Noel Martin snr has apologised to the High Court after unintentionally disobeying orders to avoid contacting a couple from Co Laois who are in a legal battle with him over the possession of a garage. The ruling by Mr Justice David Nolan stated that Noel Martin had disobeyed the court’s directive. The garage, which is adjacent to the home owned by couple Alan O’Neill and June Finnegan for two decades on Edenderry Road in Portarlington, is being used to house unique wildlife such as tarantulas, chameleon, a female caiman alligator, and scorpions.
O’Neill, Finnegan and their legal team, led by Ruaidhri Giblin and solicitor Paul Kelly, argued that Mr Martin had violated the order twice since it was issued last month. That order had been secured to stop the defendants suspected of threatening and intimidating the couple from directly contacting the plaintiffs. Consequently, the plaintiffs had initiated a motion seeking Mr Martin’s detention and possible incarceration.
On Wednesday, the judge demanded Mr Martin’s presence in court to answer for his alleged violations of the court rule. In the afternoon, when Mr Martin presented himself before the court, he apologised, adding that he had been unaware that he needed to be at the Four Courts when summoned. During the proceeding, the judge notably admonished the defendant, implying that he is not omnipotent. Mr Martin’s legal team later confirmed that there had been no violation of the rules since the second incident, and both parties were aiming to settle the issue outside the courtroom. Mr Martin termed the incident as “a legitimate error” and a misinterpretation, for which he expressed regret, and acknowledged that Mr O’Neill had invested significantly in his property.
The text implies that the plaintiffs have received a number of complaints from Mr Martin snr, to which their solicitor, Mr Giblin, refutes most claims. Mr Martin snr is alleged to have threatened to involve various authorities such as Tusla in matters regarding his clients. The plaintiffs were deeply distressed following a visit from the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and fear that Tusla may also come calling.
The judge, acknowledging Mr Martin snr’s testimony and the ongoing efforts to resolve a property dispute, agreed to postpone the proceedings for a fortnight. The deliberations involved a garage that the couple contend they bought as part of their property in the Crann Nua estate, built by Drumgoan in 2005. They maintain that the defendants claim ownership of this garage, a structure adjacent to the home they’ve lived in for two decades.
The couple argue that due to their former solicitor’s negligence, the garage’s proper transfer process was not completed. They discovered recently that the land the garage is built on has been registered to Drumgoan since 2023. The defending party are alleged to have attempted a ‘land grab’, demanding payments not only from the couple, but also from their neighbours with garages on the estate. The plaintiffs also claimed that they have been on the receiving end of threatening messages from Mr Martin snr’s, an attempt, they believe, to intimidate them into capitulation.