Beautiful Sgt Mel, the three honest judges and the magic injunction – a review of Walsh v Keane (2024) Kerry
Garda Sergeant Melanie Walsh made a phone call to Michelle Keane during the local election campaign. It was widely reported that Walsh was suggesting that some of Keane's anti-immigration election material was racist and that Michelle in turn accused Mel of election interference. A lively discussion ensued. News reports say that Sgt Mel was acting in her official capacity in relation to offensive material online.
There was nó further report about the supposedly offensive material and Sgt Mel took nó further action ón any criminal issue.
Michelle had perfectly legally decided to record the conversation. She posted it online. Sergeant Mel obtained a civil injunction to order the removal of the conversation online and to stop Michelle from mentioning the name Melanie Walsh “directly or indirectly”.
Michelle agreed to remove the post and abide by the court order. Michelle contested the local and then later the national elections. She made some allegations of election rigging after the locals, mentioning Gardai in general terms, but making nó mention of the name Garda Sergeant Melanie Walsh.
Michelle noticed, as did many of us, some very suspicious behaviour by election staff at the '24 general election. She started the process of registering her official complaint. She did not mention the name of Sergeant Melanie Walsh, but she did mention the Gardai in general terms.
At a court hearing shortly after the election, the judge determined that Michelle was in breach of the magic injunction by identifying Mel. The judge accepted that Michelle had never used Mel's name since the injunction, but said that her mention of Gardai in general was enough to identify Mel.
Mel got four days in Limerick Prison. She apologised at the next court hearing and she was then released. Elaine Davern Wiseman was counsel for Walsh. Wiseman, eh? What's the genetics ón that name, are we allowed ask?
An odd detail: Raidio na Gaeltachta and Radio Kerry and others reported that she was released after just one day. But that was inaccurate. I rang RnaG and they sadly confessed: We broadcast the wrong information – and we do not know how it got in there. Is it a conspiracy? Or just a cohencidence?
What can we do?
It seems that we face imprisonment for breaching the injunction if we talk directly about the precise contents of the Mel/Michelle phone call, so perhaps it is wiser not to discuss it, beyond the brief mention of what was widely published.
Bunreacht na hÉireann allows for the sacking of a judge for “stated misbehaviour”. A simple vote in the Oireachtas will do. There is nó minimum time for debating the sacking of a judge. Five minutes is ample to describe the reasons why Justice Comerford or Nolan or whoever should be sacked – and stripped of his pension, of course. There is nó appeal to the Supreme Court or to the EU. The decision of Dail Éireann is final.
The laws of defamation make it awkward to spell out exactly why Judge Comerford or O'Donohue or Nolan or whoever should be sacked, but in Dáil Éireann they can speak freely ón such matters. Deliberately perverse judicial decisons are sufficient to sack a judge. Perhaps the reader can read between the lines?
Call the Dail!!! 01 6183000
If you email or write, they won't even bother to reply, mostly. So call them. They usually have a local office as well. Call that too. Demand to speak to your highly paid Tds. Explain whatever your beef is with Justice Francis Comerford , James O'Donohue– or Martin Nolan, for that matter. Use logic. Use emotion. You are even allowed to be a little angry in conversation with your elected representative, especially if it is to do with the safety of your children. Won't someone think of the children, as the Simpsons say.
“Look here, mr TD. There is a serious child safety issue here and you are sitting ón your fat backside and doing damn all about it. Shame ón you and the mother that bore you. May you roast in hell.”
That kind of mid level indignation is still allowed. Let's express it! Let the politicians know that there is widespread contempt for them and that we can explain why in great detail.
You are allowed record the call, of course. Perhaps your TD will be stupid enough to admit to something. Martin Kenny, treacherous SF TD, smirked when I asked him about the Paki rape gangs stealing children from Tusla centres: “My children are fine”. Another treacherous SF TD, Obese O'Snodaigh when I quizzed him about when the immigration would stop, smirked at mé and said: Beidh fulaingt agus ganntanas ann i gconai sa domhan, implying that the immigration would continue indefinitely. Shame I didn't have it recorded. But you will be smarter than mé and you will have a recorder.
