News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

But the lavish reception was cancelled after Fitzgerald was busted in his new marital home during a major garda operation targeting the ‘Fat' Freddie Thompson mob.

Gardai caught Fitzgerald with €2m worth of cocaine, two handguns, mixing agents and €53,000 worth of drugs cash.

Last week Michael Fitzgerald was jailed for eight years after he admitted possession of the huge haul at his home in Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, and his father's home at Corrib Road, Terenure, in June last year.
Our exclusive photo shows Fitzgerald in happier times with his innocent bride Ashling Gallagher (24) who he married in a civil ceremony in Dublin in July last year - eight days before he was busted.

While this was understood to have been a low-key ceremony, sources say that the couple had planned a huge bash in Tenerife just a few weeks later.

Fitzgerald -- who worked for the Thompson gang because he was in debt and unable to repay the mortgage on his house -- was told by Judge Martin Nolan last Monday that he was a good candidate for rehabilitation.

Detective Brendan Smith said a tip-off led to them getting a search warrant for the home Fitzgerald shared with his new wife in Tallaght.

Fitzgerald let them in and a search revealed the mixing agents and compression plates and metal moulds used for packaging cocaine.

They also found 6kg of the drug, €53,000 in cash, weighing scales, packaging and a diary containing details of several drugs transactions. Further information led gardai to do a follow-up search at Fitzgerald's father's house two days later. This uncovered the two 9mm handguns hidden in a DVD box, five bullets and 4kg of cocaine and amphetamines.

Fitzgerald was interviewed 20 times and took responsibility for everything seized.
(Source: The Evening Herald)

Fermanagh

A man charged with the murder of a former Fermanagh GAA player has pleaded guilty to his manslaughter.

Gary Philip Moane,36, from Lisolvan Park in Brookeborough, was charged with the murder of Ciaran Woods in July 2010.

However, the guilty plea entered before Belfast Crown Court was not accepted by the prosecution.
Mr Moane also pleaded guilty to attacking a woman in the same incident but that too was not accepted.
Defence QC Elis McDermott told Mr Justice Hart that Moane's guilty plea "clearly narrows the issues in the case considerably".

The court heard Moane would in the forseeable future be examined by doctors, as there "are medical issues in this case".

It was also reported that, if necessary, Moane is prepared to be examined by experts on behalf of the prosecution.

The Fermanagh man also pleaded guilty to attacking Kathleen McQuade, who was also injured in the stabbing at her Tempo home.

However, this guilty plea was also not accepted by the Crown, and Moane still faces the more serious charges of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Ms McQuade, a mother-of-two.

Although no details of the fatal stabbing were given, at the time it was reported that the former 36-year-old GAA player from Lisnaskea was stabbed to death following a late-night party in the County Fermanagh village.

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Nster.com