Family of man slain in mass brawl fearful of revenge attack

By Stephen Rogers

Thursday, December 29, 2011

THE close family of a man slain in a mass brawl on St Stephen’s night fear that as soon as he is buried a revenge attack will be launched on those suspected of killing him.

There is local speculation that the fight between members of the Delaney and Crinnion families and their associates at the Manhattan Bar was orchestrated to get a senior member of one of the feuding families to the scene.

In spite of rapid escalation of the tensions there, that individual stayed away. However, 51-year-old Gerard Delaney left his home in Mahon where he had been babysitting with his wife after receiving a call to say that relatives needed help following rows — first at Quirkies Bar in Pearse Square, Ballyphehane, and then at the Manhattan in Lower Friars Walk — between members of the Delaneys and the Crinnions.

Mr Delaney, who had no convictions for serious crime and had kept himself and his immediate family out of the feud, is understood to have been confronted by a number of individuals while he was trying to protect one of his relatives. He sustained at least one stab wound on his back and was severely beaten.

A car which was carrying one of his relatives then pulled up, he was lifted into the vehicle and driven to a house in Plunkett Road and later brought by car to Cork University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gardaí have found the knife which they believe may have been used to stab Mr Delaney as well as a baseball bat and a pickaxe handle.

An 18-year-old man and a woman in her 20s were taken to Mercy University Hospital, to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Sources close to the dead man’s family say they fear a revenge attack may be mounted very soon after he is buried, something which they say he would not have wanted. As yet no funeral details have been published. Sources say the man’s family just want to be left in peace to grieve.

There has been ongoing tension between the Delaneys and the Crinnions and their associates. Last month Robert Crinnion was jailed for 10 years for a slash-hook attack on Mr Delaney’s brother, Finbarr, in February.

Security around the Togher and Ballyphehane areas of Cork is already tight, with the garda armed regional support unit on standby.

To date, two men have been arrested in relation to the brawl at the pub. They were arrested for public order offences but were later released without charge. Gardaí have also spoken to a number of people who were socialising in the bar when the brawl broke out.

Anyone with information about the incident on Tuesday morning is asked to contact Togher Garda Station on 021 4947120.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, December 29, 2011

Synchronised flies to victory for JP over O’Leary

By Pat Keane and Dan Buckley

Thursday, December 29, 2011

THERE aren’t too many high fliers who can get the better of Michael O’Leary but his horseracing rival JP McManus brought the Ryanair boss down to earth with a bump at Leopardstown yesterday.

O’Leary’s horse, Quito De La Roque, was favourite, but nobody had told that to the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Synchronised, who galloped away with the €150,000 Lexus Chase, leaving O’Leary’s horse trailing in third place.

The Ryanair chief could hardly believe his eyes — so much so that he was spotted sporting two pairs of glasses, one tinted for the occasional sunshine and to savour better moments earlier with Make Your Mark winning the first race and Last Instalment the Grade 1 Fort Leney Novice Chase.

Superbly handled by British champion jockey Tony McCoy, the eight-year-old Synchronised swept ahead going to the final fence to easily beat Rubi Light.

Synchronised is trained by Jonjo O’Neill, a native of Castletownroche, Co Cork, who is based at the Jackdaws Castle training establishment, near Cheltenham racecourse.

Despite the defeat, which ended Quito De La Roque’s five-race winning streak, O’Leary managed a smile as he gave McManus a friendly pat on the back and congratulated him on his win.

“Synchronised is not the biggest in the world, but is very game and brave,” said McManus.

“This will be a tonic for Jonjo. He is a bit under the weather.”

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, December 29, 2011

Credit union users ordered to pay €34m

By Jennifer Hough

Thursday, December 29, 2011

OVER 2,000 judgments worth almost €34 million have been awarded against struggling credit union customers who have failed to repay outstanding loans since 2008, but this is just the “tip of the iceberg”, it has been warned.

Figures provided to the Irish Examiner by Vision-net.ie show that since 2008, credit unions have taken more and more cases to pursue hundreds of customers for non-payment of debts, year-on-year.

