A Glasgow father of two has been sentenced to 10 years for the manslaughter of a man last December.
Patrick Doherty (46) with an address at Cloncoon West, Glenamaddy, Co Galway, was convicted last July of the manslaughter of Frank Fahy (20), of O' Keefe Park, Glenamaddy, in the early hours of December 15th, 2008.
He was also convicted of assaulting Gerald Costello.
Mr Justice Paul Carney said that the most aggravating factor was that Doherty left the scene of the row, returned home and armed himself with a kitchen knife before returning to the scene to carry on the row.
He said that there had been a devastating effect on the victim's family, and noted that Doherty had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and had been remorseful. The judge sentenced Doherty to 10 years for manslaughter and four years for assault, and ordered both sentences to run concurrently from December 16th, 2008.
The court was told at an earlier hearing that Mr Fahy died from a single stab wound to the back.
Detective Sergeant Michael O'Driscoll, Tuam, told the court that Doherty, a native of Glasgow, was drinking in the same pub as the victim, Mr Costello and their girlfriends on the night of the killing.
At closing time, Doherty drove home, got a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade attached and returned to where Mr Fahy and Mr Costello were waiting for a taxi home. An altercation followed, during which Mr Fahy was stabbed once, just below the shoulder blade. Mr Costello suffered a number of stab wounds.
The court heard how the victim's father, John Joe Fahy, drove them to the hospital but that his son was pronounced dead at 2.30am having suffered "catastrophic blood loss".
Det Sgt O'Driscoll said the owner of the pub took the knife from Doherty who then demanded to be served more alcohol. Doherty returned home where he was later arrested by gardaí.
The court also heard a statement from Mr Costello, who said he is still scarred from the wounds inflicted on him, and that mentally the incident has had a "serious effect" on him. He said "never a day goes by" that he does not
think of the "enormous loss suffered by Frank's death". He said Glennamaddy was once a place to meet friends and neighbours, but now he considered it to be a "town of horror".
Doherty is the first person to be sentenced at the new €140 million Criminal Courts of Justice complex at Parkgate Street in Dublin.