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Galway man admits pelting aunt with eggs amid land dispute

Egging ‘ambush’ nephew admits his role in bizarre car attack on aunt as sister reveals how the family was named by a garda as the ‘worst in Gort’ and was the butt of jokes when the case was reported

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A man who threw eggs at his aunt as part of a long-running land dispute has finally apologised to her and confessed to his role in the attack.

Earlier this year, Cathal (26) and Michelle Connors (21) of Farnaun, Peterswell, Galway, were convicted and fined by Judge Mary Larkin of assault and causing criminal damage to their aunt Mary Fahy’s vehicle.

The court heard neither sibling had shown any remorse or offered an apology for what happened.

The attack was motivated by a disagreement relating to a farm owned by another sister of the Connors’ father, Patrick. Although ill, the other sister is alive and being cared for by Mary.

It was reported that up to 32 eggs were thrown during the incident, while the Connors family claimed to the Sunday World last week that it was around a dozen.

The attack took place outside the Connors’ house on the evening of October 17, 2019. Mary, who lives 2.5km from her relatives’ house previously told the Sunday World how said she was the victim of an “ambush”.

The two siblings recently appealed their convictions.

Now the family has broken its silence and Cathal admitted that he carried out the attack and apologised when he appeared at court in Loughrea.

As a result, instead of being left with a conviction on his record he was bound to the peace for two years.

Michelle, who was a minor at the time of the incident but turned 18 when the case went to court, was convicted earlier this year. However, the State withdrew the case against her on appeal and she is now also left without a conviction.

Mary Fahy’s son, James, who had a light on his car smashed by Cathal and Michelle’s father Paddy in another incident linked to the dispute, told the Sunday World that the family is happy Cathal has finally apologised and said things have calmed down recently.

“The Fahy family have got justice. We can live in peace now and they’ve more or less gone in home.”

Michelle and her parents Paddy and Anna spoke publicly about the case for the first time when we called to their family home last week.

Mum Anna admitted some of the initial coverage of the case was funny and told how people online were calling her family “mad yolks” — but said it did stress them out.

“I’m not blaming Cathal one bit. I know it was awful what he done but there was only about 12 eggs, it wasn’t 32.”

She told how she accompanied Michelle when she initially gave a statement over the egging and recalls how the investigating garda was exasperated with the family.

“The guard said ‘I’m sick of ye all’,” Anna said.

Michelle added: “He said we were one of the worst families in Gort. We couldn’t believe it.”

She said she was happy to have her conviction lifted but admitted there would be no reconciliation between her family and her aunt.

“I know what happened to her was obviously wrong. Fair enough, it’s wrong. I know she’s my auntie but she was never anything to me.”

Michelle said she is adamant she didn’t throw eggs on the day.

“I was there, yeah. Me and mam were stood out for the front for a fag. We don’t smoke anymore. We were stood outside and next thing she passed as she did and had the window down.

“Obviously we didn’t know Cathal was going to do that.”

She said he was mortified when the case was reported on in newspapers.

“I had to go into work and I know everyone was talking. It was all over every newspaper. It was so embarrassing. Everyone who knew me knew that I didn’t do it, but it was the hardest thing to have to keep telling people and no one believes it.”

She said gardaí didn’t believe her version of events and neither did the judge in her court case.

“They treated us like we were two little brats who were wild and didn’t give a s**t about anyone and just treated people like shite because we could.

“We were made out like we were two little brats. That’s what it looked like. We’re not like that at all. That’s what hurt.

“Everyone who knows me knows that I wouldn’t do it. I’d never do a thing like that. But for people who didn’t know me — and anyone who looked up my name if I was going for a job or things like that — it looks terrible. It really looks terrible.”

Anna added that a lot of comments about the case online were jokey.

“They found it hilarious that her name was Michelle like ‘shell’. At one stage we were in the paper and there was a small story about Hutch and then a big thing about us. I know we can laugh now but it wasn’t funny at the time.”

In between the egging attack and the siblings’ court case, their father was involved in an incident where he smashed the tail light on the car of Mary’s Fahy’s son James.

“It was before the court. I had cows above there and I was feeding them. The brother was with me and he said to me Fahy has pulled up,” recalls Paddy.

He said they had an interaction. Mr Fahy said he stopped because there were dogs on the road.

“I said pull on. I had a stick and I sent the tail light flying. I gave it a crack of the stick. I pleaded guilty and paid for the tail light. The guards took his side as well,” he alleged.

He was ordered to pay compensation for the incident and bound to the peace.

The family say they will not cause any more trouble for the Fahy family but said there is no chance of any reconciliation.

“No,” Anna said. “We never want to have anything to do with her. We’re better off to just walk past it.

Michelle added: “You can’t forgive a lot of things. I know what she thinks of us, so let her off — I never want to speak to her again. There was too much said and too much done.”

Mary Fahy is also taking a person injury case to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board in relation to the egg attack.

In her evidence in the original criminal case, she said: “It was bang, bang, bang, bang. I thought they were stones and they continued for five minutes or thereabouts and banging eggs off my face.”

Mrs Fahy told the court that her niece and nephew threw “a dozen and a score of eggs” at her.

Mrs Fahy said she saw Michelle and Cathal Connors “running out from the front door — they obviously had it set up”.

In evidence, Michelle Connors denied any role in the egg assault.

Asked why she didn’t go out to help her aunt by Judge Larkin, Michelle Connors replied: “I have never spoken to the woman.”

Asked why, Ms Connors said: “Because when we were growing up I never had anything to do with her, which I am glad of.”

Cathal Connors denied being at home during the egg assault and having any role in it and said he was at the local mart at the time and had cattle receipts to show that.

Both Cathal and Michelle Connors told the court that they had seen “young lads on bikes” in the area that day and they may have been responsible for the egg assault.

He now fully admits he carried out the attack.