The other regional news stories of the day in brief...
Call for safety barriers on Skellig Michael
There was nothing between his wife and the sea, the husband of Christine Spooner (57), an American woman who died on Skellig Michael on September 20th, 2009, has said. Richard Spooner was reiterating his call for safety barriers on the seaward side of the steep steps near the bottom of the trail to the monastic site.
Mr Spooner, a lawyer, who was with his wife when she tripped and fell last year, said on Radio Kerry yesterday that she fell on a broken step and there was “absolutely nothing” between her and the sea to grasp when she fell 30ft on to a ledge.
He has written to the safety consultants who carried out a review, which has been accepted by the OPW, to say they incorrectly identified the location from which his wife fell. He is also calling for the withdrawal and rewriting of the report.
“She did not fall from a ledge. Instead, we were climbing stairs and she tripped and fell from stairs,” he has told the consultants.
Limerick in running for 2011 city of sport
Limerick city is in the running to become a European City of Sport for 2011. A delegation from the European Capitals of Sports Association, based in Milan, Italy, arrived in the midwest yesterday and will be shown around the Limerick’s sports facilities by Shannon Development.
The association is a not-for- profit organisation which promotes the European City of Sport each year. The delegation will view a range of top sports venues.
Father jailed for rape of daughter
A Cork father (51) who raped and abused his daughter over the last decade, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.
The man threatened his daughter that if she pursued her allegations, her family would lose his Army pension and her mother would not be able to pay the mortgage. The man, who cannot be named, started abusing her when she was 11 and began raping her at 15. Mr Justice Paul Carney, calling it a distressing case, suspended three years of the sentence.