A round-up of other regional news in brief
Two men die in Kilkenny city road collision
Two men in their 20s were killed in a head-on collision with an articulated truck outside Kilkenny city yesterday. The men died at the scene of the collision, which occurred shortly after 5pm about a mile and a half outside Kilkenny on the N76.
A Garda spokesman said they were the only occupants of the car, travelling towards Kilkenny. The driver of the truck was taken to St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, where he received treatment for minor injuries and shock.
Carmody to face fraud retrial
Former Co Clare GP Paschal Carmody is to face a retrial on charges relating to obtaining money by deception from terminally ill cancer patients. These charges relate to €30,854 obtained from three terminally ill patients who received photodynamic therapy (PDT) at Dr Carmody's clinic in Killaloe in 2001-2002.
Last July, following a five-week trial at Ennis Circuit Court, a jury failed to reach a verdict on 11 charges against him.
The jury found Mr Carmody (60), Ballycuggeran, Killaloe, not guilty on six charges of obtaining money by false pretences from cancer patients. The trial judge had previously directed that a not guilty verdict be returned in respect of eight other charges.
Smuggler sentenced
A man from Fermanagh, who was stopped while driving an articulated trailer carrying more than three million cigarettes, has been described as a "vital link" in a "sophisticated and elaborate" smuggling ring by a judge at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court.
However, Judge Michael O'Shea accepted that haulier Alan Davenport (49), Cavanleck, Enniskillen, was one of the smaller links in the operation and was unlikely to reoffend.
Revenue officer Paul Garland told the judge it was "part of an international organised smuggling operation".
Davenport was convicted earlier this year of attempting to evade excise duties, and found guilty of delivering the cigarettes without the appropriate tax stamps.
Judge O'Shea imposed 2½-year sentences on each count and suspended them for three years.
Man's body taken from Ennis river
Gardaí in Co Clare are investigating the discovery of a man's body in the river Fergus in Ennis yesterday.
The body was found just before noon close to the Castlelawn estate and volunteers in kayaks retrieved it. A doctor was called and the man, yet to be identified, was pronounced dead.
Supt John Scanlan of Ennis said gardaí were keeping an open mind on how the man died.