Woman 'loyally' driving behind 78-year-old husband knocked him off motorbike during trip to seaside

"That’s a combination of 155 years between them. What were they doing out in west Clare?" the judge asked.

Ennis courthouse

A ‘loyal’ wife knocked her 78-year-old husband off his motorbike when she crashed into it during the couple’s road trip to the seaside in west Clare last summer.

At Kilrush District Court sitting in Ennis, Moira Mulclahy (77) pleaded guilty to careless driving arising from the traffic accident when she struck her husband, Joseph’s, motorcycle from behind at Ennis Rd, Kilrush on their way to the west Clare seaside resort of Kilkee at around 3pm on July 5 last.

Solicitor for Mrs Mulcahy of Ballykeeffe Estate, Dooradoyle, Limerick, Gearoid Williams told the court that Mrs Mulcahy was driving a car and following her husband on his motorcycle “to make sure that everything was okay as they made their way to Kilkee”.

Mr Williams stated that Mrs Mulcahy “found the concentration on the road very difficult as she was focusing on her husband all the time while driving”.

Judge Patrick Durcan told Mr Williams to tell Mrs Mulcahy “not to follow her husband so loyally in the future”.

Mrs Mulcahy wasn’t able to attend court as Sgt Aiden Lonergan told the court that she is ‘cocooning’ as part of the Covid 19 restrictions.

Asked how old Mr Mulcahy is, Mr Williams replied “he is 78” and Judge Durcan remarked:

That’s a combination of 155 years between them. What were they doing out in west Clare?

Mr Williams said the circumstances in the case are “unusual”.

He said the collision resulted in Joseph Mulcahy falling off his 16-year-old motorbike but he was uninjured from the collision, adding: “He fell off the side of his motorcycle when she struck it. Her husband was fine on the day - a small bit of damage to the motorcycle.”

Mr Williams told the court that Mrs Mulcahy regrets what happened and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said Mrs Mulcahy was driving her husband’s car - a Ford Focus - when the accident occurred.

'never even had a penalty point - nothing'

Mr Williams stated that Mrs Mulcahy has never been before the courts before “and never even had a penalty point - nothing”.

Sgt Lonergan stated that Mrs Mulcahy passed a road side breath test after Gardai arrived on the scene, and that Mr Mulcahy declined to make a statement to Gardai.

Sgt Lonergan stated that Gardaí had received a report from another motorist on Mrs Mulcahy’s driving before the accident.

He said the person also witnessed the accident. Sgt Lonergan stated that the independent report stirred the investigation that has the summons before the court

Judge Durcan imposed no penalty on Mrs Mulcahy and adjourned the matter generally.