CARRYING a Samurai sword around the streets of Galway is simply not on, a Judge told a man at Galway District Court on Monday, when she banned him from the city centre for two years and ordered the destruction of his sword.
Judge Valerie Corcoran was told that Peter Moran from Kilimordaly, Loughrea was a religious man and was involved with a group in Galway which distributed material relating to their beliefs on Shop Street. His solicitor Olivia Traynor pleaded that the sword was associated with his beliefs and he had not threatened or put anyone in danger by carrying it on his person.
However, when the Judge was shown the sword in a scabbard with a rope for carrying it across the body she expressed shock, stating that anyone seeing him carrying it would be alarmed and she was “horrified” when a Garda displayed the blade to her.
The defence pleaded that a “sheikh” in Dublin with whom the defendant was associated had a similar sword but Judge Corcoran said she couldn’t care less what some sheikh had elsewhere, there was no way anyone was going to be allowed to walk around in public with such a weapon.
The Court was told that Moran “lived on the periphery of life”. He is 64 and had lived for 25 or 30 years in India.
Garda O’Donnell gave evidence of encountering Moran in the centre of the city on November 21, carrying the sword strapped to his back, chatting and talking to himself. He added that he was not threatening or approaching people. The sword was in a case with a rope slung around his back but the blade was partially visible.
Ms Traynor said she had told her client that it may be ok to walk about with a sword in India or elsewhere, but certainly not here in Ireland.
The Judge said the maximum sentence for this offence was 12 months but she was willing to reduce this to five because of the guilty plea, the fact that he had no previous convictions and because the testimony of Garda O’Donnell was favourable.
She added that she would “very reluctantly” suspend the sentence for two years on condition that Moran stay out of Galway city during those two years and be of good behaviour.
“Religion and religious beliefs are one thing but you can’t carry a weapon like this in a public place,” she concluded and ordered the destruction of the sword.
