visitors to leave in ‘normal’ sexual stimuli, as allowed by the Department of Justice. For, example, the Department of Justice allows ‘Mayfair’, a male sex orientated magazine. It can also be seen that many persons convicted of sexual and ‘non-sexual’ crimes use the sexually explicit pictures or literature from the tabloids to decorate the walls of their cells. Many explicit sex orientated magazines are smuggled into the prison system, and recently one of Ireland’s most high profile and dangerous criminals was found to have women’s underwear in his cell. The majority of prisoners cover the walls of their cell with explicit pornography, even that which has been smuggled in. The reason that I pause in relation to persons convicted of ‘non-sexual’ crimes is due to the fact that many persons convicted of drug related offences and so forth make no secret of the fact that they have been involved in rape and other sexual offences, but have not been convicted of same. It is not unusual to hear a group of young prisoners talk about how they were at a party and the women were so ‘stoned’ they had sex with at least one woman without that woman being in a condition to consent to having sex.

Some drug users ‘Junkies’ and drug dealers even boast of how they paid off their victims by giving them a few Euros worth of heroin. Many of these sexually explicit pictures in the cells of prisoners show young women dressed in school uniforms or other child related poses, for example, sucking their thumb, licking a lollipop and so forth. It is then the case that the majority of persons convicted of sexual crimes depend on the tabloids and explicit sexual contraband for stimuli. It is the lurid sexual detail of articles and court cases, coupled with sex orientated advertising contained in the tabloid press that gives a sense of normalisation to those who have a distorted sexual script and others who are without countervailing influences. Many persons convicted of sexual crimes refer to the ‘journalists’ who provide them with this daily diet of deviant sexual stimuli as Journophiles. The Journophile is to the sexually dysfunctional what the drug dealer is to the ‘Junkie’ he/she feeds, in many cases, what is a compulsive addiction. Many prisoners found in the illegal possession of mobile phones, approximately 2000 mobiles are confiscated each year, were found to have used those phones to ring perverted sex chat lines in the tabloids.

Normal prison life means that prisoners are locked in their cells for seventeen hours per day; add to this administrative interment, deviant sexual stimuli, without rehabilitative resource and the results are sadly predictable. In 2009 a prisoner who had just been released from Wheatfield having served a sentence for rape, committed another sexual crime within fourteen hours of his release. This prisoner had during his sentence been confined to his cell 24 hours per day without access to rehabilitative care, even though he sought such care, he was told that there was no money to provide such rehabilitative care. Isolation, de-socialisation, drug use/abuse, sensory deprivation, emotional deprivation and so on, make a bad situation worse. In many cases persons convicted of sexual crimes are already isolated and marginalised from family and community before going to prison. Added to this social stigma in the community, resulting from being convicted of a sexual crime, particularly involving children, upon entering prison are further isolated.

This isolation in prison is not only due to the administrative internment mentioned above, but also isolation from the general prison population. This isolation occurs especially, although not exclusively, if their cases have been reported in the media, and the threat to their safety that flows from that added punishment. Some such prisoners, particularly members of Religious orders, Gardai, politicians and so forth get special treatment and are sent to the safe environment of Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin that caters almost exclusively for sex offenders. While Wheatfield Prison now houses the majority of sex offenders presently serving sentences in the Republic, Wheatfield is a very dangerous place for both staff and vulnerable prisoners. The recent gang rape of a young prisoner in Wheatfield on the orders of a Limerick based gang housed there highlights the perversity of the situation in Wheatfield. Officers are regularly subjected to threat and intimidation and for this reason many prison officers have been caught bringing drugs and other contraband into the gangs who run Wheatfield. Wheatfield like most prisons in the Republic is controlled on the outside by the State, but controlled on the inside by gangs; I call this the doughnut effect. The State keeps the prisoners in, while the gangs run the various landings and wings within the prisons.

However, Arbour Hill is far from meeting best practice or international standards in the management of sex offenders, the normalisation process of deviant sexual behaviour simply becomes manifest when clusters of offenders are placed together. This thesis is supported by some contributors to a very progressive report on sexual offending that was commissioned by the Irish Prison Service (Lundstrom.2002). It has been found that sex offenders are provided in prison with a unique opportunity to net work. For example, in the case of Paddy O’Driscoll who had served a sentence for rape, was released and raped again, on the night of his most recent rape for which he is now serving eighteen years, he was in the company of another convicted rapist Paddy Moorehouse, whom he had meet in prison. In 2008, Gardai discovered that a serial sex offender, Peter Hayden from CountyKilkenny, who had been released from Wheatfield, was using a false name to have daily phone contact with another serial sex offender Eamon ‘Captain’ Cooke who remained in Wheatfield.

It is also worth noting that when a person convicted of sexual crimes enters prison, particularly prisons not catering for such persons, the convicted person is told by prison staff to say that they are in for an offence that is not sexual, for example, robbery. While this ‘denial’ is suggested by the staff in the interests of prisoner safety, it can eventually lead to prisoners who have pleaded guilty in Court, becoming convinced of their own innocence. This denial leads to even greater psychological trauma and set back in the acceptance process of the wrong done. Many persons convicted of sexual crimes have received brutal treatment at the hands of fellow inmates and some times acquiescing staff. This brutal treatment is due to the fact that sections of the media have given status to persons convicted of heinous ‘non’ sex crimes, Martin Cahill (The General) or John Gilligan are cult heroes among the criminal hordes, thanks to the tabloids. These cult heroes have committed much greater crimes in premeditation, number and deed, than any person convicted of sexual offending.

However, the exclusion of persons convicted of sexual crimes from the ‘ordinary decent criminal’ is not exclusive. Leading members of Dublin, Limerick gangs who have convictions for rape and sexual assault are openly accepted into the prison landings that house ‘the ordinary decent criminal’. Stephen ‘Rossi’ Walsh convicted in 2009 for the rape of a nine year old child is serving his sentence with ‘ordinary decent criminals’. In many cases particularly among clusters of prisoners from the same area of Dublin, Limerick and so forth, it is ‘macho’ for a twenty year old prisoner to have raped a woman or young girl. However, a sixty year old, particularly from outside Dublin, Limerick and so forth, entering prison for the same crime is likely to be the subject of serious abuse. In Wheatfield Prison some of the prisoners causing most problems for persons convicted of sexual crime are persons who are convicted of the same if not worse offences, however, if they are not identified in the media they can use the ‘attack’ mechanism for their own protection. One prisoner Michael ‘Micko’ Whelan who was constantly attacking or causing to be attacked, older men who had been identified in the media for being convicted of sexual crime, was serving a long sentence for raping a school girl at knife point.

In October, 2001, two prisoners were sentenced to nine years and three years respectively at Roscommon Circuit Court. These two prisoners carried out a horrific attack on a fellow inmate at Castlerea Prison, in February, 2001, after falsely accusing the victim of being convicted of a sexual offence (Irish Independent.2001). A third prisoner would be sentenced to nine years for the same attack (Irish Independent.2002). Rarely are such cases prosecuted, due mainly to the fear of the victim, of further attack within the prison system, if he/she Rats. Rat is derogatory term used to describe a prisoner who passes information onto the authorities. Prisoners who are suspected of being Rats can be subject to stabbings, slashing, assaults and so forth, a prisoner in Wheatfield Prison was recently raped as it was alleged that he was a Rat.

Elizabeth Stanko (2000) when speaking about the effects of racist abuse describes closely the environment that many persons convicted of sexual crime find themselves in, when she says:

The experience of racist abuse demonstrates that the climate of subordination and inequality is maintained through a continual stream of comments and actions, constantly reminding those in particular groups that they are living within a hostile and intimidating social environment (p.255).

While many may think that persons convicted of such crimes should be subject to such abuse, it should clearly be noted that 96% of their peers are never prosecuted. Sharon Gewirtz (2000) quotes, Young, to highlight the negative effects of oppressive institutional violence:

The oppression of violence consists not only in direct victimisation, but in the daily knowledge shared by all members of oppressed groups that they are liable to violation, solely on account of their group identity. Just living under such threat of attack on oneself or family or friends deprives the oppressed of freedom and dignity, and needlessly expends their energy…To the degree that institutions and social practices encourage, tolerate, or enable the perpetration of violence against members of specific groups, those institutions and practices are unjust and should be reformed (p.319).

