A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Cork man pleads guilty to manslaughter of Polish national
A man has been remanded in custody after he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a Polish national in Cork city earlier this year. Connie Horgan (28), who at the time of his arrest was a resident of St Vincent’s Hostel, Anglesea Street, Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to the unlawful killing of Ariel Cegielka (30), on Lower Oliver Plunkett Street in the city on April 17th last.
Judge Con Murphy remanded Mr Horgan in custody until his next court appearance on February 11th.
Gardaí appeal for witnesses to fire
Gardaí in Co Clare have appealed for witnesses to a fire in a house in Ennis during which the occupants of a neighbouring home had to be evacuated.
Gardaí are treating the fire as suspicious. The alarm was raised at about 7.10pm on Sunday when a fire was reported at the unoccupied house at Waterpark View.
It is believed two people were seen running from the house at about the time the fire was noticed.
Men on trial over shooting incident
The trial of two men charged in connection with the shooting of a man in Galway city last year got under way at Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
John Paul Sweeney (26), Fearann Rí, Doughiska, Galway, and Tommy McDonagh (27), Castlepark, Galway, deny possession of a shotgun and cartridges with intent to endanger the life of Tom Mongan. Mr Sweeney denies assault. Mr McDonagh denies discharging a shotgun.
Call for reduced rates and rents
Business and social representatives in Waterford city have lodged separate appeals with the city manager and Waterford City Council to reduce commercial rates for businesses and rent payments from tenants of local authority housing.
Waterford Chamber of Commerce has met the local authority and city manager Michael Walsh in recent weeks to express the concerns of the business community about commercial rates in the forthcoming budget. Chamber president Tom Murran said yesterday: “The chamber is calling for serious consideration to be given to reductions in commercial rates for 2011. This is crucial in the context of the substantial pressure on businesses to control costs . . . a reduction in rates would support the competitiveness of local enterprises and ultimately protect local jobs.”