News
Three city men had cannabis plantation on island
Three Galway city men have been given suspended sentences for growing €24,000 worth of cannabis plants for their own use in a forest clearing on the largest uninhabited island on Lough Corrib.
The men travelled regularly by boat from Oughterard pier, which is five kilometres from Inchagoill Island, to tend the plants before they were caught by Garda in October, 2014.
James Morris (29), of 11 John Coogan Park, Newcastle; John McInerney (30), of 29 John Coogan Park and Michael McNamara (32), 30 Camillaun Park, Newcastle, pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last July to having cannabis in their possession which was for sale or supply to others at Inchagoill Island on Lough Corrib, on October 16, 2014.
Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy BL explained to Judge Karen O’Connor at the sentence hearing last week it was accepted this had been a non-commercial enterprise.
All three pleaded guilty to the cultivation of the cannabis plants on the island on October 16 last year.
Mr Fahy said the large, wooded, uninhabited island is a popular resting place for anglers and often serves as a place of refuge for fishermen on the lake, while tourists flock there during the summer months to view the remnants of an ancient monastic settlement there.
Garda PJ Noone explained the cannabis farm was located in the middle of a densely forested area 100 metres from the island’s jetty.
He said it was a “tight squeeze” to get through the forest but once inside Gardai found a clearing where some small trees had been cut down to create a space in which to grow the cannabis plants.
He said the men were using the natural light and rain water that fell to sustain the plants which were growing quite well in the sheltered spot.
“They were well concealed and people walking the area would not see them. They were off the beaten track,” he said.
Gardai, he said, became aware there were a large number of cannabis plants growing on the island on September 14, 2014 – a month before the trio were caught.
The island could only be accessed by boat and Gardai monitored the plants for a number of weeks.
Then, on October 16, 2014, they became aware the men had harvested three of the plants and had taken them away from the island.
Garda PJ Noone said he drove towards Oughterard where he knew the men had a boat moored and he intercepted their car near Moycullen village as they were making their back towards Galway.
Garda Noone said he found three large bags, containing freshly cultivated cannabis herb, stuffed into the boot.
Gardai went to the island the following day and found 17 more cannabis plants growing in an area which had been cleared in the middle of a dense forested area.
Morris, he said, had 25 previous convictions, including two for drug dealing offences.
He had received a five-month sentence in February 2014 for drug dealing and in March 2013, he received a nine-month sentence for supplying drugs to inmates at Castlerea Prison.
He also had eight convictions for burglary offences between 2008 and 2012.
Garda Noone said he believed Morris was trying to turn his life around at this stage.
He said McInerney was another heavy cannabis smoker who lived at home with his parents. He had not come under Garda radar until this incident, the court heard.
McNamara, Garda Noone said, lived at home with his parents and suffered from depression. He, too, was a heavy cannabis user.
“I believe he is a person who is easily led and manipulated,” Garda Noone added.
Ms Jennifer Higgins, BL, who represented Morris said her client had turned to a life of crime in his youth because he was angry with having Cystic Fibrosis and believed he would have a short life expectancy anyway.
She said he was given a new drug last year, which has been described as a ‘miracle’ drug and it had completely changed his life. She said he now looked and felt so much better and was no longer angry with the world. The sudden death of his mother last year had been a turning point in his life, she said.
Mr Conal McCarthy, BL, who represented McInerney said his client told Gardai he didn’t want to be buying cannabis off gangsters and he had no intention of selling it to anyone else.
Ms Deirdre Browne handed a probation report into court which confirmed McNamara had learning difficulties as a child and was a vulnerable person now.
Judge O’Connor sentenced Morris to two years in prison which she suspended for two years on condition he not reoffend.
“Thank you very much Judge, I really appreciate it,” Morris replied.
Judge O’Connor sentenced McNamara and McInerney to eighteen months in prison which she suspended for 18 months.
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
