The burglary happened earlier this month.
A priest in Ennis who found a burglar hiding in his wardrobe gave the burglar a lift into Ennis town centre after he had returned €20 he had stolen from him.
According to the Irish Times, Fr. Paddy Conway (73), who lives alone in Cloughleigh in Ennis, returned to his home to find a concrete block put through the window and glass all over the floor.
He then discovered 30-year old Michael Clune hiding in his wardrobe and gave him a lift into Ennis town centre after Mr. Clune returned €20 he had stolen from the house.
Mr. Clune – who has 69 previous convictions – pleaded guilty to the burglary at Ennis District Court and was handed an eight-month suspended jail sentence consecutive to the eight months in jail he is currently serving.
Father Conway, who has known Mr. Clune for years, told the court that he had received a Christmas card from him only days before the burglary – which was delivered to the Presbytery in Ennis – and added that Mr. Clune was not aware that he was living in the house.
“Michael told me that he thought that the house was empty and didn’t know I lived there,” Father Conway told the court, adding that he had known Mr. Clune “since he was a young lad and I was disappointed that he would do something like this”.
Describing his encounter with Mr. Clune, Father Conway added: “I said more or less to Michael, ‘I know your family and I know you since you’re a young lad and why would you do that to me?’ He asked me ‘will you drive me down town?’ and I said ‘I will but first you will have to give me my €20 back’”.
The court heard that Clune asked Father Conway to buy him methadone on the way back into town, a request that Father Conway refused.
Father Conway then brought him to another local priest that Clune was friendly with. When he wasn’t there, he left Clune on “reasonably good terms” at Ennis Cathedral and, on advice received, reported the incident to the local Garda Station.
Tara Godfrey, solicitor for Mr. Clune, said that her client was damaged from substance and alcohol abuse and had recently started smoking heroin, while Inspector Tom Kennedy added that Mr Clune “has our hearts broken in the Gardaí”.
Judge Patrick Durcan, having imposed the sentence, said that “it is up to Mr Clune if he wants to go back to prison or not” and addressing him directly, he added: “I hope things work out well for you in prison.”
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