Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_12_18/GA_1812_E1_001.pdf 

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Thursday December 18 2008

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Knocknacarra Action Group demands council `rethink' over halting site plans
BY DECLAN ROONEY An angry group of Knocknacarra residents are calling on the Galway City Council to clarify details on a proposed traveller halting site on Ballymoneen Road, which they say contradicts the 2007 council's framework study of the area. The group, the Ballymoneen-Clybaun Action Group, claims that the eight-acre 10 million site owned by the council has the potential to accommodate more developments than the proposed halting site outlined in the Draft Traveller Accommodation Plan 2009 2013. The BCAG have voiced their disapproval with the high percentage of social and affordable units planned for the Ballymoneen Road, with 47 per cent of new houses under the housing capital programme planned for the Knocknacarra site. Independent Cllr Donal Lyons has come out in support of the residents and has called for the council to back down on their halting site plan. "We should be looking at the long-term housing needs of the traveller community and provide them with fixed term houses," he said. "They might not be in favour of that, but as far as I'm concerned halting sites are a failed concept. It's a quick fix." The council has identified three sites in the west of the city. At Monday's city council meeting, one of these potential sites was given to Macnas for new workshops for the company. This leaves Cappagh Road and Ballymoneen Road as the only possible sites. Catherine Keane, a member of the action group is infuriated by the Council's plans and has echoed the calls from Cllr. Lyons for a strategical re-think. "Upon the purchase of this land our local councillors assured us that they would be earmarked for social and affordable housing," she said. "These same councillors also demanded that proper amenities and services would be in place prior to any development taking place. In keeping with this plan any Traveller accommodation should be in the form of a residential housing scheme that would foster sustainable social housing communities."

Ollie the retired guide dog gets help from Mia Scully, daughter of GOAL's Ronan getting some training in ahead of the Goal Mile on Christmas morning at Dangan in Galway city. People across the country will be showing their support for GOAL over the Christmas period by running, walking, or crawling a mile at their local running track. Contact GOAL for details of how you can help.

Man jailed for urinating on solicitor's sofa
BY MARTINA NEE An alcoholic who wandered into a solicitor's office and urinated on a sofa as well as making a nuisance of himself at UHG was sentenced to six months in jail at Galway District Court last Monday. Thomas McCarthy (48) with an address given as Fairgreen Hostel and 12 Hillside, Ballybane, was brought before Judge Mary Fahy for numerous public order offences. The court heard that when cautioned the defendant, who has 91 previous convictions, replied: "Mary Fahy is a lovely judge". According to Garda evidence on November 19 in Eyre Square at 2pm McCarthy was found by gardai in a very drunken state lying asleep on the footpath and members of the public had to step over him. Just over a week later, on November 27, gardai were called to a bus stop in Eyre Square by the driver of a bus who complained that there was a male on board who would not leave. When the gardai arrived they had to help the defendant off the bus because he could not walk by himself. That same day at 6pm the defendant was found lying on the ground next to the entrance of UHG and he became very abusive to gardai when they arrived. On December 5, at 3.30pm McCarthy walked into Padraig Harris Solicitor's in Merchant's Road. He was in a very intoxicated state and lay down on the sofa where he urinated on it, causing damage of 500. The next day he was found to be drunk and aggressive at Fairgreen bus station at 9.30pm. On December 7 at 4pm he was back in the vicinity of UHG where he was drunk and abusive to people going in and out of the car park. Defence solicitor Valerie Corcoran said that her client suffers from severe alcoholism and has "never had it easy". She said that he had been in the car park of UHG because he had injured his foot two months previously; a car had run over his foot and he had taken the cast off after only two weeks. -- Continued on Page 2

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