A Co Galway farmer has been found guilty of threatening, abusive and insulting words against a neighbour during a long-running dispute over a missing dog.
At Gort District Court, Judge Adrian Harris found Brian Gill, 44, of Cahermore, Kinvara, guilty of the offences in two separate incidents, on May 21, 2025, and February 2 this year. The offences concerned threatening, abusive and insulting words against Brian Murphy with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.
The judge did not convict Gill of either offence. Instead, he imposed the Probation Act for one year and told Gill that he must complete an anger-management course if the Probation Service recommends one.
Judge Harris said there was context to the offences and “clearly ill feeling” between the two men going back some time. He said Gill should not engage in behaviour amounting to the offences.
Gill told the court his dog went missing on May 19, 2025, and that he received a phone call on July 1 saying the dog was 35km away. “That dog did not walk 35 kilometres,” he said.
In evidence about the May 21, 2025, incident at Caherawoneen South, Kinvara, Murphy said Gill accused him of stealing the dog and said “I will get you” when they met while both were driving on a narrow road around 9pm. Murphy said he did not know anything about the dog and did not say a word to Gill.
Gill denied threatening Murphy. He said he only asked where his dog was and that Murphy called him a fool. Gill said he replied: “You are the only fool who sells top soil from his farm.” He also said he had been told by three people that the dog was seen in the back of Murphy’s yard, but declined to identify them.
Gill’s barrister, Martin Durack, said there was an agrarian background to the incident and past disputes over fences. Under cross-examination, Gill said he was angry because the matter had been going on for 10 years, and told the judge it was the 15th time he had been in court over the matter, directly or indirectly.
Insp. Daragh Browne said Gill remained very frustrated and still believed someone had removed the dog. Durack said Gill’s language may have been brusque but there was no threat and no intention to cause a breach of the peace.