Veteran Irish folk singer Christy Moore was detained and interviewed by port authorities in Holyhead, Wales, on Monday, writes Daniel McConnell.
Travelling from Dublin to perform in Britain, Moore and his driver were stopped in the Anglesea port and questioned for almost two hours. Moore was carrying no photo identification and port authorities let the men go only after interviews and an extensive search of the car, which was full of posters and musical equipment. A source said the singer-songwriter "was extremely upset and angered by the incident, and was disturbed by the personal nature of the questions".
It is understood Moore's driver tried to contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs to resolve the issue. Last night, Mr Ahern's Department confirmed officials were aware of the incident and the Minister had contacted the singer. Moore and his driver made submissions on the incident to the Department and called on the Minister to investigate. The authorities in north Wales refused to comment.