However, they are getting little satisfaction, with only eight repayments made since 2008, one of which came this year.

Court actions against customers for the year to December 3 soared to 769 judgments at a value of €13.5m, compared to 532 in the same period in 2010, worth €9m.

In 2008, just 341 judgments were made against customers. They start at a few hundred euro and reach the hundreds of thousands.

According to Vision-net managing director Christine Cullen, most of these are based on consumer loans, meaning they are against individuals, not businesses.

“There is little evidence to suggest that the debts are being paid back, however, it does hamper an individual’s credit for six years so it warns off others from falling foul, provided they do the necessary checks, which they clearly often didn’t across all sectors.”

She said the judgments were the tip of the iceberg.

“We are not allowed to view 90% of the judgments, which go unregistered due to a decision to take the public right of access away from the Irish Court Service back in October 2010.”

Figures for this year reveal that outside Dublin, where 312 judgments were registered at a value of €3.8m, Cork had the highest number of cases taken. Credit unions in the county took 89 cases against customers worth €2.4m. In Clare, 72 judgments were secured and in Laois, 45 judgments were awarded against customers.

The eight largest single judgments and where they were made in the period 2008-2011 were:

* Tipperary — €845,807;

* Galway — €726,712;

* Dublin — €405,354;

* Tipperary — €403,696;

* Galway — €401,475;

* Cork — €366,187;

* Cork — €301,048;

* Galway — €285,318.

Ms Cullen said it was clear that credit unions had not escaped the debt crisis fallout.

“There is evidence that in some instances, consumers were over-borrowing and it would also appear that some institutions may have been over-lending.

“Based on this evidence, there are lessons to be learned and a real need for smarter borrowing and smarter lending, coupled with informed decision making.”

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, December 29, 2011

No local visits in next EU presidency

By Paul O’Brien, Political Editor

Thursday, December 29, 2011

MINISTERS are set to miss out on the chance to bring European dignitaries to their constituencies — and receive a hometown political boost in the process — when Ireland next hosts the EU presidency.

The Department of Foreign Affairs wants no repeat of 2004, when Ireland last held the presidency and ministers in the Fianna Fáil-led government held a number of key meetings in their own constituencies.

For example, Brian Cowen brought EU figures to Tullamore, Co Offaly; Charlie McCreevy took them to Punchestown, Co Kildare; and Dermot Ahern brought them to Dundalk, Co Louth.

The “decentralisation” of meetings was seen by some as a political stunt, and with the department already worried about the cost implications of Ireland’s presidency in 2013, it wants to avoid a repeat. The department has proposed confining all meetings to Dublin Castle and cutting the overall number of events by almost half.

“Current thinking would see the calendar of events in Ireland being reduced as much as possible with a target of 200 [2004 had 354 events]. In tandem with this, it is being proposed all events take place in Dublin Castle and that the practice of ministers hosting meetings in their constituencies be discontinued,” the department said.

According to the department, the 2004 presidency cost €93 million to host, and it believes over €70m will be required to cover the next presidency.

The department outlined its views in a submission to the Department of Public Expenditure during the budget process, warning that in attempting to meet the €70m cost of the presidency, it was facing an “opening shortfall” of about €25m, with its budget “already fully stretched”.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, December 29, 2011

N Korea stages huge funeral for Kim Jong-il

By David Chance Seoul

Thursday, December 29, 2011

THE world watched anxiously as North Korea staged a huge funeral in the capital, Pyongyang, for former leader Kim Jong-il, searching for signs of what to expect from the isolated nation that may be close to attaining nuclear weapons capacity.

Bleak pictures from state television showed a funeral cortege led by a limousine carrying a huge picture of the 69-year old, who died on December 17, passing serried ranks of olive green-clad soldiers whose bare heads were bowed in homage in the main square of the snow-covered capital.

A hearse carrying the coffin was led by a weeping Kim Jong-un, the son and heir, accompanied by Jang Song-thaek, his uncle and a key power-broker in the transition, and Ri Yong-ho, the army chief of staff.

