This article is from page 11 of the 2009-11-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
A MAN has been convicted of pub- lic order in what a court heard was a volatile and hot-tempered atmos- phere during the Matchmaking Fes- tival in Lisdoonvarna.
Fergal Neylon, of Laghtagoona, Corofin, was convicted of engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour on September 27, 2008.
Evidence in the case was heard last month and Judge Joseph Mangan ad- journed ruling. In court last week, he convicted the accused and imposed a two-month jail term. This was sus- pended on condition that he enter a bond to keep the peace.
The court heard that several people
were involved in a row in the early hours of the morning.
Gardai gave evidence of the ac- cused being highly intoxicated, high- ly agitated and acting in a threaten- ing manner to others. However, the defence disputed this.
Detective Superintendent Gabriel O’Gara told the court the situation was “very tense. It was very vola- tile. A large number of males present were all very intoxicated.”
He said from his observations, Mr Neylon’s intention “appeared to be to breach the peace and also to entice others to get involved. . .He remind- ed me of a person you would see out on a Saturday night, highly intox1- cated, shirt off, chest out, blood all
over him. This was the man who was going to solve everyone’s problems.”
The accused told the court that he had not consumed a lot of alcohol that night. He said that after he left the Hydro hotel, he had been struck and knocked to the ground, where he had been kicked and beaten.
“I was obviously agitated and prob- ably concussed from being kicked. I had no top on because it had been pulled off me while I was on the ground being beaten,’ he said.
“I was agitated with the guards for being arrested, because I was the victim of an assault, but I was not ag- gressive, he added. He denied that he was highly intoxicated.