Clonmany Festival issues raised in Carndonagh court

A Donegal Judge this week raised concerns about the number of public order issues at the Clonmany festival.
Speaking in Carndonagh court following a number of public order court cases, Judge Paul Kelly asked Inspector David Murphy if there were problems at this particular festival.
He said there are always a lot of applications to the court for the popular Inishowen festival and “maybe this was something he would need to look at in future”.
Responding Inspector Murphy said there was one “particular night” during last year’s events which resulted in a number of issues, but he said it was something “they were looking into”.
Defence solicitor Paudge Dorrian said there were no serious incidents stemming from the festival, but Judge Kelly responded: “There have been many many cases before me coming from that festival”.
A Buncrana man, who was before the courts on public order offences in Clonmany on 8th August last year, told Judge Kelly he had been pepper sprayed at the festival when he was trying to help his friend who had been hit and left laying on the ground.
Following trouble at last year’s festival, Donegal TD Joe McHugh raised his own concerns with the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, during an adjournment of the Dáil.
The Clonmany Festival, which has been running for over forty years, is one of the highlights of the year in the Inishowen peninsula, and this year they have secured the singing sensation Daniel O’Donnell.