Father of 12 wielded machete and attempted to reverse over man in Louth estate during family feud
A 39-year-old man who wielded a machete during an attack on a member of his extended family in a Dundalk housing estate also attempted to reverse over the man in a car.
That evidence was given at the circuit court when Arthur McGinley was sentenced to one year and three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of endangerment and affray.
The incident in Dundalk occurred in the context of a feud when two young accomplices of the defendant threw petrol bombs at the house of Barney McGinley.
Arthur McGinley, a father of 12, was extradited from the UK for this offending, which occurred in 2020.
Five of 52 previous convictions are from England, and they include assault causing actual bodily harm, affray and possession of a knife when he appeared before Liverpool Crown Court following a subsequent “family disagreement”.
Judge Dara Hayes heard that the feud is over and that the defendant has calmed down. What occurred was “exacerbated” by alcohol”.
The court was told that on May 15, 2020, Barney McGinley was cutting hedges at his home in Cherryvale, Bay Estate, Dundalk, when a car pulled up.
Arthur McGinley and others exited the vehicle and approached him. The defendant carried a machete, but Barney McGinley was able to fend the men off with hedge cutters.
The car was reversed towards Barney. It hit a pillar before being driven off.
Two hours later they returned. Windows of the house were broken, as were windows of a Transit van parked there. There was shouting towards William McGinley, who was at the house.
Two young men with Arthur McGinley set alight Corona beer bottles containing a fire accelerant and threw them towards the house. One of them went in one of the smashed windows. Barney McGinley was able to put it out.
He sustained a graze to his left shoulder and a mark on his shin during the attack, while William, a cousin of Arthur, was struck with some type of weapon.
The accused was arrested in England on a cooperation warrant on August 23, 2024, and spent two months on remand there before being extradited to Ireland on October 23, 2024.
The court heard that Arthur McGinley, third youngest of 11 children, was born in Longford and grew up in Clondalkin. He is currently residing at an address in Tallaght. He is the father of 6 boys and 6 girls, the youngest child having arrived last January.
The prosecuting Garda agreed with defence counsel Eoghan Weldon that “peace has broken out”.
Barney McGinley’s wife Mary was in court along with Arthur’s wife Margaret.
The dispute with another family member in Liverpool had been over the burial of his father.
Mr Weldon said that his client’s brother died when he was young.
Throughout his life, alcohol was a coping mechanism. He found the Covid lockdown extremely difficult. He had moderated his drinking, which he instructed was under control.
Judge Hayes noted that a probation report said the defendant minimised the offending.
Mr Weldon agreed that he was downplaying it and didn’t really want to admit it.
However, the feud was over. This incident occurred in a vacuum.
It didn’t, Judge Hayes said. He continued that Barney McGinley lived in an estate and had neighbours, and that the subsequent conviction in Liverpool arose out of a family disagreement.
Counsel replied that Arthur McGinley had calmed. He has abided by bail conditions, and has a lot on his plate.
Passing sentence, the judge remarked that this was significant public disorder.
Arthur McGinley had wielded a machete. Had he collided with Barney McGinley in the car, it could have been much worse. Threats were made towards William McGinley.
The feud appeared to have died away. The injured parties didn’t wish to proceed to trial.
Judge Hayes said that the convictions in Liverpool were of considerable concern.
Aggravating factors in this case were the use of a car as a weapon and the extent of damage to the house and van.
It was a very serious attack in the middle of the day in a housing estate with a broader impact on the wider community.
Concurrent terms of 2 years and 9 months were imposed on the two charges, the final 18 months suspended, and backdated to December 16 last to account for the time in custody in England.
Arthur McGinley was also disqualified from driving for 3 years.