Jamie McGrenaghan was charged last Friday with the manslaughter of a Garda Robbie McCallion who died from injuries received when dealing with a stolen car investigation.

McGrenaghan was charged at Glenties District Court with the unlawful killing of Garda Robbie McCallion who died from injuries received on March 26th at Tara Court, Letterkenny.

The youth, who sat beside his mother in court during the four-minute hearing, was also charged with dangerous driving causing Gda McCallion’s death on the same occasion.

He was additionally charged with reckless driving, endangering the lives of gardai Joanne Doherty and Shane Lavelle on the same occasion.

Evidence of charging McGrenaghan at 7.35 a.m. following his arrest at his home last Friday morning was given by Sgt Christy Galligan. He said the youth replied “no comment” to each charge when cautioned that anything he said would be taken down and could be used in evidence.

Sgt Galligan said there was no objection to bail for McGrenaghan who was already on High Court bail.

Judge Denis McLoughlin remanded McGrenaghan on continuing bail of €4,000 and adjourned the case to July 2nd – tomorrow - at Letterkenny District Court.

Sgt Galligan said McGrenaghan was already on remand to July 16th on other charges. A further adjournment will be sought tomorrow to that date when it is expected the book of evidence will be ready for service.

McGrenaghan, of Gortnatraw, Kerrykeel, was originally charged with dangerously driving an 11-year-old car and causing serious harm to 29-year-old Gda McCallion in Tara Court.

He was also charged, along with 19-year-old Cathal Dunleavy, with stealing another car - a 15-year-old model, the property of Tonia O’Brien - in Tara Court on the same occasion.

Dunleavy, of Meentagh, Glenvar, Kerrykeel, and who has been in custody since his arrest, was on a week’s compassionate leave from prison – where he was serving nine months for petty crime - at the time of the incident involving Gda McCallion.

McGrenaghan was 17 at the time of his arrest but a court ruled his name could be published following his 18th birthday less than a week later.

Gda McCallion died in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, on April 7th with his parents, Bob and Nancy, and other family members by his bedside. He was buried in his home town, Swinford, Co. Mayo

Garda Liam Feeney, who led the investigation that brought about the imprisonment of 34-year Kenneth McDonald, was asked by defence counsel Cormac O’Dulachain, SC, if there was a sex-ring.

Gda Feeney told Donegal Circuit Court that at one stage there were concerns that a ring was in operation but investigations established this was not the case.

“There was no ring”, he said.

McDonald – who resigned from the Army after 15 years last Friday - was put behind bars on Monday for two years and three months for sex assaults on the 13-year-old.

Judge Ray Fullam imposed three years in jail on the father of three but suspended nine months of the sentence.

McDonald, of Ernedale Heights, Ballyshannon, has also been placed on the sex offenders ’register. He was convicted by a jury of four counts of sexual assault on the girl on dates between June 1st and November 30th 2003. The offences occurred in his car near woodlands in south Donegal.

Judge Fullam said McDonald, who was 28 at the time, had taken advantage of the girl when she was legally incapable of consenting to sex because of her age. McDonald also knew at the time that she was effectively abandoned, without guidance and was “beginning on a life of promiscuity.” He added to her “degradation” for his own self-gratification.

The girl, who is now 19, told the trial earlier last month that she had full sex 57 times with 22 adult men when she was 13. She kept a diary of her encounters and a “period chart” to help her identify the father if she became pregnant.

The court heard that there are to be five other prosecutions.

Judge Fullam paid tribute to gardai and HSE personnel who looked after the girl during five years she was in care after the inquiry started.

The judge said that from the girl’s demeanour in court he recognised she was a different person to what she was six years ago. Her transformation came about due to the intervention of an “anonymous and right-minded person” who went to the gardai in November 2003.

The transformation was also due to the persistence and professionalism of the gardai and HSE whose joint efforts “ensured the girl saw the value of the truth and had the courage to tell it in all its wretched aspects.”

The court heard that McDonald’s wife Maggie is standing by him. She was in court as were other members of his family.

His victim was accompanied by a social worker. There was nobody from her family there.

Garda Feeney told the court that, at one stage of the investigation when McDonald went through a period of bad depression, firearms were taken with the co-operation of the Army from his house “for his own safety.”

Judge Fullam heard that when McDonald joined the Army he was following a family tradition as his father had also been a serving soldier. McDonald was based throughout his career at Finner Camp, a few kilometres from his home.

He served twice in the Lebanon. His voluntary resignation came in advance of a mandatory dismissal which would have followed his imprisonment.

