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Tuam woman gets suspended sentence for crash which killed mother
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A 65-year-old woman has been given a suspended two-year sentence and disqualified from driving for ten years for dangerous driving which led to the death of her 80-year-old mother last year.
Ann Shaughnessy, of 39 Tierboy, Tuam pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court.
Ann Shaughnessy, who suffers from recurring bowel cancer had taken double the amount of prescribed medication prior to the accident at Cloonmór, Tuam on June 20 last year, which caused the death of her mother, Mary Shaughnessy.
She had been disqualified from driving for four years in 2010 for driving without insurance and had a conviction for being drunk in public also.
She was not insured at the time of the fatal crash near the Belclare junction on the N17, Galway to Tuam road.
The court heard a passenger in a car travelling behind Ann Shaughnessy’s car that afternoon, began filming her erratic driving on his phone moments.
The video footage recorded Shaughnessy’s car drifting across the road on a sweeping bend, and drive along the hard shoulder on its incorrect side before colliding with three oncoming vehicles.
Her car then went across the road to its correct side and ended up in the ditch.
Mrs Mary Shaughnessy was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered multiple injuries in the collision.
The court heard she had suffered from Alzheimer’s for 20 years and her daughter had returned home to Tuam to mind her after the break-up of her own marriage in London.
Defence barrister, John Hogan said his client had suffered a lapse in concentration which was perhaps, accentuated by the heavy medication she was on at the time.
Imposing the sentence which he suspended for two years, Justice Raymond Groarke said the woman was on quite an amount of medication at the time and perhaps, she fell asleep.
The judge warned Ms Shaughnessy that if she was spotted driving in the next ten years she would serve the two year sentence, which he suspended.
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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