Clonakilty man jailed for his part in attack on Skibbereen home over drug debt

Darragh Moore pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to criminal damage and possession of cocaine for sale or supply. File picture: Dan Linehan

A Clonakilty man who joined two others armed with golf clubs to smash the windows of a Skibbereen home while enforcing a drug debt has been jailed for six months. 

Darragh Moore, aged 28, of Fernhill Woods, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to criminal damage and possession of cocaine for sale or supply.

Moore received a nine-month sentence, with the final three months suspended for two years. The six-month sentence imposed for possessing cocaine for sale or supply will run concurrently, while the simple possession charge was taken into consideration. 

The sentences were backdated to September 11, when Moore went into custody.

Judge Joanne Carroll said Moore had gone to a private home, armed with a golf club, to enforce a drug debt and terrorise the family living there. “It was a very violent crime,” she said.

The court heard gardaí were called to Blackthorn Drive, Skibbereen, at about 8pm on August 16, 2026. Windows on the ground floor of the house had been smashed. The family told gardaí the attack related to a drug debt owed by a young member of the household. 

A grey Volvo V40 was seen leaving the scene.

The following day, the car was found parked at Fernhill Woods in Clonakilty. Gardaí searched it and found cocaine worth €300, deal bags, and weighing scales. Moore admitted the car was his and that he had been driving it on the night of the attack. He later admitted the criminal damage.

Sergeant Tom Mulcahy said Moore and two other men had been in the vehicle, armed with golf clubs, which were used to smash the windows.

Ger Corcoran, defending, said Moore had brought €1,000 compensation for the damage. 

He said his client had struggled with bereavements, depression, mental health difficulties, and cocaine addiction and had recently begun attending mental health services in Bantry.

Mr Corcoran said Moore had found his four weeks in custody a salutary experience and remained in his cell because he feared being targeted in prison. He sought bail on that basis, he said. 

Moore accepted responsibility and wanted to “get his life on an even keel”, adding that his client had owed a drug debt himself which was why he was involved. 

Mr Corcoran said his client believed he was “at serious risk in prison”. Judge Carroll noted Moore’s guilty plea and his lack of relevant previous convictions. The court heard he had one previous conviction for holding a mobile phone while driving. 

As conditions of the suspended sentence, Moore must engage with the Probation Service and attend drug treatment.

Moore appealed the sentence in court and was granted bail pending that appeal on strict conditions. They include signing on daily at Clonakilty Garda Station, a 10.30pm to 7am curfew, staying out of Skibbereen, abstaining from intoxicants in public, and having no contact with the injured party or their family.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.