A roundup of today's other regional news:
Remedial work on Ennis bypass bridge needed
The company which constructed the €200 million 21km Ennis bypass has been forced to undertake remedial works at a bridge on a section of the project which crosses the river Fergus after discovering that the area in the vicinity of the bridge is unstable.
During the design phase of the project, it had been envisaged that some movement of the abutment on the bridge on the N85 Western Relief Road would take place after construction was completed and this was catered for in the design and the construction.
Since opening the dual-carriageway link road however, the movement which has taken place has been greater than that envisaged by the contractor and his designer.
Gama Strabag Construction Ltd has now informed Clare County Council that it needs to carry out essential repairs to the western abutment of one of the bridges to cater for this movement.
Man jailed for sexual abuse
A Wexford man has been jailed for sexually abusing a special-needs 14-year-old Wexford girl. Thomas Farrell (63), St Aidan's Crescent, Wexford, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual abuse at Wexford Circuit Court.
The assaults all occurred between January 1st, 2004, and June 30th, 2004, and took place in a number of different locations around the town.
The investigation into the offences began in June 2004 following a report sent to the Garda from the Wexford branch of the ISPCC.
The teenager, who attends a special-needs school in Wexford, confided in a member of the ISPCC that someone had sexually assaulted her.
John Peart SC, defending, told the court that Farrell was a family man who had recently been in bad health. Farrell had recently been diagnosed with a virulent strain of cancer and had had to have his left arm amputated.
In sentencing him, Judge Alice Doyle said: "This man is a sexual predator.
"The girl is still suffering and is still frightened by the accused."
Judge Doyle took into account the remorse shown by Farrell and his early plea of guilty when considering his sentence. She sentenced him to 2½ years in prison on each of the four counts of sexual assault, with the sentences to run concurrently.