Ms Joy Fahy, a childminder, told the High Court yesterday she was treated badly during a visit to Canada with the Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan and her husband, Don Burton, in June 1999.
For about 30 minutes Ms Fahy repeatedly wept as she described her alleged treatment while employed by the Burtons to look after their son, Taylor, who was 18 months at the time.
It began when counsel for the Burtons, Mr Bill Shipsey SC, suggested Ms Fahy never had to stay overnight with the child.
Ms Fahy said that when the parents were out she had to sit with him until 3 a.m. on the side of their bed. She spent many hours on the edge of the bed while they were out or in the bar downstairs. At one stage she told Mr Shipsey: "I had to eat off the bedroom tap." She denied that June 19th, 1999, was the only night she was left alone with the child.
Mr Shipsey said they came back shortly after 11 p.m. that night. Ms Fahy said they came home and went into the bar.
She rejected a claim that when the parents returned she had put her coat on and rushed out the door. Ms Fahy said she would never rush from her responsibilities when in charge of a child.
She never knew when she was off or on duty. She was asked to do bizarre things. She was told not to leave the room until they came up, and the child would not sleep in a cot. Hour upon hour she had to sit on a bed with no facilities for eating or drinking.
It was just so distressing to sit with a sleeping baby in a bedroom on her own, she said. It was not normal, not average and not appropriate to be baby-sitting in those circumstances.
Ms Fahy began sobbing at this stage, and Mr Shipsey suggested the Burtons had no recollection of her complaints and as far as they were concerned she was not unhappy with them.
Ms Fahy: "I could see things unravelling. I was just being treated badly. I was worried about my contract.
"Mr Burton was dismissive of me and abusing and ridiculed me and Eileen [his mother-in-law\]. You don't drink in the house around a young baby. I understand people drinking, but this was so erratic."
She rejected a suggestion by Mr Shipsey that she had fabricated her evidence for the purpose of bringing her claim.
Mr Shipsey said his clients would say this and so would Ms Eileen O'Riordan.
Under further cross-examination, Ms Fahy said she felt entitled to the €10,000 termination fee which she claims was in her verbal agreement.
Before yesterday's hearing was adjourned until April 20th, counsel for Ms Fahy, Mr Richard Keane SC, told Mr Justice Quirke that his client had been "ambushed" concerning alleged social welfare claims and had not been warned about a social welfare official being called as a witness.
Mr Shipsey pointed out that the official was in court, and Mr Justice Quirke had said he would permit Mr Keane to take instructions.