While Wheatfield Prison is one of only two prisons built in modern times and with modern standards in mind, it has no communal eating, although there is a communal eating area provided on each of the twenty landings. Each landing has sixteen cells that were designed for single occupancy, however, those cells have now been doubled up and so a landing designed for a maximum population of sixteen prisoners now houses thirty-two prisoners. Recreation is limited to two hours each evening, at which time prisoners can play a game of pool or watch television. This administrative internment further creates the conditions for a de-socialising process. Even on a special occasion, such as Ireland playing Germany in the World Cup (5.6.2002) prisoners were locked in their cells for the duration of the game and longer. Although prisoners have a fourteen inch television in their cells for which they pay five Euro per month, the World Cup presented a unique opportunity for prisoners to share a communal experience and with that some sense of normality and worth, yet it was lost. In 2010 while Ireland may not be in the World Cup the prisoners are certainly in their cells.

Much of the focus by certain sections of the media and government legislation on sexual crime has led to a devaluing of human life. This devaluing of human life is not simply due to the fact that some persons convicted of sexual offending are spending more time in prison than those convicted of murder, man-slaughter and so forth, but due to the fact that little or no attention is paid to rehabilitation for those who view deviance as normality. This deviant normality is a perception greatly enhanced by the same media who would provide the wood for the scaffold, for those convicted of sexual offending, most of whom need help not harm. In Ireland today there are two places where members of sexual deviant sub-cultures can meet in greater numbers, the Internet and Prison. Operation Amethyst proved the former, my own observations proves the latter. That is not to say that everyone convicted of sexual crimes on entering prison, will automatically sit down with other persons convicted of similar crimes and exchange stories. Quite the contrary in many cases, however, without countervailing influences, a common language is soon accepted and derogatory terms for women and sexual acts in general, become the standard discourse. It is this objectification of potential victims that will ensure that more people will be subject to sexual criminality.

In 2010 the Fianna Fail lead coalition Government continues to deny open, honest and transparent debate about child sexual abuse. On Thursday the 17th of June 2010, Mr Alan Shatter, Fine Gael spokesman on children insisted that a European Directive on combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography should be discussed in a plenary Dail session, stating that:

It should be discussed on the floor of the house and not simply nodded through.

It is this type of on going denial by the Government to address these serious matters in any meaningful way that helps facilitate and normalise sexual criminality in our country. While certain sections of the media and internet sites generate and supply a demand for lurid sexual material. The Criminal Justice System, and in particular the prison system has essentially to play a significant role in the rehabilitation process. Successive Ministers for Justice and Governments of Ireland have consistently negated their responsibility in this area. At the end of the first five years of the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrat coalition Government (1997-02) a five year period in which the IrishRepublic enjoyed unprecedented economic growth, there were eight places provided per annum on a tailored programme for sex offenders at Arbour Hill Prison. This was the only such programme within the criminal justice system. In 2010 there are no programmes specifically designed for the rehabilitation of those convicted of sexual offending and within the Irish prison system, there are several hundred persons men/women presently serving sentences for sexual criminality.

Even when there was a programme specifically tailored for the rehabilitation of convicted sex offenders, there was what can only be described as a ‘Rehabilitation Lottery’, prisoners seeking help were told time and again that there was no facilities available for them. Some prisoners, who had committed serious sexual crimes, including gratuitous violence against their victims, had applied for a place on the programme at Arbour Hill Prison but were refused. On one occasion a serial offender who wanted rehabilitative help went to the High Court in desperation to try and force the Government to provide him with access to rehabilitation before he was released from prison (see, Farrell v The State) both the High Court and the Supreme Court ruled that it was a matter for the Government if they provided rehabilitation or not.

Week after week persons convicted of sexual offending leave Irish prisons after serving sentences ranging from one to fifteen years, without having received even basic rehabilitative opportunity. Like many other categories of offenders, persons convicted of sexual crimes are denied even a limited pre-release/reintegration programme, before being parachuted back into the community. A case coming before the Dublin Circuit Court in 2001, highlighted this criminal negligence by the then Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue and his Department, when Judge Yvonne Murphy returned a man to prison for three years at his own request. This man could not cope with life outside of the prison system, having just served an eight year sentence from which he had been de-socialised and institutionalised (Irish Independent.2001). However, many such offenders unable able to cope with life outside of prison do not normally return by such a diplomatic route. Many released prisoners simply re-offend to return to three square meals per day, to a place that is more familiar to them than the hostile community that waits on the outside of the wall.

That hostile community that has been created by banner headlines and certain weak politicians, all of whom care more about their own inflated salaries and expenses than they do about child protection and community safety. Both Focus Ireland and PACE, say that homelessness is a major problem for ex-prisoners. Add to homelessness all of the other needs of ex-prisoners and the result is predictable. The Irish Penal Reform Trust, produced a report in 2001, ‘Out of Mind, Out of Sight’, which showed that at least one-third of prisoners were mentally disabled or are learning deficient, the Fianna Fail Government tried to suppress this report. Successive Ministers for Justice in the IrishRepublic have remained wedded to the penal discourse of crime and punishment, while other more progressive countries such as Britain, Australia and Canada have been developing new imaginaries in correctional practice. Such imaginaries have been directed at moulding self reliant prisoners. Within this enterprises paradigm prisoners are ‘Trained for Freedom’ (Garland.1996). Garland (1996) continues by saying that such regimes:

Enlist the prisoner as an agent in his/her own rehabilitation, and as an entrepreneur of his/her own personal development. They are permitted to choose their preferred options from within the available range of developmental activities (p.462).

The criminal negligence of John O’Donoghue and other backward thinking Ministers for Justice, is ignored by the trial judge if a convicted person/non-rehabilitated person re-offends upon release. The offender is simply thrown back on the criminal justice conveyor belt, that has churned out generations of repeat offenders (O’Mahony.2000, Goldson and Peters.2000). It was incredible to hear the former Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue, congratulate himself on the fact that there were more people in prison than before he took office, this he believed in his ignorance was progress. A case could easily be made before the court that it was John O’Donoghue and others who were the real criminals by denying convicted persons a basic fundamental Human Right, that right being access to appropriate rehabilitative care, we now know that O’Donoghue and others were more concerned about their own five start luxury than they were or are about the rape of children.

If Health Boards can be sued for failing to protect children, why should rape victims not sue the Government of Ireland, for failing to at least offer the opportunity of rehabilitation to prisoners who are convicted of sexual crime and then go on to re-offend after their release from prison. If it can be shown that Ministers wasted vast sums of public money lining their own pockets while failing to make rehabilitation available to those prisoners who sought help, then those Ministers and the State should be sued if not prosecuted for criminal negligence. It is worth noting that many commentators on sexual criminality, and particularly some within the ‘victims industry’ have called for prisoners to be subject to mandatory rehabilitation, again such calls show the depth of ignorance prevailing in some quarters. During John O’Donoghue’s term as Minister for Justice, dozens of persons convicted of sexual offending applied for and were denied rehabilitative help. However, this clutching at sound-bites by the self-serving and ill-informed fails to recognise the failure of such compulsory programmes in relation to other forms of ‘dysfunction’, for example, drug addiction (O’Malley.2002).

The most crucial fact evading legislative change or public discourse in relation to sexual criminality is that persons imprisoned for sexual crimes are only a small percentage of those who engage in sexual criminality. Remembering, for example, that 96% of persons confirmed by Health Boards as having raped and sexually abused children will never be prosecuted. There are 23,000 files belonging to known sex offenders in the fourteen area Health Boards and none of these files have been passed to the Gardai. Some files have been passed to the Gardai but these 23,000 files were men and women in equal number have admitted to sexually abusing children have never been passed to the Gardai. It is this 4% of convicted persons that certain weak politicians, ‘interest groups’ and sections of the media find easiest to attack, rather than addressing the structural failures of the State to provide even basic protections for children from those with greatest access to children in Ireland. Thousands of women and men who have been confirmed by Health Board staff as having raped and sexually abused children, have unsupervised/unrestricted access to children every day of the week in Ireland.

