Gordon Deegan

A farmer who “lost the plot” reduced primary school children on a St. Brigid’s Day nature walk to tears after calling them “retards”, a court has heard.

At a Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Judge Mary Larkin said that Breda Moloney (66) “scared the living daylights out of a bunch of people who did her no wrong” at Ballymalone, Tuamgraney in east Co. Clare on January 28, 2022.

“These children were completely innocent, I have never heard of anyone being subjected to this kind of abuse because of someone’s inherent resentment and anger,” said Judge Larkin, who described the incident as “extraordinary”.

She stated that during the morning incident, Moloney was “incensed” and told a neighbouring farmer, Regine Roskam, “the most unbelievable things when telling her how her parents in law got cancer, that they got what they deserved and how they should rot in hell”.

Moloney also called French national and a resident here for 32 years Roskam, who is a teacher at the national school, “a f**king foreigner”.

The judge said she was absolutely satisfied that Moloney’s conduct was “reckless and a breach of the peace” and convicted her of the public order offence binding her to the peace for 12 months.

‘Children were crying’

Teacher at the Raheen Wood Community NS, Mary Joe Kennedy told the court that in celebration of St. Brigid’s Day 21 pupils, aged between 11 and 12, from the school along with one other teacher and three parents were set to go to lands owned by school teacher, Regine Roskam to pick rushes and reeds for the Brigid’s Day crosses.

Kennedy stated that while on the public road, the group saw Moloney “and from the get go, she was screaming”.

“She said that we were trespassing, that we were on her land and called us effing hippies and called the children retards,” said Kennedy.

“It was shocking. Some of the children were crying, they were upset. Everyone hears cursing but not at that level.

“The children were being called names they should never really have heard and being referred to in that manner and hearing their teachers spoken to in that manner. I found it incredibly offensive that she was calling the children I was with retards,” she added.

Kennedy also said that she felt scared as she was in charge of the children and “this woman’s behaviour was endangering” them.

She outlined that eight of the children were brought back to school as they were upset and did not feel safe to go to the farmer’s field. Meanwhile, the remaining children did not proceed to the Roskam’s lands but instead visited another farm.

In her evidence, Roskam said that on the date, she could, from her land, hear screaming at around 10:00a.m and went to see what was happening. She said that she came to the scene and “could see that some of the kids were crying”.

She stated that Breda Moloney then told her that she “was a fucking foreigner” and “to go back where you came from”. According to Roskam, Moloney then said “you killed my cow and you poisoned her”.

Roskam said “she said ‘both your parents in law died of cancer, they deserved [that] and may they rot in hell’, I got very upset so I just saw there was no point in talking to her”.

Although Roskam said that she has never had any personal issues with Moloney, she stated that there had been a number of issues between her husband and her late parents-in-law with the farmer.

Garda presence

Garda Robert O’Grady told the court that he arrived at the scene after receiving a report of people trespassing around Breda Moloney’s property and said that the “level of anger from Moloney was over the top with children present”.

“Breda Moloney was the agitator and the only one angry at the scene. My understanding was that it was a public road where it all took place,” said O’Grady.

Moloney denied calling the children ‘retards’ and denied the public order summons.

“No. I didn’t know the children. I didn’t know where they came from. They weren’t small children, they were fairly big,” she said.

“It wouldn’t be in me to carry out like that. I don’t carry out like that. I have been wronged in my life.

“The people that gave evidence here today are swearing perjury,” she said.

The woman also denied using any threatening or abusive words or having any intent to breach the peace.

When asked if she spoke about Roskam’s in laws in the manner previously described, Moloney said “I don’t know what they died of…I didn’t say that”.

Sergeant Louis Moloney said that Ms. Moloney has 17 previous convictions including three for breach of the peace and one for animal cruelty.

Defense

Solicitor for Ms. Moloney, Daragh Hassett told the court that he has known Moloney for a long time and said that “she is not everyone’s cup of tea but is a nice lady”.

“Life hasn’t been good to her or her sister. They were left managing the homestead when their parents died,” he said. Hassett added that Moloney and her sister do their best to eke out a living from the land and they live in a caravan.

“She feels that people look down on her so much and hadn’t the courtesy to say that they were coming up the road.

“My client is in poor health and every type of illness and disease that could be visited upon a person she has got,” he added.