Castletown Girls National School receive 1916 commemorative flag and Proclamation

Students from Castletown Girls National School were yesterday presented with their 1916 commemorative flag and Irish Proclamation at a ceremony in the school.

Thousands of schools around the country will be visited by members of the Defence Forces in the coming weeks with all 3,200 primary schools to prepare for a display of the Tricolour by students on Proclamation Day, March 15^th 2016.

The presentation in Castletown Girls National School by army officers included a history of the national flag and the correct protocol for its use.

Possible assault charges for Pat’s player following Cardinal O’Donnell Cup semi-final

A prominent member of county champions St Patrick’s could be facing assault charges on the back of an incident in Friday night’s Cardinal O’Donnell Cup semi-final with the Sean O’Mahony’s.

The game, which ended in a 1-14 to 2-11 draw after extra time, saw O’Mahony’s player Stephen Fisher leave the field with a suspected broken jaw following an alleged headbutt.

Fisher, a member of the Defence Forces, is understood to be considering going to Gardaí over the incident at Pairc Eamon.

Having gone head to head in the County Final the previous week, the sides will now have to meet again to determine who meets Mattock Rangers in the final.

The Collon side beat the Dreadnots by 0-14 to 0-12 in Clogherhead to book their place in the league final.

The incident in the Pat’s/O’Mahony’s game comes just a few months after former Louth star Darren Clarke was hospitalised after taking a blow to the head while playing for his club side, St Mary’s.

Gardaí call time on search for Ciara Breen at Balmer’s Bog

Gardaí began their search of the bog last month

Gardaí have concluded their search for Ciara Breen at Balmer’s Bog in Dundalk.

The search at a specific part of the 16 acre site, located off the Ardee Road, entered a fourth week earlier this week.

Gardaí began searching the site last month following a recent tip-off, with the Defence Forces last week uncovering bomb components that are believed to be from a former IRA hide in the 1980s.

Other items recovered during the search have been sent for forensic tests.

Work is ongoing this morning to make the site safe with the site set to be fully vacated by the weekend.

Despite failing to find Ciara’s remains, Gardaí have not ruled out returning to the site again in the future.

The then 17-year-old hasn’t been seen since leaving her home in the Bachelor’s Walk area of Dundalk on February 13^th 1997.

Controlled explosion carried out on bomb components found at Ciara Breen search site

The army bomb disposal team pictured at Balmer’s Bog yesterday afternoon

The army bomb disposal team have confirmed that bomb component parts were found at the site of the ongoing search for missing Dundalk teenager Ciara Breen.

The Defence Forces were called to the site at Balmer’s Bog yesterday, where Gardaí and army personnel have been searching for Ciara’s remains for the past three weeks, after a suspicious device was discovered. They were determined to be bomb component parts but were made safe by controlled explosion shortly after 6pm.

The items found were understood to have been there for some time.

Then 17, Ciara hasn’t been seen since leaving her home in the Bachelor’s Walk area of Dundalk on February 13th 1997.

Bomb squad called after suspect device is found in search for Ciara Breen

The army bomb disposal team pictured at Balmer’s Bog this afternoon

The army bomb disposal team have arrived at Balmer’s Bog in Dundalk – the site currently being searched for the remains of missing Dundalk woman Ciara Breen.

While army personnel from Aiken Barracks were called in to assist with the search yesterday, the bomb disposal team were called upon after a suspect device was found during the search today.

The bomb squad were called after a “substance of concern” was found but this has now been dealt with.

Up to 61 members of the Defence Forces had already been helping out from this morning as the search is into its third week.

Ciara, then 17, hasn’t been seen since leaving her home in the Bachelor’s Walk area of Dundalk in February 1997.

Army personnel drafted in to assist with search for Ciara Breen

Army personnel from Aiken Barracks as well as other members of the Defence Forces have been drafted in to assist in the ongoing search for missing Dundalk woman Ciara Breen.

The then 17-year-old hasn’t been seen since leaving her home in the Bachelor’s Walk area on February 13^th 1997.

