Slash hooks, an axe and knives were among the objects produced at a Traveller funeral when a feud violently erupted on church grounds, a court has heard.
Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court heard of the violent scenes that took place on the grounds of St Colman’s Church in Claremorris during the funeral Mass of a local member of the Travelling community in 2011.
In the brawl one man, Martin McDonagh Senior from Letterkenny, was hit over the head with a slash hook and gardaí told the court that blood was ‘spurting’ from an open wound at the back of his head and one garda had to use a cloth and a nappy from a nearby car to stem the bleeding before an ambulance arrived.
Five men have pleaded guilty to violent disorder after a feud between members of the McDonagh family in Castlebar and members of the McDonagh family from Donegal erupted fiercely in Claremorris.
They will be sentenced on June 28 while a sixth man, Martin McDonagh of 125, Manor Village, Castlebar contested a charge of violent disorder and a charge of production of a carpet knife.
Those charges were subject to a two day trial in Castlebar and McDonagh was found not guilty on both counts.
Five members of his family have pleaded guilty to violent disorder. They are: Owen McDonagh, Saleen, Castlebar; Bernard McDonagh, 5, Knockthomas, Castlebar; Gerard McDonagh, Saleen, Castlebar; Charles McDonagh, 7, Garryduff, Castlebar and Thomas McDonagh, 123, Manor Village, Castlebar.
The court heard the row between the Castlebar McDonaghs and the Letterkenny McDonaghs was ‘more than a feud’.
Evidence of the ongoing feud could be seen in the court foyer as gardaí had to remove a man from the courthouse who was verbally abusing members of the McDonagh family from Donegal.
During the two day trial there was a tense atmosphere inside Castlebar courthouse. There was a strong presence in the courtroom of members of the McDonagh family from Castlebar during the trial and some of them applauded when the not guilty verdicts were read out in the court.
The Claremorris brawl took place at the funeral Mass of Patrick Collins, a member of the Travelling community in Claremorris, who was an in-law of Martin McDonagh from Letterkenny, also known as Martin ‘Black’ due to his dark hair.
Martin ‘Black’ McDonagh told the court that he was talking to his two sons, Martin Junior and Thomas, near the gates of the church at 10.30am on the morning of the funeral Mass when he saw men ‘running towards us with weapons’. He said three of them had slash hooks and another had a machete-like knife. He said he went to run and was either tripped and fell and was then hit on the head with a slash hook.
He said when he got up he saw his son Martin and the defendant, which the court heard is known as Martin ‘Shoes’ and Martin ‘Hackney’ McDonagh, fighting.
Martin McDonagh Junior, son of Martin ‘Black’, said he had come from Waterford for the funeral and when the incident started, he became involved in a punch-up with Martin ‘Hackney’ McDonagh at the gates.
Diarmuid Connolly, counsel for the defendant, instructed by Laura Glennon, put it to Martin McDonagh Junior that they were ‘taking the opportunity to blacken’ all of the McDonaghs from Castlebar, arguing that Martin ‘Hackney’ McDonagh wasn’t involved. Martin McDonagh Junior said that he was involved, was fighting with him and had a carpet knife.
Finbar Donnellan told the court that he was the undertaker at the funeral on the day in question. He said a ‘bit of jeering’ started from the group outside the grounds and they soon rushed in. He saw people with weapons and others showing the inside of their jackets where they had knives. He said it appeared as if they were after one person and said ‘Martin will do’ and he saw a man being struck by a weapon.
He said the people inside the gates were ‘totally innocent’ and that one of the Collins family came out of the church and pleaded with some people to come inside.
Garda Karol Murray told the court he saw Martin ‘Black’ McDonagh’s face ‘covered in blood’ and he had a wound at the back of his head which was ‘spurting’ out blood. He saw one man wielding a slash hook over his head and another man wielding an axe. He said the attackers were ‘roaring abuse’ at the injured party and Garda Murray himself had difficulty effecting an arrest on one of the McDonaghs as others intervened to stop him placing the man under arrest.
Sergeant Regina Carley said that the Mass was going on while the fighting was taking place. She said Martin ‘Black’ McDonagh had a ‘very open wound’ and she used a cloth and a nappy from a nearby car to apply pressure to the wound before an ambulance arrived.
Defending counsel Diarmuid Connolly said that the defendant, Martin ‘Hackney’ McDonagh, was present on the day but wasn’t involved in violent disorder. He said no forensics or fingerprints were found at the scene relating to him
The jury of ten women and two men took just over two hours to find Martin McDonagh not guilty of violent disorder and not guilty of the production of a carpet knife during the incident.