A round-up of today's Irish news stories in brief
Death of former IT photographer Eddie Kelly
Former Irish Times photographer William (Eddie) Kelly has died at the age of 81. Mr Kelly died on Wednesday last at the Marlay nursing home.
He worked as a photographer at The Irish Times for more than 40 years. He began his career at the paper when he was 18 years old and he retired when he was 62.
During his time at the newspaper, Mr Kelly was recognised a number of times in the Carroll Professional Photographers of Ireland awards. Many of his winning photographs were in the features category.
He grew up on Harrington Road, Dublin, and later moved to Orchardstown Drive, Templeogue.
He is survived by his wife Ann, his children Diarmuid, Catherine and Ciara, and his grandchildren Chloe, Brianna, Sophie and Lauren.
He will be waked at his home this afternoon. His funeral will take place at the Holy Spirit Church, Ballyroan, tomorrow at 9.45am and afterwards at the Mount Jerome crematorium.
Four sent for trial for baseball attack
Four youths have been served with books of evidence at the Dublin Children’s Court and have been sent forward for trial in connection with a baseball attack on a man.
The defendants, whose ages range from 16 to 18, are accused of assault causing harm to a now 20-year-old man in north Co Dublin in August 2008. They are also charged with using baseball bats as weapons.
At the Dublin Children’s Court yesterday the four, who are on bail, were served with books of evidence.
Judge Bryan Smyth ordered that their case was to be sent forward for trial at the next term of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has wider sentencing powers. Garda Laura King of Balbriggan station had told Judge Smyth that the complainant had to be taken to hospital and had received stitching to the back of his head.
He had made a statement stating that when he was on his way home “six fellas with baseball bats targeted him, threw him to the ground and started beating him with the bats”.
Man guilty of PSNI inspector assault
A man has been convicted in the Magistrate’s Court in Derry of assaulting a PSNI inspector.
Gary Donnelly (39), Rinmore Drive, Creggan, was also convicted yesterday of obstructing another police officer and was additionally found guilty of a further charge of disorderly behaviour.
He was fined £450 following his three convictions, which he is to appeal.
In a reserved judgment following a four-day trial, Judge Barney McElholm said there was insufficient evidence to convict Donnelly of two related charges of resisting arrest and he dismissed those charges.
The five charges related to an incident at Foyle Street, close to the city centre in Derry, on November 16th, 2007, when Donnelly was in a row with police officers who asked to search him.
Two killed and one injured in crash
Two men have died and a third man is critically ill in hospital following a road traffic crash outside Omagh, in Co Tyrone, writes Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor.
The crash took place on the Killyclogher Road at about 3pm yesterday when a car and a tractor crashed, according to the PSNI. The road was closed last night as police examined the scene.
Mid-Tyrone Sinn Féin councillor Ann Marie Fitzgerald, after visiting the scene, expressed sympathy with the families of victims. “This was a horrific accident which has claimed two young lives,” she said. “I understand that two lads died at the scene while a third has been taken to hospital. At present, the identities of the deceased have not been released but local reports suggest that they are from the Killyclogher area,” added Ms Fitzgerald.