Rising GAA star blinded man with a single punch

An up-and-coming GAA star has been jailed after an attack in which a man lost the sight in one eye.

Noel Kelly, aged 23, who had ambitions to make the Donegal senior GAA team, had drank all day to build up the courage to dress as a woman for a club fundraiser. His victim, Jamie O’Brien, lost the sight in one eye after being struck with one punch by Kelly.

The accused had been drinking with his teammates from Gaoth Dobhair GAA team. They had gone to Dodge Nightclub in Gaoth Dobhair on Jul 24, 2011, but Kelly had been ejected for horseplay.

Outside the premises, he had words with Mr O’Brien and ended up striking the then 20-year-old once. Others tried to intervene and Kelly ended up punching two other women.

He was told to leave the area by bouncers from the nightclub but returned minutes later and ended up striking another man, Peadar Woods, who was operating a chip van.

Mr Woods’ brother Joe, who had taken the previous three victims to see a local doctor, returned and he was also assaulted by Kelly.

Letterkenny Circuit Court was told that Kelly, of Meenaniller, Derrybeg, who pleaded guilty to five separate assault charges, was an excellent footballer and had played at under-16 level for Donegal and played senior football with Gaoth Dobhair.

Among the references in court was one from the management of the Donegal senior football team.

His father, Declan Kelly, said his family were shocked by his only son’s actions.

Kelly told the court he “messed up” and apologised to Mr O’Brien.

Judge John O’Hagan hit out at the culture of drinking and fighting in Donegal.

“What are we going to do in our society — flutered drunk and beating the lard out of each other. What are we going to do? I get it all the time. I dealt with 11 or 12 sentences this week and every single one had drink. It’s very sad our society is going down this road,” he said.

Judge O’Hagan said the matter was too serious not to impose a custodial sentence.

He sentenced Kelly to two years imprisonment for the section 4 assault on Mr O’Brien and suspended the final six months.

He also sentenced him to one year in prison for each of the section 3 assaults while the two section 2 assaults were taken into consideration with all sentences to run concurrently.