Castle owner’s ex gets damages

The former wife of the owner of Blarney Castle received a public apology and damages at the High Court in London over defamatory allegations published in a blog after she separated from her husband.

A judge heard Nora Colthurst’s marriage had ended after husband Charles started a relationship with the mother of defendant Rachel Myers, whose 2005 blog entry was the subject of the libel action.

Kate Wilson, counsel for Ms Colthurst, told Mr Justice Tugendhat: “The passage complained of by Lady Colthurst started with the words, ‘Oooh, Nora’s out’, then, most unfortunately, referred to the claimant as a ‘psycho’ before going on to say that it was now possible [following the claimant’s departure] to be outside ‘without fearing for your life’.