News
Prolific local burglar put behind bars
A prolific burglar, who claimed he developed a drug habit and returned to a life of crime after his mother died, was this week sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison with the final eighteen months suspended for two Christmastime burglaries, committed within walking distance of his own home.
Christy McDonagh (34), a father of four from 3 Rocklands Avenue, Ballybane, pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at two homes in the early hours of St. Stephen’s night last year.
Blood stains found at both premises matched swabs later taken from McDonagh who had been sporting a open cut over his eye that night following an earlier altercation with his own brother.
Detective Tom Doyle told the sentence hearing that one house was vacant but a young woman was home alone in the second property, and she was absolutely terrified when confronted by McDonagh in her bedroom.
He rushed past her, pushing her onto the bed, as he made good his escape.
McDonagh had earlier kicked in the front door of a vacant, rented house in Clareview Park at 4a.m. that night and stolen a broken 32- inch TV, and a Samsung tablet, total value €500.
The occupants were tenants and had all gone home for Christmas.
A hour later a 23-year-old au pair, home alone in Cuirt Eigis, Ballybane, heard noises but thought it was coming from the neighbours.
When she went to the bathroom, she noticed her house mate’s room light was on and someone was making a lot of noise.
She went back into her own room and was confronted by McDonagh who was rummaging through her things.
She said in her statement to Gardai that he pushed her onto the bed and walked towards her but when she started to scream, he ran out.
She said he had a cut over his eyebrow and there was blood on his face.
McDonagh’s blood stains were also found in this property.
Gardai had attended the altercation between the McDonagh brothers earlier that night and at the time they noticed he had a cut over his eye and was bleeding.
They called to his house at 6.20am and he opened the upstairs window but refused to come down.
Det Doyle said McDonagh was arrested and questioned on January 5, but made no admissions. He later admitted his involvement when swabs taken from him during his detention, matched the blood stains found in both properties.
He told Gardai he had taken drink and drugs that night and was very apologetic for putting the young woman in fear.
He said he only pushed her to get out of the premises.
Det. Doyle said he accepted that was the case.
McDonagh, he confirmed, was on bail at the time of these two latest offences and had 80 previous convictions, nine of which were for burglaries.
He is currently serving a eight-month sentence for a burglary committed in October, 2014. That sentence was imposed in the District Court by Judge Mary Fahy on November 2 last.
McDonagh was out on bail for that burglary when he committed the two Christmas burglaries, the court was told.
Det. Doyle said there were other convictions going back to 2006 but there was a gap in the offending between 2006 and 2010 while McDonagh got married and was living in England.
He returned to this jurisdiction in 2011. The offending quickly began again and he lapsed back into taking drink and drugs.
Det. Doyle agreed with McDonagh’s barrister that he was a good family man who was very close to his children.
He also agreed McDonagh had said: “I am sorry to be honest with you”, when told the young woman had been absolutely terrified.
Det Doyle said he believed this remorse to be genuine and also agreed McDonagh had no previous convictions for crimes of violence.
He accepted McDonagh pushed the young woman to get past her and get out of the house.
“He has tried to do his best by his family. They are obviously bereft of his company and will be over Christmas too,” the barrister added.
He said McDonagh had lapsed into taking drugs again when his mother died in 2011.
Judge Karen O’Connor took time to read a letter handed into court from McDonagh before proceeding to sentence.
She said she accepted he was a good father and family man, but she asked him how would he like it if someone broke into his own home and terrified his children.
“Can you imagine the sheer terror that young lady must have felt and on St. Stephen’s Night when people would expect to feel safe in their homes; encountering a person in her home like that,” she said.
She imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence for each offence, the sentences to run concurrently. She then made the sentences consecutive to the eight-month sentence McDonagh is currently serving.
Hearing McDonagh had successfully stayed off drugs in the past, she decided to suspended the final 18 months of the sentence for two-and-a- half years and directed that on his release he was to come under the supervision of the probation service for a year with a view to tackling his addictions.
She warned him that if he failed to comply with the probation service he would serve the eighteen months.
“I hope you sort yourself out because you have young children and they need their father,” Judge O’Connor said to McDonagh as he was being led away.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