As mentioned earlier people can work with children in crèches and so on, without training or even basic clearance procedures being in place. Many crèches and child ‘care’ facilities have employed cheap foreign labour, the majority of whom cannot be vetted in any manner. What value is Garda Siochana clearance procedure, when 96% of persons who have been confirmed by Health Board staff as having committed sexual acts against children are not prosecuted? This writer wants a national data base in place, and on that data base the names of every person who has been confirmed as a child abuser and every one who has concealed/facilitated that child abuse on that data base, purely for child protection and community safety reasons. It is an outrage that persons confirmed as having raped and abused children can work within our Health and Child Care systems. This Government has continued to allow the smoke and mirrors of legal constraint, to restrain the Health Boards and the Gardai from informing potential employers that confirmed sex offenders, women and men, pose a threat to children. O’Mahony (1996) reminds us that:

The official response to the presence of an ever increasing number of persons convicted of sexual crimes in the Irish prison system with regard to rehabilitation, treatment and education, has matched the scandalously neglected response to the problem of drug using prisoners (p.223).

Mr Justice Flood likened the system of dealing with persons imprisoned for sexual crime to:

Throwing a chicken carcass into a bin and leaving it there to rot (O’Mahony.1996.p.224)

While Mr Justice Flood’s comments are equally applicable in 2010 the fact is that the carcass does not rot away, but is released back into the community, a community that is as ill prepared to deal with such offenders as the prison system. This failure to rehabilitate in turn leads to further isolation, frustration and anger of the individual concerned, the results of which in all categories of crime is the committing of more crimes, because the offender has nothing left to lose by going back to prison (O’Mahony.1993. Goldson and Peters.2000) While one recognises that the Probation and Welfare services, Education services, psychological services and other professionals who work within the prison system do their best, it is a best within a vacuum. A vacuum due to lack of policy objective or direction, resource scarcity and political indifference, while some prison officers run workshops and so forth, these services are under staffed, under funded and in most cases de-motivated due to a lack of multi-disciplinary/strategic approach to the rehabilitation of convicted persons (Lundstrom.2002).

In the IrishRepublic in recent years many politicians and other opinion formers, have fallen in behind the prevailing zeitgeist of the hard line consensus. In the UK and Northern Ireland the focus has been on Human Rights, particularly in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (1998), in areas such as policing, judiciary, prisons and law reform. The hard line consensus in the Republic has moved further from the Constitution and international Human Rights standards to a regime of repression, thus precipitating the current crisis in values and purpose in the Irish Criminal Justice system. With the exception of a few Judges, an acquiescent judiciary have like performing poodles, administered, rushed and ill-considered criminal justice legislation. Legislation that is passed by certain weak politicians to assuage public opinion, an opinion or ‘moral panic’ normally manufactured by the lurid tabloid press and those on fatted salaries within the ‘victims industry’. O’Malley (2002) reminds us that while Britain and Australia are fostering more progressive regimes in relation to prisoner rehabilitation the same Governments are:

Introducing increasingly oppressive risk-based regimes bearing on ‘sexual’ and ‘violent’ offenders (p.293).

Certain weak politicians have murdered, by legislation, any progress towards a system that produces good citizens rather than repeat offenders. Political and media interference with the judicial process is not a new phenomenon, however, that interference and intimidation has gone relatively unchecked in recent years. Such exposed interference has seen the resignation of Government Ministers, Bobby Molloy and Trevor Sargent are such examples. Former Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue was subject to a private criminal prosecution when it was established that he had abused his office to interfere in a criminal case (Mc Kenna v O’Donoghue.2002). Paul O’Mahony (1996) says that:

It is unlikely that judges have been completely impervious and unresponsive in this matter. Judges have certainly utilised the longer sentences now available to them for sexual offences (p.16).

An extremely worrying result of the hard line consensus, and political populism that under pins it is that successive Ministers for Justice have decided to treat persons convicted of sexual crimes, differently from all other offenders. Ministers for Justice have adopted an unconstitutional and inhuman policy of keeping persons convicted of sexual offending in prison until the last minute on their committal warrant, with the statutory 25% reduction for good behaviour. Why Justice Ministers have adopted this discrimination is clear, they fear the banner headlines of the tabloids and they quake in their boots at the marching hordes of the Feminazi. It is not my argument that all crimes can be treated equal, there are certain individuals who have committed heinous crimes, and those crimes cannot easily be explained away, however, there are many prisoners who when treated with some sense of decency and dignity can go on to lead normal lives that are crime free. If you deny a prisoner the opportunity of getting out of prison for a few hours a couple of weeks before his/her release date simply to get a shirt and pair of trousers, and that prisoner can see that other more dangerous criminals are getting such basic concessions, then the result is anger and resentment. Many Ministers for Justice have been on bended knee to convicted terrorists yet the same Ministers abuse their authority to discriminate against prisoners who don’t have guns and bombs to back them up.

It costs an average of one-thousand-five-hundred-Euro per week to keep a prisoner in jail according to the Irish Prison Service. If we remember that the vast majority of prisoners do not receive even basic rehabilitative care while in prison and the vast majority (90%) of persons convicted of non-sexual offences go on to reoffend, alternative crime prevention imaginaries must be sought. The Whitaker Committee (1985) recommended an increase in remission from the current 25% to 33% (O’Mahony.1993.p.217). Such an increase is now in place if prisoners under take certain courses and training while in prison. This shift to increased remission has a dual potential, the medium to long term benefits of shifting resource from security to rehabilitation will be realised in a reduction in recidivism. It is worth noting that this saving or redistribution of 8.3% (25% <33.3% = 24 Million per annum) of the prison budget is equal to the sum that was being spent on prisoner rehabilitation and work/training annually at the start of the new Millennium. Secondly it is hoped that prison Governors will have greater leverage in terms of prison discipline, the latter point relating to the need to take prisoners out of crime practice.

Furthermore a limited number of cost effective Restorative Justice Projects aimed at first time offenders for crimes such as public order offences, possession of drugs for self use, minor assaults and so forth, have shown a 90% success rate. Unfortunately much political and public discourse relating to crime prevention remains wedded to defensive principles of zero tolerance and so forth, we now know that those who spout about Zero Tolerance, have much more to hide than the person shop lifting to feed his/her family. In a penal system that frequently releases prisoners, some of whom have committed heinous crimes coupled with gratuitous violence, the killers of Garda Mc Cabe for example, long before their remission date, have set in place a secret and arbitrary system of non-judicial justice against persons convicted of sexual crimes. Temporary release and early release are equally denied to low risk sex offenders. In May 2010 there are 1000 prisoners on temporary/early release as the prison system is bursting at the seams, 90% of those on early release will reoffend as they are mainly drug and alcohol abusers, yet less than 10% of sex offenders will reoffend and they remain in prison to the final day of their sentence.

In a rare disclosure of this non-judicial justice which continues to undermine the discretionary nature of the judiciary, Mr Justice Paul Carney, in a High Court Judgement, relating to an application under Article 40.4.2 of the Constitution taken by a prisoner claiming that his detention was unlawful as he was being denied rehabilitative care (Sex Offenders Programme), suggests that the prisoner making the application, should seek clemency from the Government, however, clemency has never been granted to any convicted sex offender, even where it has been proven at a later point, that the said sex offender was innocent (Farrell v State.2002.No.537.S.S.). This non-judicial injustice against persons convicted of sexual crimes, is aggravated by the fact that more dangerous criminals such as the IRA murderers of Garda Mc Cabe, were given temporary release as and when they sought such temporary release. There is no doubt that Ministers for Justice such as John O’Donoghue TD felt obliged to do business with the organised criminals in order to make life easy for himself as he jetted off around the world on tax payers money. Yet this discrimination against person convicted for sexual offending breaches Bunreacht na hEireann, Article 40.1, which states that:

All Citizens shall be held equal before the law (p.146)

It has been the case now for some time that weak Ministers for Justice have run scared of the Feminazi while at the same time bowing down to organised criminals such as the IRA and derivatives there of. These Ministers for Justice in their weakened state has used what little power they have left to brutalise and discriminate against those who are already on the ground. Newburn (2002) quotes Garland (2000) to highlight the fact that governments are reactionary rather than proactive to certain types of crime when he says:

By reactivating the old myth of the sovereign state; and by engaging in a more expressive and more intensive mode of punishment that purports to convey public sentiment and the full force of State authority (p.119).

