“James Shanahan’s selfie with the Clounleharde neighbours”.

Glórach Cinema

Our Sunday matinees for children continue with our screening of The BFG (2016) coming up on Sunday, July 23rd at 2.30 at the Glórach Theatre, Abbeyfeale.  Don’t miss the chance to experience this magical Roald Dahl story on the big screen, for booking or enquiries please ring 0871383940.  All most welcome but children must be accompanied by an adult.

Coffee Morning

A fundraising Coffee Morning will take place in the Marian Hall, Moyvane on Saturday next July 22nd from 10am to 3pm for Maireád McDermott. All proceeds raised are going to provide life-saving cancer treatment abroad for Maireád. The event is being hosted by Margaret Mulvihill, Patricia Mulvihill Quinn and Moyvane ICA. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Trip to Knock

Bus going to Knock on Thursday, July 27th (Mullane’s Coach). Fare: Adults €20, children €5. Names and fare can be handed in to Rose’s Shop. Book now to secure your place.

West Limerick 102fm.

50/50 Draw Tickets now on sale

The raffle takes place weekly live on air in West Limerick 102fm. Studios ‘The more that’s in the more you win’. Tickets only €2 each on sale now  in local shops and West Limerick 102fm offices, Pat O’Donovan offices North Quay, Newcastle West, Ann Lyons, Abbeyfeale, Beauty Bliss, Rathkeale. Call us on  069-66200

Change Wanted

The shops are looking for 5 cent coins. If you have any the Credit Union will take them and give you the value of whatever you hand in.

Punishment to Fit the Crime 

Domhnall de  Bara

Once again, drink driving is to the fore with Shane Ross’s bill to change the punishment for those who are detected with between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol in their system. As the law stands, transgressors who fall into this category are fined heavily and have three penalty points added to their driving licence.  Shane Ross’s bill proposes to scrap this and  have zero tolerance for anyone caught over 50mg. This means automatic disqualification and everything that follows on from that. According to the supporters of this change, it will save lives and many statistics are trotted out to support this claim. Over 700 accidents last year were attributed to drivers with between 50mg and 80mg in their system. It is immediately assumed that this level of alcohol was the cause of the accidents. It is difficult to say for definite. On Saturday last I was a front seat passenger in a vehicle just leaving Killarney on the way to a golf match in Kenmare. The driver is a very experienced man who was a commercial traveller in his day and travelled the roads of Ireland. He had no  alcohol of any kind in his system. As we were driving along in a line of traffic he was distracted by a very pretty, scantily dressed female on the pavement. The vehicle in front of us suddenly braked and if I hadn’t shouted at him to brake we would have ploughed into the car in front with God knows what consequences. Fortunately he braked on time and we avoided a collision by a couple of inches. If I had not been with him there would have been a nasty accident. Now, suppose for a minute this did happen and the guards were called to the scene and let us suppose further that my friend was just over the legal limit. Drink would have been blamed for the accident even though it would have had nothing at all to do with it. Like one American said “there are lies, damned lies and statistics”. Statistics can be very misleading. More accidents are caused by people who do not drink alcohol than those who do. Does that mean it is safer to have a few before driving? Of course not. Likewise one might say that a high  percentage of accidents involve those who smoke. It does not follow that smoking is the cause. I am not trying to make an excuse for drink driving. Anyone caught should be punished, especially someone who deliberately drives when they know they are well over the limit but bringing the ultimate sanction down on somebody juist over the limit seems to me to be very unfair. How can it be that someone with 50mg in the system is deemed a safe driver and somebody with 51mg is such a danger that he/she must be taken off the road. Remember it is not so long ago that it was deemed perfectly safe to drive after three pints or the equivalent .  Before that there was no limit as such. You could drink as much as you liked and if you were stopped by the Gardaí you were asked to walk a straight line to prove you were not intoxicated. To be fair those were different days with very little traffic about and cars that were not capable of the speeds that the modern ones are. Drink driving should never be condoned and down through the years the Gardaí did a good job of getting offenders off the road. Local guards had the knowledge and would know those who were a danger to themselves and  other road users. They caught them and they were taken out of the system There are still those who “take a chance” and have a few drinks before driving home. Personally I don’t think that someone with two pints is a danger on the road but it depends very much on the individual and the tolerance for alcohol. In some cases even one pint will impair that person’s judgement while others are capable of consuming much more without any visible effects. So we can’t have different laws for each individual so it is what it is. Let those who are over the limit be dealt with. What I am arguing for is to keep the system as it is at the moment. Most people who are just over the limit don’t  think they are incapable of driving and probably don’t even realise they are until breathalysed. I think it is enough for them to be fined and have the penalty points added. I would, however make a change. If somebody is caught between 50mg and 80mg for a second time, the fine should be doubled and if they are then foolish enough to be caught for a third time, their licence should be taken away. Common sense should prevail or else we could go down the route of some Middle Eastern and African countries where punishments like cutting off the hands of thieves is the norm. The death penalty was thought to be the ultimate deterrent but how many innocent people were deprived of their lives. If the death penalty had not been revoked, the Birmingham six and the Guildford four would all be dead. Let the punishment fit the crime.