Two men were given a slap on the wrist and a fine for noisily bush drinking near a residential area, while people were getting up for work, and for being old enough to know better.
Michael Burke (21 ) with an address at 16 Claremont Park, Rahoon, appeared at Galway District Court last Monday charged with being intoxicated in a public place on August 20, 2008. His co-accused, Colm McDonagh (22 ) with an address at 60 The Baily, Circular Road, Galway, and who was charged with the same offence, did not appear in court.
Garda Dolan told the court that on the date in question, at 7.40am, at Cappaph Football Pitch in Knocknacarra, gardai received a call of a loud noise and when gardai arrived both defendants were found to be drinking from a can of Bulmers and unsteady on their feet. They were arrested for their own safety.
Inspector Mick Coppinger said that the men were arrested as they were “not deemed suitable” for the criteria for caution.
“I take it he got 50 warnings,” replied Judge Fahy in the case of Burke.
Burke’s solicitor, Sean Acton, said that his client, who had been a first year apprentice carpenter, got laid off after Christmas through no fault of his own and had been coming back home after a night out drinking.
“You are not a minor, you know you can’t do that, it’s a residential area... There were people going to work and here’s your mano drinking,” said Judge Fahy.
She convicted and fined Burke €100 after urging him to get back into carpentry. In his absence, McDonagh was convicted and fined €125 with one month to pay.
