More regional news in brief.
Man was in river to evade gardaí
A man who swam fully clothed in a swollen river in Co Mayo on Sunday to escape pursuing gardaí was finally arrested and taken into custody yesterday.
The suspect (22), a native of Poland, had spent Sunday night in the open after evading gardaí, who had mounted a roadblock outside the town of Claremorris.
The man, who had been staying in Ennis, Co Clare, was wanted for a number of burglaries in Sligo-Mayo.
He had turned his car away from the checkpoint and later abandoned it at Garryduff, Claremorris, before getting into the river fully clothed.
A firearm was later discovered in the abandoned vehicle.
The man, who was now wearing a yellow reflective jacket and a cap, was yesterday spotted walking outside Claremorris and a team of gardaí moved to apprehend him. He was arrested under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and brought to Castlebar Garda station for questioning.
He was still in custody last night.
Bail for man on explosives charges
A Galway man charged with the possession of nearly 18kg of industrial explosives last September, has been remanded on continuing bail following his appearance at Galway District Court yesterday.
Oliver Mannion (30), an unemployed single man who lives with his parents at Rinville West, Oranmore, Co Galway, was initially held in custody following the explosives find but later secured bail in the High Court.
He is charged with having an explosive substance, containing ammonium nitrate, at Rinville West, Oranmore, on September 6th last.
Defence solicitor Gearóid Geraghty told Judge Mary Fahy he was consenting to a two-month adjournment as a book of evidence had not yet been prepared against his client.
He said Mr Mannion had secured bail in the High Court with terms and conditions attached and he was adhering to those conditions.
Judge Fahy remanded Mr Mannion on continuing bail, as set by the High Court, to appear again on December 22nd.
Kerry councillors object to cemetery laws
Proposed new laws for cemeteries in Co Kerry are "too intrusive" and "over- prescriptive" and seek to regulate people who are dead, according to councillors.
The laws have been drafted to curb the trend for "monstrosities" of monuments overshadowing nearby graves and will restrict height of monuments to 1.5 metres, a meeting of the county council in Tralee heard yesterday.
The new provisions are also aimed at ease of maintenance and will see all new graveyards in Kerry moving towards lawn cemeteries. Alcohol and drug intake are banned "during the hours of darkness" as well as entry to cemeteries outside set hours.
However, the detailed laws bring a number of changes to which councillors object. People will now be buried 8ft deep, not 6ft, to accommodate the maximum number in each grave.