Ms Anne Acheson, partner of U2's Larry Mullen, told the High Court yesterday that Ms Joy Fahy was a totally reliable nanny and had a very special talent with babies.
Ms Acheson, called as a witness by Ms Fahy's side in her action against Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan and her husband, Mr Don Burton, said she was Larry Mullen's partner and they had three young children.
The hearing had been adjourned over the Easter period and will continue today.
Yesterday, Larry Mullen's partner told the court that in April/May 1998, she employed Ms Fahy as a babysitter.
"She came in to help me very specifically at night time," Ms Acheson said. "I had a child who didn't sleep very well and she came highly recommended."
In December 1998, she was expecting her second child and Ms Fahy had agreed to be her maternity nurse as she had a lot of experience with babies and her son adored Ms Fahy.
When Ms Acheson was asked by counsel for Ms Fahy about speaking to Ms Fahy in early 1999, Mr Bill Shipsey SC, for the defence, objected on grounds that the evidence was "hearsay." After lengthy legal submissions, Mr Justice Quirke upheld Mr Shipsey's objection.
Ms Acheson said Ms Fahy had concluded working with her in 1999 as she had been offered another contract. Around March 1999, Ms Acheson said she learned Ms Fahy had reached an agreement with the defendants and was to start in June.
In August 1999, Ms Fahy had started to work for Ms Acheson again and had remained with the family until March 2003. During this period she had taken a trip with the family on a Stardust tour on which Ms Acheson's very young baby had also travelled. Ms Fahy had also travelled abroad with Ms Acheson in December 1998.
She found Ms Fahy to be totally reliable and very capable, with a special talent with babies. Ms Fahy had kept in touch with all her children.
Also yesterday Ms Fahy herself was cross-examined by Mr Shipsey for the defence at the resumed hearing of her action against the Burtons alleging breach of contract.
She described as "upsetting and untrue" an allegation that she had received social welfare while working for Australian model Elle McPherson last year. She had not got anyone to "sign on" for her and had not signed on for the dole when she was not entitled to it.
When in the witness box last month, Ms Fahy rejected a suggestion that she had been "caught" falsely receiving some €3,000 in social welfare payments.
In her action, Ms Fahy, from Moyleggan, Batterstown, Co Meath, claims the Burtons breached a contract entered into with her on or about April 9th, 1999. She claims that, under that contract, they agreed to employ her as a full-time childminder for their son, Taylor, then a baby. She claims her employment was to commence on June 1st, 1999 and last for a year but that she was let go after a short time.
In 1997, Ms Fahy also spent a short period as a childminder with the Burtons. Her life was "a shambles" following time with them in Canada in 1997, she claimed. She agreed she had attended a consultant psychologist in 1997-98 as a result of being involved in a traffic accident in 1994. She had received £27,000 regarding that accident. She also agreed that she made no complaint to the psychologist about her life being a shambles for the 10 days in 1997. She had not mentioned that incident. She was quite a discreet person, she said. She had picked herself up and moved on.
During questioning of Ms Fahy about her time with the Burtons in Canada in 1999, Mr Shipsey said his clients would hotly dispute the claim that Taylor would be in the bar area of the house with strangers. Ms Fahy said that on several occasions Dolores had pointed out to her that there were people in the house and in the bar and she did not even know their names.
Referring to Ms Fahy's earlier evidence alleging that, on one occasion while in Canada in 1999, Mr Burton had gone out on a jet ski with a beer in one hand and baby Taylor in the other, Mr Shipsey suggested that was impossible and did not happen. Ms Fahy said it did happen. What Mr Burton had done was extremely dangerous, she said.
In evidence, Mr Joe Traynor, a social welfare inspector, was asked about a document referring to Ms Fahy "signing on" for a period commencing in April 2003. He said this showed she "signed on" on April 1st and May 7th, 2003 and was not required to sign until September 21st, 2003. She had not done so.
Around €123.80 per week had been paid to her bank account up to September 24th, 2003, Mr Traynor said. The total amount paid was €3,099.20.