Consultant says comparing FG Senator Paudie Coffey to a highwayman was parody

The public relations consultant who came up with the idea of comparing a politician to an 18th century highwayman in a press release told the High Court it was meant as a parody.

Neans McSweeney, whose McSweeney Media provides consultancy to Minister of State, John Paul Phelan, sent the press release which became the basis for an article in the Kilkenny People in January 2016 headed "Coffey the Robber".

The story quoted comments from Mr Phelan about Senator Paudie Coffey, then Waterford FG TD and junior minister, in relation to a row over moving the administrative boundary of Waterford into Kilkenny.

Mr Phelan said Mr Coffey had been "banding together" with then environment minister Alan Kelly to commit "daylight robbery."

He went on to say there was an 18th century highwayman in Waterford called "Crotty the Robber" and now "Coffey the Robber was trying to do the very same".

Mr Coffey says, among other things, the article falsely called him a criminal and meant he he was guilty of misuse of public office, a thief and of severe ill repute. Iconic Newspapers, publishers of the KilkennyPeople, denies the claims.

Ms McSweeney told Rossa Fanning SC, for Iconic, she came up with the idea "Coffey the Robber" because four months earlier she was doing PR work for Waterford City and County Council which had commissioned a play on the Comeragh mountains highwayman William Crotty and it was fresh in her mind.

Ms McSweeney said the reference to Crotty was "purely parody" and, in her press release the word "Coffey" in "Coffey the Robber" was in italics to reinforce the parody.

Under cross-examination, Richard Kean SC, for Mr Coffey, put it to her it might be parody or spoof to her but to the ordinary person on the street, it was highly offensive to call someone a robber. She replied malice was not intended.

The purpose of the release was to encourage Kilkenny people to make submissions to a boundary commission which was reviewing the matter, she said.

She also said in the context of the entire press release, it was a parody and was "not malicious in any shape or form". She also said the purpose was not to "take down anyone".

Earlier, Minister of State John Paul Phelan denied he was malicious in the press release. He also said the impact "would be a joke".

He was under continuing cross examination at the start of the third week of Mr Coffey's action against Iconic

Barney Quirke SC, for Mr Coffey, put it to Mr Phelan he was a member of the same party as Mr Coffey and he was calling him a criminal and saying there was serious wrongdoing in relation to the boundary issue.

The context was clear, Mr Phelan said, he was not calling either Mr Coffey or then Minister Alan Kelly highwaymen or accusing them of robbing anything.

He said he and Ms McSweeney, in preparing the press release, were "making a play on the name of the senator" by using the words "Coffey the Robber" and "Crotty the Robber".

Mr Phelan disagreed with counsel that a tweet during the 2016 election campaign by Sam Matthews, the journalist who wrote the article and who is a co-defendant with Iconic, was inappropriate.

In the tweet, Mr Matthews refers to Mr Coffey as "this divil". Mr Phelan said divil could mean anything from being complimentary to "giving out" about someone.

He agreed a replying tweet from Sean Keane, deputy editor of the Kilkenny People, saying "Is he (Coffey) Satan himself or a minion", was not appropriate.

The case continues.