Padraig Nally, who shot Traveller John ‘Frog’ Ward, dies aged 81
Mayo farmer Padraig Nally, who turned the centre of a trigger célèbre 20 years in the past, following the capturing lifeless of a Traveller John ‘Frog’ Ward, has died aged 81 following an extended sickness.
In November 2005, Mr Nally was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment for the manslaughter of Ward, who had been trespassing on his farm close to Lough Corrib on the Mayo/Galway border.
Nonetheless, his conviction was quashed in October 2006 and, in a retrial two months later, he was discovered not responsible of manslaughter.
After being acquitted on the Central Felony Courtroom, Nally informed reporters, as he ready to journey house from Dublin to his 65-acre farm, he typically considered the person he shot lifeless greater than two years earlier and recurrently prayed for him.
“I consider what occurred on a regular basis. It’s at all times on my thoughts,” Mr Nally mentioned.
Expressing sympathy with John Ward’s widow, Marie, and their 11 kids, he added: “These 11 kids are actually and not using a father. It’s a large loss to them.”
Nally, a bachelor, conceded because of the nationwide and worldwide publicity the extraordinary circumstances of his scenario had obtained, he was “now a celeb” however had “to stay that down”.
“I do know I’m identified throughout Eire. I received hundreds of letters and lots of playing cards and Mass requests whereas I used to be in jail. Even whereas I used to be in Dublin, folks got here as much as me on the road eager to shake my hand”.
Following his acquittal Mr Nally settled again to farming. Livestock was an enormous a part of his life. He was an everyday at Maam Cross Mart however stored to himself socially for essentially the most half.
Nally’s sufferer, John ‘Frog’ Ward was a 43-year-old Traveller with about 80 convictions for housebreaking, larceny and assault.
At his first trial, Nally mentioned he had been unable to sleep correctly as quite a lot of farms in his space had been burgled and his own residence had been damaged into in 2003 and a chainsaw stolen from one in every of his sheds.
Nally’s counsel Brendan Grehan informed the jury his shopper was “on the finish of his tether agitated and fearful, even paranoid about his security”.
Counsel went on to explain Nally as a law-abiding member of the group who acted in self-defence.
