Articles by David Forsythe,Irishexaminer.com

Technology

Father 'became irate' when Cork gardaí questioned his son about stolen jacket, court told

A Cork father became so irate that his son was being questioned by gardaí about an alleged stolen jacket he had to be arrested and handcuffed, the district court has heard. Court presenter Inspector Anthony Harrington told Macroom District Court that gardaí had received a report of a jacket being stolen at 7.10pm on October 27, 2024. Investigating gardaí were informed that a particular individual had been seen wearing the stolen jacket. Giving evidence, Sergeant Michael Kelleher told the court the suspect was spotted driving past his patrol car with his parents and they were pulled over outside the Riverside Hotel in Macroom. The court heard that as gardaí questioned the suspect about the alleged theft, his father — 62-year-old Denis O’Driscoll, of Lower Codrum, Macroom, Co. Cork — who was a passenger in the car got out and began remonstrating with them. Sgt Kelleher said O’Driscoll “got very vocal and very angry” and was repeatedly asked to step back on the footpath but was “coming around the back of the car” onto the road and was becoming more and more vocal and aggressive. Sgt Kelleher said the area was busy at the time and O’Driscoll repeatedly refused to listen to garda instructions. O’Driscoll eventually had to be handcuffed and resisted arrest. The court heard it took “a number of attempts” to put the handcuffs on him. Defence solicitor Patrick Goold said O’Driscoll had become so incensed because he was certain his son had not stolen the jacket which ultimately proved to be the case. Giving evidence, O’Driscoll said he did “nothing wrong” and alleged that Sgt Kelleher had kicked him in the leg causing him to fall on the ground. Judge John King said it appeared that O’Driscoll “did a bit of roaring and shouting” and was “awkward towards the gardaí”. He said O’Driscoll was charged with disorderly conduct where a charge of obstruction would probably have been more appropriate. The court heard that a fixed penalty notice was issued to O’Driscoll but the fine was not paid but no evidence of postage could be provided and Judge King dismissed the charge. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

15 hours ago

Technology

Impatient driver who drove wrong way up one-way street in West Cork admits careless driving

An impatient driver who drove the wrong way up a one-way street has pleaded guilty to the charge of careless driving in the district court. Court presenter Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Skibbereen District Court that gardaí were attending a road traffic incident at the junction of Main Street and Bridge Street in Skibbereen on September 15, 2024, at 12.30am. While attending the scene they became aware of a black jeep revving its engine loudly outside JC’s takeaway at the nearby Field’s SuperValu carpark. The court heard the jeep kept revving its engine and then drove at speed the wrong way up a one-way street leading from the car park out onto Main Street. The jeep failed to stop and then drove off at speed towards North Street. The court was told that gardaí were unable to pursue the vehicle because they were attending to a road traffic incident that had happened a short time earlier. The court heard that the driver of the jeep — identified as 30-year-old Brendan O’Donovan of Kealties, Durrus, and currently residing in Perth, Australia — had seven previous convictions including four for road traffic matters. O’Donovan’s most recent conviction was for possession of drugs in 2019. Defence solicitor, Flor Murphy, said O’Donovan was not present in court because he was working “in the mines” near Perth, Australia, where he was residing on a two-year visa. He said O’Donovan’s mother was in court on his behalf and his client had instructed him to plead guilty to the charge of careless driving. Mr Murphy said that on the night in question O’Donovan was collecting family members from Skibbereen and became impatient when they took a long time to leave JC’s takeaway and was revving the engine to let them know he was anxious to leave. Mr Murphy said the jeep was “facing the wrong way” and O’Donovan realised his mistake after exiting onto Main Street and “kept going”. Mr Murphy said O’Donovan was well known for being “wildish” in his youth but had always worked and had not come to garda attention for several years. The court was told that O’Donovan was fully co-operative, had apologised to gardaí the next day and he had also instructed his solicitor to apologise to the court. Judge Joanne Carroll convicted O’Donovan of careless driving and fined him €500 allowing four months to pay. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

15 hours ago

Technology

West Cork needs more camper van sites as beaches 'congested'

Cork County Council needs to address the shortage of proper camper van sites in the area ahead of the next summer season, according to a local councillor. The issue was raised by Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton at the recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District. Mr Sexton said he was not against camper vans and welcomed the tourism business they bring to West Cork but there was a need for more properly serviced sites to accommodate them. Mr Sexton said the issue needed to be addressed now ahead of the busy summer season as camper vans were increasingly taking up parking spaces in already congested town centres and being parked at beaches and other rural locations for long periods of time. Mr Sexton said there were issues with camper vans making congestion worse at locations like Baltimore and Inchydoney and that the vehicles “do not belong in our town centres”. He said regulation was needed in certain areas to limit the amount of time camper vans were allowed to stay and that more serviced sites should be provided that camper van owners should be encouraged to use. Fianna Fáil's Joe Carroll said camper van owners who were not from West Cork are often driving the vehicles down narrow roads that are not suitable and parking them overnight in small beaches and coves. He said there should be “no camper vans” signs erected in certain locations. Executive officer Noreen O’Mahony said Cork County Council would take the comments of councillors on board and that the tourism directorate was currently looking at several locations with the potential to be developed for motor home parking. She said it was a “work in progress” and it was hoped that a proposal would be brought to councillors soon. This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Nov 6, 2025

Technology

Man avoids conviction for illegal sea bass fishing on West Cork beach

An Albanian man who was sea fishing on a West Cork beach has avoided being convicted for taking more than the permitted number of sea bass and taking sea bass that were smaller than the permitted size. Solicitor Vincent Coakley, acting for Inland Fisheries Ireland, told Clonakilty District Court Ergys Gucija, who is originally from Albania but resident in Ireland for several years, was being prosecuted for contravening the sea bass fishing regulations. The court was told that on October 19, 2024, two fisheries officers were on patrol in an unmarked car in the Rosscarbery area of West Cork. While standing at the end of Rosscarbery Pier at 5.10pm, they spotted a man fishing from Warren Beach on the other side of the bay. The court was told the officers observed the man through binoculars and saw he was reeling in small silvery fish that could have been a sea bass. The officers drove around the bay to the beach, where they met with Gucija, who was fishing with his nine-year-old son. The officer spoke to Gucija and saw he had a bag containing nine sea bass of lengths between 21cm and 26cm in a bag. The court was told the fish were smaller than the minimum permitted size of 42cm, and the maximum number of sea bass of the legal size that could be taken was two per day. The court heard no licence was required to catch the fish in salt water, but the regulations must be adhered to. The court was told Gucija would have to have walked within a few metres of a notice near the carpark warning about the regulations as he made his way to the beach. The fish were seized from Gucija as well as two rods, a tackle bag and a net. Speaking with the help of an interpreter, Gucija told the court he was aware of the regulations for river fishing but did not realise there were regulations for fishing from the sea. He admitted he should have familiarised himself with the rules beforehand. The court heard he was on the beach with his family and worked as a snagger in the construction industry. The court was told that Gucija had no previous convictions. Judge Joanne Carroll said if she went fishing in Albania she would make sure she knew the rules first, but accepted Gucija may not have been aware he was breaking the law. The tackle bag and net were seized but the two rods, one of which belonged to Gucija’s young son, were returned. Gucija was given the benefit of the Probation Act and ordered to make €300 contribution to the court poor box. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

Nov 6, 2025