A HEARTBROKEN mother has hit out this week upon learning that her dead son’s identity had been stolen by one of the gang members involved in last week’s cocaine seizure in Co Cork.
Mary O’Leary told the post of her distress that one of the men charged with last week’s seizure, 22 year old Gerard Hagan, was using a passport issued in the name of her dead son Gerard.
“I am raging that someone took the child’s name. I want to know how he got it, where he got it, and what it has been used for since he got it,” Ms O’Leary’s cried out.
Her son Gerard was born on 2 July 1985 in Monaghan General Hospital but died later that same day in hospital in Drogheda. He is buried in Latlurcan cemetery, Monaghan although Mary O’Leary and her family now reside in Armagh.
The sorrow stricken mum only discovered that her son’s name had been used after it was revealed in a newspaper report last week. “We didn’t find out until we read it in the paper. It was an awful shock to find out that he had used the child’s name and date of birth. No one has contacted us about it yet although we tried ringing the guards in Monaghan” she said.
In a bizarre coincidence, the date of her son’s birth, July 2, is the same date that the cocaine was seized in Cork. “The day that the drugs were found was his birthday. It’s very sad. He was born at half nine that morning but died on the same day.”

GAA FANS are putting their money where their allegiance lies for the Ulster Final between Monaghan and Tyrone and his Sunday, July 15.
While the prized tickets are selling fast, a flurry of betting slips are also exchanging hands with Paddy Power bookmakers alone expecting to generate more than E200,000 on the Ulster Final this weekend. And Monaghan’s recent surprise wins over Derry and Down has made Monaghan one of Paddy Power’s favourite counties according to Paddy Power himself!
And Monaghan football Manager Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney has told the Monaghan Post the team can topple Tyrone. “We had not beaten Derry in the championship for 22 years and Down for 20 years. We have not beaten Tyrone for 19 years in the Championship and this is, for now, the ultimate challenge.”
He added that “it’s no surprise” that the Farney men have made it to the Ulster final.
“I said when I took this job that it was my intention to lead this team to an Ulster Final within three years. Since that this team has both progressed well and matured well. For the Monaghan team and me though, Sunday will just be another day at the office.”

Odds On
Paddy Power told the Post that he agrees and said that while odds suggest Tyrone to be red hot favourites – this may work to Monaghan’s advantage. “I don’t think being outsiders will faze them one bit though, while Tyrone may hold back some tactics with the All-Ireland in mind, Monaghan will be going all-out and giving their best performance because to them – this is the All-Ireland!”
Paddy Powers is offering odds on Monaghan winning of 10-3, Tyrone to win at 2-7 and a draw at 8-1.

Read more about the big clash on pages 10, 22, and see the Monaghan Post’s 16 page keepsake pullout and even more in sport!

A MONAGHAN family has been left “devastated, humiliated and hurt” by actions of their local parish when they refused a child’s godmother permission to continue her sponsorship at his confirmation because of her Church of Ireland faith.
When the child was due to be confirmed, the local priest told the godmother, who is also the child’s aunt that she could not stand for the child because she was not herself confirmed as a Roman Catholic.

AN ESTIMATED E6,000 worth of drugs that were bound for the Oxegen Festival at Punchestown, Co Kildare were seized at Castleblayney on Friday 6 and Saturday July 7.
Drugs including cannabis resin, ecstasy tablets, cocaine, and cannabis grass were seized after the Garda Divisional Drugs Unit conducted searches of coaches and cars at a checkpoint at Drumcrew, Castleblayney.
Twenty four men, mostly from the North, were arrested and charged by gardai under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and a number of those were arrested for possession of drugs for sale and supply.
The crackdown drugs operation was undertaken by the Garda Divisional Drugs Unit, and was reinforced by gardai. Garda Superintendent Heller from Carrickmacross, who was in charge of the operation, said it was part of “ongoing operations targeting persons involved in drug activity.”
Following on from the operation, a man with a Belfast address appeared at Carrickmacross District Court this week for the possession, sale and supply of 100 ecstasy tablets and a quantity of cannabis resin.
Christopher McCusker had been remanded in custody to Monday’s Carrick sitting from a special sitting of Ardee District Court on Saturday evening after the defendant was arrested in Castleblayney.
On Monday, McCusker was remanded on continuing bail of E3,600 a third of which had to be lodged to appear at the September 17 sitting. The defendant was represented in court by Mr Martin Crilly, Solicitor, Carrickmacross who told Judge Brennan that his client’s father was also present in court.

Monaghan County Council have revealed this week that it has appointed consultants to prepare a preliminary report for the towns of Ballybay, Clones and Castleblaney as part of a bundled sewerage scheme. Meanwhile contractors are currently carrying out a detailed CCTV survey as well as flow and rainfall surveys of the waste water networks in each of the towns. It is expected that a report will be submitted to the Department of Environment in October this year.

IN A 250.000 to 1 shot ,triplet calves have been born in a Newbliss Farm. The vet to delivered the baby cows had never seen the phenomenon before in his 40-year career.
Joyce and Willie Wilkin have had a busy few days recently with the arrival of the Belgian Blue triplets.
This is a highly unusual birth since most detected triplets are terminated to save the mother cow. But this special trio have been treated like babies since their premature arrival – just without the nappies according to Joyce who bottle - fed the calves every four hours for their first week in the world.
The calves named Aidan, Sue and Elle are not the only multiples on the Newbliss farm as the Wilkins also have a further four sets of Belgian Blue twins!

