Artist directed to remove tweet

A Kerryman has obtained a temporary court order directing artist Kevin Sharkey to remove an allegedly "highly defamatory" comment he wrote on his Twitter account.

Barrister Karl Sweeney told the Circuit Civil Court that Garrett O’Mahony had been called a racist after he replied to a tweet written on Mr Sharkey’s account on April 23 last.

In an affidavit Mr O’Mahony, of Gortnadallagh, Kenmare, Co Kerry, stated that on April 23 last he replied to a comment posted on Mr Sharkey’s Twitteraccount about a picture published on the front page of a daily newspaper.

Mr Sweeney told Judge Jacqueline Linnane that Mr Sharkey then posted a replying tweet to Mr O’Mahony which was “outrageous, completely out of context and deeply offensive, calling him a racist”.

Mr O’Mahony said in his affidavit the alleged tweet was “highly defamatory” and he was “not a racist in any shape or form”.

Mr O’Mahony had immediately sent a tweet to Mr Sharkey asking him to retract the alleged defamatory comment and to apologise. The court heard that neither had been forthcoming.

Mr Sweeney said that Mr O’Mahony’s solicitors, Granville & Co, had written to Mr Sharkey asking him to remove the tweet and to apologise. He said neither had happened to date.

Judge Linnane granted the injunction on an ex parte basis directing Mr Sharkey to remove the comment from the Twitter account.

The temporary injunction is to remain in place until a permanent order was sought by Mr O’Mahony, or until further order.

The case was adjourned to the end of the month.