A mother who was found guilty of 29 counts of child cruelty and neglect will spend four years in prison.
The woman (39), who cannot be named in order to protect the identities of the children involved, received a four-and-a-half-year sentence with the final six months suspended at Galway Circuit Court yesterday.
The woman's ex-partner (48), who is the father of two of her nine children, admitted to five charges of neglect against his own children and their half-siblings but escaped prison, receiving a two-and-a-half-year sentence, suspended while he undergoes treatment for alcohol abuse.
Four of the eldest siblings were in court yesterday to see their mother sentenced.
Handing down the sentence, Judge Karen O'Connor said the abuse suffered by the children, who were assaulted, starved and neglected, had left them "frightened, anxious and helpless", something that had had a "profound effect".
Any member of the public who has a concern about a child can contact the local social work duty service in the area where the child lives. If a child is in danger outside office hours you can contact the Gardai. 