Elizabeth Stanko (2000) points out, that the public have a subconscious illumination of the risks posed by certain categories of criminality, this illumination is not necessarily driven by any visible threat, when she says:

Proactive policing is often aimed at curtailing the violence committed by special groups – animal rights activists, football hooligans, drug gangs, and even ‘organised’ paedophiles. Certainly such groups do constitute danger to certain people. However, with the exception of paedophiles, few people spontaneously mention the danger posed by these other groups, unless they have been directly affected by them (p.253).

It is clear that the Journophiles who contribute to the lurid tabloids help create these bogus-moral-panics in order to sell their social and moral corruption, yet the reality is that the focus by many Journophiles on the activities of sexual crime may have more to do with the concealment of their own drug snorting and perverted activities than it has with any concern for community safety. In relation to the criminal complex with in Ireland, I would advance another reason for political discrimination in favour of persons convicted of ‘non’ sex crimes. Firstly, I would say that organised white/ non-white collar criminals and ‘politically’ motivated criminals, have a visible community. Corporate power, money and influence for white collar criminals. While leading non-white collar criminals have large family/criminal networks on large working class housing estates in major cities and towns in the IrishRepublic. Many of these Ministers seek and secure tens of thousands of votes from these criminal networks. Politically motivated criminals such as Sinn Fein/IRA can and do encourage their supporters in marginal constituencies to give their preference votes to Fianna Fail and that courtesy is returned. This cross fertilisation can be seen in the example of Mary White who was elected to the Senate with the support of no less than twenty-three Sinn Fein councillors in 2002. One of these councillors was engaged and would later marry one of the criminals who murdered Garda Mc Cabe. And at a time when Sinn Fein/IRA continued with their acts of criminality, see also, Callanan, H. (2001) ‘No end to our children’s suffering’, Sunday Times, 9th September.

Although not exclusively, the person accused or convicted of sexual crime, particularly such a person from the lower socio-economic margins, is perceived as having no constituency. One only has to look at how the criminal justice system dealt with the upper class, child sex criminals, caught under Operation Amethyst and look at how the criminal justice system deals with people from the lower margins prosecuted for similar offences. These non-judicial discriminations against persons convicted of sexual crimes, only further create a climate of isolation and marginalisation for such persons. Brenda O’Brien, reminds us that:

An important Canadian study shows that untreated sex offenders have a 35% recidivism rate, while it is less than 10% for those who are treated (Irish Times.2002).

If we translate this study from dry statistics to real victims, many thousands of Irish men, women and children could be spared the horror of sexual criminality. However, as we now know some Ministers were more interested in spending tax payer’s money on their own inflated ego than they were on child protection. At the psychological Society of Ireland’s Annual Conference in Waterford the Granada Institute reported that twenty-one sex offenders convicted of abusing children showed:

Encouraging near non-offender profile after a year long course of therapy

This rehabilitative potential is rarely seen in groups of criminals who have crime as a ‘career’ or ‘political’ motivation rather than a psychological or sociological disorder (O’Mahony.1993). Muncie (2002) says that:

Up to 90% of young people leaving custody re-offend within two years (p.155)

The fact that this systematic inequality in the administration of sentences, relating to persons convicted of sexual crimes, is sustained by an official willingness to give life to the public thirst for vengeance, or by an official fear of public outcry from the lurid tabloids and the Feminazi, about repeat offenders, underlines the pernicious influence and moral bankruptcy of a weak political administration. Yet one watches week after week as recently released terrorists, killers, drug users/dealers, ‘joy-riders’, armed robbers, return to prison for another few months after their latest exploits, that in most instances includes multiple victims. For the person convicted of sexual crimes, identified in the lurid tabloids and especially those convicted of crimes against children, there is the added inequality in sentence of a campaign of psychological and physical torture upon entering prison. This psychological and physical torture is mainly at the hands of fellow inmates and an unsympathetic administration. In a report on bullying in Irish Prisons conducted by psychologists at the University College Dublin, it was found that half of the prison population were the victims of bullying. When asked about bullying in the Irish Prison system Mr Sean Alyward, then Director General of the Irish Prisons service said:

We are aware of the problem. We have been workings steadfastly to reduce the possibility of bullying and we continue to do our best. However, prison environments are fertile breeding grounds for bullies. When Human beings are confined together in restricted settings, bullying is frequently experienced. Investment over the past five years to tackle prison over crowding had reduced the frequency of serious bullying. Simple things like single cell occupation or no more than two people in a cell, better shower and toilet facilities, have reduced bullying (The Sunday Times.2002.p.8).

Soon after uttering these fine words Mr Alyward made a monetary settlement and issued an apology, in Dublin Civil Circuit Court, when a prisoner accused him of bullying and telling lies (Mc Kenna v Sean Alyward). Mr Alyward’s fine sentiments were being made at a time when one of Ireland’s most modern prisons, Wheatfield Prison, was having its single cells turned into double cells, there are now thirty-two prisoners on landings designed for sixteen prisoners, staff levels and ‘facilities’ remain static. However, on an up beat yet cautious note, 10% of Wheatfield Prison is set aside for those who wish to be drug free, it is not a fallible drug free system, as urines can be doctored by inmates, but at least it’s a move in the right direction.

Julia Twigg (2000) also reminds us that these physical and psychological constraints on the body and mind are part of the administrative psyche when she says:

Fundamental to the operation of disciplinary institutions like the prison, the asylum, or the Poor Law institutions is the ordering of bodies within them. Such institutions constrain and control bodies of inmates (p.130).

These abuses and inequalities against persons convicted of sexual crimes fly in the face of the rhetoric of The Management of Offenders: A Five Year Plan, published by the Department of Justice, when it states that:

The removal of the right to free movement, and the (consequent) restriction of other rights such as the right to unrestricted communication with others, constitute, in them-selves, the whole penalty imposed on the convicted person and that any adverse conditions which add to that penalty are unwarranted (p.5).

Former Minster for Justice, Michael Mc Dowell TD, who has since been rejected by the electorate as has his party the Progressive Democrats, clearly did not read his own Departments literature when he used his position to stop important research being carried out within the prison system. The administrative internment as set out above in relation to early release, temporary release, 17 hour per day lock up, and the psychological and physical torture, that many of these convicted persons are subjected to, clearly contradicts the rhetoric of the Department of Justice, the only people who can want to see fellow human beings treated in such a fashion are those who have much to hide themselves. Furthermore, Article 40 of the Irish Constitution (1937) states that:

All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law.

Article 40 has been trampled into the ground by successive Ministers for Justice, the Government of Ireland and an acquiescing Judiciary. John Muncie (2000) points to one of the great hurdles that liberal democracies have to address as they focus their criminal justice energies on those persons convicted of certain types of crime when he says:

While legal wrongs provide the clearest focus, already notions of incivility (anti-social behaviour), malpractice (corporate/political corruption), risk (likelihood of committing further crimes) and violation (of Human Rights) are circulating on the margins of criminal definition and policy formulation. In themselves these ‘new’ signifiers – emanating from the right and left of the political spectrum – alert us to the on going struggle over what is the proper constitution of ‘crime’ (p.225).

In the Irish Republic it is clear that much criminal justice focus, remains on the legal wrongs of those from the lower socio-economic margins of society, we read week after week in the local papers about people stealing food for their children and being convicted before the courts, while the most heinous criminals who have left our country bankrupt continue to walk free and maintain their personal fortunes, fortunes just as criminal and perverse as the fortunes accumulated by the drug barons and terrorist God-fathers. Political/financial corruption (Ansbacher Report.2002, Flood Tribunal.2002 and Moriarty Tribunal.2003) the list of the corrupt and the criminal is endless, yet the prosecutions are negligible, as the members of the Golden Circle continue to putt on the same green. This is not just about money, how many men, women and children have died in the 1980s/90s/00s and continue to die due to lack of key service provision, how many children have been raped, as the political and corporate criminals robbed our country blind.

Many prisoners in ‘normal’ prison conditions become servile and dehumanised and seek individual survival by means of ‘prescribed’ medication or contraband drugs[1]. When one combines the ‘ordinary’ conditions of persons convicted of ‘non’-sex crimes, with the inequality visited upon many persons convicted of sex crimes, it is no surprise that many commit acts of ‘self’ harm and ‘self’ murder. One such death in custody is highlighted in the Irish Prison Service Report (1999-00) where a young prisoner described in certain media outlets as the ‘Beast’ hung himself, he was one of sixteen persons to die in custody in that period. The real criminals are of course the same Editors who publish their daily diet of filth to conceal their own deviance and duplicity.

