9 September 1998

Judge raps Westport stag parties as 'barbaric practice'

A MAN attending a stag party in Westport and who had been drinking for nine hours before reaching the town pleaded guilty to an assault at the local court.

Finbar Keaveney of Breedogue, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, was given a two months suspended prison sentence on condition he pay compensation to his victim within six months.

Garda Linus Fahey said he was on patrol on August 23 and when he came down Distillery Road "there was absolute mayhem." Cars were stopped on the road and people could not get to ambulances that were called as "there was such a melee on the street." He got out of the patrol car and saw a man he knew to see and thought he was dead. The man was lying unconscious with blood falling out his ear. He put the man in the recovery position.

A supervisor from the nearby hotel directed him into the hotel where the manager identified Keaveney as the man who was causing the trouble. He admitted the assault.

In a statement Keaveney said he was working in New York and had returned to be groomsman for a friend's wedding. A stag party was arranged for August 22 and thirteen men left for Westport from Roscommon at 2p.m. They stopped at a number of towns on the way and arrived in Westport at 11p.m. where they went to the Castlecourt disco.

Bouncers were stopping the crowd and he could see his friends arguing with them. He was told a friend had been hit and his friends wanted to go fighting with the bouncers. His mates were picking fights with the local men and the other way round, he continued, and one man was "doing all the running. "He told me he would put me out of his way if I did not let him past me. He swung for me and I hit back and hit him on the jaw."

The man fell to the ground and there was a lot of jumping and pushing by his friends outside the door. The bouncers took the defendant inside and then the Gardai arrived.

Mr. John Morahan, defending solicitor, said by the time the party group got to Westport they had a lot of drink taken. There was a general melee after the disco and a man was injured. Keaveney had contacted the man and his family to apologise and compensate him for his injuries. It was totally out of character for him and he came from a respectable family.

Judge Dan Shields said this was the second case he had dealt with at the court that day where people had got into trouble at stag parties.

"Westport might be advised to take action" like other places have done to put a stop altogether to this "barbaric practice" where even sensible people drink themselves senseless and get into trouble. He continued: "People in this kind of condition should be sent to hospital to dry out instead of going to night clubs and fighting with bouncers and such things."

Judge Shields said he would give Keaveney a two months prison sentence suspended on condition that he pay compensation within six months and be of good behaviour for twelve months

Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - September 1998