Drunk driver 'bumped into statue of national hero' Michael Collins 

A man pleaded guilty to drink-driving in connection to an incident on August 30 when his car mounted the pavement and hit the statue of Michael Collins in Clonakilty. Picture: Denis Minihane

A man who usually doesn't drink alcohol drove after attending a party and his car mounted the pavement and then bumped into the famous statue of Michael Collins in Clonakilty.

Boleslaw Masalski, of Flat 4, 26 Ashe St in Clonakilty, pleaded guilty to drink-driving in connection with the incident on August 30.

At Clonakilty District Court Sergeant Paul Kelly told Judge James McNulty that following a report gardaí were on patrol in the town and went to the scene of a road traffic accident, in which a car had mounted the footpath on Edward Twomey St and then hit the Michael Collins statue.

The life-sized statue is one of the town's key landmarks. It was officially unveiled in 2002 by Liam Neeson, who played Collins in Neil Jordan's 1996 biopic.

Sgt Kelly said gardaí took the name of the driver, who was Mr Masalski, aged 65, originally from Poland.

Gardaí said he had a strong smell of intoxicating liquor, his eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred, and they arrested him at 8.45pm and brought him to Bandon Garda Station.

There he provided two breath samples which delivered a reading of 121mgs of alcohol per 100ml of breath, a level which brings a three-year driving disqualification.

Judge McNulty asked: "Apart from bumping into the statue of our great national hero, were there any aggravating factors?"

Sgt Kelly said  Masalski's driving beforehand had been described as erratic, but he was "unaware" of any lasting damage to the statue.

Masalski had two previous convictions for minor public order offences, the most recent of which was in October 2015.

His solicitor, Conrad Murphy, told the court that Masalski had been in Ireland for 15 years and had an Irish driving licence and no previous convictions.

He was in receipt of a pension and was on a Housing Assistance Payment and while of "extremely limited means" was also sending some money back to his family in Poland.

The judge was told that Masalski had two adult children, one of whom had been very seriously injured in a train accident some years ago.

Mr Murphy said his client does not normally drink and hadn't drank for two years prior to this incident. However, he had been at a party on the day of the incident.

Judge McNulty convicted him of the charge and fined him €100.