State treats pair as the enemy rather than citizens

A dispute over a right of way led to a 20-year legal battle against the State, which is still refusing to pay up, writes Michael Clifford.

Stephen and Anne Murphy thought their 20-year battle against the State had reached a finality of sorts last year. They had fought all the way to the Supreme Court, where three judges commended their efforts to assert their rights, while dismissing their action on the basis of the law.

Judge Frank Clarke — now the Chief Justice — was so taken by what the siblings from Drimoleague in West Cork had endured that he recommended that the State make a “substantial” ex gratia payment to them.