A ‘Good Samaritan’ priest gave a burglar a lift into Ennis, only minutes after he discovered him hiding in his wardrobe.
Fr Paddy Conway entered the Christmas spirit early by giving the lift to 30 year old Michael Clune of Bridgeview, Roslevan, Ennis after he had given back the €20 he had stolen in the burglary.
Mr. Clune pleaded guilty to burglary.
Fr. Paddy Conway is 73, and lives by himself.
On December 7th, he returned to his home in Cloughleigh to find a concrete block put through the window and glass all over the floor.
The assistant priest in Ennis then found Mr Clune hiding in his wardrobe and discovered that €20 was missing.
At first, 30-year-old Clune denied that he had taken the money, and he asked Fr. Conway for a lift into town.
Fr. Conway agreed to drive him to Ennis, but not until the money was returned.
He said that he left Mr Clune "on reasonably good terms" at Ennis’s Cathedral and later, on advice received, he reported the incident at the local Garda station resulting in the matter coming before court.
Michael Clune of Bridgeview, Roslevan has 69 previous convictions and his solicitor Tara Godfrey told the court he is damaged from substance and alcohol abuse and had recently started smoking heroin.
He pleaded guilty to burglary, and Judge Patrick Durcan handed down an eight month suspended jail term consecutive to the eight months in jail that Clune is currently serving.
