Court

national | environment | other press Thursday December 07, 2006 16:01 by Mickey Mantle

VETERAN campaigner Maura Harrington, who has been in the wars over her opposition to the controversial Shell pipeline, fell foul of a different bandwagon yesterday.

VETERAN campaigner Maura Harrington, who has been in the wars over her opposition to the controversial Shell pipeline, fell foul of a different bandwagon yesterday.

The 53-year-old school principal from Geesala was fined a total of €625 arising from a drunken row in a pub over the choice of music being played.

Manager of Tigh Neachtain in Galway city centre, Haldane Briggs, told Galway District Court that on April 21, 2006, a colleague had told him that a lady was causing a disturbance in the front bar.

He identified Mrs Harrington in court and told Judge Mary Fahy she was very intoxicated and he had asked her to leave the premises. She left, but returned shortly afterwards.

Mr Briggs said he again asked her to leave, but this time she refused. Her daughter, who was with her, also refused his request. He told her he would call the gardai and offered to get her a taxi, but she said she would wait for the gardai. Gda Ivan Cunnane said Mrs Harrington refused to give him her name and refused to leave the pub. She was in a highly intoxicated state, he added.

He called for assistance and with the help of another garda, physically removed Mrs Harrington from the pub and into a patrol car parked outside.

``We had to actually carry her out of the pub," he said.

``She was drunk and could have fallen. I arrested her for her own safety," said Gda Cunnane.

Gda Mark O'Sullivan said Mrs Harrington was slouched up against the wall of the pub, while Gda Derek Mullin described her as verbally abusive.

Mrs Harrington said she asked the band to play ``a brace of reels'', but they ignored her.

She became annoyed and asked the band members if it was the case that they couldn't play or wouldn't play the reels.

``I do not believe I was a danger to myself or to others, because I can recall everything that happened. I would flatly refute I was lifted (from the pub). I would admit to being annoyed and contrary, but not drunk to such a stage that I was a danger to myself or to others," she said.

Judge Fahy said she had to accept that Mrs Harrington was drunk and noted her guilty pleas to two other offences