Breaking News
Rahoon woman gets suspended sentence for theft from 92 year old
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A Rahoon grandmother, who coerced a 92-year-old woman into parting with her life savings, avoided a two-year jail sentence by handing over compensation to the victim.
61-year-old Mary McDonagh, of 32 Droim Chaoin, Rahoon, first appeared before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last January.
She pleaded guilty to six sample charges of theft from the elderly woman who lives alone in Salthill, between April, 2012 and January, 2013.
Facts in the remaining twenty charges were admitted by McDonagh.
The amounts involved in the six charges before the court varied from €1,000 to €4,000.
The amounts stolen in the remaining charges varied from €300 to €4,000 with McDonagh persistenly returning to the elderly woman’s home, until all of the her life savings of 41 thousand euro, were gone.
McDonagh, who claims she gambled the money away, brought €350 compensation to court in January but that was viewed as an insult and she was given three weeks to come up with more money.
She brought a further €3,650 to court in mid-February but Judge Rory McCabe said that was a derisory figure given the nature of the offences.
He warned McDonagh she would go to prison for two years if she didn’t repay €10,000 – a sum the elderly victim’s family, who were present in court, thought appropriate.
The court heard that, out of fear, their mother borrowed €1500 from a neighbour to give to McDonagh when her Credit Union account was depleted in January last year
The alarm was raised when she later asked her son for €1500.
Garda Padraig Healy said the elderly woman was always afraid not to have money for McDonagh when she called.
She became anxious and was not sleeping well because of her.
He said he was waiting in the victim’s sitting room one day when McDonagh walked in demanding more money.
McDonagh brought a further €4,725 to court in May and the balance of €1,275 was handed into court last week, bringing the total repaid to the desired €10,000.
Judge McCabe imposed a two-year sentence on McDonagh for each charge which he suspended for two 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.
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
