The uncle of a man shot in the back at a family funeral has denied suggestions that he was "looking for a fight" outside a Sligo cemetery, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Defence counsel Mr Brendan Nix, acting on behalf of Mr Michael "Bumbee" McDonagh jnr, suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward snr (63) that he travelled with his son to the funeral for a fight on May 10th, 1999.
"We were not there for a fight. We were there for a funeral," Mr "Jaws" Ward snr said.
Mr "Deuce" Ward (38), a father of six originally from Galway but resident in Manchester, had travelled to Ireland for the funeral of his uncle, Patrick "Skillet" Ward, in Ballymote, Co Sligo, on May 10th, 1999, when he was fatally shot.
Mr Michael "Hitler Bumbee" McDonagh snr (58), Mr Martin "Bumbee" McDonagh snr (53), Mr Michael McDonagh jnr (29), Mr Patrick McDonagh (33) and Mr Martin "Spider Bumbee" McDonagh jnr (26), from Hertfordshire, have all denied the murder of Mr Ward.
The five have also pleaded not guilty to the possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life.
They also have denied the attempted murder of Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward snr, Mr Patrick "Jaws" Ward jnr and Mr Edward "Ned" Ward on the same occasion.
The accused men also pleaded not guilty to causing violent disorder on the same date.
Mr Nix SC suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward snr that his brother, Tom "Joker" Ward, had stopped his van and told the witness and his son that the McDonaghs were looking for trouble at the graveyard.
"I didn't hear it," Mr "Jaws" Ward snr said.
"Unless your son is a perjurer, that is what he told us last week," Mr Nix told the witness.
"It might have been said to him but it wasn't said to me," Mr "Jaws" Ward snr said.
"This is the first time I heard that they were there for trouble. If I knew, we wouldn't have gone. That would mean they were waiting for us."
Mr Nix suggested to Mr "Jaws" Ward snr that "Joker" Ward had told them they were driving into an ambush.
Mr "Jaws" Ward snr replied: "We didn't know we were going into an ambush."
Mr "Jaws" Ward snr told the jury he did not see a slashhook in his son's hand when he was walking towards the crowd of McDonaghs outside the cemetery.
"All I seen when I got out of the van was the McDonaghs firing stones," he said.
The trial continues before Mr Justice O'Neill at the Central Criminal Court.