Last month Gardaí began to search the Balmer’s Bog area off the Ardee Road for her remains having received a tip off and that search is now in its third weeks.

Yesterday a platoon of 34 soldiers joined the search with 61 members of the Defence Forces assisting from today.

Court rejects soldier’s appeal against Defence Forces discharge

A locally-based solider who claimed he was suffering from the side effects of an anti-malarial drug when he sexually assaulted a female colleague has failed in an application to have a stay put on his discharge from the Defence Forces pending an appeal.

Last June Pte Barry Kingham (34), with an address at Waterville Crescent in Dundalk, was convicted of sexually assaulting a female colleague at Gormanston Camp in May 2010. He was also convicted of two counts of behaviour prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Court Martial judge Col Michael Campion discharged Kingham from the Defence Forces, sentenced him to seven days in custody and fined him €400.

Counsel for the applicant, Gerard Humphreys, yesterday told the Court of Criminal Appeal he was making an application for an order putting a stay on the discharge of Kingham from the permanent Defence Forces.

Mr Humphreys said his client had no recollection of the incident and had been on the anti-malarial drug Lariam while stationed overseas.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman said the appeal court would not grant the relief sought.

Local soldier discharged and jailed over sexual assault

A local soldier who claimed he was suffering from the side effects of the anti-malaria drug Lariam when he sexually assaulted a female colleague, has been discharged from the Defence Forces, sentenced to seven days in prison and fined €400.

Army court martial judge Col Michael Campion also imposed “a very severe reprimand” and lifted reporting restrictions allowing the perpetrator to be named as private Barry Kingham of Dundalk.

Pte Kingham was convicted last month on one count of sexual assault on a female colleague, and two counts of behaviour prejudicial to good order and discipline.

The offences took place when Pte Kingham was on 24-hour duty with his victim and their supervising corporal at Gormanston Camp, Co Meath, in May 2010.

Discharging Pte Kingham from the Defence Forces in respect of the sexual assault, Col Campion told Pte Kingham it was necessary to “lay down a marker that behaviour like yours cannot be tolerated”.

Col Campion said military personnel needed to trust and depend on one another and the assault represented “a very serious breach of military discipline”.

He said the first count of a breach of good order and discipline, that the accused had “entered the bedspace” of his victim, was “a serious breach of discipline” and he imposed a custodial sentence of seven days detention and a fine of €300.

Col Campion said the second count of a breach of good order and discipline, that Pte Kingham had stripped down to his boxers while on duty, was the least serious charge but still a serious breach of military discipline.

Colleagues were depending on Pte Kingham to maintain a state of readiness to go on active duty, said Col Campion, and he imposed a “very serious reprimand” and a fine of €100.

The colonel also said he did not accept the defence argument that Pte Kingham’s use of the anti-malaria drug Lariam on overseas trips, particularly to Chad in 2009, was a mitigating factor.

Col Campion said a claim by Pte Kingham that the first he knew of the assault was when he found himself standing in his boxer shorts in a room as the light was switched on, with his victim shouting at him, was “self serving”, it was “not credible” and “did no service to you”.

Pte Kingham had shown “no indication of genuine insight or remorse” and, notwithstanding an immediate apology to his victim, had continued to maintain he did not know what had happened, “suggesting he has not engaged with the reality of his conduct on the night”, Col Campion said.

Defence counsel Gareth Humphreys said he would take instructions on the subject of an appeal.

During eight days of evidence Pte Kingham maintained that he had suffered depression and nightmares after returning from Chad in 2009 where he had been prescribed the anti-malaria drug Lariam.

Expert evidence was given by Dr Ashley Croft, a former adviser to the British military in tropical medicine and infectious diseases, that Lariam has been linked to symptoms of sleep loss, nightmares, forgetfulness and psychotic behaviour.

However another British military adviser, Dr Ronald H Behrens, introduced by prosecuting counsel Comdt Fintan McCarthy, said Lariam had no long-term effects and would not have been a contributory factor in the alleged assault.

Source: The Irish Times