News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

€150 was handed over in court. Defending solicitor Ms. Laura Spellman said that at the time the money was lodged, Lynch was selling the ipad. She added that a total of €450 was now handed over, which was the total amount that had been lodged to his account.
(Source: The Sligo Champion)

Tipperary

Five people have been arrested after a gun, ammunition and cash were seized from a car.

Gardai from Nenagh stopped the vehicle on the M7 motorway at Knockalton in Co Tipperary on Saturday morning.

Officers recovered a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition and money.

Three men aged 19, 21 and 22, and two women aged 19 and 20, were arrested.
(Source: Evening Herald)

Tyrone

A man has pleaded guilty to killing a GAA player outside a Co Tyrone nightclub — just minutes before he was due to stand trial for manslaughter.

Conor McCusker, who was the brother of former Derry vice-captain Niall McCusker, died in hospital two days after being assaulted outside the Mint Cafe Bar in April 2009.

Earlier this year a jury failed to reach a verdict after a six-week trial of the man accused of Mr McCusker’s killing, Chris Murphy.

A fresh hearing was due to open at Dungannon courthouse last week. However, at the outset Murphy’s legal team asked for the manslaughter charge to be put to him again.

The 23-year-old, from Tullagh Drive in Cookstown, pleaded guilty.

Relatives of Mr McCusker looked shocked and some wept as the plea was entered.

Murphy was released on bail and will be sentenced next month.

Outside the court the McCusker family said they were emotional but glad the truth had come out.

Mr McCusker (31) was a player with the Ballinderry Shamrocks club and belonged to one of the strongest GAA families in the rural parish, which straddles the Tyrone-Derry border.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Waterford

The man who miraculously survived two gas explosions at a Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) building sustained third degree burns and is still waiting to see if he will regain full use of his hands.

The father of two was carrying out maintenance to a cylinder containing the highly flammable gas acetylene, which is used in welding, when the first of two explosions occurred on Thursday morning last.. John Self, of 16 Leamy Street, in the city, was left with burns to his face, neck and hands when the cylinder exploded at 10am, inside a storage facility used by WIT on the IDA Industrial Park. In an exclusive interview with the Waterford News & Star Mr Self’s wife Bridie outlined what happened on the day the shocking accident took place. Mrs Self said her husband, who has been an employee of the WIT for over 30 years, was changing the cylinder when the gas ignited. “He doesn’t know why it ignited. It is only hitting him now how lucky he is to be alive,” she said.
(Source: Waterford News $ Star)

Westmeath

A mystery backer has invested over half a million euro to wipe-out all remaining debts following the construction of Athlone Town stadium in Lissywollen.

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Nster.com