Councillor Ó Cadhla charged with criminal damage to street signs

THE investigation into the blacking out of street names in Cork called after Queen Victoria resulted in the charging of a Cork councillor and two other men at Cork District Court yesterday.

Diarmaid Ó Cadhla, aged 56, of 8 Upper Beaumont Drive, Ballintemple, was charged with five counts of criminal damage to street signs at three separate locations in Cork city.

Ó Cadhla is charged with two counts of criminal damage at Victoria Road, two counts of criminal damage at Victoria Cross and one count of criminal damage at Victoria Street, Military Hill, in Cork city on February 2.

Two co-accused, Thomas O’Connor, aged 56, from 44 Mangerton Close, the Glen, and Tony Walsh, aged 52, from 25 Carrigmore Park, Ballinlough, were both charged with the same five counts.

Judge Olann Kelleher adjourned the cases against all three accused until December 4 for either a plea of guilty or to fix a date for hearing the cases if they decide to contest the charges against them.

A group called Cork Street Names Campaign was set up to have streets in Cork named after the British queen renamed.

The group stated yesterday: “To honour the name of Victoria, the Famine Queen, in the street names of Cork is an insult to the dignity of the famine victims and to the self-respect of the people today.” In a statement issued before they appeared in court, Cllr Ó Cadhla described the painting out of Queen Victoria’s name as “an act of civil disobedience and an act of conscientious objection.”

When the case was called in Courtroom 4 at Cork District Court, Diarmaid Ó Cadhla began speaking in Irish and argued that he was entitled under the constitution to have the case against him heard in Irish.

Judge Kelleher said he was fully entitled to give his evidence in Irish, but he was not entitled to have the case in its entirety heard in Irish and he himself would need an interpreter to assist him.

Judge Kelleher advised Mr Ó Cadhla to get himself a solicitor to assist him on that point and on his defence to the charge and he asked the accused to submit a statement of means, on his earnings, including his earnings as a councillor, if he wanted free legal aid.

Judge Kelleher granted O’Connor free legal aid. Walsh is to file a statement of means in his application for legal aid.