The inability of many individuals accused or convicted of sex crimes, to face what many describe as a journey to hell, is highlighted by the suicide of a middle aged man in Dublin on the 2nd of July 2001, the day before he was to stand trial in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, for alleged sex offences. A sixteen year old girl killed herself in 2001, rather than face the court and the three men who had gang-raped her. What we as a nation must ask ourselves, is, what is it if anything that separates us from the Taliban or other extreme dictatorships? For if accused persons, guilty or innocent, or victims alleged or real, would rather die than face our courts, and all that goes with such court appearances, the distance between Irish society and fascist dictatorships may not be that great.

Psychotherapist, Marie Keenan, says of the feelings expressed by persons convicted of sexual crimes:

I don’t know how some of these people have lived, with their detestation of their own humanity. Predominantly a sex offence was about seeking intimacy (Irish Times.2002).

As mentioned above, through-out the closed prison system, convicted persons are locked in 12ft by 8ft concrete tombs, for at least seventeen hours per day, in some of the most modern of our prisons these cells designed for one person are now doubled up, leaving each prisoner with a space of 6ft by 4ft, which happens to be slightly larger than a standard coffin. An environment best summed up by Professor Paul O’Mahony (1996) when he says:

For many prisoners, especially the many who are illiterate, lack initiative or are depressed, the isolation and enforced idleness is intolerable. The crushing boredom consequent on wide spread lack of productive work, and of meaningful education and training opportunities, and the long tedious hours of close confinement to the cell, add considerably to the air of despondency and frustration that hangs over most Irish prisons (p.105).

This ‘tedious’ aspect of the prison system is not restricted to prisoners. The former Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue (1997-02) while speaking at the Prison Officers Association (POA) Annual Conference in 2002, stated that in the year 2001, the total stock of 3200 Prison Officers, had taken, 60,000 days of sick pay in that year, which by any standard is phenomenal, still I am certain that if the prison officers had been aware of the vast amount of tax payer’s money O’Donoghue had squandered on his own self indulgence, they would have had more to say about his pointed criticism of their sick pay bill. Prison officers pay accounts for over 70% of the prisons budget, with only 8.5% of the prison budget spent on rehabilitative facility. It may well be that Bentham’s panopticon, is the best explanation for the mental decay of prisoners and staff alike:

The paradigm of disciplinary technique, offering the organisation of space and human beings in a visual order lays bare the structures of power. Surveillance is continuous and all are caught in the machine, even the one who watches (Twigg.2000.p.130).

The Whitaker Committee (1985) stated:

The greatest single obstacle to the personal development of prisoners and to reducing the reconviction rate is the nature of prison itself. The possible rehabilitative effects of education, training, welfare and guidance are off set by the triple depressant of over crowding, idleness and squalor which dominates most Irish prisons (p.31).

In relation to Wheatfield Prison which was purposely built with modern standards in mind, there are a range of services available to inmates, yet at least one quarter of inmates rarely leave their landing, with the exception of the weekly outing to the Tuck Shop or reception. The Tuck Shop is a small shop within the prison where prisoners can go once per week under escort to buy cigarettes, newspapers, sweets and minerals, prisoners earn two Euros per day for good industry and so can have fourteen Euros to spend in the shop each week. Prisoners go to reception once per week to collect any clothes left in by relatives. Having facilities is quite different from prisoners participating in them. Upon entering prison, each prisoner should be assigned to a mentor, this could, in many cases, with training and selection, be fellow prisoners. For example, many prisoners facilitate AA, NA, AVP, Listeners and so forth. Such mentoring could also be carried out by prison officers, all of whom could with minimal training transform the lives of inmates, and enhance their own career opportunities and reduce the chronic sick leave bill set out earlier. The mentor would work at first level with Probation and Welfare and a multi-disciplinary team would decide the best package for the individual concerned.

All of the above said, while there are many good officers within the Irish prison system, many of them view working within rehabilitative programmes, as they would view turkeys voting for Christmas. The POA certainly has not stuck its neck out in campaigning for rehabilitative care. The physical, psychological, emotional and social environment of the prisoner must be given equal priority in order to produce best practice in the care, rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders. A multi-disciplinary approach must be adopted both inside and outside the prison system in order to improve child protection, crime prevention and community safety. A policy of ‘Zero Tolerance’ of bullying and victimisation must be instilled with clear policy objectives and codes of practice displayed visibly throughout the prison system. Zero Tolerance within the prison system is achievable as there are a variety of summary remedies available to impose sanctions against wrong doers. An important aspect of this deterrent portfolio as mentioned earlier is the 25% < 33% remission rates.

In the UK including Northern Ireland higher rates of remission have been found to be effective in the deterrent/cost effectiveness portfolio. As mentioned above the deterrent aspect of the remission portfolio also contains substantial savings in that reduction in assaults on officers and inmates reduces the ever increasing number of civil actions against the state. These claims can amount to several million Euros per annum. Any progressive politician who is not brow beaten by the Feminazi and on his/her knees to organised terrorists/criminal, should be able to sand up and say enough is enough, we are going to try something new, yes prison for those who pose a serious threat to public safety, such as terrorists/drug barons and other category (A) prisoners, however, new imaginaries will be used across a wide area of the criminal justice system, including well managed Restorative Justice Programmes, electronic tagging, community service and so forth. A seamless transition from prison to the community for persons convicted of sexual offending must be a priority so that ignorance and denial in public discourse can be replaced with education and awareness by way of a multi-agency approach, where best practice in Child Protection, Crime Prevention and Community Safety can be achieved.

[1] Not all drugs are consumed by those prisoners to whom they are prescribed, on the black market in prison, medication is currency – for example – methadone a heroin substitute/sleepers/valium are traded for tobacco, cannabis, heroin, E-Tabs, acid and so on.

Peadar Toibin TD Save Navan Hospital

2011-07-27T12:56:00.000+01:00

Navan Town Councillor, Suzanne Jamal is like a spoiled child who has thrown her toys out of the pram, for many years before Mrs Jamal entered the political arena Peadar Toibin TD and his party colleague Councillor Joe Reilly had campaigned to Save Navan Hospital from the grim weepers in Fianna Fail. Mrs Jamal is a town councillor and her responsibilities are limited to bins and street sweeping, Peadar Toibin TD has been elected to the national parliament by the good people of Meath and is therefore the man to lead the campaign to Save Navan Hospital.

Mrs Jamal must not expect to get invited to every important meeting at Leinster House and would be better suited to tend to local matters over which she has some say. If Mrs Jamal wishes to raise issues in relation to Navan Hospital with The Minister for Health, she should use e-mail or a letter, just as the rest of us have to do.

Child Abuse increase

2011-07-27T12:41:00.000+01:00

More than one half of all calls made to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre helpline last year related to childhood sexual assault, a 30% increase over the past eight years.

The counselling service received more than 9,000 calls in 2010, 52% of these related to child sexual abuse cases.

Meath News The Courts

Gardai in Trim have charged a local man with the alleged possession of child pornography.

A 48 year old man was arrested in the Mornington area of the town and was charged under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. The man was remanded to Cloverhill Prison and appeared at Navan Court 26th July 2011.

A 45 year old man, unemployed father of two children, from Slane Village in County Meath, was remanded in continuing custody when he appeared at Navan District Court 20th July 2011 on charges relating to child sexual crime.

A 52 year old Ashbourne man, Derek Leggett, of Tara Lawns in the town, was sentenced to three years for sending texts threatening to Rape a female work colleague.

FAS replaced by SOLAS

2011-07-27T12:40:00.000+01:00

The Government has approved the establishment of a new education and training authority, which will be called SOLAS.

The new body will replace FÁS, which is to be disbanded.

Functions previously carried out by FÁS will now be taken over on a 50/50 basis by both the Department of Social Protection and Department of Education.

The Department of Social Protection will take responsibility for programmes such as the community employment schemes, while further education and training areas will go to the Department of Education and Skills.

There will be a much greater role for the VEC's, which will now take over the running of many courses currently provided by FÁS.

Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn said this morning its mandate would be to ensure the provision of high quality further education and training programmes to jobseekers and other learners.

SOLAS stands for Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh Agus Scileanna.

Household Charge

2011-07-26T13:28:00.003+01:00

Details of the new household charge, which will be €100, have been announced.

It is expected a number of low-income households will be given a waiver from the charge.

Both the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Environment Minister Phil Hogan had promised clarity on any household charge before the summer recess.

The service charge is to be a combined water and property tax and will be set in the region of €100 a year, until schemes for charging for water and a property tax are introduced.

The EU/IMF bailout dictates that an interim charge must be put in place for water, beginning next year.

Navan Hospital Campaign Continues

2011-07-25T09:44:00.002+01:00

A firm commitment that elective surgery will be returned to Navan was given by Health Minister, James Reilly, at a meeting last week with a delegation from the Save Navan Hospital campaign.

He also said that A&E services at Our Lady's Hospital will remain on a 24-hour basis for at least six months or a year, as there is no capacity elsewhere to deal with the work currently carried out in Navan. However, the minister told the meeting that the hospital laboratory will close.

Following the meeting, campaign chairman, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, gave a cautious welcome to the government's commitment to retain emergency dept services at Our Lady's. "The minister committed to the continuation of the A&E in recognition of the hospital as a level three hospital for at least six months and possibly up to a year. He also committed to returning some of the surgery services that were cut from the hospital last September.

"However, the minister said that the laboratory at the hospital as it is currently constituted, will close," he said.

Deputy Tóibín said that senior HSE management said it was their aim to build extra capacity in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Cappagh Hospital, Dublin. When this capacity was put in place, it would be their aim to close services elsewhere in the region, including Navan.

"The Save Navan Hospital campaign is not convinced that the extra capacity that will be provided elsewhere in the system would be sufficient to deal safely with patients from Meath. As a result, we will continue to campaign robustly for the maintenance of services in Navan," he said.

Deputy Tóibín also requested that the HSE would "develop a structure that would improve the flow of communication between the HSE and the community group in order to prevent the system of management by rumour and leak, which currently prevails. To clear this up, the HSE has agreed to meet with the campaign group in mid-September.

"I am convinced that the pressure to 'rationalise' hospital services in Meath was based on money concerns and not patient safety. As a campaign, we will do everything in our power to ensure that patient safety is central to any future decision," he said.

Deputy Damien English said the meeting had been very positive. He said the minister had confirmed that elective surgey will be returned to Navan and he also hoped other services would return.

Deputy English said Dr Reilly had made it clear that the A&E was safe for the immediate future as there was no capacity anywhere else to deal with the level of cover it provides.

"The minister said he wanted to see elective surgery built up at Navan to take some of the pressure off the larger Dublin hospitals. He is sticking to his commitment to bring elective surgery back to Navan. He also wantes to see an increase in the work carried out in the orthopaedic unit," Deputy English said.

Meanwhile, Cllr Shane Cassells has called on the government to put the real plan for the north-east region - not just Navan - on the table so people can see where the government stands on the hospital.

"We have gone from a situation where, on 12th February of this year, the Fine Gael election team pledged on the front of the Meath Chronicle to have the new regional hospital open inside five years.

"Now, just 100 days after gaining power, the best they can do is pledge to keep the A&E in Navan Hospital open until Christmas," he said. "James Reilly and every other opposition TD stood on a stage in front of 10,000 people and pledged their support for Navan Hospital last October.

"Six months' grace is hardly anything to be singing and dancing about," added Cllr Cassells.

AIB Navan Fraud

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000+01:00

AIB Navan fraud

Most customers of AIB Navan feel secure when using the AIB ATMs on Kennedy Road and Trimgate Street, the CCTV cameras positioned over-looking the ATM area gives customers the feeling that their transactions are safe and secure. However, this is not the case, AIB customers who have accidentally left their AIB bank cards in the ATM have found that their accounts can be accessed and their money taken, with AIB denying responsibility or compensation. To add insult to injury the CCTV cameras do not show whom has carried out what transaction, in other words if you leave your card in the ATM by accident, your account can be cleaned out and the Gardai have no way of identifying who accessed your account at the ATM. AIB are perpetrating a fraud on their customers by creating the illusion of safety and security, when in fact customers can be robbed in broad daylight and AIB simply deny any responsibility for the failing of their security systems.

AIB customers are being forced to pursue AIB through the offices of the Financial Services Ombudsman in order to have their rights ventilated, this is outrageous and unacceptable at a time when Bankers who have bankrupted our country are walking away with multi-million Euro pensions and bonuses, the bill for which is being paid by the hard pressed workers of Ireland.

If you feel that you have been cheated by any Banking institution please contact the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Navan District Court Slane man Child Porn Charges

2011-07-21T14:19:00.000+01:00

Slane child pornography: A 45 year old, unemployed father of two young children from Slane Village in County Meath, has again appeared at Navan District Court on charges relating to Child Pornography. Inspector Smithers, of An Garda Siochana, told the Court that the Gardai were awaiting instructions from the DPP in relation to how the charges were to be dealt with.

The Slane man was remanded in continuing custody to Cloverhill Prison and will appear at Kells District Court in August. The man is being held in E-Wing of Cloverhill Prison.

Child Pornography Slane Child Pornography

2011-07-20T11:33:00.000+01:00

A man in his mid-30s from Slane Village in County Meath, who is married with two children, has appeared today 20/7/2011 at Navan District Court, he has been charged with child pornography offences in Slane and remanded in continuing custody to Cloverhill Prison pending his trial.

Social Workers Mandatory Reporting Child Abuse

2011-07-16T10:48:00.000+01:00

Social Workers want an easy life with basic hours and inflated salaries, rather than a difficult life with out of hour’s child protection services and a heavy work load. To suggest that people should be allowed to conceal the rape of children in order not to over burden social workers is simply to allow statutory agencies to replace the oppressive position held by the Catholic Church. How dare social workers try to black mail the Government at this important juncture in Child Protection history. If social workers, many of whom are poorly qualified and lack international best practice qualifications in child protection do not wish to be over worked or worked to their full capacity, it may be time for the Irish government to look to International Child Protection agencies and employ those better qualified to do the job.

SOCIAL WORKERS have expressed alarm that plans to introduce mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse could push over-stretched services towards breaking point.

Under realistic and overdue new laws, failure to disclose information on child abuse will result in sanctions such as fines or jail terms.

In addition, the national code on how to respond to child protection concerns – Children First – will be placed on a statutory footing. This will create a legal obligation for organisations, volunteers or professionals who work with children to report all suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.

The Irish Association of Social Workers yesterday warned the new laws could end up doing more harm than good. “As it stands, the child protection system is not functioning properly. There are significant numbers of children without social workers or care plans,” said association spokeswoman Ineke Durville.

This ridiculous statement by Ineke Durville, is a kin to suggesting that rapists should not be put in prison as we have an overcrowding problem. However, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday she was confident the child protection system could cope and that placing Children First on a statutory footing would make social services more efficient. The Minister backed by the Fine Gael lead Coalition appeared to face down sectional interests in the need to protect children and other vulnerable members of society.

She also said the alternative to not introducing mandatory reporting was to tolerate a system where there had been on-going non-compliance with guidelines on dealing with suspected abuse or neglect.

The Government has moved to strengthen child protection measures in the wake of the publication this week of the report on the handling of child abuse complaints in the diocese of Cloyne.

The previous government opted not to introduce mandatory reporting on the basis that it could see leaders of the Catholic Church such as Cardinal Sean Brady behind bars for concealing the rape of children.

Navan Gardai Navan CCTV

2011-07-15T09:39:00.001+01:00

Gardai's new weapon in battle against street crime

Dont forget your Meath Chronicle a Royal Gift for all your news and views

Surveillance society....one of the new CCTV cameras which have been erected in the centre of Navan.

Navan gardaí this week have an extra weapon in their fight against crime in the town.

The long-awaited CCTV cameras for the town, which were first applied for in 2007, have finally been activated and connected to the monitoring centre in the local town hall. A monitoring centre at the local garda station will be connected to the system within a short period of time. However, the delay is not thought to be a major problem and the cameras should connect directly to garda systems "by the end of the week, or at the latest the end" of the month.

