Farmer put off road after getting time to find a woman

A bachelor farmer in a remote part of South Kerry, who was given time to organise his cattle and a chance to go to Lisdoonvarna to find “a nice woman” to drive him around during his disqualification for drink-driving, has been put off the road for three years.

The December court in Cahersiveen, where the matter was finalised, was not told if, in fact, the farmer had availed of the chance to go to Lisdoonvarna, or whether he had managed to find a nice woman who could drive.

However, the 60-year-old had managed to put “some of his affairs” in order, the court was told.

John O’Shea, of Derrinadin, Mastergeeha, had previously pleaded guilty to drink driving at Tarmons, Waterville, on July 25, 2014.

His alcohol-blood reading — 198mg per 100ml — was such that the offence carried a three-year driving ban, the court heard.

The legal limit is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

The matter had been adjourned a number of times.

Previous outings were told that being off the road would make life difficult for O’Shea, who lived some 10km from Waterville, to care for his cows and he would have to make plans to get rid of them.

On the day in question, he had gone to Waterville for animal feed and had got so carried away by a discussion about Kerry football in a pub that he forgot to eat and hit the ditch on his way home. Judge James O’Connor suggested he might also “find himself a nice woman” who would drive him around.

If the matter could be adjourned beyond September it would allow him to go to the matchmaking festival at Lisdoonvarna, it was agreed in court in June.

Yesterday, at Cahersiveen District Court, solicitor Jane Harrison reminded Judge O’Connor how he had adjourned the drink driving case to June and then “to today, to allow him to get his affairs in order”.

The judge said: “Oh, yes. This is the one that got a bit of an airing in the press, shall we say.”

He had been in court earlier in the morning, Ms Harrison said. Her client had time to put some of his affairs in order, and was not looking for a further adjournment, the solicitor said.

Judge O’Connor convicted O’Shea of driving with excess alcohol, and fined him €175, with 10 months to pay, and disqualified him from driving for three years.

He noted “no postponement was requested”.

Meanwhile, sources say O’Shea did not avail of the chance to go to the matchmaking festival at Lisdoonvarna. However, a number of hotels in the area had offered to put him up for the duration of the event.