Brought Stage Props To Drama Festival

Ernest Daly, Strandhill, for whom Mr. F. P. Howley, solicitor, appeared, was charged at Sligo Court on Friday last before District Justice Barry, with carrying stage props on a lorry at Quay St. Sligo, on 9th March last while not having the required merchandise licence, and with failing to produce his insurance on the occasion. Gda. Mc Menamin said when he stopped the lorry, which was owned and being driven by the defendant, he examined it and found it was loaded with stage props. When he questioned defendant about these, Daly said they were the property of Sligo Drama Circle and he had taken them back from Roscommon Town where the Drama Circle had competed at a drama festival the previous night.

Defendant, who said he had neither asked for, nor received payment for carrying the props, told witness he was a member of the Sligo Drama Circle’s stage staff and he produced to witness a card showing he was a member of the Sligo Drama Circle. The Guard added that defendant failed to produce insurance when stopped. He had also failed to produce it within the five days allowed and he had not done so since. In cross examination, the Guard said defendant told him he had done the run for the Drama Circle completely voluntarily and without payment of any kind.

Mr. Howley said his case was that his client had received not payment whatever for carrying the stage props for the Drama Circle. It was absolutely a voluntary undertaking as far as his client was concerned. He did the run to Roscommon to take the Drama Circle out of a difficulty they had run into due to their failure to get the props taken to Roscommon by other means. Defendant in evidence said the lorry was his own property and he was a member of the Sligo Drama Circle. On Tuesday, 7th March, defendant went on, Mr Mc Dermottroe, Chairman of the Sligo Drama Circle, asked him to take him out of trouble by bringing the set to Roscommon on the following day in preparation for the Drama Circle’s participation in the drama festival there that night. He told witness that the transport arrangements he had already made had broken down. At the time, witness was not particularly busy and on the following day he did the run to Roscommon. He brought the props back home to Strandhill that night as it was too late to bring them to Sligo. The following day he brought them to Sligo. He did the run absolutely voluntarily and got no payment whatever for doing so.

With regard to the charge relating to the insurance, defendant produced a cover not issued to him by the Hibernian Insurance Company in respect of the period 2nd February to 1st March which, he agreed, did not cover him on the date in question. After he had explained that there had been correspondence between the Century Insurance Company with which he said he had formerly done business and the Hibernian Insurance Company with regard to the policy. The Justice said he would adjourn the charge relating to the insurance to enable defendant to produce evidence as to whether he was covered on 9th March.

In reply to Supt. P. Mahony prosecuting, who asked who paid for the petrol used on the run to Roscommon and back, defendant said he paid for it himself. The petrol for the run would have cost him about £2. The Drama Circle had given him nothing for the run, not even a contribution towards the cost of the run.

Edward A. Mc Dermottroe, Chairman of the Sligo Drama Circle, said about three days previous to Wednesday 7th March, he had arrangements made with a licensed haulier to convey the set to Roscommon but at the last minute the arrangement fell through, as the other haulier was engaged hauling coal from the quays, and that left witness in an awkward situation. He met defendant in the street, told him of the difficulty he was in and asked him to do the run to Roscommon. Defendant agreed and he took the props to Roscommon on 8th March and brought them back that night but he did the run voluntarily and received no payment whatever. In cross-examination, witness said he did not offer defendant any money for doing the run because he knew perfectly well he would be in trouble immediately if he accepted any money. Asked did he not approach CIE to do the run, witness said he made an enquiry but the company’s price was absolutely unreasonable. The carrying charge was dismissed.

from The Sligo Champion, May 13th, 1961