His record in the Army varied from “fairly good” in the early years to “excellent” in the last few years. A letter from Army chaplain Fr Alan Ward, written to coincide with McDonald’s resignation, said he had progressed from an “aimless and dissolute” lifestyle to a “courteous and obliging individual” following his 2004 marriage and was now “a very different and better man than he was at the time of these contemptible events.”

(Reporter: Paddy Clancy)

Keith, son of Carl and Mary Duggan, Cornhill, Ballyshannon, beat off stiff competition to clinch the award for his story in the Irish Times of how the deaths of two Tyrone footballers seven years apart affected the team.

Keith, who now lives in Galway, is acknowledged as one of Ireland’s most consistently brilliant sports writers.

The award for overall journalist of the year went to Shane Ross and Nick Webb for their expose in the Sunday Independent of overspending in FAS.

There were 14 winners and 12 categories adjudicated by a panel of 32 judges including the Donegal Post’s own Paddy Clancy and Glenties’ MacGill Summer School founder and director Dr Joe Mulholland who has a home at St John’s Point.

Due to injury Donegal boss John Joe Doherty will be forced to make a number of personnel changes, with midfield likely to see a new pairing as regular duo Brendan Boyle and Neil Gallagher are struggling to be fit.

And with Ciaran Bonner also picking up a dead leg during Glenswilly’s defeat at St Michaels, Doherty will most likely turn to Kevin Cassidy and Rory Kavanagh to fill the void for their All Ireland Qualifier First Round clash with the Leinster side (Throw-in 7pm).

“Neither Brendan or Neil played club football at the weekend so it doesn’t look good on that front,” said Doherty.

“Michael Maguire also picked up a wee knock so we’ll also be looking at him before we make any decision on the team.”

Doherty admits that last week’s challenge match against Fermanagh was a useful exercise, and barring some miraculous healings, Donegal Gaels shouldn’t expect too many changes from that line-up.

“It probably won’t be too far away to be honest. There were a lot of men not available against Fermanagh, and I’ll need to speak to them tonight (Tuesday) at training to see exactly what we’re looking at.”

On that night Paddy McDaid came in at corner-back and Frank McGlynn started at wing back. Kevin Cassidy and Christy Toye took over midfield duties, while there were also impressive displays from Naomh Conaill duo Leo McLoone and Dara Gallagher in the forward line.

St Nauls’ sharpshooter Stephen Griffin also showed well up front, and the responsibility to rectify Donegal’s wayward return of twelve points from thirty efforts against the Saffrons’, may fall on his young shoulders.

“As I said after the last game, it was now up to the young lads to step up to the mark. If you come through the ranks playing minor and U21 then there is no reason why those players can’t cut it at senior level. Certain players will get an opportunity on Saturday and it’s up to them to seize it” Doherty concluded.

(Frank Craig, Sports Editor)

The Dubliner shot a magnificent six under par second round of 67 to overtake all of the first-day leaders and stake his honoured place in the long history of this popular event.

A steady opening round of 72 had left him one of sixteen players to break par on day one, testament to both the excellent condition of the course and the quality of professional golfer attracted to this lucrative annual celebration of golf.

He started Sunday with a flourish, firing birdies at the second and third, before a lost ball on six threatened to derail his assault. A re-load resulted in a double-bogey six, but he responded in true style, sinking a slippery putt on seven to repair some of the damage.

The hard work was accomplished over what many regarded as the tougher nine, so he opened the shoulders and launched a huge drive down the long tenth to set up a short iron approach, which was followed by a timely putt for eagle. Birdies rattled the cup at both twelve and thirteen and having negotiated the tricky fourteenth and fifteenth, he stuck a mid-iron close at seventeen to capture the outright lead on seven under par. A safe par at eighteen was secured and all was well with the world. The re-build of his swing over the past few months has borne fruit at last and with this win under his belt, surely more success is to follow.

David Mortimer had entertained high hopes as he held the overnight lead following a sparkling 68. The Connemara golfer recorded six birdies and just the solitary bogey in a round which matched the previous best scores on the course, achieved back in 2007 by Damian Mooney and Simon Thornton. He would stumble on day two but still did enough to finish in a tie for fourth.

Damian Mooney had to settle for a disappointing opening 76, but a second round of 72 was evidence of a noble defence of his title.

Engaging as ever, Philip Walton threatened for long stretches, but errors crept into his game on Sunday and he ended in a tie for twelfth.

