Builder jailed for assault on musician

A Connemara builder has been sentenced to seven years in prison with the final three years suspended for 10 years for an assault on traditional Irish musician, Noel Hill, in a pub toilet on St Stephen’s night seven years ago, which has left the victim with lifelong injuries.

Imposing sentence at Galway Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Rory McCabe said this had been a horrible, nasty and vicious attack and the consequences for the victim were appalling.

Michael Folan, aged 55, from Teach Mór, Lettermullen, Co Galway, had initially pleaded not guilty to a single charge of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Hill, aged 57, contrary to Section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, at Tí Padraig Mairtín Beag in Leitir Mór, Connemara on St Stephen’s Day, 2008, when his trial opened before a jury at Galway Circuit Criminal Court last November.