This article is from page 32 of the 2014-05-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
A FATHER of eight has received a suspended prison sentence for his role in a row that took place outside a primary school in Ennis earlier this year.
At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, James Keenan (41) pleaded guilty to a public order offence that occurred on the grounds of Ennis National School on February 5, 2014.
Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that Mr Keenan and Michael Delaney (26) traded insults and ver- bal abuse as parents arrived to collect their children.
The court heard Mr Delaney was collecting a child from school while Mr Keenan was dropping his children off for a tae-kwan-do class.
Insp Kennedy said no blows were struck but abusive language was exchanged between the pair.
Outlining the background to the incident, Insp Kennedy said, “There is no love lost between them. That’s putting it mildly”.
He said a number of young children were in the vicinity when the row took place.
Mr Keenan, with an address at Childer’s Road, Ennis has some previous convictions for public order and theft offences.
Defence solicitor William Cahir said his client had gone to drop his children to a martial arts class and had no intention of encountering the other family.
Mr Cahir said Mr Keenan comes from a family that has lived in Ennis for a number of years. He said Mr Keenan has never been involved in disputes with other families in En- nis.
However Mr Cahir said something seems to have sparked of a dispute between the Delaney and Keenan families in this instance.
Judge Patrick Durcan said this was a serious offence committed in the presence of children.
He imposed a two-month sentence, suspended for 18 months on condition Mr Keenan enter into a bond to be of a good behaviour.
Recognizance’s were fixed in the event Mr Keenan’s intends to appeal the decision.