The club’s own professional, Connor Mallon enjoyed a fruitful weekend, enjoying the success of the tournament and shooting a respectable total of level par, 146.

The leading team at the halfway point on 99 points was led by Barry Hamill and included Kevin Patton, Mark Patton and Eugene Corry. They closed out the team event on Sunday by shooting an excellent 93 points for a 192 total.

Results:

June 27/28: Harcourt Hotel Narin & Portnoo Pro-Am; Professionals: 1. John Kelly (St. Margaret’s) 72,67 139; 2. Christopher McVitty (Bundoran) 70,70 140; 3. Michael Collins (www.foreireland.com) 72,69 141; Teams: 1. Barry Hamill (Barry Hamill Golf Academy), Kevin Patton, Mark Patton and Eugene Corry 192;

For Sligo, who have qualified for Europe for the first time in 13 years, a glamour tie with Rapid Vienna is the prize awaiting if they can get past the Albanians in the Europa League first-qualifying round.

Vllaznia finished second in the Albanian Superliga last season, while Sligo were fourth in the Irish Premier Division.

“I don’t really no a great deal about them to be honest,” admits Keohane. “It’s the first I’ve heard of them, so they’re definitely an unknown prospect.”

While the Albanian runners-up don’t exactly roll off the tongue; Keohane knows that the prize on offer for the victors is a mouth-watering clash with Austrian giants Rapid Vienna- a clash that would really whet the appetite of the Bit O’Red.

“We’ve seen plenty of them in previous seasons and they would have a good European pedigree so that would be a really exciting clash. It would be fantastic if we got through to play them, but as I said we can’t be looking past Vallazina.”

Former Erne Wanderers starlet Keohane has seized his opportunity this season with relish, and has impressed at wing-back in recent outings.

Keohane (20) admits that while a number of injuries to first team players has accelerated his progression in recent weeks; those returning face a fight for the jersey.

“It’s been really exciting since I joined. We have a small squad and they do give youngsters a chance to impress. Suspensions and injuries have also left us short and that has given me my chance at the back.

“But now that I’m in I hope I can stay there. It has come a bit quickly but as I said I’m not complaining and I just hope I can remain in contention.”

Sligo will be at home in the first leg on July 2, with the reverse leg being played seven days later.

Following Donegal’s hard fought victory over Antrim in Ballybofey, when a torrential second half downpour saw tactics take a backseat; Regan knows that his side will have to lift their game considerably if they are to dispose of the Mourne men.

Free from the burden of examinations, the Naomh Conaill club man feels that if his players can express themselves in the way he knows they are capable of, they won’t be far away.

“It was our ambition at the very start of the year to get to Clones,” Regan told the Donegal Post.

“We’re delighted to be there and that kind of experience will be a huge benefit to these players. Football is at a fairly low ebb at the moment in Donegal so we hope for a large turnout as that could make all the difference.”

While Regan has had to make do with a limited amount of access to his squad for the majority of the season so far; he knows that the completion of examinations will see a huge mental burden lifted from his players.

“We really only got them back on Thursday evening as they still had a number of exams after the Antrim game, but it’s obviously a relief for them to be able to go out and fully enjoy their football.”

Regan admits that Donegal’s progression to the semi-final has come at a price however; as a number of his squad are carrying knocks that may see them miss out. Doubts remain over the fitness of Ciaran Green and Enda Faulkner.

The performance of Patrick McBrearty following his second half introduction was very encouraging for Donegal football, but Regan warned against expecting too much from the talented Kilcar youngster.

“It certainly was encouraging but we have to be very careful as he’s only fifteen years old. We can’t expect Patrick to propel us to an Ulster final as that just wouldn’t be fair.

We’ll need big performances all over the park. We have a number of lads playing senior football for their clubs so they won’t be intimidated by anything they see on Saturday- Those are the boys that we need to see us through.” (Throw-in 5.15pm)

They drove 100 vehicles along the Killybegs Road at Turris hill at almost zero km/h, unlike the high speeds reached in the world-famous annual rally of its French namesake. Traffic ground to a halt less than five kilometres from Tanaiste Mary Coughlan’s Frosses home as the road was blocked in a slow-drive protest aimed at highlighting its treacherous condition.

The demonstrators, who have threatened to repeat the protest every Friday, called on the Tanaiste to take urgent action to secure the realignment of the road being dubbed “the hell highway”.

The demo followed almost a year of lobbying for works to widen the road and remove a left hand bend at Mountcharles, close to where the village bypass ends.

