A row between neighbours over a teenage boy's drumming practice has been settled, a judge was told yesterday.
Sean McGarry (16) had given a neighbour, Mr Alan McDunphy, "no respite" since he bought a set of drums last year, Dublin District Court was told last month. The matter was adjourned until yesterday to allow for discussion about what could be done to restrict the boy's playing times and provide insulation for the McDunphys on the occasions he did play.
Yesterday Judge Peter Smith wick was told that the case had been "amicably resolved".
The court heard last month that Sean McGarry played with the National Children's Choir. However, as far as some of his neighbours were concerned, his drumming practice was "just noise".
Mr Patrick McGarry claimed that his son was permitted to practice for only one hour a day. But Mr McDunphy, who lives next door at Wainsfort Manor Drive, Terenure, claimed that the drumming could last for up to five hours a day, particularly when the boy's parents were away.
Two neighbours who gave evidence on behalf of the McDunphys said that they had been in the McDunphy house when the boy was drumming. In one particular room, it was impossible to hear a person talk, such was the noise level.
Mr McGarry said that "reasonable precautions" had been taken to ensure that neighbours were not affected, including limiting practice to one hour a day and moving the drums to a bedroom away from the dividing wall with the neighbours. They had also put blankets on the wall to muffle the sound.