Connacht Tribune
Courthouse attacker claimed he heard voices
A 26-year-old man claimed he was hearing voices when he and others became embroiled in a violent fracas outside Galway Courthouse, which culminated in two other men getting stabbed.
Michael Darcy, 15 Ashlawn, Loughrea, refused to answer questions when taken to Galway Garda Station immediately after the incident.
He was disruptive and refused to sit in a chair. He lay on the floor instead, insisting he had little or no recollection of the incident and had been hearing voices, his sentence hearing at Galway Circuit Criminal Court heard last week.
Darcy pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last February to committing affray at or near the Courthouse on November 25, 2015, by using or threatening to use violence against Martin and Brian Mongan, thereby putting other people present in fear for their safety.
Sentence was adjourned to this week for the preparation of a psychiatric report on Darcy.
Garda Pat Costello told the sentence hearing that a large altercation occurred near the front steps of the Courthouse at around 11am on the date in question.
He said he arrived at the scene and found two brothers, Martin and Brian Mongan, suffering from stab wounds. They were removed to hospital by ambulance.
CCTV footage from the Courthouse showed Darcy initially getting involved in a fight with Martin Mongan in Courthouse Square and then his brother, Brian Mongan, and two other men got involved in the fight, resulting in the Mongan brothers receiving stab wounds.
Garda Costello said that from viewing the CCTV, he ascertained Martin Mongan and Darcy had a verbal altercation in the lobby of the Courthouse first and Darcy following Mongan outside where both of them engaged in a fist fight.
The fight continued for two to three minutes before three other man joined in. Shortly after that, the stabbing incident occurred, Garda Costello explained.
The Mongan brothers were badly injured, he said, and they ran back into the Courthouse lobby.
Darcy’s barrister said his client had asked to be seen by a doctor on a number of occasions during Garda interviews and had told Gardai he was hearing voices at the time.
The barrister said a psychiatric report which had been handed into court indicated Darcy suffered from “difficulties” in that regard.
The court heard Darcy followed Mongan outside to fight him because he had made hurtful comments about his children and family.
Garda Costelloe said Darcy had 27 previous convictions going back over several years for motoring and public order offences and for theft.
The barrister said Darcy was on very strong medication to deal with his psychiatric difficulties and his partner had had a baby since his last court appearance in February.
He said Darcy only got into trouble with the law when he took alcohol with his medications.
A probation report indicated he posed a medium risk of reoffending.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy, said two other men, as well as the Mongan brothers, would be appearing before the court in due course in connection with the same incident.
Judge Rory McCabe said he was dealing with a man who had significant psychiatric issues and from the evidence presented to the court he was capable of violence at a high level if he didn’t take his medication or if he mixed it with alcohol.
“How can I deal with him so the public is protected? How is the court going to be satisfied that he understands the significance of this and they he needs to keep taking his medication?” Judge McCabe asked.
The barrister suggested that if a suspended sentence was imposed it could be structured so that Darcy would have to come under the supervision of the relevant services to ensure he kept taking his medications.
Judge McCabe said the offence merited a four-year sentence but given the early plea he said Darcy was entitled to some time off and he imposed a three-year sentence instead which he suspended for five years on condition Darcy come under the supervision of the probation service for twelve months and obey all of its directions.
“If you misbehave in the next five years you will be going to jail for three years,” the Judge warned Darcy.
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.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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
