By Gordon Deegan

An award-winning Wagyu beef farmer wept in court as he told a judge that he did not have his vehicle taxed as “I am old style, I am not able to go online”.

At Ennis District Court, Gerard O'Doherty (64) broke down as he told Judge Adrian Harris that he wrongly believed that he required a tax clearance certificate to get his vehicle taxed.

In evidence, Garda Ken Butler told the court that he stopped O’Doherty when driving on the N85 at Kielty on the outskirts of Ennis  on November 7 last.

Garda Butler said O’Doherty of Crussa, Newmarket on Fergus, had not had his vehicle taxed since April 2025 and was first stopped by Gardai in May 2025 over having no tax.

Garda Butler said that O’Doherty was stopped on June 29 and October 28 over the no tax issue before he was prosecuted for having no tax on November 7.

Garda Butler said: “The tax issue was known by the defendant since May 2025 and he was stopped a number of times and given a chance to rectify the matter.”

Court

Representing himself, O'Doherty told the court that he is an award-winning Wagyu beef farmer and building up the Wagyu beef business with his architect son since 2019 has been “pressure, pressure, pressure for six solid years”.

O’Doherty said that he is from Moymore near Lahinch in north Clare and an aunt 12 years ago gave him a farm in Newmarket on Fergus which is the Wagyu beef farm today.

O’Dohery also detailed that they did not slaughter their first Wagyu beef until October 2024.

He said: “I built up the herd. The cattle had to be seen every day. They are a special Japanese breed of cattle.

“I know the system now. I am old fashioned and I can’t work the computer.”

“It was more pressure than carelessness. It is nothing else. I was under extreme pressure," he added.

Tax office

O’Doherty said that he did not know that he could walk into the tax office and tax the vehicle.

He said: “I was so taken up with time - that is the real story.” 

As O’Doherty explained why the vehicle was not taxed, he broke down and cried briefly and Judge Harris told him to ‘take a moment’.

O’Doherty said: “My son looks after the sales and I am doing the manual work and I could be working 70 or 80 hours a week.

He also added that Wagyu stock “is very expensive”.

O'Doherty said that the Wagyu beef business is off the ground and three or four weeks ago the business received a number of awards.

He told the court that the vehicle is now taxed and back-taxed.

Convictions

Garda Butler said that O’Doherty has 16 previous convictions including 14 for road traffic and one for animal cruelty.

The animal cruelty conviction dates back a number of years and pre-dates O’Doherty’s Wagyu beef venture.

Judge Harris imposed a fine of €200 and told O’Doherty “best of luck with the business and congratulations on the awards”.