A Co Mayo farmer who shot dead a member of the Travelling community on his property has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Padraig Nally (61), denied the murder of John Ward (42), at his 65-acre farm in Cross, Co Mayo, last year.
Mayo farmer Padraig Nally
At the Central Criminal Court in Castlebar, the jury of seven women and five men took two hours and ten minutes to deliver their verdict.
The courthouse was packed with relatives of Mr Ward, who was the father of 11 children, and neighbours of Nally.
Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded Nally on continuing bail and set November 11th as the date for sentencing at the court.
Yesterday was the fifth day of the trial which is being held in Castlebar courthouse and is the first murder hearing at the Co Mayo venue.
The jury was told by Ms Justice Carney yesterday that it could either return a verdict of guilty of murder, or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
In his closing submission, Paul O'Higgins SC, prosecuting said it was the State's case that Nally used more force than was reasonably necessary to defend himself.
He had won his fight, it was over. The law did not allow someone to kill someone else because they might come along later and kill them.
Noel Grehan SC, defending, told the jury that a decision had been made by the trial judge about the verdicts it could return.
Mr Grehan said Nally had a grievance and dislike of Travellers. "Pádraig Nally did not go looking for trouble but trouble came looking for him," he said.
Mr Grehan said that Nally was a law-abiding, upstanding member of the community, who did not after 60 years become a murderer. He had acted in self-defence and was provoked.
The defence was not arguing insanity.