Sergeant tackles slippery case

The rural Kerry garda may come across some strange scenarios in a day's work, but the tale of Sgt Jim Casey of Farranfore was stranger than most.

Breda Joy, witty as ever in the Kerryman, wrote of the apprehension and arrest of a small grey seal pup which was found "boldly advancing up the main road from Kerry Airport towards the landlocked village of Farranfore. "The maritime visitor - which Kerry Airport has no record of on its passenger lists - was first noticed at 8.45 p.m. by an incredulous truck driver when the lorry's light beams picked the sleek wayfarer out on the dark roadway. The driver raised the alarm and soon Sgt Casey and a number of locals were on the trail, or should we say tail, of the lonesome seal," she said.

The seal was apprehended and since no interpreter was present, it was not possible to establish with any certainty whether he was calling for his mother or his "sealicitor", said Ms Foy. The pup was put into a "holding cell" until the arrival of the Wildlife Service rangers. "Maybe he was there since the Kerry team came home - I don't know," quipped Sgt Casey, who was following a definite line of inquiry to the river Maine. The Nationalist and Leinster Times told of the miraculous escape of a 19-year-old man who was driving a lorry when he dropped 100ft into a quarry. Mr John McMahon was depositing gravel into the quarry at 7.30 a.m. when he reversed too far and crashed into the pit below, partly immersing the vehicle.

Suffering shock and severe bruising, Mr McMahon pushed his way out of the lorry cab and made his way to the side of the quarry, where he collapsed unconscious and was discovered at 8 a.m. by a fellow employee.

Aspirant girl bands in full colour made the front pages of two newspapers. The Drogheda In- dependent featured a band called Just 3 who have gone out on their own after a two-year stint as a Spice Girls tribute band. The Corkman boasted a colour picture of the Bad Girls, who make Scary Spice look docile. Sporting pouting painted lips and a bad attitude, the Bad Girls were posed provocatively in sexy clothes. All four are aged under 12.

It's getting so you can hardly break ground for new building without digging up something of archaeological value. The Limer- ick Leader reported on the controversy surrounding the granting of planning permission by Limerick County Council for a private bungalow in an area of "international archaeological significance" on Lough Gur.

Duchas, the Heritage Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, which is appealing to An Bord Pleanala, claims the site lies on a section of an ancient ritual roadway, known as Cladh na Leac, and that development would probably destroy archaeological features.

Duchas also featured on the front page of the Kerryman over the discovery of an ancient site which may halt construction of the new £15 million Tralee RTC campus. The site may be put under a preservation order following the discovery of two ring forts and at least two Bronze Age smelters.

The construction was to have provided more than 100 jobs and 1,500 additional student places.

The Waterford News and Star reported on the acting success of a Tramore man, Brian Walsh (38), who landed a part in the muchhyped film, Titanic. Mr Walsh gave up a pensionable job in the Civil Service nine years ago to go to the States and in 1995, was spotted by the makers of Titanic in an Irish pub in Los Angeles playing with his band Gaelic Storm.

Mr Walsh charmed his way into the part of "Irishman" and consultant in the $200 million epic, said the newspaper. In a classic case of typecasting, Mr Walsh and his traditional Irish band play a traditional Irish band entertaining steerage passengers. The Waterford News and Star highlighted the appalling conditions suffered by travelling families in the county, publishing nearly a full page of pictures. Its front page said: "You wouldn't expect a dog to live in those conditions," quoting a member of the recently formed Forum on Housing. Said the Star: "A number of travelling families are living in a rat-infested hovel, with no proper toilet facilities, in sub-zero temperatures on what is supposed to be a fully-serviced local authority halting site."

The Kildare Nationalist reported a crackdown on "takeaway crime", saying "violence and crime associated with latenight gangs gathered around fast food premises could disappear with a major new move to ensure early closure of take-aways". GardaI have welcomed a new initiative by Kildare local authorities to pass by-laws ensuring that fast-food premises close by 2 a.m., instead of 4 a.m.