A CIRCUIT Court judge has warned that “a marker has to be put down” when it comes to sentencing a Kerry landowner for the destruction of a 1,500-year-old ring fort, a national monument, in one of the first cases of its kind to come before the courts.
Judge Carroll Moran, who noted that restoration was not possible, was speaking yesterday at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee where John O’Mahony (64) was to be sentenced for destroying a fort of national importance.
Tom Rice, prosecuting, said the fine was €15,000 and/or five years in prison. Personnel from the National Museum were in court.
Last November, O’Mahony pleaded guilty to carrying out unauthorised work near a monument on his farmland at Clashmealcon, Causeway, in February 2008.
The court heard how the lands contained a ring fort and souterrains, or underground tunnels, dating back to between AD500 and AD100.
The ring fort and tunnel system were of national historic importance and were listed on the national monuments register.
Without seeking permission from the Department of the Environment, Mr O’Mahony had hired workers to demolish the majority of the ring fort and use the material to fill in a pond he believed dangerous, the court was told.
Mr O’Mahony knew of the existence of the ring fort as he had previously objected to a planning application on the grounds the site contained “a historical ring fort”, the court was told.
John O’Sullivan, defending, said O’Mahony did not understand the implications of what he had done.
He said his client apologised. Judge Moran adjourned sentencing to February 21st.