A north Monaghan family were sickened and saddened to find that their family gravestone was destroyed by vandals last weekend.

THE RUINED and smashed headstone in the graveyard of St Patrick’s Church, Corracrin, was discovered smashed into pieces by family members as they attended mass on Sunday past, July 8.
Even more more devastating for the family was the fact that the incident occurred in the lead up to an anniversary mass of a late family member which is due to take place this weekend.
Speaking to the Monaghan Post this week, one family member, who wishes to remain un-named, said that the act bore “the hallmark of a very disturbed and sick individual. “We offer our prayers and forgiveness to the individual who carried out this sick and evil act.” However, he added. “But we would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank the community for their kindness and support at this time.”
Gardai are investigating the incident and are appealing to the public for information.

BARRY McNally of Castleblayney Road, Keady, Co Armagh has been fined €500 and ordered to pay €432 in costs plus expenses of €550 at Blayney Court this week.

It was alleged that the defendant failed to comply with a notice from Monaghan County Council which ordered him to desist from parking lorries at Lisceenan, Oram. Defence solicitor, Mr Seamus Mallon, said that his client had in fact stopped parking lorries on the site as requested by the council.

The solicitor added that his client currently proceeding with plans to build a new dwelling house on the site.

THE GARDAI in Castleblayney have issued a warning to people that bogus letters are circulating in the area falsely telling that people have won money in a European lottery.

The fraudsters are asking the recipients of these letters to furnish their bank account numbers in order to claim their prize.

The Gardai are warning people not to give such details as this is a well-organised con trick and could give these fraudsters access to money in their account. Other people in the area have in the past received e mails to that effect and the same advice pertains.

By Denise McMeel
denise@monaghanpost.com

CAPTAIN of Monaghan United Ladies Team, Pamela Treanor thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘hot’ – but the footie shirt she’d most like to get off is one of our very own – the top of Monaghan GAA corner forward, Tommy Freeman!

The 23-year-old lady told the Monaghan Post that she would swap jerseys with the whole Monaghan GAA Senior team but if she had to choose one, she’d be trading tops with Magheracloone born Freeman.

“An influential player to all footballers, young and old. I’d be privileged to have his jersey.” she said.

The Mons Ladies Captain also remembers a time when she played football with the boys and told us how she learned a ‘thing or two’ from that! To find out what exactly Pamela learned…turn to page 22 now to read the full interview.

By Joe McCabe
joe@monaghanpost.com

“HOW DARE you two scumbags invade the private space of a 60-year-old man. The public must be protected from the likes of you,” declared Monaghan’s tough on crime Judge Sean McBride at Monaghan District Court this week.

The no nonsense judge jailed two men with Dublin addresses for trespassing after the court heard how Mr Tony Mallen was in the sitting room of his Latlorcan home, in Monaghan on June 27 when he saw a man in a hooped shirt approach the back window.

The defendant then ran away along with an other man onto the roadway as Mr Mallen alerted gardai. A hooped shirt was subsequently found discarded by gardai which bore the name of Thomas Hanrahan, a single 24-year-old of St Mealruan’s Halting site, Tallaght whom, Judge McBride heard, was on temporary release from jail and has 38 previous convictions.

Inspector Pat McMurrow said that Hanrahan and a second defendant, Ned McDonagh, 18, single, of 8 Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin ran into a wedding in the Hillgrove Hotel nearby and mingled with the wedding party despite not being invited to the function.

The court heard that when the pair were arrested by gardai McDonagh, who had no previous convictions but is known to gardai, refused to be fingerprinted and gave a false name.

Hanrahan was sentenced to five months imprisonment while McDonagh was given four months detention in St Patrick’s Institution in County Cavan along with another four months concurrent detention for giving a false name.

Judge McBride who declared: “I have been the victim of a burglary myself. There is only one answer for thugs that do this type of thing and that is to put them behind bars.” Recognisances were set for an appeal.

“IT IS so sad that a man reaches this hour of his life only to be taken in this way” Emyvale priest Fr Cathal Deery said in his heartfelt homily to much loved Monaghan pensioner and father of six, Matt Skinnader.

In a devastating tragedy the popular 87-year-old was struck by a lorry on Main St, Emyvale on Friday past and died later that evening in the Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

The late Mr Skinnader was one of 13 people who lost their lives in the past seven days - marking one of the blackest weeks on Irish roads.

“He lived for his family and was a religious man,” Fr Deery told the huge congregation who packed the Holy Family Church in Ballyoisin to bid farewell to Matt at his funeral Mass on Monday morning.

The priest also remarked how Matt had only got a passport a few years ago and had since travelled on a number of holidays around Europe. In fact Matt had another trip planned before he was so tragically killed on Friday.

The death of Matt, who will fondly be remembered as “a gentleman”, has left the whole community in shock as he so well known and liked.

Matt worked for many years for Monaghan County Council and his popularity was evident by the many staff, past and present, who attended the funeral.

He was laid to rest in the Holy Family Church Cemetery.

LOCAL Gardai are presently conducting an inquiry into two stabbing incidents which took place in Castleblayney over last weekend.

It is believed that a number of foreign nationals were involved. One of the incidents took place in the Bree area of the town on Saturday morning while the other took place in the Muckno Street area. A special court sitting was held in Ardee on Saturday June 30 in relation to the first stabbing and a second court was held in Monaghan on Sunday 1 July regarding the second stabbing.

The scenes were sealed off by the Gardai while forensic examinations were taking place. The Gardai are presently conducting their inquiries and anyone with information is asked to come forward.