February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Stephen McKinley If you tip over in Tipperary, better have a spare £1,000 in your back pocket — that’s how much a grave will cost you. Space is so tight for burying in the north of the county that councilors have debated rationalizing the local authority’s system of acquiring burial grounds.
But some councilors have objected, saying that local tradition dictates that burial grounds be within church boundaries, reports the Nenagh Herald.
FERMANAGH VICE
A barrister has alleged in court that missing Enniskillen man Gerard McGinley was operating a sex blackmail racket up until last August when he went missing and is believed to have been murdered. One of the three co-accused in the case is his wife, Julie, whom, the barrister said, was an integral part of the sex racket.
Mrs. McGinley, along with Michael Monaghan and Patrick McPadden, all deny charges of murder. The two men are also alleged to have been Mrs. McGinley’s lovers.
Lawyers for the Crown have alleged that Monaghan had a clear motive for murder, because, they say, he was involved with Mrs. McGinley. But then Seamus O’Neill, Monaghan’s lawyer, submitted that McGinley was not a man without enemies. He claimed that Mrs. McGinley enticed men into compromising situations in a hotel bedroom and that her sex acts were taped. She and her husband then confronted the victims with the damning evidence.
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WIND FARM GOOSED
A wind farm on the Loop Head peninsula in Clare has ran into trouble because of a goose. Birdwatch Ireland is concerned that the construction will endanger the protected barnacle goose, which nests there.
Two hundred and forty wind turbines are planned a short distance from Illaunearaun Island, where the birds congregate, according to the Clare Champion. The island is a designated special protection area.
Local residents are also concerned that the wind farm will damage tourism to Loop Head, which was proving to be a magnet for people interested in marine and bird life.
The local council has asked the developers, Banner Energy, to make a study of the likely impact of the wind farm on birds in the area, especially the barnacle goose.
The council has also expressed concern in relation to noise impacts on surrounding properties, noting that the revised development location will have greater impact on adjoining inhabited dwelling houses.
NAVAN IN TROUBLE
Navan visitor center in County Armagh has been beset by problems recently. Northern Ireland culture minister Michael McGimpsey has said he has serious concerns about the future viability of the center.
Low visitor numbers mean the center has not had the revenue turnover that it needs. While McGimpsey refused to say if closure was an option, he also said all options would be considered.
A Queen’s University arch’ologist, Jim Mallory, said he would be disgusted if the center shut down. Mallory has been involved in extensive research and digging at Navan, the ancient site of a fort on a hill outside Armagh City.
Lesley-Anne Wilson, a lecturer in culture and tourism at the University of Ulster, said that foot-and-mouth disease has been one of the culprits that have undone the center.
LEGAL THREE-WAY
Law schools in Northern Ireland, the Republic and the United States are collaborating on a summer school project about international and comparative law.
According to the Irish Times, law students from Queens University, Belfast, University College, Dublin, and Fordham University in New York, will spend two weeks in Ireland, one in Belfast, and a second in Dublin, between June 25 and July 20.
Queen’s chancellor and former Northern Irish peace envoy George Mitchell said he was looking forward to the events, including lectures and seminars on human rights, contract law, international business law and conflict resolution.