Former council manager receives apology over incorrect newspaper articles

Former Wicklow County Council manager Eddie Sheehy has received High Court apologies over two articles on separate matters in a local newspaper.

Mr Sheehy, now retired, sued the North Wicklow Times Ltd and editor Shay Fitzmaurice over the articles in the North Wicklow Times on November 8th, 2016, and March 10th, 2016.

The November article incorrectly stated Mr Sheehy had been charged with failures leading to the deaths of two Bray firefighters.

In the apology, read by Shane English BL, for the defendants, it was stated: “We take this opportunity to correct that erroneous report.

“We regret the hurt and upset this allegation caused to Mr Sheehy and we apologise to him”.

In relation to the March article, the apology said in that edition it was stated that allegations of planning corruption had been made against Mr Sheehy.

“These allegations were defamatory and should not have been repeated by us,” it said.

The defendants said they were taking this opportunity to apologise to Mr Sheehy and “regret the hurt and upset that our report caused to him”.

A jury was due to hear the action relating to the November article this week but Mr Justice Alexander Owens was told by Simon McAleese, solicitor for Mr Sheehy, the case had been settled. A case in relation to the March article had not yet been set down for hearing but was also settled, Mr McAleese said.

Mr Justice Owens struck out both cases after the apologies were read.