“Seeing this white snow fall has made me think of the general’s efforts and this brings tears to my eyes,” Seo Ju-rim, a red-cheeked, weeping female soldier, told North Korean television, referring to Kim.

One of the myths surrounding Kim Jong-il was that he could control the weather and state media has reported unusually cold and wild weather accompanying his death.

Video showed weeping civilians who swayed with grief and shouted “father, father” as black Lincoln and Mercedes limousines and army trucks streamed past the crowds.

“I wished it was a dream, how can this be true,” sobbed one middle-aged woman named Kim. “How can anything like this ever happen in the world?”

Kim Jong-un will become the third member of the family to run the country.

Larry Niksch, who has tracked North Korea for the nonpartisan US Congressional Research Service for 43 years, believes it could take as little as one to two years to have a working nuclear missile once the North produced enough highly enriched uranium for the warhead’s core fuel.

The prospect of an untested leader, believed to be in his late 20s, having nuclear capacity has alarmed many.

“Yes, we are watching and will be analysing how any changes can be reflected in our policy,” a South Korean government official said.

State television showed Jang Song-thaek walking directly behind Kim Jong-un alongside the limousine carrying the coffin. His public elevation confirms he will play a key role in shaping policies.

An ascetic-looking, bespectacled 65-year-old, Jang has overcome a purge, bitter palace intrigue and personal tragedy to become vice chairman of the National Defence Commission, the supreme leadership council which Kim Jong-il led as head of the military state.

“Kim Jong-un is clearly the head of the new leadership but, in terms of hierarchy and influence, Jang appears to have secured considerable position,” said Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korea expert at Korea University in the south.

Strong it may be — North Korea is backed by China and has a 1.2 million-strong armed forces — but prosperous it is not.

On average, the 25 million North Koreans have a life expectancy three-and-a- half years lower than they did when “Eternal President” Kim Il-sung, the new leader’s grandfather, died in 1994, according to the UN.

The UN, in a country programme for 2011-15, says North Korea’s main challenge is to “restore the economy to the level attained before 1990″ and to alleviate food shortages for a third of its population.

Indications from the transition since Kim Jong-il’s death suggest his “military first” policy will continue.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, December 29, 2011

Irish love to talk during festive period

By Noel Baker

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

TEXTS, calls and letters washed over the country in their millions for Christmas according to provisional figures.

O2 recorded 28 million text messages sent across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, while Meteor recorded 32 million texts and 6.5 million calls across the same two days on its network.

Figures for other mobile phone providers were not available, but An Post reported that its overall postal volume doubled compared to that of last year, when the severe weather hampered delivery.

An Post spokesperson Anna McHugh said that, in the two weeks before Christmas, between six and seven million postal items a day were being handled through the various mail centres.

An Post does not distinguish between Christmas cards and other mail but Ms McHugh said there had been a 20% increase in online shopping packages that were delivered.

In addition, many families are in line for some late Christmas gifts, after a huge consignment of post from Australia was delayed.

The post only reached Britain on December 23 and, according to An Post delivery, should begin here on December 29.

While O2 reported 28 million texts across the Christmas weekend, Meteor said almost 6.5 million calls were made on its network.

Texting also proved popular with Meteor customers. A recent Meteor survey showed over 44% of Irish people aged 18-34 say they send a Christmas text every year. The end result was that 32 million texts were sent between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Britain was the country which received most calls and texts on the network, followed by Australia, which was the second most popular country for texts. Poland was the second most called country.

In addition, more than 105,000 photographs were sent using picture messaging, while 18 million megabytes of data was used throughout the two days of Christmas 2011 as Irish people shared their festive moments.

O2 also reported a huge growth in the use of social media on its phone network over Christmas.

