By Patrick Markey
Michael Kelly has led a colorful life. A reformed criminal, he carved a new life for himself by serving as a politician in his local Limerick community.
But some people have other ideas.
The Irish Examiner reported that Limerick gardai are investigating allegations of assassination attempts on the lives of Kelly and his brother Anthony.
A few years ago, Kelly was the subject of an RTE´ documentary, "The Hard Man," which looked at his life as a reformed criminal and his Limerick City Council elections. Recently, Kelly stunned a council meeting by claiming that two assassination attempts had been made on him and his family.
"I was forewarned that something like this could happen and took precautions," Kelly said. "I managed to save myself and my family. Guns were pulled on me and my family as we attended a funeral. The incident was witnessed by about 100 people in the graveyard."
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Kelly is now under Garda protection and has excused himself from the council indefinitely for his own safety.
Kelly, who runs a security business in the city, claimed yesterday that about 10 men armed with handguns came to assassinate members of his family at a funeral at Mount St. Oliver Cemetery.
Kelly claimed that a certain Limerick family had misconstrued statements he made about the Traveling community in a local newspaper.
"We would have been slaughtered at the funeral only that we took certain precautions. I can’t say any more than that," Kelly said.
Sexless Brits
Sleep and sightseeing come before sun and sex for British holidaymakers, according to a recently released survey.
The Belfast Telegraph reports that the survey also showed Britons consider their fellow countrymen the worst-behaved holidaymakers abroad. It also disclosed 47 percent of Britons were frightened of flying, with Scots the most fearful of planes.
The survey carried out by travel magazine Escape Routes, quizzed 2,000 adults and came up with the following results:
Sightseeing was the favorite activity of Britons abroad, with 43 percent opting for it; 33 percent said sleep was their number one priority, while only 10 percent said sex was their favorite holiday pastime. Another 8 percent opted for socializing and only 6 percent put sunbathing at the top of their list.
More than half of those questioned thought the British behaved the worst abroad, with 25 percent giving this unwelcome award to the Germans and 10 percent to the Americans.
Asked about flying, 53 percent of Scots were frightened, with East Anglians proving the most confident of flyers.
Almost half of all female British holidaymakers have sunbathed topless and 29 percent of holidaymakers have made love on the beach on their travels.
Three in four British tourists were "unhappy" with the shape of their beach body and only 19 percent thought their partners "looked sexy in swim wear."
Holy words
Confessional should be a private moment between priest and layman.
Not in Derry, according to some residents of Farren Park.
The Derry Journal reports that residents there claim a nearby British army base is listening in to confessions given at the local Pennyburn Church.
One resident, who would not give a name, said a soldier had told residents they could not only see everything in the surrounding area, but could also hear everything, even what went on inside the chapel.
"We have put up with a lot around here with the constant helicopter activity, but if the army can hear what is going on inside our homes and Pennyburn Chapel, that is very serious indeed," one resident told the paper.
Fort George base has listening masts, and one soldier had boosted to residents about the capabilities of their devices, the paper reported. Although a spokesman said the army did not comment on operational matters, one security source told the paper that ethically the army could not listen to a confession in a church.