At the moment, there is a working monitoring desk at Navan Town Council which has access to live feeds and gardai have been supplied with similar facilities.

The cameras have been installed at the Kennedy Road footpath outside the Navan Town Centre entrance, at the Trimgate Street and Kennedy Road intersection, on the island at Market Square, at the N3/Meath Chronicle intersection, the Church Hill/Ludlow Street junction, Railway Street roundabout, Trimgate Street/Railway Street intersection, at the Navan Garda Station roundabout on Kennedy Road and at the N3 shopping centre junction.

The nine-camera project had been expected to be up and running by Christmas but was delayed by a mixture of factors like funding being released and authorities signing their approval.

The project was led by Navan Chamber of Commerce, Navan Town Council and An Garda Siochana, and cost approximately €185,000 to install. Funding of €100,000 was been allocated by An Pobal, which administered the grants for the Department of Justice, and the balance was paid by Navan Town Council.

The application was first made for CCTV in 2007 and Navan was announced as one of the towns which had been successful in 2008.

The Garda Commissioner only signed off on the scheme in June of last year and Pobal had to make its evaluation of the work programme before issuing the contract.

Cllr Tommy Reilly said that while it is a good start, he was disappointed that laneways in the town centre have not come under surveillance.

"I welcome it with open arms for the town of Navan, but it's been a long time coming," he said. "It'll be a great asset to gardaí in crime-solving, as well as the town, which now has monuments, shrubs and statues to protect, so I hope it will act as a deterrent to antisocial behavaviour and vandalism.

"However, I am disappointed that Metges Lane, Bakery Lane, Preston Place and Trimgate Court and the alleys people come through from the Fair Green, where people park, to Trimgate Street, where they shop, has no coverage.

"Also with the laneways not being covered you have a situation where, if someone is attacked, they can duck down a lane and disappear. So while it's a good start, made by Dermot Ahern, by the way, hopefully there will be more to come and I hope Alan Shatter (Fine Gael's Justice Minister) can do the same. We need to get Trimgate Street revitalised and get people onto it," he added.

Navan Garda Superintendent Michael Devine said the locations for the cameras were chosen on the basis of them being "focal points" for people congregating, not necessarily for crime, and said that they were a "preventative measure", as well as being helpful with video evidence and public appeals.

"They should be functional in a few more days and we obviously think they'll be beneficial to the town, giving us significant coverage over the immediate town area," said Supt Devine.

Councillor Joe Reilly said "people need to know that the centre of the town is being monitored by CCTV".

He added: "It wasn't possible to do it everywhere but it can help identify people in late night incidents and can be useful for stopping shoplifting, but we have to balance civil liberties, like privacy, obviously. I know it is data protected so as long as it's not intrusive and it will help people if we balance the security of people shopping, for example, with their liberties and rights."

Navan Hospital Minister for Health Meeting

2011-07-13T12:27:00.002+01:00

Efforts are continuing today to ensure that existing services at Navan General Hospital in Co Meath are maintained.

A delegation from the Save Navan Hospital Campaign has secured a meeting with the Health Minister Dr James Reilly this afternoon after he holds discussions with senior medical staff on the future of the facility.

Campaigners are looking for assurances from Minister Reilly that the current levels of service will be safeguarded, including the emergency department, and that surgery be reinstated after being halted last September.

Meath GAA a Royal Blessing

2011-07-07T08:57:00.000+01:00

Dont Forget Your Meath Chronicle, all your GAA News and Views.

This could be a good week for Luke Comer, the Meath GAA sponsor, after he found the winning formula at Naas tonight with Tajweed.

Tajweed got his head in front at Naas this evening for the first time since winning a race at Redcar when trained in England by Mark Johnston.

Shane Foley got Tajweed home in front in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap.

Purchased by Luke Comer for 11,000 guineas, the best Tajweed managed in the meantime was a third place at Galway last year.

Luke Comer is into his second year as sponsor of the Meath GAA football team and this could be the start of an interesting few days for the Galway native.

Apart from winning the race at Naas this evening, Luke Comer could be on a winner again on Saturday night when his native Galway come calling to Pairc Tailteann for the All-Ireland SFC second round qualifier, 7.0.

As sponsor of the Meath team he will be invited to attend, but the big question that remains unanswered at this stage is - who will he be shouting for?

However, he could remain in London for the weekend where his son Barry, a former Meath minor footballer, will be aiming to help London into the next round of the All-Ireland SFC when they tackle Waterford at Ruislip.

Perhaps the Comer family might be satisfied a win for London and either Galway or Meath with the pair drawn together in the third round?????

Sean Gallagher New Grange Hotel Navan Meath

2011-07-01T13:39:00.000+01:00

Sean Gallagher may not have received the support of Louth County Council for his presidential campaign last night; however, he certainly got the support of the people of Meath who attended the Meathvec, Smartmove event in the New Grange Hotel last evening.

Special congratulations must go to Margaret Deegan, VTOS, Co-ordinator at Meath VEC and the entire management team at Meathvec for thinking outside the box on this inspired event.

Sean Gallagher while being the main act of the evening had a number of support groups that provided professional and much needed support to many people who are in search of work and careers guidance. The CV Clinics were a must for those trying to sell their abilities, experience and enthusiasm in the job market.

Recruitment and employer organisations who attended provided a wealth of information and guidance. The Panel was made up of the very capable David Beggy (Beggy Pub, Navan, Beggys Courtyard Bar Navan & Scanlons Kilberry), the impressive Deirdre Murtagh (Causey Farm) and the fire breathing Dragon from County Cavan, Mr Sean Gallagher a true inspiration to IRISH BUSINESS.

The New Grange Hotel provided a professional service making this event easy, accessible and truly enjoyable.

Peadar Toibin TD Clinics

2011-06-30T16:40:00.000+01:00

Peadar Toibin TD Clinics

Enfield (The Slighe Mor) Friday 1st July 10.30am – 1pm

Ballivor (Mc Loughlins of Ballivor) Friday 1st July 2.30pm – 5pm

Navan (Sinn Fein Office, Flowerhill) Monday 4th July 9am – 1pm

For an appointment or more details call: 046-902 1345

Meathsinnfein.ie

Slane Castle Whiskey, Meath Chronicle BUY YOURS

2011-06-30T16:29:00.000+01:00

The Conyngham family has signed an exclusive distribution contract with wine and spirit specialists, Classic Drinks, to distribute Slane Castle Irish Whiskey throughout Ireland.

Classic Drinks is a wholly owned Irish company that imports and sells wines and spirits from around the world throughout the Irish Republic. The company employs 21 people, including a sales team of 10 people from its head office in Little Island, Cork City.

Alex Mount Charles said: "We are delighted to be working with the Classic Drinks team who are proactively pushing Slane Castle Irish Whiskey out into the Irish market. We can already see evidence of the brand increasing in popularity and going from strength to strength."

Hugh Murray, sales director of Classic Drinks, said that having such a large brand name as Slane Castle Irish Whiskey in its portfolio had helped sell the whiskey to both existing and new customers nationwide.

Slane Castle Irish Whiskey has been handcrafted and carefully selected by three generations of the Conyngham family.

Alex, The Earl of Mount Charles and Henry's son, has worked closely with master blender Noel Sweeney from Cooley Distillery to create a well-balanced blend of malt and grain Irish whiskey. This small batch whiskey is aged and matured for at least four years in first use American bourbon soaked oak barrels.

In the traditonal style, the malt whiskey is distilled in copper pot stills, with the column distilled grain whiskey using both malted barley and maize.

Meath Solicitors, O Reilly 046-9022 948

2011-06-30T15:10:00.000+01:00

I was in real difficulty, I had to appear in Court and did not know what to do. I contacted Patrick O'Reilly and was immediately put at ease. I knew what I had to do and where I had to go. The matter was dealt with in a professional manner and the final out come was easier to deal with thanks to the help that I recieved from Mr O'Reilly. My advice to anyone in any difficulty or simply seeking legal advice, they should contact Pat at Tel: 046-9022948.

Leonard Watters charged with false sex claims Louis Walsh

2011-06-29T15:35:00.000+01:00

A man (24) has been charged with falsely accusing music industry manager judge Louis Walsh of indecent assault at a Dublin nightclub.

