The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

A new free sheet newspaper is to be launched in Limerick on March 15th

The Limerick Independent is set to target the readership of the Limerick Post, with a circulation of 35,000 copies compared to the Post’s 30,000 copies.

The paper is owned by the Independent Free Newspapers Group, who run the Cork Independent and Galway Independent.

The set up cost for the paper is estimated at more than €1m.

A married couple, who have wished to remain anonymous have collected their €250,000 winnings from National Lottery headquarters in Dublin. The couple purchased the ticket in O’Neill’s newsagent on William Street. They say they plan on paying off their mortgage and going on a few nice holidays.

They also said that they have been doing the same numbers for the past ten years.

A syndicate of fourteen employees from the Davin Arms are planning to collect their winnings on Tuesday.

And mystery still surrounds the identity of a third lotto winner who purchased their ticket at Newsland at the Crescent Shopping Centre.

The numbers which yielded the three Limerick winners were 3, 6, 9, 12, 21, and 24 bonus number 17.

Live 95fm reports that all six people who were helping Gardai with their enquiries into the murder of David Nunal have all been released without charge. Files on all of the six are to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The six include 2 men in their twenties, one in his teens, and three teenage girls.

Representatives from Amnesty International have told an EU investigation into CIA rendition flights in Europe, that an aircraft involved in rendition refuelled at Shannon after transporting a prisoner from Germany to Egypt.

Cleric Abu Omar was kidnapped in Milan by CIA operatives and taken to Egypt where it is alledged that he was tortured.

The Italian government however deny any knowledge of the kidnapping, despite the fact that an Italian judge has issued arrest warrants for several CIA agents in relation to the case. Italy is a member of the “coalition of the willing”

Omar is alledged to have been moved to Germany after his kidnapping in Italy, after which he was sent to Egypt.

Amnesty International have claimed that they have all the facts straight in their claim, including a flight number, NA5VM.

Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney has stated that while there was no prisoner on board the plane at the time it landed in Shannon, it still played a part in the mission

However, claims by another individual, Khaled el-Masri match the flight plan of another rendition flight, registration N313F, as reported by Newsweek in 2004

1. Jan. 16, 2004 Washington Dulles to Shannon, Ireland
2. Jan. 17, 2004 Shannon, Ireland, to Larnaca, Cyprus
3. Jan. 21, 2004 Larnaca, Cyprus, to Sale, Morocco
4. Jan. 22, 2004 Sale, Morocco, to Kabul, Afghanistan
5. Jan. 22, 2004 Kabul, Afghanistan, to Alger-hourari boum, Algeria
6. Jan. 22, 2004 Alger-hourari boum, Algeria, to Palma, Majorca
7. Jan. 23, 2004 Palma, Majorca, to Skopje, Macedonia
8. Jan. 24, 2004 Skopje, Macedonia, to Baghdad, Iraq
9. Jan. 24, 2004 Baghdad, Iraq, to Kabul, Afghanistan
10. Jan. 25, 2004 Kabul, Afghanistan, to Timisoara, Romania
11. Jan. 25, 2004 Timisoara, Romania, to Bucharest, Romania
12. Jan. 26, 2004 Bucharest, Romania, to Palma, Majorca
13. Jan. 28, 2004 Palma, Majorca, to Washington Dulles

Amnesty International reports that this flight was re-registered as N4476S.

Contractors have ruptured a gas pipe at the coonagh roundabout, resulting in gas spewing accross the area.

The entire area is closed off and staff from Bord Gais are at the scene. It is expected that the leak will cause traffic chaos on the northside of the city. Motorists are being re-routed through LIT and those travelling to and from Shannon are asked to use the Old Cracloe road.

Three men in their twenties, and three teenage girls have been arrested in relation to an ongoing investigation into the murder of David Nunan from O’Malley Park in October of last year.

Mr. Nunan’s body was found near the village of Parteen in County Clare. Gardai believe that he was shot in the back. Nunan was only out of prison a few days after serving time for firearms offences. It was also the first murder to be handled by Limerick Gardai in 18 months.

All six were arrested in Limerick City and are currently being held at various Garda Stations in the city.

Limerick’s city shoppers are to get an eyefull next Friday as animal rights group Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) are to hold a naked demonstration on the junction of Cruises Street and Patrick Street.

The protest is to coinside with the arival of Duffy’s Circus to Limerick, which is due to start on March 7th at the Liemrick Racecourse.

According to their press statement, released today, the protest will involve a naked lady in a cage, painted with tiger stripes. Other members of ARAN will be present holding a banner reading “Wild Animals Don’t Belong Behind Bars.”

ARAN are hoping that this protest will bring attention to what they claim are instances of cruelty to exotic animals in Irish Circuises, including Duffy’s.

The group say that they have evidence from an investigation of seven circuises, where members secured employment and witnessed instances of animals being kicked, hit with sticks, whipped, and forced to perform when they were not physically able to.

The protest will take place at 1200 hrs on Friday 3rd March and leaflets containing more information on their cause will be distributed at the event.

Mark sent us this image

He writes

Hi,

Great blog – thanks for all the limerick news.

I thought you might like this. Its a road sign at the corner of
Arthurs Quay and the Hunt. There must be some shortcut to dublin that
I don’t know about!

Mark

So the reason why Limerick was screwed in Transport 21 has been revealed. We are getting a wormhole to Dublin. The correct distance between the two cities is 198 km.

The Scotsman who pawned off a dud cheque to Limerick Animal Welfare, gaining praise from the Mayor of Limerick City, has been arrested, tried and sentenced all in the one day.

John Cronin (34) with various addresses, was before Judge Tom O’Donnell today after he was arrested at Colbert Railway station this afternoon.

The court heard that he made a donation of a dud cheque to Limerick Animal Welfare last Friday. It is understood that he spent the last week in Limerick attending an alcoholism treatment centre.

He chose to represent himself in court today, and said that he made the fake donation so that people would think well of him. “and for a brief time, they did.” he said. He also claimed that he did not gain financially by issueing the dud cheque.

Cronin pleaded guilty of haveing a cheque which he knew to be false, and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.

Paul Gleeson and Tori Holmes have completed their amazing voyage across the Atlantic. Paul, from Corbally, and his Canadian girfriend Tori, arrived in Antigua just after 11am Irish time today, less than an hour short of 85 days since they set sail from the Canary Islands on November 30th last.

Their journey, as part of the Atlantic Rowing Race, was in aid of Concern and the couple hoped to raise €25,000 for the charity. Anybody wishing to donate can do so by text or online, with more info at their website row4concern.com.

Paul and Tori, who had no rowing experience before taking this task on board, have triumphed where experienced rowers have failed. Only last month Irish rowers Ciarán Lewis and Gearóid Towey were rescued after going missing in a storm in Bermuda.

After arriving in Antigua, Paul told RTE news “Coming in this morning just after first light was so surreal. Both our families were there. We were looking forward to this for the best part of two months, it was so unbelievable when it happened. We are just smiling from ear to ear.