Other countries in the top 10 Meteor list for calls included Lithuania, the US, Spain and Slovakia, while texts were sent to the same countries, as well as New Zealand, France and Italy.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Family demand answers as patient killed while walking to takeaway

By Seán McCárthaigh

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

THE family of an in-patient at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick has called for an inquiry into how he was knocked down and killed just a few hundred metres from the facility’s entrance on Monday night.

Michael Doran, 69, from Templemore, Co Tipperary, died as a result of injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle in Dooradoyle, Limerick, at about 7.45pm on St Stephen’s Day.

His relatives yesterday expressed anger and frustration at the lack of information provided by the HSE about the circumstances of his death.

One of the victim’s sons, Johnny Doran, said his family was struggling to comprehend how a patient in the care of the hospital had been allowed to leave the building.

“My father was on medication,” said Mr Doran.

“He’s meant to be in a secure area. Yet he was able to leave the hospital unchecked and got killed.

“We are only looking for answers but so far we feel we are being pushed aside.”

It is understood that Mr Doran left the hospital in his pyjamas and an overcoat and had walked a few hundred metres in the direction of a takeaway. He was pushing a wheelchair at the time.

The father of 13 children had been a patient at Limerick Regional Hospital since December 22, when he was admitted for treatment for a respiratory problem.

Johnny Doran said he last saw his father when he visited him in hospital on Christmas Day.

“He was in great form and very content.”

He said hospital staff had told him his father had not asked to leave the hospital or to discharge himself.

In a statement, the HSE expressed sympathy to Mr Doran’s family.

“The hospital will co-operate fully with the Garda investigation into this tragic accident and with the coroner’s inquest,” a statement read.

The HSE confirmed it would also conduct its own internal inquiry into the circumstances of Mr Doran’s death, including an examination of CCTV footage from the hospital.

The HSE said hospital staff were not involved in restricting any individual’s personal liberty.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 28, 2011

60 gardaí probe killing after rival families clash

By Sean O’Riordan and Olivia Kelleher

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A TEAM of up to 60 gardaí are involved in the investigation into the brutal killing of a 51-year-old man who died after violence flared between feuding families in Cork city.

Senior gardaí appealing for witnesses to the killing of Gerard Delaney have stated that they will treat anything said to them in the strictest of confidence.

Mr Delaney died shortly after a fight broke out among up to 20 people at the Manhattan Bar on Lower Friars Walk, Ballyphehane, at around 12.15am yesterday.

Gerard Delaney became involved in the row in Cork city late last night after a relative phoned and asked him and others for back-up in the pub.

It is understood the 51-year-old went to the pub after midnight when several relatives became involved in a confrontation with members of the Crinnion family.

He had been babysitting his grandchildren with his wife at his home in Mahon in the east of the city.

Mr Delaney’s brother Finbarr had been involved in a court case last month against 26-year-old Robert Crinnion, who was jailed for stabbing him outside his Cork home in a machete attack last February.

Gardaí have been investigating allegations that threats to kill have been made against the Delaney family linked to the prosecution.

Graffiti has been daubed on walls in parts of Cork city stating “Delaney is a rat” and there have also been claims that the family were threatened on the internet. One allegation claimed the IRA would order a killing.

“It has been waiting to kick off,” a neighbour said.

Finbarr Delaney was convicted in October 2005 for drugs possession.

The Crinnion family are well-known in Cork city for their links to organised crime and drug-dealing. Michael Crinnion was shot dead as he stepped outside the Clannad pub on Barrack Street in Cork city in 1995. His brother-in-law Kevin O’Flynn was murdered in a gun attack in 2001.

It is believed Gerard Delaney did not have convictions for serious crime and had tried to keep himself out of the family feud.

Witnesses in the Manhattan Bar have told gardaí that members of the Delaney family had asked a manager to order the Crinnions to leave the pub before the row broke out.

Gardaí believe the simmering row may have exploded because of words which may have been exchanged by rival group members at another nearby bar a few hours earlier.

They believe that, at least, “there may have been an exchange of words between some personalities” at around 8.30pm at Quirkie’s Bar on Pearse Square, Ballyphehane, less than 500 metres from the Manhattan Bar.

