Man with 91 convictions sent to prison again

A man with 91 previous convictions was given a three-month sentence for being in breach of the Public Order Act on Eyre Square.

Eamon McDonagh of 19 Sliabh Rua, Ballybane was before Galway District Court on three counts under the Public Order, two of them for being drunk in public and the third for being threatening and abusive.

A fourth charge for being in breach of a safety order on February 13 last was withdrawn by his pregnant partner and struck out by Judge Deirdre Gearty.

The Court heard that McDonagh had been arrested on March 16 last for being in breach of Section 4 and 6 of the Public Order Act.

Gardaí had received a call from a member of the public complaining about a group of people who were drinking and causing a nuisance at the Square in the early evening.

McDonagh, who pleaded guilty, had been very drunk and argumentative according to Garda evidence and was obstructing passing traffic.

McDonagh further pleaded guilty to being in breach of Section 4 of the Public Order Act on April 18.

Solicitor Valerie Corcoran, defending, said that her client was currently in custody serving a sentence that started in June and that he would be released in November. That three month sentence had been a suspended sentence but he had breached his conditions because of his drinking.

However, his partner was pregnant again and he wanted to be there to help her when the baby was born in October.

McDonagh was given a three-month sentence to run concurrently with his existing sentence and the other two public order offences were proved and taken into account. Recognisances were fixed in the event of him making an appeal.