This article is from page 14 of the 2013-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A 48-YEAR-OLD man who choose to give up drink as his New Year’s resolution, was given a month to stay dry by Judge Patrick Durcan at Ennis District Court on January 2.
Kieran Lynch (48), whose address was listed as Quin, County Clare was found drunk and unconscious in Ennis on June 30, 2012. Mr Lynch, who was described Judge Durcan as “footless on College Road”, was discovered by a member of the gardaí at around 4pm in the afternoon of June 30. He was brought to a station in Ennis and released later that night.
Mr Lynch, who has 20 previous convictions all relating to alcohol, said he had attended a number of treatment centres in the past which, he said, had not helped him.
He told the court that he planned to “quit the drinking” in 2013. He also said that all of his previous convictions had been drink related and that he had been “ruined” by booze.
Mr Lynch was asked to take the stand and swore, under oath, that he would “not be in any situations where drinking was involved”.
Judge Durcan adjourned the case until February 6, 2012, at which time Mr Lynch will be asked to account for his sobriety over the pervious month. “I have noted your undertaking and I don’t want to hear from the inspector that you have broken it,” said Judge Durcan.