However, it was not until nearly four hours later that violence broke out.

Gardaí believe that at least four men went to the Manhattan Bar as a result of the previous exchanges at Quirkie’s.

It is understood Mr Delaney and relatives arrived at the pub armed with makeshift weapons, including baseball bats and iron bars, after midnight.

The violence spilled onto the road and it is believed that was where Mr Delaney received his fatal injuries.

He was taken to a house at nearby Plunkett Road — which was sealed off yesterday by gardaí — before being rushed by car to Cork University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gardai said the row broke out inside the bar before it spilled out on to the street and at one stage involved more than 20 members of the two families.

Gardai believe that members of the Crinnion family managed to disarm some of the Delaneys.

Two other people were injured in the fight — an 18-year-old man and a woman in her 20s. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Two men were arrested at the pub on public order offences and later released without charge.

Detectives have appealed for witnesses to contact the garda incident room in Togher.

Gardaí cordoned off the bar and a section of road between Connolly Road and Tramore Road yesterday as forensics experts combed the area for clues to the identity of his killers.

Many neighbours were asleep at the time and said the first they heard about the killing was when they turned on their radios early yesterday morning.

Robert Sheehan, who was born in Cork but now lives in Newportin Wales, was visiting his mother, who lives close to the bar.

He said his family had not heard a thing. “My mother looked outside the house and saw the place was cordoned off. She was pretty shocked, like the rest of us,” he said.

Mr Delaney is survived by his wife Mary, and their two grown-up children Karen and Gerard. He also had two grandchildren.

* Anybody with information is asked to contact Togher Garda Station at 021 494 7120 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Video: Ballyphehane Murder Latest

Video courtesy of Dan Linehan, Irish Examiner

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 28, 2011

No pay cuts at Anglo despite €30bn bailout

By Paul O’Brien, Political Editor

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

NO pay cuts have been applied to staff at the now renamed Anglo Irish Bank in the past three years despite the €30.6 billion bill to taxpayers for its bailout.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has confirmed that staff, including management, escaped pay cuts in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

This is despite the massive bill to taxpayers for Anglo and the fact that the public sector took pay cuts in that time, as did many private sector employees. Anglo has instead reduced its pay bill through cuts in staff numbers and the scrapping of bonus payments.

Anglo was merged with Irish Nationwide earlier this year and renamed the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), an asset recovery bank that will be wound down over time.

The total cost of the IBRC bailout, including Anglo and Nationwide, is €30.6bn. Mr Noonan was asked by Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin about the staff and salary reductions at IBRC and other state-aided banks.

Mr Noonan answered the parliamentary question by saying: “No reductions in pay have been applied to staff including management of Anglo/IBRC in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“The bank has not operated any performance- related bonus scheme since 2009 and no discretionary bonus payments have been paid since then,” he said.

The staffing figures show that IBRC has 1,262 staff — a reduction from the 2,080 staff Anglo and Nationwide had between them in 2009.

However, two months ago, it emerged that 22 of the top 50 senior executives at Anglo at the time of the bank’s collapse were still in place. Of those 22, 19 were earning €175,000 or more a year. Anglo could not be reached for comment yesterday.

However, it is not the only bank at which staff appear to have escaped pay cuts in recent years.

At AIB, Mr Noonan said there had been “a general salary freeze covering both performance-related pay and increments since mid-2009″.

Bank of Ireland reduced staff costs through “lower numbers employed by the group [and] continued remuneration restraint”.

At Permanent TSB, “there have been no reductions in salary rates for bank staff” and “there has been no change to salaries paid to executives and senior managers for 2008 to 2010″.

However, since 2008, “there have been no performance-related bonus payments made to the bank executives”.

At EBS, “staff remuneration was reduced by the increase of pension contributions from 5% up to 10% of salary, while managers’ pension contribution increased from 5% up to 15% of salary”.

Earlier this month, ordinary staff at EBS protested over the fact that senior managers received the society’s traditional annual bonus when they had not.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

 

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, December 28, 2011