News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

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Carlow

In less than a week, the Fair Oak Foods factory in Bagenalstown will be no more.



Demolition work on the site began on Friday 4 November and is due for completion in the coming days. The plant, which traded as a meat factory for almost two decades, has been left idle for nearly ten years.



“This demolition is long overdue. I’ve always called it Bagenalstown’s Beirut. It’s an eyesore and there are health and safety issues. It’s great to see it finally going – it’s good news for the area,” said local cllr Denis Foley.



The site is now mooted for potential development, with Irish Sugar and Lidl among those reportedly showing interest in the 15-acre site.

“It’s a big site. People interested in the site wouldn’t go near it when it was a derelict site. Irish Sugar looked at it, Lidl looked at it, maybe they might look at it now that it’s not a derelict site,” added cllr Foley.
(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

Cavan

A Gowna man, who assaulted a man requiring him to have his jaw wired, was handed a six-month prison term at Cavan District Court last week.

Derek Hearns, The Dwellings, Aughavaines, Gowna, pleaded guilty to assaulting Aaron Hussey at Main Street, Longford, on August 8, 2009. He was given a concurrent four-month term for assaulting Keith Carberry at 43 Hampton Court, Cavan, on January 27.

Inspector Dermot Drea said in relation to the assault in Longford, Mr Hussey, who is a security man in a night club, flagged down gardaí. He claimed he had been assaulted by the defendant. They spoke to the defendant and he left the area.

However, he returned later and assaulted Mr Hussey again. As a result of the assault Mr Hussey required an operation and a metal wire had to be put into his jaw and he lost two teeth. He had since made a good recovery.

The defendant was also given a concurrent three-month sentence and disqualified from driving for 15 years when he pleaded guilty at Cavan District Court to driving with excess alcohol.

Hearns was stopped at Bridge Street, Cavan, on February 8, and his breath reading was 53mg/100ml.
He was given a concurrent three-month terms and 15-year disqualification for driving while disqualified on the same occasion. Charges of having no insurance and driving license were proven but taken into account.
(Source: The Anglo Celt)

Clare

Gardaí investigating the murder six years ago of North Clare woman Emer O’Loughlin have said that an appeal on RTÉ’s CrimeCall last Tuesday night has generated “some very interesting calls”.

Ms O’Loughlin’s charred remains were found in a burned-out mobile home at Ballybornagh, Tubber on April 8, 2005. The 23-year-old’s death was immediately treated as suspicious but a post mortem examination at the time did not indicate how she had died. Last year, Emer’s body was exhumed and a new post mortem revealed she had died violently. For operational reasons, however, gardaí did not release the specific details.

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Nster.com