A Dublin man who was caught with drugs while attending the All Together Now music festival in Portlaw last summer was given the chance to avoid a conviction last month.
Niall Duffy (45) of 100 Greenlea Road, Terenure, Dublin 6, appeared before Judge John O’Leary at a sitting of Dungarvan District Court in March, charged with possession of a controlled drug for personal use (namely MDMA/ecstasy), contrary to Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977.
The court heard that a man, identified as the accused, was searched by Gardaí on 3 August 2025 at Curraghmore Estate, where they uncovered €60 worth of MDMA tablets in his possession. It was noted that the accused has no previous convictions, and was ‘co-operative’ with Gardaí following the search.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Martin Lavan told Judge O’Leary that his client is currently working in IT in Dublin, and this can sometimes involve travelling to the United States.
Mr. Lavan highlighted that a potential conviction could cause visa issues for the accused because of this, and asked the Judge to take his early guilty plea into account.
Judge O’Leary said that the accused would get the “benefit of having no previous convictions” and invited him to make a €650 donation to the court poor box, indicating that the matter would be struck out if this was completed before 20 April 2026.
However, the charge was struck out after the donation was paid and the receipt was presented to the Judge.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