Leonard Watters, who was granted bail on condition he does not contact Walsh or anyone from the Westlife band, is charged with making a false report to gardaí. He appeared at a brief sitting of the Dublin District Court just before 1pm.

Walsh has described the investigation over the last week as hugely distressing.

Mr Watters was charged under section 12 of the Criminal Law Act, and penalties for the offence range from a €500 fine to five years in prison.

The accused has told investigating officers he has no fixed abode, but the court heard he is from Navan, Co Meath.

Judge William Early granted bail on a total of three conditions. As well as avoiding contact with Walsh and Westlife, he must not interfere with any other potential witnesses and must provide an address within the next 24 hours.

The court was told Mr Watters, who was ordered to pay a €300 bond to secure his release on bail, is unemployed.

The accused made no reply when charged, arresting officer Det Insp Michael Cryan told the court.

There was no objection to bail from the State solicitor and the case was adjourned until September 7th at the District Court.

Music industry manager Walsh became a judge on The X Factor in 2004 and is the only remaining member of the original panel. He has managed a number of groups and performers, including boy bands Boyzone and Westlife.

Peadar Toibin

2011-06-29T12:13:00.000+01:00

A Navan TD thinks that the county's lesser known megalithic tombs could be key attractions for tourists.

Sinn Féin's Peadar Tóibín is calling on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to ensure that the Loughcrew and Sliabh na Cailliagh burial grounds outside Oldcastle are not only protected, but promoted.

"Loughcrew is a site of considerable historical importance in Ireland," said Deputy Tóibín. "Contained on the site are megalithic burial grounds dating back to approximately 3,500BC and 3,300BC. Some of the cairns are engineered in such a manner that the sun illuminates the passages during the equinox."

He believes there has been deliberate vandalism on the ancient stones. "These sites are major heritage value and have an international significance due to the large amount of megalithic art to be found on the site.

"They are, in fact, older than Newgrange. It has come to my attention that there has been damage caused to some parts of the site some unwittingly and some purposefully. Some stones have been moved and some have been removed altogether. Indeed, there has been graffiti sprayed on some of the stones. It is of the utmost importance that the OPW and the minister put in place a system of protection for the sites," he said.

He believes the area could be a prime draw but was being neglected. "It is also important that the sites are promoted and that their value is realised. Newgrange receives tens of thousands of visitors a year and yet we have a site of similar importance outside Oldcastle and little if anything is done to harness it as a commercial resource for the locality.

"The whole Boyne Valley and the Kells, Oldcastle area is being underutilised and it is beyond time that serious efforts were put in place to protect, package and market the area as a tourist destination," he added.

Leonard Watters Navan Meath, Louis Walsh sex claims

2011-06-28T14:04:00.000+01:00

Leonard Watters, Navan, Meath.

X Factor judge Louis Walsh has welcomed the news that gardaí in Dublin have dropped an investigation into an accusation of an alleged indecent assault.

The music mogul was commenting as it emerged that a 24-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of knowingly making a false report to police.

The man was detained in Navan town and taken to Dublin for questioning, where he can be held for up to 24 hours.

The penalty for such an offence ranges from a €500 fine to five years in jail.

Walsh said it had been a "hugely distressing time" and he was now pursuing legal action over publication of the story.

He said: "I have been informed by An Garda Síochána that I am now no longer under investigation.

"I have robustly maintained from the outset that this alleged incident did not occur."

Walsh said he was "outraged" that the story was ever published and he had instructed his libel lawyer.

He added: "I have no intention of letting this matter rest until I have received total and absolute vindication.

"This has been a hugely distressing time for me, but I would like to thank all my friends and colleagues for their support and I am now just looking forward to getting back to work."

The Irish star became a household name in 2004 when he became a judge on The X Factor, and is the only remaining member of the original panel.

He has managed a number of groups and performers, including boy bands Boyzone and Westlife.

Louis Walsh sex claims False, Leonard Watters Scum Bag, Navan Meath

2011-06-28T14:00:00.000+01:00

Leonard Watters a disgrace to Navan and County Meath.

Ashbourne Death, Traffic Accident

2011-06-27T15:22:00.000+01:00

A woman in her 20s was killed in a crash near Ashbourne, Co Meath this morning.

Gardaí believe the single-vehicle crash on the N2, at Primatestown, 3km north of Ashbourne, happened early today.

The 22-year-old’s body was found at 10am.

The body has been taken to Navan General Hospital for a postmortem. The road is closed for a technical examination and diversions are in place.

Gardaí in Ashbourne have appealed for anyone with information to contact them at (01) 801 0600 (01) 801 0600.

Sean Gallagher presented by MeathVEC 30th June 2011

2011-06-27T09:47:00.000+01:00

The labour market is changing all the time, we need to look at our current circumstances and skills and ask do they match the challenges of the modern (and changing) workplace. What do employers want, and what do we need to do to meet these wants? Do we have the skills to live out our work dream and, if not, how do we get them?

On 30th June at 7.00pm Sean Gallagher, Dragon, Speaker and Entrepreneur, will speak at “Smart Moves” a free Career Information and Recruitment Event organised by Co. Meath VEC in the Newgrange Hotel, Navan. In an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing labour market, upgrading your skills and qualifications has never been more important. Sean and a number of other special guests will talk about work motivation and the steps needed to succeed. If you are thinking about studying, changing your career, updating your CV or finding out what your welfare rights are, this event is for you. Bring along your CV and have it reviewed at our CV clinic.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Places are limited so arrive early.

Louis Walsh Sex Claims by Navan man

2011-06-27T08:52:00.000+01:00

THIS is the ballroom dancer who stunned the showbiz world by claiming he was groped in a toilet by pop mogul Louis Walsh.

Leonard Watters, from Navan in Co Meath, made the shocking allegations after a night out in celebrity hangout Krystle nightclub.

The 24-year-old has told gardai he was the victim of a sexual assault - a claim rubbished by the X Factor judge.

Last night, Walsh insisted once again that he had "no case to answer" after coming home to Dublin to speak to gardai. He also thanked showbiz pals and the public for their messages of support.

Shopping in Meath has also learned that Westlife star Shane Filan, who was with Louis on the night, is expected to give a witness statement to cops.

Meath v louth result GAA breffni park

2011-06-25T20:52:00.000+01:00

Royal thrashing for the little county as the final score reads:

Meath 5-8
Louth 2-8

Meath GAA, Meath v Louth 25/June/2011

2011-06-24T10:40:00.000+01:00

Stephen Fitzpatrick, son of manager Peter Fitzpatrick, has been drafted into the Louth team for tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Meath at Kingspan Breffni Park (throw-in 7pm).

The Clan na Gael clubman will start at wing back with Liam Shevlin taking up the centre-back role, at the expense of Mick Fanning who had been carrying a calf injury.

Fanning and John O'Brien both recently returned from spells in Australia and America.

Fanning played in Louth's Leinster Championship defeat to Carlow, but O'Brien was ruled ineligible after being given a 48-week ban by the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committe for signing the wrong transfer form and playing a match in Boston earlier in the summer.

But consultation between the CCCC and the Central Hearings Committee resulted in the ban being quashed. O'Brien, who has been nursing a hamstring injury, is free to play - fitness permitting - in this repeat of last year's controversial Leinster final.

Andy McDonnell (dead leg) is a concern for the Louth management, but midfielder Paddy Keenan has shaken off a back complaint to lead the team once again and wing forward Derek Crilly is over his calf injury.

Playing down the relevance of the counties' most recent Championship meeting, which was decided by Joe Sheridan's headline-grabbing 'goal', Fitzpatrick said: "It is a game of football we want to win and it's a game of football we need to win - nothing else.

"We were very poor against Carlow. I know that and the lads know that, and it's about putting that performance right.

"To be fair to the lads, training has been good since then and I know if we play the way we are capable of playing it will take a very good team to beat us.

"I'm not saying we have a magic wand to fix what went wrong (against Carlow), but we'll pick the best team we possibly can and give it our all. I trust this team."

LOUTH (SFC v Meath): Sean Connor; Declan Byrne, Aaron Hoey, Dessie Finnegan; Ray Finnegan, Liam Shevlin, Stephen Fitzpatrick; Paddy Keenan (capt), Brian Donnelly; Derek Crilly, David Reid, Adrian Reid; Derek Maguire, Shane Lennon, JP Rooney.