News
Suspended jail sentences for bareknuckle boxers
Two men who caused a riot when they took part in a pre-arranged bareknuckle fist fight which attracted up to 200 spectators in a halting site on the outskirts of Galway city three years ago, were each given suspended two-year sentences at Galway Circuit Criminal Court this week.
Several video clips of the illegal fight, which took part at Carrowbrowne Halting Site, Headford Road, Galway, at 3pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, are posted on You Tube and show the accused Patrick ‘Jaws’ Ward, now aged 41, engage in a six-minute fist fight with the other “contestant”, Barney ‘The Gorilla’ McGinley, now 37.
Ward, who lived in Rahoon, at the time of the offence but who now lives in Loughrea with his wife and seven children, pleaded guilty in December 2013 to committing an affray in that he and his co-accused, Barney McGinley, used or threatened to use unlawful violence towards each other at Carrowbrowne Halting Site, Headford Road, on Tuesday, June 12, 2012.
[youtube id=”rpeR6LGI-V8″ align=”center”]
When Ballinasloe native, McGinley, with addresses in Derry, Ennis, and the UK, was initially charged with affray on the day of the incident, he had replied: “I came to Galway to box Paddy ‘Jaws’ Ward. I took his title from him today and then they turned into mad men.”
He pleaded guilty to the same charge of affray last year when extradited from the UK.
Ward claimed in court in 2013 that he had not wanted to fight McGinley but he had been taunted by phone and on You Tube by McGinley to the rematch of a fight which Ward had won in 2008. He said his family had also been threatened and he had no choice but to fight.
McGinley had absconded to the UK when given bail two days after the fight but consented to his extradition and was arrested on his return by Det Sgt Paudie O’Shea on March 24 last year.
He remained in custody for five weeks before getting bail.
Outlining the incident, Sgt O’Shea told the sentence hearing on Wednesday that Gardai carried out patrols when they became aware there might be a prearranged fight taking place that day. He and two colleagues noticed people abandoning cars near Carrowbrowne Halting Site.
Up to 200 spectators, some of them children, had gathered at the halting site. They had blocked the roads by abandoning their cars and vans everywhere, in an attempt to stop Gardai gaining access to the halting site.
When a small number of Gardai managed to get there, they were threatened that if they interfered with the prearranged fight the crowd would turn on them.
Sgt. Grace Hennessy had told the initial hearing in 2013, that ‘Jaws’ Ward entered the playground area and began fighting McGinley.
The crowd, she said, formed a tight ring around them and began jeering and roaring them on.
The fight lasted six minutes until Ward knocked the other man to the 
ground with a punch. A spectator then struck and knocked Ward’s father to the ground and, at that, Ward struck the contestant who was still on the ground.
“This incensed the crowd and chaos erupted. Missiles, such as rocks, golf clubs and wooden stakes were thrown. Gardai had to draw their batons,” Sgt. Hennessy said at the time.
Spectators continued to hurl missiles at each other for about 45 minutes as Gardai tried to direct them out of the halting site and both Ward and McGinley had also hurled missiles at each other, she said.
Sgt O’Shea said that once the fight broke down very serious violence erupted.
He saw McGinley pick up a rock and throw it at Ward and then Ward pulled a stake out of the ground and threw it at McGinley. Both men were arrested at the scene.
Two Gardaí recorded the incident on their mobile phones and it was captured on the halting site’s CCTV as well, the initial hearing had heard Sgt O’Shea said McGinley was known as Barney ‘The Gorilla’ McGinley. He is married with 10 children and now lives in the UK.
“He was involved in ongoing organised fights within the Traveller community and has a reputation for that. He took part in a pre-arranged fight in the UK for the title of King of the Gypsies as well,” Sgt O’Shea added.
The court was told neither man had come to Garda attention since this incident.
McGinely’s barrister told the court that his client had completely given up boxing. He had also shook hands with Ward and there was no antagonism between them now.
McGinley, the court heard, had arrived from England the day before the fight by ferry along with a number of supporters and he had left the jurisdiction because threats had been made against him.
Imposing sentence yesterday, Judge Rory McCabe said both accused had not come to Garda attention since this incident and very positive probation reports on both had been handed into court.
He explained, that to act as a deterrent, he was suspending the two-year sentence for two years in each case on condition both accused be of good behaviour for two years.
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