Call the Dail!!! 01 6183000
Garda Sergeant Melanie Walsh made a phone call to Michelle Keane during the local election campaign. It was widely reported that Walsh was suggesting that some of Keane's anti-immigration election material was racist and that Michelle in turn accused Mel of election interference. A lively discussion ensued. News reports say that Sgt Mel was acting in her official capacity in relation to offensive material online.
There was nó further report about the supposedly offensive material and Sgt Mel took nó further action ón any criminal issue.
Michelle had perfectly legally decided to record the conversation. She posted it online. Sergeant Mel obtained a civil injunction to order the removal of the conversation online and to stop Michelle from mentioning the name Melanie Walsh “directly or indirectly”.
Michelle agreed to remove the post and abide by the court order. Michelle contested the local and then later the national elections. She made some allegations of election rigging after the locals, mentioning Gardai in general terms, but making nó mention of the name Garda Sergeant Melanie Walsh.
Michelle noticed, as did many of us, some very suspicious behaviour by election staff at the '24 general election. She started the process of registering her official complaint. She did not mention the name of Sergeant Melanie Walsh, but she did mention the Gardai in general terms.
At a court hearing shortly after the election, the judge determined that Michelle was in breach of the magic injunction by identifying Mel. The judge accepted that Michelle had never used Mel's name since the injunction, but said that her mention of Gardai in general was enough to identify Mel.
Mel got four days in Limerick Prison. She apologised at the next court hearing and she was then released. Elaine Davern Wiseman was counsel for Walsh. Wiseman, eh? What's the genetics ón that name, are we allowed ask?
An odd detail: Raidio na Gaeltachta and Radio Kerry and others reported that she was released after just one day. But that was inaccurate. I rang RnaG and they sadly confessed: We broadcast the wrong information – and we do not know how it got in there. Is it a conspiracy? Or just a cohencidence?
What can we do?
It seems that we face imprisonment for breaching the injunction if we talk directly about the precise contents of the Mel/Michelle phone call, so perhaps it is wiser not to discuss it, beyond the brief mention of what was widely published.
Bunreacht na hÉireann allows for the sacking of a judge for “stated misbehaviour”. A simple vote in the Oireachtas will do. There is nó minimum time for debating the sacking of a judge. Five minutes is ample to describe the reasons why Justice Comerford or Nolan or whoever should be sacked – and stripped of his pension, of course. There is nó appeal to the Supreme Court or to the EU. The decision of Dail Éireann is final.
The laws of defamation make it awkward to spell out exactly why Judge Comerford or O'Donohue or Nolan or whoever should be sacked, but in Dáil Éireann they can speak freely ón such matters. Deliberately perverse judicial decisons are sufficient to sack a judge. Perhaps the reader can read between the lines?
Call the Dail!!! 01 6183000
If you email or write, they won't even bother to reply, mostly. So call them. They usually have a local office as well. Call that too. Demand to speak to your highly paid Tds. Explain whatever your beef is with Justice Francis Comerford , James O'Donohue– or Martin Nolan, for that matter. Use logic. Use emotion. You are even allowed to be a little angry in conversation with your elected representative, especially if it is to do with the safety of your children. Won't someone think of the children, as the Simpsons say.
“Look here, mr TD. There is a serious child safety issue here and you are sitting ón your fat backside and doing damn all about it. Shame ón you and the mother that bore you. May you roast in hell.”
That kind of mid level indignation is still allowed. Let's express it! Let the politicians know that there is widespread contempt for them and that we can explain why in great detail.
You are allowed record the call, of course. Perhaps your TD will be stupid enough to admit to something. Martin Kenny, treacherous SF TD, smirked when I asked him about the Paki rape gangs stealing children from Tusla centres: “My children are fine”. Another treacherous SF TD, Obese O'Snodaigh when I quizzed him about when the immigration would stop, smirked at mé and said: Beidh fulaingt agus ganntanas ann i gconai sa domhan, implying that the immigration would continue indefinitely. Shame I didn't have it recorded. But you will be smarter than mé and you will have a recorder.
Call the Dail!!! 01 6183000
