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Knocknacarra man convicted of drugs offences avoids jail
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A 20-year-old city drug dealer has been given a suspended five-year sentence after being caught red-handed handing over almost a kilo of cannabis to two other drug dealers in Ardrahan village last year.
Mark Murphy, of 44 Portacarron, Knocknacarra, pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal in November to having cannabis in his possession for sale or supply in Ardrahan on June 13th, last year which had a market value of more than €13,000.
Sentencing was adjourned to last week for the preparation of a probation report.
Detective Paul MacWalter told the sentencing hearing that he and other members of the Gort Drugs Unit had two men in a car under surveillance.
They followed them to Ardrahan village where they parked beside Mark Murphy’s car.
Murphy, he said, removed a clear plastic bag from his car and gave it to the two men in the other car.
The bag contained just under a kilo of cannabis herb valued at almost 20 thousand euro.
All three were arrested.
Murphy told Gardai he had received the bag of drugs from someone else earlier that day and was told to hand it over to the two men.
He said he agreed to do the drugs run to settle a drugs debt he owed.
Detective MacWalter said Murphy came from a good family and was working in his parents business at the time.
Defence Counsel, Bernard Madden, said his client was 18 at the time and had just completed his Leaving Certificate.
He said Murphy had a drug and alcohol addiction but was currently receiving treatment and counselling and is now drug free.
Handing several testimonials into court, Mr Madden asked that his client be given a chance to continue with his rehabilitation, given his youth, previous good character and family background.
Accepting Murphy was working hard to rehabilitate and had played a minimal role, Judge Rory McCabe concluded, that was sufficient for him to not impose the minimum, mandatory 10-year sentence.
He said a five-year sentence was appropriate but suspended it for five years.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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