Farmer gets suspended sentence over threats and abuse of Taoiseach at Ploughing Championships

A Co Roscommon farmer who allegedly called Taoiseach Micheál Martin “a gobshite” and “a traitor” at the National Ploughing Championships has received a suspended six-week custodial sentence for threatening and abusive behaviour.

Vincent Harrington (60), Cloonmacmullan, Kingsland, Boyle, Co Roscommon appeared at Tullamore District Court before Judge Andrew Gubbins on Tuesday where he was charged with engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour which provoked a breach of the peace at the championships at Screggan, Co Offaly on September 15th last.

Gubbins said that “in terms of seriousness” the offending was “at the higher end” and that such behaviour “can’t be tolerated” particularly where members of the public, including women and children, were present and which also caused Martin to “take a step back”.

Gubbins also accepted the State’s evidence that Harrington called gardaí “traitors” and that “a red mist descended” on him.

Gubbins said that Harrington was “a passionate man” who was looking to have a discussion with Martin but that he did it in a manner that he should not have done.

Gubbins imposed a six-week sentence suspended for two years on condition that Harrington keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

After Harrington signed his own bond, following his conviction, he asked Gubbins if he could say a prayer for the gardaí in court who “told lies”.

Gubbins replied “Mr Harrington we are in the middle of a courtroom, if you want to say a prayer you can go to a church” as Harrington completed his prayer.

Det Gda Peter MacGuire, a member of the Special Detective Unit, told the court that at about 11.50am, about 15 to 20 minutes after Martin began his “meet-and-greet” with members of the public at Screggan, he became aware of someone, whom he later found out to be Harrington, “shouting and roaring”.

MacGuire said Harrington approached in an “aggressive and threatening” manner and observed him calling Martin “a gobshite”.

MacGuire said he raised his right hand as “a soft barrier” between Harrington and Martin.

MacGuire said he pushed the accused back who told him not to put “his f**king hand on him” and asked him who he was, with MacGuire telling him he was a member of the Garda.

MacGuire said that Martin had between 1,500 to 2,000 interactions with the public that day, some of which involved “curt exchanges” but there was only one interaction where gardaí had to intervene.

Det Gda Padraig Ryan said Harrington was abusive towards Martin, calling him “a gobshite” and “a traitor”, and blaming him for the state of the economy.

Ryan said he arrested Harrington and with the assistance of Det Garda Barry McPaul and two other gardaí handcuffed the accused. Ryan said Harrington was “aggressive” towards the gardaí and made a number of attempts to free himself from custody and return to the Irish Farmers’ Association tent and that there was “spittle”.

Ryan said that after Harrington was charged in Tullamore Garda station he replied that he was “sorry”.

Harrington denied on Tuesday that “a red mist descended” upon him but said “they [the gardaí] lost it”.

Harrington also denied raising his voice to Martin or calling him a gobshite or a traitor but that he wanted to ask him, given the banning of the importation of Brazilian beef into Europe, was he going to ask the chairman of Bord Bia Larry Murrin to resign.

Revelations that Murrin’s company Dawn Meats imported Brazilian beef sparked protests at the offices of Bord Bia in February and calls by the IFA and others for Murrin to resign as Bord Bia chairman.

An independent review of the governance of Bord Bia published in June, and commissioned by Martin Heydon, Minister for Agriculture, found that Murrin had provided “clear leadership” at the State agency.