Although there have been no recent high-profile fatal accidents residents complain that because of the shape of the road and the state of its surface it’s unfit to handle the volume of traffic that suddenly appears on it at the end of the state-of-the art bypass. They complain that there are minor collisions almost daily and they argue that it’s only a matter of time before somebody is killed.
Last week alone, three accidents occurred within two days along the notorious stretch when vehicles went out of control and left the road.

The protesters claimed they had been pledged €250,000 prior to the local elections for realignment works but they had since been informed there was no money available.
Charlie and Josie McInern, whose house is on the bend they want removed, said they are prisoners in their own home.
Ms McInern said: “We cannot come out to paint our wall or cut our hedge. Every week a car goes off the road.
“Our son’s wall has been hit three times in the past six months. They live 10 yards away with our three grandchildren and we cannot walk to each other’s houses.”
She added that a woman motorist had a lucky escape the week before when her jeep left the road and overturned.
Ms McInern said: “Only that a couple in a passing car noticed the smoke and turned back, she would probably have been dead.”
Neighbour Kitty Harvey, one of the main organisers of the protest, said action is needed now before there is a fatality.
She added: “Our Tanaiste uses this road every day. All our councillors who travel to Lifford for meetings are using this road but no-one is listening to us.
“It is so sad to think that this is 2009 and we have to stand out on the road to try and save our lives and the lives of our grandchildren.”

Reporter: Paddy Clancy

The 29-inch tall mini Shetland Pony now has a five day old son less than half her size.

The piebald newcomer, a male dubbed Mini Me, is just a foot tall following his arrival in a field in the early hours of last Saturday.

Mini Me - the name comes from the pint-sized clone of Dr Evil in the Austin Powers films - is intended only temporarily for Beauty’s son. He will be given a more suitable name as soon as Gerry and his family think of one.

“He’s not even the size of a dog” said a surprised but delighted Gerry(34), who lives in Rock Road, Bundoran, with partner Nicola and 18-months-old daughter Yasmin.

Horses - even mini versions - have a gestation period of 11 months before they give birth.

Gerry, an unemployed construction industry worker who is also a part-time horse dealer, bought Beauty nine months ago from a man in Ballintra for €350 with the intention of selling her on within weeks.

But little Yasmin and the pony bonded immediately. Gerry decided to keep the animal rather than break the child’s heart.

He said: “Yasmin went right up to Beauty and hugged her and started petting her and the pony nuzzled her. Small horses tend to kick or bite and can be very nasty but there’s none of that with Beauty. She’s very quiet and Yasmin now sits on her and gets little rides.”

Gerry added: “Beauty was obviously pregnant when I bought her but the seller probably didn’t even realise it. I certainly didn’t.

“In recent weeks I noticed she was putting on a bit of weight but I thought nothing of it. I got the shock of my life when I went out to the field to see her last Saturday and there was this lovely little foal lying beside her.

“Beauty had delivered the wee chap without any help.”

He said: “Yasmin is mad about the foal now but when the time comes I will have to sell him on.

“We’re keeping Beauty, ‘though, and when the time comes I’ll ‘horse’ Beauty again. I have a wee mini Shetland stallion that I bought specially as a mate for her.”

(Reporter: Paddy Clancy)

Seven-years-old soccer-mad Dylan Minnock and pensioner Jimmy Strain(80) - both from Convoy - were fatally injured in tragic accidents on Friday.
Congregations at the village’s two main churches, the Catholic St Mary’s and Church of Ireland St Ninian’s Parish Church, remembered both victims.
Dylan was on a life support system at Letterkenny General Hospital for almost 24 hours after he was knocked down by a van as he was about to cross a street in Convoy. Locals said he had been playing in a field and was about to join two friends across the road when he peered from behind a high hedge to check for traffic when the accident happened.

His distraught mother Rachel, who also has a three-year-old daughter, was by Dylan’s side throughout his battle for life while his dad, Dermot Furey, dashed home from a holiday abroad to be by his son’s bedside at the end.
Dylan was pronounced dead shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. He was a nephew of former Finn Harps soccer player Jonathan Minnock and a grandson of Johnny Minnock who played for Athlone Town against AC Milan in a 1975 UEFA Cup tie.
Jimmy Strain was pronounced dead on arrival at Letterkenny General Hospital following injuries received when his van went out of control and crashed into a fence at Drumkeen on the N13 an hour after Dylan’s accident.
Mr Strain, from Corradooey, Convoy, is thought to have suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his vehicle. He was the only occupant.